We curse at the same time when a warrior’s blade slices across the back of Hazel’s thigh, but he barely gets a breath before she slams him face-first into the ground.
The second his body hits the dirt, she’s already moving again, like the injury never happened. Fate’s she is fierce. My little hellfire.
She turns to me. “I hope she wins. Seiji has been unbearable since he won last time.”
Now I see why Nevaeh and Hazel are so close. They’re both deranged. Maybe even clinically.
With one final hit, Harvey goes down, his thunderous growl shaking the ground. Hazel watches him try to calm down with pursed lips, then bursts out laughing when she hears him mumble, “It’s just a bet… it’s just a bet.”
Fates, she’s beautiful when she laughs.
The warriors from Conquer erupt in cheers, quickly joined by my daughter, who’s jumping like a lunatic and singing my mate’s praises.
Hazel is breathing hard by the time Harvey gets his Divine under control, stopping himself from flooding the kingdom with rage.
“Better luck next time, War.”
Harvey glares at her, gripping his sword so hard the hilt cracks in his hand.
Oh boy…
Hazel, Harvey, and Seiji thank their warriors before Hazel announces that her team gets tomorrow off, and the losers will cover their shifts.
My mate is winning hearts all around.
I don’t like fighting without cause, but maybe this is my way to break the ice between us. At this point, I’d do anything to get closer to my mate, to breathe her in and drown in her sweet scent. Maybe even touch her.
Once that thought enters my mind, everything else becomes white noise.
“Oh no. I know that look.” Nevaeh grabs my arm before my feet can take me to my mate. Fuck. I didn’t even realize I was moving. “Papa, stop. You don’t go after an angry bull wearing red.”
But red is the color of love.
The thought of getting close to Hazel has my Divine thrumming. I’m not passing up this golden opportunity.
Suddenly, Harvey steps in front of me, blocking my path. “Dean, listen to Nevaeh. Hazel turns my castle into a battlefield once a month to train her students. Do I protest, even though I really hate teenagers wandering around and pissing themselves when they come across real danger?No. Because it’s easier tochannel that anger into training those punks than dealing with the queen of death glare standing over there.”
As if he summoned her, Hazel’s gaze snaps to me, her signature glare locking in as she watches Harvey and Nevaeh crowding me.
I lift a hand and wave, grinning before I can stop myself. As expected, one look at me and her frown deepens.
She definitely thinks I’m a weirdo.
I should apologize. Or congratulate her.
You hug when you congratulate someone, right?
Harvey grabs my shoulders and shakes me. “Snap out of it, dude. Trust me, even if you win, you’re going to lose.”
I’m not afraid of losing to my mate. I’d happily lose to her for the rest of my life if she’d just look at me with a smile foronce.
I shrug off Harvey’s hold like a man possessed and walk straight to my mate, ignoring the whispered warning behind me.
Hazel sighs when I stop in front of her, still grinning like a lunatic.
“What do you want, Reaper?”
So much attitude for such an innocent face.
