Seiji claps his hands, and the warriors fall silent instantly.
“Are you ready, Siren? I hope you’re not having flashbacks of how brutally you lost last time.” Seiji blinks innocently, but judging by the steam coming out of my mate’s ears, he’s seconds away from getting his ass handed to him, friendly competition or not.
Harvey laughs, then immediately takes a step back when Hazel’s glare lands on him.
How do I feel knowing everyone’s a little afraid of my fiery siren? Ridiculously proud. And a little tingly.
As someone who is on the receiving end of those glares daily, I know his heart just skipped. I’m pretty sure Hazel uses her siren powers to make her threats more effective.
Harvey is built like a mountain and still backs off. Seiji, on the other hand, laughs and kicks dirt in her direction like he’s not afraid of being buried alive.
“I only lost because you cheated,” Hazel grits out, wrapping bandages around her knuckles with unnecessary force.
Seiji gasps, clutching his chest. “How dare you. I would never do something like that.”
“So the knights you brought from Hell and bribed to pretend to be Famine warriors were…?”
“Method actors. I merely gave them a learning opportunity.”
“You are exhausting.” Hazel sighs, biting her bottom lip to hide her smile, but keeps her eyes narrowed on Seiji so he doesn’t think he’s off the hook.
Hazel flips the dagger into the air and catches it by the handle, the movement so smooth it almost feels like a trick of theeye. The slight curl at the corner of her mouth tells me she did that on purpose.
Harvey cracks his neck, running a hand through his dark hair that could use a cut, and tightens his grip on his word.
Seiji throws a headband over his head, securing his perfectly styled hair before his twin whips crack against the ground, the impact sending strong vibrations through the floor beneath us.
When they’re ready, Nevaeh jumps up to start the countdown, then rushes back to sit beside me.
Nevaeh tells me the only rule is no Divine, since that would give Harvey and Seiji an unfair advantage. While I think my Siren’s magic is nothing to be taken lightly, a Horsemen’s Divine is on another level.
They’re at each other’s throats in an instant. I wasn’t expecting them to slam their opponents on the ground hard enough to hear bones crack. Once your back hits the ground, you’re out. By the five-minute mark, warriors start dropping fast.
Hazel slams a warrior to the ground hard enough to make him cry out in pain, and I wince on the demon’s behalf. I’ve been watching her tear through opponents for thirty minutes, but that one felt personal because he tried to sneak up on her from behind.
“Fuck. She really doesn’t like people touching her, huh.”
“Yeah.” Nevaeh grimaces. “But don’t worry, it’s not a trigger. She just doesn’t like people in her space.”
I know she’s saying that for my benefit, so I don’t feel bad about Hazel acting like I’m contagious.
Hazel looks like a goddess of war, her hair whipping behind her, a small cut on her cheek somehow making her look even more dangerous.
“She’s untouchable.” I’m in complete awe, unable to take my eyes off her.
“It’s a big deal if anyone even gets close enough to land a hit. She’ll have you on your back before you blink, and you won’t even know how.” Nevaeh leans in to whisper. “I think she uses her magic, but she’d rather die than tell me her secret.”
For another twenty minutes, I watch Hazel take down her opponents one by one until it’s just her and Harvey left standing.
Seiji is cheering for Harvey along with the warriors from War and Famine.
I nudge Nevaeh. “They seem pretty biased. Is it because she’s a Siren or a Warriorhead?”
Nevaeh laughs. “It’s because she’s a cocky bitch. Every time she wins, Hazel mocks everyone who participated, including Harvey and Seiji, until one of them snaps.”
I’m not sure how to feel about that.
Nevaeh screams at the top of her lungs when Hazel kicks Harvey’s knee, making him stumble. “Yes! Take him down!”
