He takes off his red Hellbound U baseball cap and shakes his head. “No. Which is why you should make sure to do it now.”
I grind my teeth together but nod, knowing he’s right. “Fine. We’ll shift between plays.”
Rafael nods in agreement and Coach exhales a relieved breath before rubbing his jaw. “How's your hand feel when you throw?”
Like lava being poured on it, but I keep that to myself. “It stings, but I can handle it.”
He considers me for a moment. “And your beast?”
“We’re in control.” Rafael answers for me.
Coach works his jaw. “Alright. Fine. But you know the rules.”
“A loss of control means you forfeit the game. We know. Neither of us is at risk of shifting unless we want to.”
He nods to himself. “Alright. I’ll leave you two to it then. Make sure you check in with the healers at the day’s end. Got it?”
I grit my teeth at the order, but nod. Coach is an alright guy and doesn’t understand shifter dominance, so I fight my instincts to put him in his place. He puts the players' health and well-being first, and I have no doubt he’ll bench me and any other shifter if we don’t take him seriously.
“Good. We’ll make this work. But, if we get too many silver balls in next week's game…” he trails off and yeah. We get it. “You prepared to take that risk?”
I nod. I understand Infernum is just a game, but it’s more than that too. My parents hate that I play. They think it’s beneath me, but my Alpha won’t let them keep me from playing. It brings too much pride to the Pack to see us not only play, but dominate, so this isn’t one of those scenarios where they can trample all over what I want to do. I’m hunter-born, which comes with its own set of expectations, but on the field, I can avoid the doom and gloom of my fate, which is a lonely existence where even those in my clan are on edge when in my presence. It comes with the territory when you’re born to play the part of grim reaper to any Pack mate who has the misfortune of going rogue.
So no, I won’t give this up. Not for my parents and not because of my aversion to silver. If the vampires can manage to play when balls of fire are thrown about, I sure as hell can manage this. “It’s worth the risk, Coach.”
“Have it your way. Now get your asses home, shift, and get some rest.”
Coach stalks off the field toward the locker room and we head the opposite direction toward the parking lot. “You good, man?” Rafael asks once we reach our vehicles and I clench my fists, waiting for the Lyc-V in my system to take root and start healing the damage on my palms. It’s minor. Some soreness and discoloration, but more or an irritant than anything.
I look at Rafe and take in the blackened blisters on his hands and forearms.Shit.
“Pretty sure I should be asking you that.”
“Nah, I’m good.” He sucks on his teeth and hesitates like he’s got something else to say, which isn’t like him, so I spit out, “What?” Only to see his frown deepen.
“What was up this morning?”
“What do you mean?” I open my door and lean against the frame. I have a feeling I know where this is going, and I don't like it. Rafael is my friend, and pretty soon, he’ll be my Alpha if he sticks on the path he’s on now, but that doesn’t mean I like him questioning me.
“With Baby Liu. If she’d asked us to help her move in, we would have. The girl’s one of us but …” he trails off and shakes his head, running a hand through his dark brown hair.
“You’re reading too much into it,” I tell him, hoping he drops it.
He doesn't. Nosy wolf. “Nah. I don’t think I am. Where’s your head at these days? I know you had a thing for her back in high school, but—"
I cut him off before he has a chance to finish. “It’s not like that. She’s Zheng’s little sister.”
Rafael snorts. “Which meant fuck all when we were in high school and you gawked at her ass every time she walked by. Dude, I scent your lust every time she walks in a room.”
“Like I said, you’re reading too much into it. That was three years ago. Things change, and it wasn’t lust. Not for her..”
He snorts. “Bullshit. Meiying is all grown up and she's filled out in all the right places. Don't pretend you haven't noticed.”
I lift a single brow. “Isa know you’ve been checking Meiying out?”
He chuckles. “No cabrón, because I’m not. But I’m not blind and neither are you. The girl has grown up. A lot. Tension with you two has always been thick, your beasts pushing you both to establish dominance, but lately …” He trails off, giving me a knowing look.
I shake my head. “Nah, man. Things between us are not like that. I can barely stand the girl so, no, I don’t fucking like her. Not the way you’re suggesting. She’s a fucking cat. You know how crazy they are. Whatever you’re picking up on is just our usual shit. We get under each other's skin. That’s all.” I might have the occasional fantasy about fucking her to see if it would make her more tolerable, but I don’t let my dick dictate my decisions.
