“I’m on it,” Linc snaps, and East nods as he turns to leave. “We’ll continue this at my place,” Lincoln growls through his teeths before he stalks to his Porsche looking like he’s angry enough to kill someone. If only that’s the first time this year he’s done that.
I look at Finn and clap a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, we better head out. You know he’ll pitch a fit if we keep him waiting when he’s in this mood.” Linc speeds out of the parking lot, almost as if proving my point.
“You want burgers?” he asks, shrugging out of his blazer before unlocking his Lamborghini. I grab my helmet and leather jacket from the passenger seat and grin at him.
“You know I do.”
“I’ll swing by and grab some on the way and then meet you there.”
I move over to my Ducati and swing my leg over so the powerful machine is between my legs. I shrug into my jacket and grasp my helmet in my hand as I start the bike. “Sounds good to me.”
He shakes his head at me as I rev the engine. The purr of his car has nothing on the roar of my bike, but he loves that car like nothing else. I suppose if I’d sacrificed what he had for it, I’d love it like that too. I’m pretty sure the only thing he loves more than his car is Octavia. She hung the moon for him from the first moment she arrived in our class all those years ago.
We all have our own shit to handle, but we agreed when we were inducted that we’d keep her out of it for as long as we could, whatever it took.
I slide my helmet over my head and walk the bike back as it rumbles between my legs.
Octavia might hate us right now, but we’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. Even if that means spilling more blood than anyone’s ever seen.
* * *
This fucking week has been enough to push a saint to kill. So my sinning, pitch black soul’s shit out of luck. It’s why I grin so hard as blood drips from my knuckles and splatters across my chest.
The tall, scrawny guy in the cage with me is one of the assholes we think has been sending the creepy as shit gifts to V. Whether she knows about them or not, I’m going to get answers out of this dick. I’d really rather she never find out about any of this.
The guy staggers toward me, barely able to stay on his feet. I catch a flash of brown hair behind him, and it distracts me enough for him to land a punch on my jaw.
Focus, Mav.
I shake my head to clear it. There’s no way V knows about this place. I swear I see her fucking everywhere.
I shake off the hit and bounce around this dickhead, jabbing him so much he groans as he falls to his knees.
I bark out a laugh at how easy this fight was. I really need to make sure my other opponents for the night are more of a challenge, otherwise the rampant rage burning in my veins won’t find the outlet it so desperately needs.
I finish him with an Achilles style punch to the temple, and his eyes roll back in his head as he slumps. He’s face down on the ground as the bell sounds and cheers go up around the warehouse.
The ref comes in and lifts my arm, officially declaring me the winner before making sure my opponent isn’t actually dead. I pause for a second until he confirms it, looking out into the crowd. I catch sight of the flash of brown hair again and narrow my eyes until I can see that it’s actually her moving through the crowd.
I run a bloody hand down my face and groan.
What the fuck is she doing here?
I jump down from the cage and search through the crowd for her. Once I find her, my eyes narrow in her direction. We’ve done everything to try and keep her safe, and she strolls into this vipers’ nest like nothing fucking matters.
Adrenaline rushes through my veins, and I’m high on the win of my fight as I stalk toward her. I know she sees me because her eyes go wide as she sucks in a breath. The way her chest heaves does things to me it definitely shouldn’t, but I’m over denying myself of Octavia Royal. She spins on her heel and walks away, trying to escape me, which makes me grin.
Oh how I love to hunt my prey.
It doesn’t take me long to reach her as the crowd parts like the Red Sea before me. These people know not to fuck with me.
I grab her arm and spin her around forcibly. She rips herself out of my grasp, eyes narrowed.
Fuck, I love her fire.
The high of the chase, of catching her, and her retaliating struggle… All she’s doing is making my dick harder than it’s ever been. She came here for me, to watch me fight. I know it. Her being here tells me all I need to know.
There are a lot less people down this hall of the pit, so I let myself be the animal I know I am. I want her. She wants me. I can see it in the flush of her skin. In the way her eyes go wide as she looks up at me. I grab her chin, my large hand spanning across her cheek and neck, and shove her against the wall. Her gasp rocks me, making me impossibly harder as her eyes dilate.