Page 51 of Bride By Initiation

I crouch down, assessing him, attempting to anticipate his next move. He roars while lunging at me.

I swing as hard as I can, landing a punch on his jaw. His head whips to the side, and his blood sprays across the floor. I follow up with another swing to his gut, making solid contact.

He gasps and leans over.

I grab his head with both hands and then shove my knee into his face, and his nose cracks.

The excitement in the crowd grows. It feeds my adrenaline, pushing me to not think about anything but survival. I jab my fingers into his eyes, and a painful sound flies out of him.

"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!" the crowd chants.

He falls to his knees, and I kick him as hard as I can in the temple.

His body goes limp, and he thuds to the ground. Dirt flies into the air.

The audience gets louder.

"Get up!" I order, ready to pounce on him again, but he doesn't move. I remain in fight mode until I realize a new chant fills the room.

"One! One! One!"

Byrne rushes out and grabs my arm.

I shove him, unable to let anyone touch me. Right now, everyone is the enemy.

"Sit!" he screams over the crowd, and points to the metal chair.

I snap out of it and obey, grateful for the moment to rest.

The same woman who gave me the pair of shorts holds a water bottle to my lips.

Byrne instructs, "Drink it!"

I don't argue, and the liquid slides down my throat.

Byrne screams in my ear, "One down. Don't let up, Sean. Whatever you do, don't let up."

The air's so thick, I can barely breathe. My hand has started to swell, but I can't worry about it now.

Byrne shouts, "Two's ready, lad."

I glance over at my new opponent and try not to freak out. He's huge. I assume he's 350 pounds of muscle and eats children for breakfast.

Jesus. He looks like Goliath.

He drops his pants, and a woman hands him gold shorts. He puts them on and then tears off his shirt and shoes.

His face and chest are covered in burn scars, and what look like healed-over claw marks run down his legs. He roars and pounds his chest, pinning his scowl on me.

The crowd goes crazy, chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The bell rings.

Byrne slaps my cheeks. "Stay focused, lad. Don't let him intimidate you."

I jump up, crack my neck, and step to the line.

The shrill whistle explodes in the air. My enemy pounces toward me, but I'm faster than him.

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