Page 4 of Inferno

Right now, our father and theirs have an agreement that’s hanging on by a thread. The thread being this fight. They don’t want Con back in the cage, so they pushed the organizers to make this fixed. A test they thought Con would fail.

Finn flips him off and shoves one hand in the pocket of his black overcoat. The other runs through his hair, sweeping it back into place.

“He goes down next round, right?” Finn asks discreetly.

I fiddle with the knuckle dusters in my coat.

“Yeah. He better fucking do it, too.”

Finn shakes his head. “Perhaps you should have let me drug him a little. He might not get as angry in there.”

“Not. Happening. Finn. Father’s orders. What would he have said about us drugging our little brother before a fight?”

He winces, almost in pain, and I know I’ve struck a chord. We protect each other. Even from ourselves sometimes.

“Calm down, Dec. I was joking. He’d beat my ass if I tried anyway.”

I wince as James, Conan’s opponent, the youngest son of our lifelong enemies, knocks his fist into Conan’s nose. Of course it had to be a Bowen he’s fighting. The best they’ve got too.

Even though it’s fixed, they’ll be gloating James beat Conan fair and square.

Blood pours from his nostrils that he furiously wipes away, and a chilling switch flickers in his eyes.

“Declan,” Finn warns, knowing that deadly look Conan has as well as I do.

The cold metal of the cage bites into my skin as I reach the edge and grip the bars.

“Don’t you dare fuck this, Con,” I almost scream, trying to snap him out of it.

He looks over to me and his crimson stained teeth appear as he smiles.

“Lose your head. I’ll kill you myself,” I shout.

James hurls himself at Conan, his grip like a vise on Conan’s waist as the impact sends Conan’s back crashing into the cage with a sickening thud.

Conan lets out a ferocious roar, the raw power in his voice mirroring the brutal force of his fists pounding into James’s skull.

The blows echo through the basement.

The crowd erupts into a flurry of cheers. As I glance across the other side of the room, my eyes lock with Arthur.

The eldest brother of the Bowens. His face is serious as he slowly shakes his head at me.

A warning.

“Conan!” I bang my fists against the cage frantically.

He has one more round.

I let out a shaky breath as the bell’s clang, and James is roughly pulled from Conan’s grasp.

“I’m going to fucking kill you!” James spits blood next to Conan’s feet.

Fuck. Those are the last words Conan needs to hear. He takes threats very seriously.

With a pounding heart, I run to the entrance with Finn hot on my heels, and together we storm towards Conan.

As he wipes the damp sweat clinging to his skin, I grab his face, forcing his gaze to meet mine.

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