Page 27 of Blood and Hexes

"A little fun and a lot necessary," Chloe amended. "Especially for me."

Diana had a hard time preventing herself from snorting. Her defenseless act wasn't fooling anyone.

"Right, who wants to go first?" Cat asked.

Both of the vampire in white's arms shot up. Diana laughed at her enthusiasm.

"I'm not taking on Ruby again." Avani pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "She broke my nose Wednesday."

"I'll have a go," Greer offered.

Ruby's smile disappeared. She shook her head from side to side five times. "Nope, pass. Someone else go first."

Diana quirked a brow. Ruby seemed like one of the strongest women here, and yet she backed right out of fighting a mere witch.

The other witch she didn't know, a girl in leather gear, with dark hair highlighted with blue streaks, got to her feet. "All right, let's do this."

Silence fell as thetwo women circled each other on the mats. Diana watched as ward after ward coated the two witches’ skin, some invisible, but with a distinct presence no magic user could miss, others colorful at first, then fading as they wrapped around their masters. Without warning, the black-and-blue-haired girl struck viciously, punching Greer right in the boobs—a low move. A shield blocked the impact, but quickly—faster than most humans could have moved—she kicked low, trying to trip the other witch up.

Greer lifted her foot just in time, and sidestepped before casually bumping into her opponent, challenging her balance. The witch managed to avoid falling, but Greer kicked her side, and as she fell forward, brought a vicious knee to her nose.

Diana winced on the unknown witch's behalf. That had to hurt.

Screaming, the witch jumped at Greer, giving her all hit after hit. While she landed some of her weakest ones, Greer didn't let her get anywhere close during her more powerful attacks, and retaliated without mercy.

Analyzing her style, Diana was surprised to recognize it. There were some of Alexius's nastier tricks. Like Mikar, she went for the throat, although it wasn't that efficient against a witch—the move was meant to get vampire or shifter fangs out of the way. Like De Villier, she had elegant footwork, akin to a smooth dance. This girl had been trained on the hill, Diana would have sworn it. Which was why the other witch had no chance.

When Greer was done playing, she pinned her opponent on her knees, arms locked behind her back.

"I yield!" the witch screamed. "Fuck."

Diana couldn't help but laugh, along with everyone else.

They were right. This was fun. Maybe not for the witch, but certainly for her.

Greer let go the moment she'd won, and held her hand out to help the witch up. Diana was surprised the girl took it.

"How did the charm hold up, Blair?" Greer asked.

The witch—Blair—winced. "I'm in one piece. My nose is back in place. I'd say it worked."

"You didn't use magic offensively," Diana remarked. "Your spells were to protect yourselves."

Greer nodded. "Yeah, we need them when we're fighting vamps. Or each other, for that matter."

That didn't explain why they'd stuck to physical blows when their magic would be a lot more efficient against any adversary. Most witches she knew concentrated on magic, never even bothering to learn to fight with their fists. They kept themselves fit because magic took a toll on the practitioners, but that was it.

"I don't get why you'd bother."

"What if our magic is depleted? What if someone suppresses it? What if we're fighting a witch as strong as us?" Greer arched a brow. "The one left standing in the end is the one who can throw a punch. Besides, it's important to learn to keep our shields up during a fight. Most witches can build perfect shields in class. In front of an enemy, their strength crumbles because they don't bother to practice it."

Diana nodded her agreement.

"What Greer isn't saying is that none of us can take her if she uses magic," Blair admitted. "Hell, we can't take her anyway."

"No wonder." Diana tilted her head. "You were trained by my brother, and some other boys on the hill, right?"

Greer grinned. "I came here when I was a kid. They didn't really know what to do with a five-year-old. So it was all candy, movies, and beheading 101."

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