Page 27 of Saints & Sinners

Azrael turned. “And that is?”

Hunter’s gaze slid over to me as he sunk his hands in the pocket of his combat jacket. “Grace and I should spar. She’s been practicing all week and mentioned it this morning, in fact.”

My heart dropped in my stomach.

I could feel the eyes of other Ascendants land on me, and whispers started to ripple through the group. My stomach twisted.

Azrael’s gaze flickered to me, and I straightened as if that would help me look any less weak. “Is that right, Martin?”

My eyes shifted toward Hunter at the spark of challenge in hisexpression. If I said no, would that mean I had lost whatever power play this all was?

I swallowed but my mouth was suddenly dry as I locked my gaze on Hunter. “Yes.”

“Grace,” Lucas scolded me before directing his attention to Azrael. “Sir, she can’t—”

“Oh, come on, James,” Hunter called out. “I’ll go easy on her.” He raised his palms. ‘No weapons or powers.”

Prick.

Azrael sighed in annoyance. “Martin, center. Now.”

Lucas grabbed my arm and shook his head at me, not to go. I yanked free from his hold and smiled as if that would ease his mind. I could barely calm mine down.

Hunter stepped forward, his eyes never leaving mine as we met at the center of the pit. Ascendants gathered around us, snickering while my focus was locked on Hunter until I saw Nadael and a group of other Celestials approaching from the corner of my eye.

“Bambi,” he acknowledged, his voice low and taunting.

I gritted my teeth as I raised my fists.

“Begin,” Azrael said, and Hunter wasted no time. He lunged at me, his movements swift and precise, like how he fought against Matias. I could barely keep up as I blocked one of his hits. The force sent a shockwave up my arm, and I clenched my eyes shut, staggering back, as I tried to regain my balance.

When I peeled my eyes open, he stood there, unmoving, his fists lowered, and his lips pressed into a thin line. Laughter erupted around us, sharp and cutting.

“You’re not even trying,” he muttered, his voice low enough that only I could hear. “Prove me wrong, Grace. Show me you deserve to be here.”

I glared at him, and without a word, I swung at him. I tried to land a hit, but he sidestepped easily, grabbing my wrist andtwisting it behind me so that my back was against his front. I gasped as pain shot through my arm. He tightened his grip before letting go and shoving me back with enough force to send me sprawling to the ground.

Everyone was watching, and my cheeks flamed. When I turned to look toward Azrael, embarrassment flooded me at the view of Nadael and the other Celestials beside her taking notes.

Nadael shook her head, giving me a rueful look as if she knew how right she was about me joining the Warriors. She didn’t want this. Joe didn’t want this. No one did.

“Looks as if you might need another shower, Grace,” Hunter taunted, circling me like a predator. “Pity you keep proving me right. Like I’ve said before, this place isn’t meant for a mortal.”

I glared at him, wiping the dirt from my trousers as the weight of everyone’s eyes landed on me. He was doing this on purpose, making a spectacle of me in front of others—especially in front of Nadael.

Rising to my feet, I felt rage crackling through my veins like thunder, readying to break through the clouds. “Would you have said that to your brother if he were here?”

The second the words left my mouth, I knew I’d hit a nerve. Hunter’s expression fell, his eyes darkening in a way that I had never seen before. I should have regretted it and swallowed the words back, but it was too late. The look in Hunter’s eyes wasn’t just angry. It was something else, something far more... punishing.

Before I could react, he moved. In a blur of motion, he swept my legs out from under me. I hit the ground hard—the breath knocked out of me as my head spun and my ears rang with the impact.

I struggled to push myself up, but he was already on top of me, pinning me down. My hands shot up to slap at him, but hegrabbed my wrists, slamming them above my head with ease.

“What do you know about my brother?” he growled, his voice so low it barely sounded like him. “What the fuck doyouknow?”

I clenched my fists, but I couldn’t move. He had me completely trapped, and the worst part was that he wasn’t even trying.

“Enough.”

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