Page 34 of Naga Warrior's Mate

“What’s that supposed to mean?”asked another fighter.

“Nothing.”Dernin straightened, his tail shifting in irritation.He couldn’t prove anything, but that comeback felt manufactured.The way Bariv had played weak and then struck with perfectly timed brutality...

“Semifinals, here I come,” Bariv crowed as he strutted past.“Hope you’re ready to lose, snake.”

“Save your breath for the ring,” Dernin snapped back.

“Oh, I’m saving something special for our match.”Bariv’s filaments twitched as his gaze drifted to the viewing box.“And for after.”

It took every ounce of Dernin’s warrior discipline not to strike him down right there.His protective instincts regarding Alaysia made his blood burn hot.

“Next match in ten minutes!”a guard called out.“Dernin, you’re up!”

Dernin pushed off from the wall.He’d win this match, and then he’d figure out exactly what game Bariv and Fyret were playing.

Dernin’s muscles coiled with anticipation as he entered the ring.His opponent, a hulking Jorvlen named Vrax, cracked his knuckles menacingly.But when Dernin looked at him, he saw Bariv’s sneering face instead, imagining those filthy hands reaching for Alaysia.

The thought set his blood on fire.

“Ready to eat sand, snake?”Vrax taunted.

Dernin’s tail whipped across the arena sand, his focus laser sharp.

The bell rang.Vrax charged forward with a roar, but Dernin was already moving.His tail swept low, forcing Vrax to jump.The moment the Jorvlen’s feet left the ground, Dernin struck.His fist connected with Vrax’s jaw, sending him staggering.

“That all you got?”Vrax spat blood.

Dernin’s tongue flicked out, tasting his opponent’s fear in the air.The mate bond pulsed fiercely in his veins filling him with primal energy.He glanced up at Alaysia in her viewing box, her red hair gleaming like fire.

Mine to protect.

Vrax landed a lucky hit to Dernin’s ribs, but the pain only fueled him.He grabbed Vrax’s arm and tossed him backward across the arena with surprising ease, the Jorvlen’s body flailing.Vrax crashed into the arena wall with a satisfying crunch.

“By the gods,” someone in the crowd whispered.“I’ve never seen him fight like this.”

Dernin advanced on his opponent, every movement calculated and lethal.His tail coiled around Vrax’s leg before he could recover, yanking him off balance.Two precise strikes to the head and Vrax lay unconscious at his feet.

The crowd erupted in cheers, but Dernin barely heard them.His focus remained on Alaysia.He watched her as she leaned forward in her seat, the relief evident on her face.The sight of her sent another surge of possessive energy through him.

The announcer soon shouted, “Dernin advances to the semifinals!”

One step closer to keeping her safe.One step closer to making her his.Dernin’s chest heaved as he left the ring, his golden scales shimmering with sweat and victory.

Fyret strutted into the ring, his gaudy suit catching the arena lights as he spread his arms wide.The crowd’s roar deepened as he gestured for the four semifinalists to join him.Dernin’s tail left smooth tracks in the sand as he slithered forward, his muscles still humming from his victory.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Fyret’s voice boomed across the arena.“Your final four!”

Dernin stood tall, his golden scales gleaming as he towered over the others.Beside him, Bariv’s filaments twitched.

“To my right, the undefeated champion himself—Bariv!”

The crowd erupted as Bariv raised his fists, feeding off their energy.

“And here stands the rising star, the fighter who’s captured all our hearts—Dernin!”

The cheers washed over him, but Dernin’s gaze sought only one face.There, in the viewing box, Alaysia leaned forward, her flame-red hair cascading over one shoulder.Their eyes met, and his chest tightened at the worry etched across her beautiful features.His mate—that word still sent thrills through his body—looked pale and tense.

He wanted nothing more than to go to her, to wrap his tail around her protectively and whisk her away from this place.To tell her that she was his, that he would die before letting anyone harm her.The mate bond burned inside him, demanding he claim her, protect her, love her.

---