Page 24 of Beautiful Exile

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Someone let out a hoot, and I turned. It only took a second to see why. Mateo was sparring with someone in one of the practice rings. Usually, Kye was the only one who could give him a run for his money. And it made sense; Mateo was working his way up the pro circuit in MMA. But whoever he was sparring against now had him struggling.

I couldn’t make out who it was. They didn’t look familiar from the back. All I could see was a bare torso, broad, muscular shoulders with intricate ink wrapped around them, and a head of dark hair. But everything about the man’s body was toned. Lean muscles that had been honed into a weapon.

The man’s fist snaked out lightning-quick, clipping Mateo on the chin. But he didn’t rest on his laurels; he went for a double-leg takedown. Mateo hit the mat in a flash.Ooooohs filled the air at the smacking sound.

But his opponent didn’t stop there. He quickly moved into a triangle choke hold, the movements fluid, graceful, and almost beautiful in their restrained brutality. I couldn’t help but stare in fascination.

The moment Mateo tapped the mat, the man released him andjumped to his feet, offering Mateo a hand. As he pulled Mateo up, he turned, and I saw his face. There was no stopping the way my lips parted on a silent but sharp inhale.

Linc.

His eyes were darker than the last time I’d seen him, the green deepening and drowning the gold as if shadows were doing battle there. There was also a hardness to his features that seemed in direct opposition to the teasing man I’d first met. I studied every detail of his beautiful face, trying to understand the changes.

Dark, avenging angel was the perfect description for him. Even more so now because he was battling something. I couldn’t tell if something had happened or if this was simply his outlet for the things that haunted him, the way my art was an outlet for me.

He pulled out his mouthguard, tucked it into his case, and grabbed some water. I watched as he reeled whatever it was in, tucking it away and hiding it from the world. He turned as Mateo asked him something about the takedown. Linc gestured, demonstrating the angle of his body during the approach, but I just kept staring, trying to see a glimmer of those shadows that felt so familiar. Because the same ones lived in me.

Kye bumped his shoulder against mine. It was about as affectionate as he got. “You’ve got a little drool right there.”

“Fuck off,” I muttered, annoyance flaring to life.

Linc slipped between the ropes, sliding his feet into flip-flops. Those hazel eyes flashed the moment they landed on me, a grin tugging at his lips as he crossed the space. “Have you checked her for weapons?” Linc asked Kye.

“You trying to get me killed?” Kye challenged.

Linc chuckled as he glanced down at Brutus. “Hey, big man.”

Brutus’s tail thumped twice, which only served to piss me off more.

“Can I pet him, or will he rip off my hand?”

I looked down at my dog. “He’ll only do that if I tell him to.”

Linc’s dark brows lifted at that. “And are you going to tell him to, Vicious?”

I glared at the man opposite me. “You could’ve easily disarmed me the other day.”

Surprise filled Linc’s expression. Maybe at the abrupt turn in the conversation or perhaps my statement. But I knew it was true. It only took a matter of seconds to see that he was ten times better than me in the ring—actually, at hand-to-hand in general. But he’d stood there and let me press a blade to his throat. Let mecuthim.

Linc shrugged, seemingly without a care. “So?”

“Why didn’t you?” I ground out.

He stared at me for a moment, his gaze sweeping over my face. “I don’t ever want a woman to feel powerless because of me.”

And with that, he walked away.

8

LINCOLN

My words echoedin my head on the way home.“I don’t ever want a woman to feel powerless because of me.”But I knew the truth beneath the statement.

I didn’t want to be my father.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter and headed back to Cope’s property. I’d caught sight of Arden on my way out, moving around the ring with Kye. She was good. Better than good. Probably could’ve worked her way into the professional circuit if she had half a mind.

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