Page 93 of Blood Taken (Blood Mafia 2)
* * *
Turnsout I'm the one who had a can of whoop ass. Tyra and X are great fighters, but they can't compete with the supe strength and speed. Zander on the other hand, he's like a hurricane. Sheer force. They've all trained their entire lives, and it's definitely been more intense than my measly martial arts training. I have no doubt that Tyra and X will be hard to take on once their powers awaken.
They're sitting on the mats outside the fighting ring, pouting as Zander and I go head to head. He's hit me enough that I feel bruises starting to form. I haven't been totally worthless. His lip is split and his right eye is half-swollen shut. The jab to the eye was an accident, but I don't feel too bad about it because before that, he'd punched me in the gut.
"Come on, end it already!" Tyra yells to both of us.
Zander gives me a smile that makes me regret agreeing to fight him no holds barred.
"Sorry," he says before coming in hard and fast.
"Fucking cunts." I duck under his first hit, only to be greeted by his knee and thrown against the ropes. I growl and bounce off of them, slamming into his torso. We fall to the floor. He pummels my back with his fist and I grunt, trying to roll away from the pain.
He's so strong. Zander gets his hand around my neck, and I claw at his arm, trying to wedge my fingers in to break his hold. It's pointless. His bicep flexes and I feel how easily my throat will collapse if I don't tap out.
I smack the floor and gasp for air when he drops his arm and jumps off of me.
"Shit, Zander, did you have to kick her ass?" X asks.
"She's missed out on years of training, I'm helping her."
Tyra scoffs. "Nearly killing her is helping?"
Them being miffed at him is sweet, but he's right.
"It's fine," I croak. "I agreed to the match."
Luckily I feel my aches and pains fading. Thank you, supernatural healing.
Zander offers me his hand and I accept his help up. He slaps my back.
"Not bad, noob. Not bad."
I laugh and shove him away. "Shut up, Zander."
"It was a compliment," he says, throwing his hand up in exasperation.
"I know," I say, meeting his gaze and smiling. "Thanks for kicking my ass."
The relief that washes over him is immediate. "Oh, good. You're not mad. I thought you were going to sic Colt on me."
"Something tells me he won't wait for her to ask," X says, gaze straying over my shoulder.
Tough hands rest on my shoulders. Colt's warmth surrounds me and I crane my neck to look at him.
"Hey."
He searches my face. "Are you hurt?"
"I asked for it. Zander delivered. You can't get mad at him for that."
Those green eyes bore into mine. "Fair enough. Can I steal you for breakfast? Grayson can watch your friends for the morning.”
The Hunters exchange a look. They’ve only been around Colt, but Grayson’s a heck of a lot friendlier. They’ll be fine with him.
“Sure,” I say. “You guys want to meet later for movies and dinner?”
X nods. “Hell yes. I sawDraculaon Netflix. . .”
