Page 112 of Falcon's Prey

Ember

The fights started out small, like something you’d watch on TV. Just guys trying to prove a point. With every couple that went in and out of the ring, my heart beat a little louder, and my hands would get shakier.

Gideon wouldn’t let me out of his sight, Enzo watched the fights with mild interest, and Pam disappeared for a little while.

Now all the lights had dimmed entirely.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for your four-time champion, Claw.”

I watched with avid fascination as men dressed in suits and women in their fanciest pearls cheered like they were in some sort of game. Everyone had shed the skin they showed the world, and in here, they were their true selves. A man stepped into the ring, and I gasped. He was not as tall as Ren, but he was bigger and had a murderous grin on his face, making a show of waving to his adoring fans.

My breathing got ragged, because now I wasn’t so sure I would see Ren again, and I hated him a little less for forcing me to say words I wasn’t ready to speak.

“His challenger, standing at six feet five inches, weighing two hundred and twenty-pounds, Falcon.”

The room hushed with the anticipation of the challenger. Then he came out walking tall and proud, no emotion on his face whatsoever. He looked like Death, and one thing was clear: he would not go down easily. He wore shorts, his chest bare with no wraps, showing no weaknesses, just feeling them.

I was on the edge of my seat watching Ren circle his opponent. When he would get close enough, I would flinch. I gasped, and I felt Gideon holding my head to his chest as Ren fell to the floor.

Get up. Get up. Get. Up.

I whimpered when Claw came behind him. Then Ren turned around, kicking his balls, and it gave him enough time to rise to his feet. Hit after hit and seeing his blood spill, I knew I didn’t regret the words I’d said.

I didn’t know how it happened or when, but I loved him. Every piece of my tattered soul called to him. He was the first person not to run scared of me. He was the first person to not give up on me. He was the first person I’d ever loved, because love wasn’t heart, flowers, and perfection. Love was rage, betrayal, and deception, things that made you feel so deep, you know that what you felt was real. Love was a beautiful nightmare, a double-edged sword that killed.

At one point, Gideon relaxed, and Enzo said, “He’s incapacitating him.”

Ren made it so the guy couldn’t move; then, when the guy was fully paralyzed, he killed him.

Repulsion was the furthest thing from my mind. All I felt was relief that he was okay and that nothing was going to happen to him.

When our eyes met, I knew I was fucked. There was no other man for me but him, and I would follow him everywhere blindly.

Enzo raised his glass to Ren, then turned to us and grinned. “Thank you, Falcon. You just made me a bit richer.”

“Like you need the money,” I murmured, then turned to Gideon. “You bet on him, too, didn’t you?”

“Be stupid not to. Barely anyone did.”

“So, what now?”

“Now, you wait,” Enzo said. “He’ll meet Ignacio, ask for his wish, then you leave this place and go back to your lives.”

It sounded simple enough. Now that the anxiety had worn off, I needed to pee. I didn’t know how long this meet would take.

Just then, Pam came back.

“Where were you?” Gideon asked.

“At the bar. Fighting makes me queasy.”

Figures.

“I have to pee.”

“Really?” Gideon said.

“I’ll take her,” Pam offered.