Karma’s jaw dropped. Was he ridiculing her? That didn’t seem like Benjamin.
He paused in the grass and motioned Garrett and Logan forward. “Karma? I’m showing you that you can fight no matter what you’re wearing. You’ve mentioned several times that a lady can’t fight decently in a skirt or a long dress. I understand a skirt might be a hindrance, but so is a broken arm or self-doubt. You can fight in any situation, and I’m going to prove it to you.”
She couldn’t speak. The male looked absolutely ridiculous in the green floral skirt and too-tight white button-down shirt. “Where—” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
Mercy wiped tears off her face and then laughed some more. She pressed a hand to her stomach and took several deep breaths. “The shirt was Ivar’s—he used to be much thinner. And the skirt is a shower curtain I sewed together for Benny. How sweet is he? I mean, he is never going to live this down, and he doesn’t care.”
Neither Logan nor Garrett had moved.
Benjamin put his hands on his hips, where the skirt was tucked in. “Get out here, you two. I want to take both of you on. You’re both on edge, and frankly, I’m tired of it. Let’s do this.”
Logan tossed his plate onto the table, and it clattered several inches. Garrett put his down carefully and then followed Logan over the steps to the grass. Both males cracked their knuckles and then spread out, going at Benjamin from different sides.
“Wait a minute.” Karma finally found her voice. She stood. “Two against one is not fair.” Especially when the one was wearing a skirt that kept tripping him up.
Benjamin bent his knees and angled his body to keep both of the other males in his sight. “Fights are never fair, sweetheart. That’s your first lesson.” With the river at his back, at least the other two couldn’t circle around him from behind.
She started forward, but Mercy grasped her arm. “Let them fight. Benny went to a lot of trouble to put on that ridiculous shower curtain for you.”
Nobody had ever done anything so sweet for her before. Not that Benjamin didn’t look good in a skirt, because he did. He would’ve looked amazing in a kilt. But the shower curtain was truly abominable. The flowers were a terrible lamé gold with flecks of vomit-colored green. Three or four birds danced around in the pattern. They were blue, but they didn’t look like any bluebirds Karma had ever seen. “That is the ugliest shower curtain in existence,” she whispered.
Mercy sputtered out a laugh and then covered her mouth. “I know. It’s terrible, right? We have a lighter purple one in a guesthouse down the way, but I couldn’t help myself when Benjamin asked for a skirt. It’s probably going to rip in the fight, and I didn’t want to have to buy a new one for the purple bathroom. Well, lilac, I guess.”
Garrett charged first. Head down, he went for Benjamin’s midsection. The second he made contact, Logan rushed forward, aiming for Benjamin’s head.
Benjamin pivoted and kicked Logan in the balls as he went down to the ground. The second he landed, he clocked Garrett in the throat with a forearm and threw the younger hybrid toward Logan, who’d dropped to his knees, one hand on his groin.
In an impressive display of strength, all three males went from the ground to their feet in one smooth move. “Wow,” Karma breathed.
Mercy reached for her plate of eggs and perched on top of the table, watching with excitement. “I know, right? This is going to be a good fight.” She scooted over and motioned for Karma to sit next to her. “Come on. We can still eat while cheering them on.”
Karma delicately sat next to Mercy on the table and placed her feet on a chair, careful to keep her knees together. Unlike Benjamin. He aimed an impressive sidekick at Garrett’s chin while spinning around to punch Logan in the jaw.
“Whoa,” Mercy said, wincing. “Nice punch, Ben!”
“Thanks,” Benjamin said, flipping backward and landing behind Garrett to place him in a choke hold.
Garrett grabbed Benjamin’s forearm, dropped his weight, and threw the hybrid over his head. Benjamin landed on his back, rolled, and came up into a tackle into Logan’s torso.
“Great throw, G,” Mercy called, taking a swig of her drink.
Logan and Benjamin butted heads, and the sound echoed through the morning. Logan swept left with one foot while grabbing Benjamin’s head and throwing him toward the deck. Benjamin’s head impacted with a cracking sound.
“Excellent toss, baby,” Mercy said, pumping her fork in the air. “You got him good, Logan. I want to learn that move.”
Benjamin backflipped to his feet and pivoted in a sidekick that caught a rushing Garrett in the gut.
“Oof,” Mercy agreed, spooning eggs into her mouth. She swallowed. “That’s gonna leave a bruise, Garrett. Well, probably not. Considering your fused torso.” She took another couple of bites. “Your foot might be bruised, Benny.”
Karma looked sideways at her new friend. “Are all Fae slightly, well, nutty?”
“Yes,” all three males said in unison, circling each other for an opening.
Mercy snorted. “No. We just like fun. Come on, guys. Stop playing ring-around-a-rosy. Do something interesting.”
Karma couldn’t breathe. Her mind blanked. She gently grasped Mercy’s arm. “I do not understand. You care about these males. Why do you want them to harm each other in a fight?”
Mercy set down her plate and reached for the mimosa glasses, handing one to Karma. “They’re brothers, Karma. They won’t really harm each other. Plus, they’re immortal males, and they have stress, and this is a good way to deal with some of that.” She looked Karma in the eyes. “And apparently Benny is trying to prove something to you. Maybe a couple of things.”
Karma sipped the delicious drink and watched Benjamin throw Logan into Garrett. Both young immortals crashed into a large pine tree, and pine cones and needles rained down. “Are you able to fight?”
“Sure,” Mercy said, angling her neck to watch Logan take Benjamin down to the ground with both arms around the knees. “I’m not the best at it, but I can hold my own if necessary. Logan does most of the fighting in our family, but that’s just because he’s better trained and also a protective jackass sometimes.” She grinned. “I do love that hybrid.”
This was a whole new world. “I’ve never seen the Kurjans or the Cysts train for fun,” Karma admitted. “When they fight, they do so to maim or really harm each other.”
“That sucks,” Mercy said quietly. “Did you see that kick Benny just landed on Garrett’s ear? In a skirt?”
Karma took another drink. “Yes. He lifted the skirt, kicked, and then lowered it again. I saw his black briefs.” And his muscled thighs. Benjamin Reese had masculine legs. Strong and powerful. Jitters cascaded through her abdomen, and her breath shortened. Was there a chance he’d kiss her again?