That’s my fear. Tarek plays by his own rules.
I elbow Lance in the solar plexus. He crunches over with a loud grunt. The guy holding my other arm grips me tighter. “Stop aggravating her,” he says to Lance. Lance grunts softly, holding his belly.
“Yes!” West yells, his eyes stormy. “I agree!”
“No!” I shout. “Don’t!”
They’re fairly evenly matched from a size point of view. Stephan is slightly bigger. Only, West has a whole lot more anger in him. That, and he has more experience fighting than Stephan. I don’t know this for sure, but I’m assuming it’s the case. Stephan is breathing hard. I can see him thinking it through. Bottom line, I don’t want to watch them tear into each other. I don’t want to watch one of them die.
“You don’t exactly have a choice here,” Tarek says to Stephan. “Fight or you lose the girl. Which will it be?”
Maddox looks stone-faced. He doesn’t offer an opinion either way.
“You can’t!” Jarrod shouts. “Don’t let this fucker bully you.”
“Insolence, young man.” Tarek’s eyes blaze. “I will have you beaten before I let you leave.”
“Are you a pussy?” West taunts Stephan, whose jaw tightens. “Fight me!” he snarls. “Scared I’ll win? I can’t wait to hurt you…to make you bleed…”
“Stop!” Maddox’s voice booms.
“Yellow-bellied pussy!” West shouts.
“I’ll fight,” Stephan says, his muscles bunching and roping. Everything in me turns cold.
“No!” I scream. “Don’t do it. No! Stephan…don’t! Please!”
Tarek looks like the cat that got the cream. “Good. In order to win, you must kill your opponent, or all bets are off.”
“Don’t do it!” Jarrod shouts, cupping his hands around his mouth. He shakes his head, looking crestfallen.
This is terrible. “Please leave it alone, Stephan. I’ll be okay!” I shout, pulling against the hands holding me tight. “Don’t! Please!” He ignores me. I can see just by looking at West that he isn’t going to budge on his decision.
“This will be interesting,” Lance chuckles. I ignore him. He’ll just get off on my pain and my fear.
“Make space for the two opponents.” Tarek rubs his hands together. People start to move away. “No one may intervene. My guards will make sure of it. You may not shift into your dragon form. I want a head or a beating heart…here at my feet.” He points at the grass in front of him. “The winner gets the girl. I hope that I have made myself very clear.”
I watch with horror as both men are left facing each other in the center of a huge crowd. There is a mix of people in their human and dragon forms. I had hoped that Maddox and Rage would let loose. That all of the demigods would unleash their powers. I think they are stronger than they realize. Looking around us, I realize that isn’t possible. There are women and children present. Too many innocents would die if those kinds of powers were unbridled.
“I need each of you to acknowledge that you understand,” Tarek says.
“One hundred percent,” West growls. He looks eager. Why would he be so happy about killing another person?
Stephan nods. “I understand.” He looks far less thrilled about the prospect.
“You may begin,” Tarek says, his eyes glinting.
West runs at Stephan, who barely gets his hands up to deflect the attack.
“Looks like your boyfriend is already in trouble,” Lance says.
I ignore him. My focus is on the two men in the center of the crowd. I can barely breathe. They dance around each other for a while. It’s West who attacks again. He goes at it hard, managing to land a blow. It doesn’t land as hard as he would like because Stephan is moving backwards as his fist makes contact. It glances off the side of his face.
Stephan moves out of the way as West tries to knee him in the stomach. The crowd is eerily silent. This is how it goes on for a while; West attacks, and Stephan defends.
I can hear their hearts beating. They’re both breathing harder as their exertions start to show. Sweat beads on their brows as the morning sun shines down on them.
I gasp as West lands a hard strike to Stephan’s face. I think I hear a crack. There’s instantly blood. Lots of it. It pours down his face and onto his chest.
West doesn’t stop there; he uses the shock of the blow to strike again, this time to the side of the jaw.
Stephan staggers back. It looks like he’s trying to get away. West advances, going in hard.
Stephan counters, swinging slightly wide. His punch hits home but doesn’t do much damage.
West laughs. The sound is chilling. His eyes are crazed and zoned in on Stephan. I know in this moment that West will kill Stephan if given half a chance. I feel a shiver race down my spine. Goosebumps break out on my arms. I’m chilled to the bone. I think this is my premonition becoming reality. I’m not sure what the ocean has to do with it. There is no ocean anywhere near us.
Did I get this one wrong too?
Is Stephan going to die because I couldn’t interpret the premonition?
Right now, I feel strongly that one of the two outcomes is a strong possibility. In my mind’s eye, I see Stephan’s head on the grass. I see the bloody stump and his unseeing eyes. I cover my mouth with my hands. I look down at the ropes binding me. I can’t believe this is happening.
“Your boyfriend is done for,” Lance says. I can hear he is smiling.
“Stop being a prick,” the other guy says.
They continue to bicker, but I’m not listening. West takes another hit. He turns his face so that it lands on the side of his head. He’s in the strike zone and uses it to his advantage. He punches Stephan in the stomach. The dull thud is loud.
I gasp when the next punch is between his legs. Stephan’s face turns white. I’m not sure how he keeps his footing. He’s struggling to breathe. He hunches over. His face morphs into a mask of agony.
“That’s not fair!” Jarrod is screaming. “Below the fucking belt.”
“Keep going!” Tarek shouts. “I gave the rules. Where to hit was not one of them.”
Oh, my god! I can’t believe this. West is fighting dirty. Stephan is losing. Also, he’s not fighting as hard as West is. I think maybe that he is holding back. Perhaps he doesn’t realize he’s doing it. If he wins, he will need to kill another living being. I can understand the hesitation.
Stephan is a big strong guy, but he’s also kind and sweet. I like that he has a softer side. I like how introverted he is. It’s funny how all of these things I love and admire might end up being his downfall.
West, on the other hand, is going at Stephan hard. There is no hesitation. No mercy. I hate him right now. I cringe as another fist hits home. Stephan is still struggling after taking a punch to the groin. I can see it from the way he’s moving. West is using it to his full advantage!
Stephan’s left eye is almost shut. His nose is bleeding. I think it’s broken. His lip is cut and bleeding too. He looks terrible. I’m trembling. I don’t want to watch anymore, but I can’t turn away.
West has one bruise on his right cheek. That’s all! He’s toying with Stephan. He’s making him bleed before he brings him down…before…