“Enough!” Griffon snarled over the crowd, but their cheers overtook even his shout as their excitement heightened with the promise of blood.
Almost in slow motion, the sword swung down, and my magic flooded out of me, racing toward the two men. Before steel met flesh, my magic was there, a force so impenetrable that Aden’s blade shattered against it. Zyion’s silvery head swung toward me and the thread stretched ominously, almost in warning. A warning I ignored as I glared at Aden, waiting for his attention to move from his ruined weapon to where I stood, glaring down at him. Throwing the broken sword onto the field, he shouted for the squire to bring him another.
“I don’t need you to save me.”
“Did I ask if you did? No, I didn’t. Aden meant to remove your head.”
“And what if he’d done so? I didn’t ask for your colors or your fucking help, for that matter. Do you think I cannot protect myself? You should heed those who warn you not to intercede into matters not of your concern, Aria.”
“My concern? First off, I don’t take orders from others. Did I say you cannot protect yourself? No, I didn’t say shit about your prowess with a blade. I just watched you concede defeat to a worthless opponent who you could have easily destroyed several times throughout that mockery of a match. So, what I’d really like to know is why you threw it instead of teaching Aden the lesson I wanted to see him learn? Why?”
“Who I allow to win isn’t your concern. Nothing I do should worry that lovely head of yours. Aden bested me. Deal with it, princess. Here’s something you should know about me. I hurt people because I’m good at inflicting pain. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for those I love. That’s both a curse and a privilege I bear. I’m not a knight in shining armor, nor will I ever be one. I’ll let you down, just as I’ve done to everyone else who placed their trust in me. Do me a favor and stop thinking I’m something I’m not.”
“Retrieve your colors,” Baldrick sneered from the row in front of us. Violet eyes narrowed on me as his mouth twisted into a malicious smile. The man was repulsive. “It appears your knowledge of warriors is as lacking and misguided as your taste in lovers, girl.”
Rising as the entire congregation scrutinized me, I strolled onto the field beneath the angry glare of both men who’d fought upon it. Zyion stumbled to his feet with an uneasy look tightening his features. Aden’s scowl was cruel as it followed me. The moment I was near to him, Zyion tore the ribbon from his chainmail and then placed them in my hand. His fingers enveloped mine, gripping them firmly before he released the hold and stepped back for Aden to move closer.
“If you want a proper warrior? Then Zyion Vicious isn’t it. I should bypass protocol and come to your chamber to teach you what a real man truly is. Your treacherous body wouldn’t be so easily drawn to men of ill reputation after you’d been bedded properly. Or do you enjoy betraying your kingdom as you fuck our enemy, whore?”
The malice rolling off Aden left me stumbling for how to respond. He’d fooled me with his kind words and encouragements outside of this realm. I’d fallen for the fa?ade he’d displayed, but then I’d had no reason to distrust it. Zyion, clearly hearing what Aden had said, simmered with silent rage. Moreover, malice grew within him as Aden continued to slander me in his presence.
“Well, look at that. You know how to shut that poisonous mouth of yours up after all. Don’t worry, darling. You will soon learn what your mouth is made for. Hand me your colors, bitch.”
Lifting the hand that held the ribbons, I waited for Aden to step forward. The moment he did, I spit in his face as I released the colors. Wind sent the thin length of fabric floating to the drudgery as I inched closer, unafraid to face the bastard. The moment it landed, and Aden moved to pick it up, I sent a random bolt of lightning down, striking inches from his hand. Smirking as he stared me down, I winked.
“You won nothing, Aden. Zyion allowed you to best him. By my count, he could’ve ended you seven times throughout the fight. He let you appear to be the better warrior. So, go ahead, take your fake win, but come at me, and you won’t walk away from the encounter. You aren’t man enough to teach me shit, prick. I fucking dare you to come to my chamber with ill intent. Try to get that withered little cock anywhere near my mouth? And I will bite it off and spit it into your viperous mouth. Then you’ll taste how disappointing it is as you choke on it. And I assure you that my beast would enjoy dining on your flesh. Plus, the bitch is ravenous for raw meat, and you’re looking like a snack. The only saving grace you have is that you’re not worth the bloodstains that I’d have to wash off my flesh after she’d eaten your face.”
Turning toward Zyion, I seethed at the sight of the blood dripping from his side. He could’ve prevented the injury if he’d wanted to do so. Instead, he’d allowed the pompous prick behind me to appear victorious to the masses.
“You, you can go to hell too, asshole.” Stepping back from him, I turned on my heel and strode from the field, pissed at both men.
Aden hadn’t won. Zyion’s superiority in power, skill, and calculation was obvious to anyone with eyes. He’d had ample opportunity to end the fight, but Zyion chose not to take them. Why? Why had Griffon given him a sign to concede? Something was gravely off here, which didn’t bode well for me.
“Aria, stop!” Zyion’s voice exploded inside my head.
“Screw you! Whatever the hell is between you and Aden, it shouldn’t involve me. If you want to get stabbed by some weak little pussy, that’s on you. However, I don’t have to stand around and watch you do so. I’m too exhausted to deal with men swinging their pricks around to discern whose dick is bigger,” I growled, passing people with my quick, angry strides to escape the onlookers. I hadn’t come here to be thrown into the middle of a dick-sizing contest, nor would they force me to indulge either of the barbarians competing for a fucking swath of colored fabric.
“Fucking stop for a moment, woman!” Zyion’s words held urgency, but I was too angry to give a shit. “Aria!”
“Why the hell should I listen to you? Do you want to berate and belittle me some more? I know what you can do. How about you and Aden go play with your swords and just leave me the fuck out of it?” I demanded, but then my feet stumbled.
The hair on my nape lifted as a dark, oily magic fluttered across the field and a cloud blocked out the sun. The wrongness in the surrounding air was so oppressive it stalled the air in my lungs.
Air grew thick with tension around me. My ears popped as pressure built inside my head, and the hair on my arms rose with the power smothering me. Not knowing where the threat was coming from, I stepped back, scanning the surrounding faces, and I backed into something solid and unmovable.