“That was actually crazy hot,” he said through the door. “You have me wrapped around your finger, Tina.”
She smirked. “Good. Now, I’d like to have today to myself.” She took a deep breath and lifted her dagger, ready to slide into the next technique. “Thanks for the visit, Draven.”
His heartbeat began to fade as he walked away, and Tina smiled to herself. These boys were a handful, but at least they were fun.
24
Zane
Zane wandered the halls of Damara’s temple, memorizing the hallways as he passed the time waiting for his day with Tina. He wondered if she had further considered his offer, and mostly he hoped she would never take him up on it.
His enhanced cat senses caught the scuffle of fighting men, and he hurried toward the commotion. Based on the direction and intensity, it sounded as though it were coming from the training hall. Perhaps a few of his competitors had decided to hash out their differences.
He ended up in a massive open space lined with gray stone walls. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, likely as old as the temple itself. On the mats below, Killian and Draven dueled.
“Point!” Killian shouted, raising one fist in victory.
Draven grimaced in annoyance and shook out his hands, ready for the next round. Judging from the smirks on their faces and the light blows against each other’s chests, they were merely sparring. No hard blows. No blood.
They didn’t acknowledge him, so Zane leaned against the wall and crossed his arms to observe their duel. He studied every movement, looking for patterns. Slowly, habits and preferred strikes began to emerge. Killian preferred to circle, feint, and strike, while Draven threw his superior brawn around.
Anthony appeared beside Zane, silent as a ghost. Zane flinched with surprise, but the werewolf didn’t acknowledge his existence. Seconds later, Flynn appeared beside the wolf shifter, and all three of them watched the match in silence.
Zane really needed to keep better track of his adversaries’ movements through the temple. It wouldn’t help him to know his way around if someone could still sneak up on him.
“And match!” Killian shouted. He bowed, as if to an adoring crowd.
Huffing with exhaustion, Draven merely shrugged. “I’m a better lover than a fighter anyway.”
“To win Tina’s heart, you’ll need both,” Anthony said with a smirk.
Draven glanced over Anthony with a cool and disinterested air. “I think she rather enjoyed my expertise during my day with her. Did you have the same luck?”
Anthony’s smirk faded to a scowl, and his eyes flashed gold in warning.
“Simmer down, ladies.” Flynn stood between the two shifters. Tiny bursts of lightning crackled over the demigod’s skin, but Zane knew better. Flynn couldn’t control more than a few clouds in the sky.
Apparently incensed from his loss, Draven gestured to the mat. “How about you, Zane? Care to spar?”
“No thanks.”
“Come on, show us what you can do.”
Zane snorted in annoyance. He had never been much of a fighter, especially in human form. He could hold his own as a tiger, but his human form was better suited for study.
Draven spread his arms wide, challenging Zane outright. “Scared you’ll lose?”
“Scared he’ll have a black eye for his day with Tina, maybe,” Anthony said with a chuckle.
A snarl escaped Zane’s clenched teeth.
Draven laughed. “Aw, did the big bad wolf make the widdle kitty mad?”
A low growl rumbled in Zane’s throat. If he had been in his tiger form, his tail would have twitched with anger. “This widdle kitty is about to eat your fucking face. Don’t back a tiger into a corner, dragon.”
That earned a few chuckles from Killian and Flynn. Even Anthony shook his head, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Fine,” Zane said as he stepped onto the mat.
Draven lifted his hands into fighting position, the loose fists by his temple to protect his face. Zane didn’t bother taking a fighting stance. Relaxed and at ease, he set his hands behind his back and lifted his chin, looking down at the dragon shifter as he prepared to give his competitors a taste of what he could do.
Flynn pointed at Zane. “You might want to put your guard up, bud.”
“No need.”
Killian shrugged. “Your funeral.”
Flynn lowered his head to whisper something to Killian, who nodded. They no doubt were placing wagers on how quickly Zane would lose. Normally, Zane would have played his cards close to his chest to hide his true abilities, but the contest had changed everything.
The other princes needed to fully understand the strategic mind they were up against.
Draven circled, his feet dancing effortlessly over the mat. Zane pivoted, always the center of the circle, his eyes locked on the dragon shifter’s shoulder for the first sign of real movement.
The first blow came fast as lightning, but Zane saw it coming. He dodged, the blow missing by inches.
Along the edges of the arena, the three princes paused in their mumbled conversations to watch a bit more closely.
Draven struck again, this time to grab Zane’s collar and throw him to the ground. Zane effortlessly sidestepped the attack. The dragon prince frowned, and Zane couldn’t resist a cocky smirk. The dragons were renowned fighters, famed for the body counts they left behind on battlefields, and yet here one of their best was being shown up by a cat shifter who couldn’t fight.
Delicious.
Blow after blow sailed by, predictable nine times out of ten. Zane still managed to dodge the rare surprise attack with his enhanced shifter reflexes, and he effortlessly regained his balance even when he jumped awkwardly out of reach.
The longer they fought, the more Draven fumed. His punches became more erratic the more frustrated he got, and he was perfectly primed for the final phase of Zane’s plan. The easiest way to throw off a dragon shifter was to insult his fighting ability, and now it would be all too easy to get under Draven’s skin.
“Right jab,” Zane called out seconds before Draven threw the blow. The dragon prince faltered, the shock on his face almost too perfect.
As the sparring match continued, Zane called out every blow before Draven could launch it. Right roundhouse. Jab-cross combo. Elbow hook.
Draven paused, hands on his knees as he heaved. The dragon shifter stared at Zane in disbelief. “How are you doing that?”
Zane grinned. “Doing what?”
Draven sighed with frustration but, to his credit, offered a sweaty hand. “Fine, you’ve made your point. I misjudged you, cat. I won’t do it again.”
“Wise move.” Zane shook his hand, the match a clear draw.
“I’m impressed,” Anthony said from his place on the wall.
None of the others had realized Zane was so attuned to his environment, and it was clear he had earned their respect. He returned to the wall and crossed his arms as Draven wiped a towel over his sweaty face and neck. Flynn and Killian took the mat next.
With his point made, Zane had to admit he rather enjoyed their company. It was a shame they would all hate each other again once Tina made her choice.
25
Killian
The next morning, Killian fumed in his bedroom as he re-read the urgent letter from his father. Overnight, an eagle emissary to the dragons had gone missing. As with all the other missing dignitaries, only traces of the shifter’s blood had been left behind. No leads. No evidence.
Seething over the news, Killian had half a mind to confront Draven about what the prince knew on the matter, but he resisted the impulse. That sex-obsessed dragon probably didn’t pay attention in his father’s war room meetings.