Page 86 of The Last Aether

It was as if an otherworldly something possessed me. I moved so fast my surroundings blurred, charging towards Drue. At the last second, I swung around in a roundhouse kick aimed at her head.

My blow landed with a satisfying smack. And Drue dropped like a sack of potatoes.

People shouted in the stands. Some cheered. Others threw out snide comments.

“Silence!” Sarge yelled. “Take five and get a healer in here to deal with this one.” She sent me a grin. “Nice job, Coleman.”

Xena rushed over to her friend, patting her cheek. She glared up at me. “It’s you who’s the monster.”

A chuckle sounded behind me. “Drue never did know when to watch her mouth.”

I turned to face Aiden.

There was a dark flash of promise in his eyes. “Let’s see how you do against an opponent who can fight back.”

48

My pulse thumped in my ears as I stepped into the fight circle. The rage that had been triggered by Drue’s words had lessened to a dull roar. Aiden stared at me from the opposite side of the circle.

There was nothing in his expression. Not a hint of emotion in his eyes even. That lack of anything scared me. There were no snarky quips or goading. But Aiden was assessing me. That much I could tell.

He was looking for any weakness that he could use to his advantage.

Phoenix’s lessons swirled in my head. If anyone could help me defeat Aiden, it would be his brother.

I rolled to the balls of my feet just like Phoenix had taught me. “Be ready to shift your center of gravity at any time. That will help you bounce back from a hit.”

The whistle sounded.

Aiden took my approach. He went from stock-still to flying in a single breath.

The blow to my face sent me flying back, hitting the mat with a loud smack. The crowd gasped.

I didn’t let the pain keep me down. I kicked up to standing, connecting my fist with Aiden’s side. He wheezed out a harsh breath but quickly rallied, landing a kick to my chest.

I stumbled back but didn’t leave the circle boundaries. Instead, I charged forward. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth, and I knew I’d cut the inside of my cheek pretty badly, but I ignored it.

I leveled a one-two combination. A hook to the ribs and uppercut to Aiden’s chin. His teeth clanged together in an audible noise, and cheers erupted from the stands.

Rage bloomed in Aiden’s eyes. His hand locked on my braid, yanking it back with a vicious tug as he punched twice into my stomach. When he released his hold on my hair, he gave one last punch to my nose.

Blood poured down my face as I struggled to right myself. It was too much pain.

Atlas’s voice sounded in my mind. Get up, Aura. Prove to yourself, to everyone, that you were made for this.

I struggled to my feet, pain screaming in my ribs and face. But I pushed through. Feigning like I was going for a punch, I reeled back and then dipped low, sweeping Aiden’s legs out from under him.

I dropped down, one leg landing over Aiden’s neck, the other over his chest as I grabbed his wrist, pulling him into an arm bar hold. If he didn’t tap out, I could break his arm. It would’ve been karma, but I didn’t want to do it.

Aiden struggled against my hold but didn’t make any move to end the fight.

“Tap out,” I growled.

“You don’t have the balls,” he spat. “That’s your problem. You think everything can be solved with a group hug and talking about your feelings. That’s every aether’s problem.”

Aiden bucked and twisted his hips, almost unsettling me.

My gaze collided with Atlas’s. There was so much sympathy there, but he spoke two words into my mind. End this.