Chapter 48
JESSICA
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Kael plays dirty. No one says it, but everyone fucking knows it. He’s ranked first every time in combat training, and it’s because he never fights fait.
“Well?” Kael’s voice is a low growl, sharp, taunting. “Aren’t you going to throw the first punch-”
I don’t hesitate. I fucking throw my fist at him, fast and hard.
Kael dodges just in time. His hand shoots out, grabbing my wrist like he knew it was coming, and the next thing I know, his elbow slams into my ribs. The breath rushes out of me, sharp and painful. My vision blurs. I stumble back, gasping, but before I can get my bearings-
Kael’s knee connects with my stomach.
“Ah!” The sound rips from my throat as I double over, choking. Pain. White–hot pain.
I’m not fucking stopping.
I push back, gasping for air, but Kael doesn’t let up. His hand catches my neck, tight–too tight. His fingers dig in, and the world tilts as he slams my head into the floor.
The impact rattles my skull. My body shakes with the force. I can’t breathe. I try to push against him, but my hands are too weak, my body too fucking tired.
Kael laughs. That arrogant, sickening laugh. “Come on,” he sneers, twisting my arm behind my back. “You’re not gonna give up yet, are you?”
I growl through clenched teeth, fury rising up like a firestorm inside of me. I don’t give up.
I twist my body, using every ounce of what’s left in me, and slam my fist into his side. The hit isn’t clean, isn’t perfect, but it’s enough to make him grunt. It buys me a second.
One fucking second.
But it’s enough.
Kael stumbles back, just long enough for me to scramble to my feet. My legs wobble. My chest burns. Blood drips down my lip, mixing with sweat, stinging like acid.
Kael’s already back on me, moving too fast. His fist comes down, cracking across my jaw. He doesn’t give me time to breathe. His hand shoots out, grabbing my arm, twisting it behind my back, the muscles in my shoulder screaming, my body forced to bend in a way that shouldn’t even be possible. I yelp. Fucking pain.
“You’re pissing me off.” He hisses in my ear, his voice low and mocking, the heat of his body pressed against my back. I try to break free, but Kael’s grip tightens, and he slams me into the ground.
Then, the rain hits. Cold drops splatter across my face, mixing with sweat and blood. It’s a slap of reality. But Kael doesn’t care. His grip doesn’t loosen.
Kael grabs my hair, yanking my head back, forcing me to look at him as he positions himself above me. His smirk is all teeth.
I twist beneath him, trying to squirm out of his hold. I need to move, need to get the fuck out, but he’s too fast, too strong. My fist comes up, aiming for his face, but it’s like hitting stone. He ducks under my swing and grabs my wrist, twisting it hard until I feel the sharp jolt of agony shoot up my arm.
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Chapter 48
OSMANG
“You’re weak,” Knel growls, his knee digging into my stomach, pressing the air out of my lungs as he presses his body down on me. My blood slicks the mud beneath us as I struggle to push him off.
I need to move.
Desperation fuels me, I throw my head back, slamming it into his nose. I hear the sickening crack of bone, but Kael’s grip doesn’t loosen. He snarls and presses harder, both of his knees now pinning my legs down. His weight is suffocating. I can’t breathe. I can’t fucking breathe.
I twist my body, ripping my arm free from his grip–pain screaming through me–but I don’t stop. I drive my fist into his side.
I hear the air leave him in a violent rush, but Kael doesn’t loosen his grip. His hands are crushing my throat, grinding the life out of me, and I can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t do anything except feel the pressure.
My vision goes blurry.
نہ
Everything’s closing in around me–my body’s fighting against the pain, but it’s too much.
I can’t-
I can’t-
The rain is getting harder, and every second is making me feel so weak. No.
I refuse.
I can’t die like this.
Suddenly, there’s a flicker–something through the fog of my failing consciousness. I barely register it at first, but it’s there. A face.
Grayson.
Through the rain, his face is a blur, but his eyes–they’re fucking clear. Wide with panic. His eyes are locked on me, filled with rage and worry. He’s charging toward me, but Pierce steps in front of him, blocking him off.
Everything inside me snaps.
The strength, the rage, the need to survive–it all crashes into me like a fucking tidal wave.
I twist again. My nails dig into Kael’s flesh as I claw, raking across his arms, desperate, frantic. I feel the burn in my throat, but I don’t stop.
Kael’s grip falters just for a second. That’s all I need.
I slam my knee into his side, my body bucking beneath him as I use the last bit of my strength to knock him off me.
He stumbles back, and I don’t wait.
I spring up, claws out, heart racing, adrenaline pumping. My body screams in protest, every inch of me screaming for rest, but I don’t care. I won’t let him win. Not like this.
Kael growls, ready for the next move, but I’m already on him. I lash out, landing a solid punch to his ribs, sending a sick crack through the air. He roars, but I don’t give him a second to recover. I’m on him again, claws sinking into his shoulder as I shove him down, hard.
The mud splatters up around us, and the rain beats down harder, the storm raging, but all I can hear is the thunder of my own heart as I push, twist, and fight.
He’s off–balance now. I slam my knee into his gut again, and his breath leaves him in a violent rush. I grab his shirt, yank him down, and for
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Chapter 48
one split second, I see it in his eyes.
He knows.
He knows he’s losing.
And then, I shove him–hard.
His body slams into the mud at the edge of the circle, his arm flailing for purchase, but it’s too late. He’s out.
I stand there, panting, chest heaving, blood and mud dripping from my face. My body hurts. My ribs feel like they’re cracking with every breath I take. My head spins. But I’m still fucking standing.
Kael’s still on the ground, groaning, but it’s over. I’ve won.
1 force a grin through the pain.
“Not bad for the underdog,” I mutter, breathless, my hands shaking as I wipe the blood from my lips.
Not bad at all.
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