Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

PIPER

Ash’s eyes had gone black. Maybe taunting him hadn’t been her smartest move.

Fear sizzled along her nerves, mixing with the heady rush of adrenaline as she watched for the slightest hint of his inevitable attack. She wasn’t dumb enough to think riling him up would give her an advantage. Even shaded, he was frighteningly still, perfectly balanced, and ready for anything. On her best day and his worst, she could never beat him.

His fingers curled. He launched at her.

Instead of meeting his attacks or attempting to defend, she dove for the platform. With a terrifyingly swift change of direction, he pounced.

His weight crushed her into the floor, his knees slamming down on either side of her. She grabbed him around the neck, pulling their torsos together, closing the gap he needed to punch her. She heaved her hips sideways to force him onto his back.

They’d already grappled once, and she’d been able to throw him off her—but not this time. They rolled together, and her back slammed into the platform again, his hand around her throat—the same dominating grip he’d used on her while under the influence of Lilith’s aphrodesia.

Piper gasped, air scraping through her windpipe. Ash’s black eyes bored into her, his teeth bared, his grip just shy of choking her. His weight pushed down on her hips, his thighs braced against her sides.

She grabbed his wrist in a futile attempt to break his hold—and his grip tightened, cutting off her air.

Eyes bulging, she released his wrist and let her arms drop to her sides. His hand loosened enough for her to breathe, his palm hot against her throat.

The crowd was on their feet, their shouts and calls edged with a biting, demanding undertone. They wanted more. They wanted blood.

Piper bent her legs for leverage and heaved sideways. Ash twisted with her, and she barely broke free before he could pin her again. She rolled to open a gap between them and sprang upright.

Her exhausted legs trembled. She panted for air.

Ash came to his feet with predatory grace. Muscles rippled across his bare torso, a sheen of perspiration on his skin. His eyes were still black, his expression hungry.

She took a subconscious step back—and he prowled closer. A hunter stalking his prey.

He was going to kill her if this kept up. Faking a fight was no longer an option, and the crowd wouldn’t buy it anyway. Ash was too obviously powerful. He would have to seriously hurt her to feed their bloodlust.

Unless there was a way to turn their bloodlust—and his—into something else.

She stepped back. He followed. She stepped back again. The padded corner post was two feet behind her. Panic danced in her belly. She was possibly about to die.

Straightening her spine, she lifted her chin and met his unblinking stare for a second time, challenging him, pushing that button in his daemon brain that made him want to attack or dominate her.

His lips pulled back from his teeth. His weight shifted—and he charged.

With a wild cry that was half desperation, she leaped at him so she was completely airborne. He crashed into her, and she grabbed him with her arms and legs both. They crashed into the padded post behind her.

Time slowed. The noise of the crowd disappeared. Ash was pressed hard into her, pinning her against the post, his chest hot against her front. She clutched his shoulders, her legs clamped tight around his waist.

His hand formed a fist in her hair, and he pulled her head back until their eyes met. His pitch-black stare cut right through her, a silent, primal demand that she submit or die.

Instead, she grabbed his head and yanked his lips down to hers.

His response was instant—his mouth consumed her. It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was like flame meeting oil, all fire and raging heat. He shoved her harder into the post, crushing their bodies together. She arched into him, head tilted back as far as possible, her throat exposed. His mouth, his hands, his body—they were fierce, carnal, unyielding.

She tangled her fingers tightly in his hair and opened her mouth for him. The hot stroke of his tongue over hers sent a spiral of burning heat across every nerve in her body. Their kiss deepened into something even wilder. His hand was on her throat again, his thumb on the edge of her jaw, holding her where he wanted her.

The noise level in the room slowly infiltrated her awareness. The crowd was on its feet and the uproar was deafening—screams, cheers, and wolf whistles.

Ash pulled back. Piper stared at him, their faces inches apart, both of them breathing hard. His eyes were still black as pitch. Her legs were still locked around his waist.

Taking her by surprise, Ash pulled her off the post and flipped her over his shoulder in a fireman carry. The air whooshed out of her lungs, and while she was still reeling, he lifted one hand in a triumphant gesture, his other arm clamped over the backs of her thighs to keep her in place.

“Unbelievable!” the announcer shouted. “Is The Draconian forfeiting his victory to take Minx as his prize?”

Piper scowled. Reduced to a prize for a man. She’d never be able to show her face in the ring again—not that she had any plans to return to the Styx. Unless it was to give Lilith a black eye.

As Ash leaped out of the ring and dropped to the cement floor with Piper trapped on his shoulder, the crowd’s volume climbed even higher. Cheering, applause, whistling, raucous hooting—but angry shouts and boos could be heard too. Not everyone was satisfied with the switch from bloodlust to sexual lust.

The noise grew muffled as Ash carried her into the hall. A door clattered, and as he turned to shut it behind them, she got an upside-down view of a small room with some basic first aid supplies and a rickety cot. With the click of the door latch, the volume of the crowd dropped even more.

Ash tilted Piper off his shoulder and onto her feet—which involved her sliding down his front on her way to the floor. She found herself leaning against him, his hands hot against her sides and her hands resting on his bare chest.

His hold on her tightened, and she realized her legs were quivering violently. He helped her limp to the cot and sit on it. She risked a peek at his face, and relief swept through her. His eyes had lightened to the shade of thunderclouds, which was a big improvement over ebony.

He lightly touched a sore spot on the side of her jaw, then tilted her face to check the other side. His expression revealed nothing about what he was thinking, and it was driving her kind of insane.

What had he thought of that kiss? Was he upset that she’d manipulated his daemon instincts? What would he do if she pulled his mouth to hers a second time?

The thought sent a thrill down her spine, but she wasn’t sure whether it was fear or anticipation.

His fingers slid away from her face, and he glanced around the tiny room. He stepped away from the cot. “I’ll get the healer for you.”

“Ash, wait,” she blurted.

She jumped to her feet and nearly ended up in a heap on the floor.

He turned back as she steadied her exhausted legs.

“Ash, I…” She swallowed. “I mean, you…”

A sharp knock sounded, and the door swung open. Lyre stepped across the threshold, his gaze sweeping between her and Ash.

“That was wild,” Lyre declared, seeming torn between disbelief and amusement. “Whose idea was that?”

Piper dropped back onto the cot, her cheeks heating. Right. The kiss between her and Ash had felt intensely, passionately private, but it’d actually been excessively public.

Lyre hesitated in the doorway, sensing the tension in the room. “Should I get the healer for Piper?”

“Yes,” Ash said shortly. “I’ll find Lilith.”

Apprehension buzzed through Piper. “Will she still tell us the Gaians’ location?”

“I won’t give her a choice.”

On that chilling note, he disappeared into the hallway, and Lyre followed, closing the door behind him.

Piper let her shoulders sag forward, exhaling a giant breath through her nose. She took a moment to focus on breathing, then stuck her hand into her shirt and checked that the Sahar Stone was still safely taped in place. No issues there.

She touched her lips. Kissing Ash while he’d been shaded—talk about walking a knife’s edge. If he’d been feeling even a tiny bit more murderous, she’d be dead. She could hardly believe she’d done it. It had been her most life-threatening moment in the ring.

She closed her eyes, and instantly she could feel his mouth again—the uncontrolled passion, the feverish need, his aggressive dominance. If she’d somehow seen a vision of that moment ahead of time, she would’ve been sure she’d hate being kissed like that.

She definitely hadn’t hated it.

Piper shook her head sharply. She was smarter than this. She knew how dangerous daemons were, and she knew how destructive they could be even without causing physical harm. She’d gotten lucky this time, but she was absolutely certain that if she tested Ash’s limits again, she would be lucky if she lived to regret it.