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“Down,” she yelled, leaping for me.
I bounded forward and met her halfway. Our bodies slammed into each other, and she grabbed me close.
She whipped the backs of my legs with her shinai. The sharp sting of it stole my breath. She lashed me again, snarling, “You’re going down. ”
I couldn’t let her get momentum. Ignoring the sizzling on the backs of my thighs, I hugged her closer. Clutching tightly to her, I slashed my switchblade in a wild arc. “Taking you with me. ”
It caught her leg, grazing her. She didn’t flinch. I swung again, slamming my arm into hers.
Her sword slipped from her hand, and she screamed, “Bitch!”
“Language, Slutling. ” I kicked her weapon, sending it spinning off the stone.
She reached around and grabbed my braid, tugging hard, trying to wrench me down. “You’re a freak. ”
I stumbled, catching myself before I fell. Jangly pain shot from an old neck injury. I cried out.
“Oh, did that hurt?” she purred.
Wriggling in her grip, I whispered for her ears alone, “They say you don’t feel pain. Maybe you’ll”—I flexed my muscles, curling into her, slashing my knife at her face—“feel this. ”
She blocked with her forearms, grunting with the impact. A half turn, and she grabbed me in a neat hold. Then Lilac bit my arm, hard.
Even through the fabric of my shirt, the pain was startling, unnatural. The knife sprang from my hand. I didn’t see where it landed, but heard it clattering off the rock.
I wrenched my arm free, the blood pounding where she’d sunk her teeth into me. “I hope you’ve had your shots. ” I shook it out, and then, thinking fast, kneed her. It wasn’t a solid hit, so I grabbed the shoulder of her shirt and pulled her down to knee her again. She made an oof sound.
Rubbing my arm, I backed up to regroup. “What’s your problem?”
Yasuo had been right. But for some spatters of blood by Lilac’s feet, my blade had been almost worthless. The throwing stars seemed a ridiculous option now, too. Though that also meant Lilac wouldn’t have time to pull any lighters from up her sleeves, and that was reassuring.
“You’re my problem. ” She squatted, circling me.
I needed to buy time to catch my breath, but instead spread my hands and feet, ready for her. “You’re the freak. ”
“I’m done with you. ” She leapt for me, and once more our bodies slammed together in the middle of the stone.
Talking stopped as we grappled, landing a few hits and then separating again. We did this a few times, elbowing, kicking. Using feet and nails. I tasted blood in my mouth and felt a sharp stab with each inhale. But we kept at it, that sloppy thrashing, relentless pounding.
The sky was darkening to gunmetal, and somebody began to light torches. Fire flickered to life all around, casting sinister shadows on the stones, on our faces and bodies.
The crowd remained silent. The only sounds were our grunting and the hiss and pop of flame.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but the combat was becoming too grueling. I felt myself beginning to flag and knew I needed to end it.
Time for Yasuo’s ground and pound.
“Now,” I snarled, hooking my ankle around Lilac’s. I swept her feet from under her. We toppled back. Her head hit the stone with a hollow smack. “I’m ending this now. ”
Her eyes glazed for a moment, but then she snapped back to life. She bucked and shoved. “Get off me. ”
She writhed onto her belly and almost crawled free, but I caught her between my knees, pinning her arms at her sides. I shoved her face onto the rock. “No. ”
“Off!” She bucked wildly, screaming. “Don’t touch me!”
Scooting higher, I shoved her hair aside for a better grip. At the feel of that silky maple braid, I thought again. I snatched it up and wound it around my fist, wrenching her head up and back. “I hate your fucking hair. ”
I slammed her head against the stone. Pulled her head up again; slammed it again. I heard the crunch of her nose. She moaned, blood spilling down her face. It was a dark smear on the gray stone.
“I smell your blood, Lilac. ” And I did. It invigorated me. I thought of the vampire’s drink. That thick, ropy liquid had made me powerful, made my every sense razor sharp. “I’m stronger than you. ”
Letting go of her hair, I inched down, wrenching her hands behind her back. She’d always mocked how smart I was. But I’d show her. Smart girls won. “You made fun, stupid girl. ” I jabbed the sharp edge of my knuckles over and over into her kidneys. “When you . . . should’ve . . . been studying . . . your . . . anatomy. ”
She was moaning now, breathing shallowly, facedown on the stone.
I staggered to standing. Leaning down, I grabbed her feet and dragged her to the edge of the platform. I kicked her, but she only teetered there. Shoving with the ball of my foot, I began to nudge her off.
Flush with triumph, I glanced at the crowd. I wanted a glimpse of Yasuo and Emma. I also wanted to find Ronan—I wished I could know the look on his face.
The audience drew in a collective breath, and I looked down. Lilac stared up at me, those pretty hazel eyes drained of humanity, her stare as cold and flat as a killer’s. Blood streaked her face, her mouth and chin covered with it. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse, and bloody spittle flew from her mouth. “You always think you’re so fucking smart. ”
Too late, I felt her fingers dig into my ankle. They were slender and long, clawing around my boot.
Lilac toppled from the stone. And she pulled me with her.
It was a long drop to the ground. Dense brush grew around the back edge of the stone platform and it broke our fall.
She landed on her back, and I sprawled on my hands and knees over her.
“Shhhhit. ” My left knee exploded in pain, and for a moment, white lights danced in my vision. I breathed hard through my mouth, trying to scramble from her.
She snatched at my legs, grabbing me around the waist, trying to wrestle me back to the ground. “You’re dead. ”
I felt the crowd shift. Felt silent eyes watching us from alongside the ancient monoliths.
Shoving her against the platform, I clutched her close in an obscene embrace, trying to land awkward punches on her ear. “Not dead yet. ”
“I’ll kill you. With everyone watching. ” She rolled me over in the brush, slamming me against the bottom edge of the stone.
There was a deafening crack. I thought it was thunder pealing overhead. Or gunfire.
“What the—?” I looked to the sky.
She head-butted me in the jaw. My chin snapped shut, and I felt a shard of tooth scrape down my throat.
“I don’t know what your damage is . . . ” I freed my arm, and, hugging her close, rolled her over me. “But I am so sick of your shit. ” Bracing myself, I thrust my shoulder into her chest, ramming her against the base of the platform.
Air chirped from her. She caught her breath. Clawed at my hair and ear. “You’re the—”
Another thunderous crack, and the ground beneath us shuddered. We sank deeper into the brush, tangled tight with each other. There was a distant pinging sound, like gravel falling down a well.
“Stop,” she shrieked.
I clutched her neck close to mine, thrusting my knee over and over into her belly.
She scratched at my face, digging her fingers into my cheeks, trying to pull me away. “Don’t touch—”
The ground jolted. Lilac and I froze, entwined.
There was an earsplitting crack. A massive crevice split the ground along the base of the platform. A great, black chasm spewing the stench of stagnant water and stale air.
The sound of skittering gravel, far away. Closer, the heavy scrape of rocks sliding. And then the earth fell away.
Lilac and I tumbled into blackness. Tumbled down to hell.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
We landed with a splash. Water. It was deep, and I clawed my way to the surface, heart exploding in my chest.
Instinctively, I began to tread in a panicked, spastic dog paddle. “Oh, shit. Oh, shit. ”
I swam awkwardly to the side and pulled myself out, scrambling away from the edge as fast as I could. I braced myself on all fours, panting to catch my breath. I shook with shock and adrenaline.
Closing my mouth, I made myself breathe through my nose. I needed to be steady, keep my head. Get my bearings.
We were in almost total darkness. It sounded like Lilac was crawling from the water about twenty feet away. I couldn’t see her. I blinked hard a few times. We’d landed in a vast, underground cavern. I thought I imagined red eyes watching me from the shadows.
Calm down. I forced myself to breathe evenly—in through my nose, out through my mouth—and tried to slow my pounding heart.
The air was close, the smell of it stale and dank. Other than the dripping water and the sound of our heavy breathing, there was silence.
My clothes clung to me, but I realized they weren’t cold. Either the water was warm or I was too freaked out to notice the temperature. I looked back at it. Smoke rose from the black surface.
It wasn’t seawater. It smelled sulfurous, its taste alkaline as it dripped down my face. An underground hot spring.
I looked at the slash of dim light overhead. The sun was setting, and yet its faint glow seemed bright in contrast to this tomb.
Glimmering eyes appeared, peering down from above. I startled.
Lilac cackled. “Fight’s not over, bitch. ”
I leapt to my feet. “Then come and get it, Slutling. ”
I could see her now, emerging from the blackness, striding toward me. “Oh, I’ll get some. It’s just too bad I can’t burn you like I did Sunny. ”
“Dream on. ” My legs felt like rubber beneath me, and I locked my knees to stay upright. I’d lost my knife, but I still had the shuriken in my boots. Whatever good they’d do. I held my arms in an attack stance. “Let’s get this over with. I’m hungry for dinner. ”
The sound of flames whipped around us. We both froze. Vampires were leaping into the cavern, torches in hand.