Flames and Ashes

The impossible happens

Avru pov

When I had the nice idea to escape my guards and hide in plain sight in a place which my guards and family would never think of looking for me, the idea was to keep a low profile.

Volunteering to beat up the lady who is the undisputed champion in one of the biggest illegal fighting rings, is not low profile.

In my defense, I didn’t want to fight with her, all I wanted to do was just talk to her, get her to spend time with me and realize that I could be a good friend.

And that is something that she definitely will not do unless she is forced to.

Technically, us being forced together to fight in a cage is also not a great place for us to have a conversation.

Something else which I should have thought about before volunteering as another poor male for her to beat.

And while I might not know much about illegal fighting, I knew enough about fighting. Her form was prefect before she decided to have fun. She was not fighting the guy being mopped from the floor of her cage, she was doing a mixture of talking and gymnastics.

She was a good fighter if she could take down a male which I have heard of because he is a good fighter. One which my father often moan about because he refused to come work for him.

And the scary part was, she wasn’t trying to be serious.

In my case though, I have a feeling that she would be.

She was already watching me like how one would watch a prey.

Like she was already thinking of ways to disembowel me.

“Hello,” I greeted her as I walked into the cage just as the removed the last of him from the cage and shut the door behind me.

“You just made a huge mistake,” She informed me in a leveled tone.

She didn’t need to tell me something which I already know.

“I am aware of that fact.” I nodded. “In my defense though, I am just trying to talk to you…”

“This is the last place for talking.”

“Became aware of that fact a little too late.” I winced as she cracked her fingers and her neck.

Her fingers were stained with blood. From when she calmly sat down to break her last opponents fingers and when he struggled too much for the first break, the crazy woman made sure that the finger broken through his skin and that was how her own hands became stained.

And I am attracted enough to the crazy woman to not think about my safety and chose to still enter a cage with her. For a fight.

I never knew that I was crazy too until this moment because I am still thinking of her sexy she looks in her sports bra and short shorts and tempted to place my hands on her soft looking skin.

And knowing fully well that I would lose the hand, if she catches them, I am still tempted to do it.

What the f**k is wrong with me?

I would have thought I was bewitched if she knew my identity or even wanted me to be close to her.

“I am going to hurt you and enjoy doing it,” she informs me.

I rocked back with a tiny step and she noticed and smiled at me.

“You have a lovely smile,” I sighed.

My words made her smile die and I was tempted to whine like a child and command the smile the return as if I could control her expressions.

What the f**k is up with me?

“Yours will be just as lovely as mine is when all your teeth is gone,” she snapped at me.

When the bell rang for us to start fighting, I wasn’t surprised when she rushed towards me with her intent very clear in her eyes. She wanted to end me.

Thankfully, my self-preservation kicked in and I raised my arms to block her kick aimed at my throat.

“You have long legs which is shocking for your pint size,” I informed her of my observation.

Her look turned to one of silent observation as if she was wondering if I was alright upstairs.

I was wondering that too myself.

She didn’t bother to talk to me again as she tried to punch me but I took a huge step back and then bent half ways to avoid the kick which she directly high because of how tall I was.

She shriek in frustration when none of her hits connected.

“Stay back and wait for his first move,” someone shouted from outside the cage and surprising, she fell back and waited in a defensive stance.

If I thought that I could get away with it, I would have walked to her and under the guise of attacking her, I would touch her to get to feel her skin and see if it is as soft as it looks.

“Don’t bother with doing that, it is not going to work as I am not going to attack her,” I called back out.

The people watching were getting restless.

And my words served as the right motivation for her because she darted forward, probably in hopes that she could sneak an attack on me.

I was used to her size, my annoying sister is around the same height as her so when she moved, I placed a hand on her head while shifting my body out of the reach of her hands and when she hit my hand away from her head before using her legs to swipe mine from underneath me.

I fell on the ground with a smile on my face.

It seems like she loves bringing her opponents close to her level on the ground.

“What are you smiling at?” she snarls.

“You are really pretty.” I grinned at her as I stood up immediately with a sped that matched hers. She took a step back immediately I stood. My dragon must have shown in my eyes because hers narrowed.

And yes, my animal was no longer sleeping, something about her has made him take notice too.

It was nice that I was not the only one who was strange for having her capture my attention.

“Your animal is backing you and giving you extra strength…” She gritted.

My animal didn’t need to back me for that. I could easily carry the strength from her but I didn’t tell her that since that would be a dead giveaway clue to who I really was.

“Your animal does the same thing, although yours is more seamless with no outward sign at all. Impressive that one would be so much in tuned to their animal, tell me which shifter are you?”

I must have said the wrong thing because a deadly energy surrounded her before her eyes darkened.

“I said tell me not show me,” I rushed out because it seemed like she was in the process of shifting.

Instead, she moved faster than I could keep up with and ended up with her hand around my neck and her eyes glowing eerily while her legs wrapped around my waist to keep her close to me.

“You will…” she started to rant but using my own speed, I knocked her legs off me with one arm while using the other to push her.

I guess I must have been too shaken because I used more strength than I mean to and I didn’t realized that we were close to the bars already.

The force which I used to push her sent her body flying to the bars, her back hit it with a loud and painful sounding thud before she slipped down the bars and landed on the ground unconscious.

“Are you okay?” I rushed to her to check on her when the bell rang, signifying me as the new champion.

I didn’t feel like a champion. I felt really bad.

I didn’t pay attention to what was happening around me, only the lady who was breathing shallow.

Someone pushed me from her side and before I could growl at the person or even consider setting him on fire, another person grabbed me and placed something on my shoulder and raised my hand while people cheered.

I didn’t derive joy from it.

I would have followed her out of the cage as a man rushed out with her in his arms but a firm hand on my shoulder stopped me.

This time I growled in annoyance as my eyes moved from her body that was being carried further away from me to the person restricting me from following. My eyes landed on a familiar face wearing a pissed off expression.

Yep, my father’s friend, one of my honorary uncles, who I made promise that he was going to hide me has found me from my supposedly ‘stroll’. I was in trouble.

**********

“What were you thinking your royal highness?” he yelled after he had dragged me back to his house. “Do you know what you have done? There are recordings of that fight. Your castle watch those recordings sometimes. You mentioned that you are trying to hide from them but you are making a poor attempt and even worse, proving their point that they need to protect you even from your choices.”

I cringed, my neck disappearing more into my shoulders at the reminder of what my choice really was, a poor choice was indeed.

“I am sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

“You didn’t mean to find yourself in a cage and then to beat up their best fighter?” Commander Xage raised an eyebrow at me. His expression saying everything which his lips were not saying which include and was not limited to, I need to find a better way to lie.

“Yes, I didn’t mean to.” I returned agitated.

“So you were picked at random to go into the cage?” He frowned raising an eyebrow.

“No, I volunteered to go into the cage. I didn’t mean to win, I just wanted to talk to her.”

Commander Xage rubbed his neck before glaring at me. “You were looking for a woman and of all women for you to look for, you choose her!”

“I didn’t know she was a fighter and she intrigued my dragon,” I paused. “Do you think she is going to talk to me again, Uncle?”

Commander Xage face had a contemplative look. “You said your dragon was intrigued… well you wouldn’t know if you don’t try. I wish you good luck.” He slapped my shoulders and then walked away, leaving me staring after him.

What the hell did he mean? And why does he sound like he knows something which I don’t.