His Trouble Maker

Two minutes. That’s how long they gave them to knock each other out of the circle,

Shit.

The fight rages on. My body’s on edge, every muscle twitching like it’s ready to leap into the fray, but I stay rooted in place, eyes locked on the chaos before me.

Logan’s breath is ragged, his chest rising and falling violently.

Come on, Logan.

I can’t stop myself from muttering it under my breath, even though no one can hear it. Vex… Goddess, Vex is a fucking monster. Logan ducks a punch, but Vex doesn’t give him time to recover. He lunges forward, landing a hit square to Logan’s ribs. The sickening crack is loud, and I flinch, my stomach flipping. Shit, that sounded like broken bone.

Logan stumbles back, gasping for air. I always knew Logan wanted to be a warrior, but this is an unfair fight. Vex is just too strong for him. I mean, Logan is fast as hell, but Vex is too damn large.

His body’s already taken punishment–his lip split open, his ribs likely bruised—but his eyes? His eyes are locked on Vex with a dangerous calm that sends a chill up my spine.

Vex charges, all muscle and aggression. His hands are like weapons, fists flying, aiming for Logan’s face, his chest, his ribs.

Bam.

Vex lands a hit on Logan’s side, and I hear the sickening crack of bone. My breath catches in my throat.

Logan stumbles, his knee nearly buckling beneath him, but something flickers in his eyes–something darker. Something stronger. He recovers in a heartbeat, his arms snapping up to guard his face.

Come on, Logan.

The crowd is loud, but it feels like all the noise is muffled, distant. Everything inside me is focused on what’s happening in that ring. Every strike. Every move. Every breath they take. It’s only a matter of time before one of them goes down.

Logan’s struggling to get up, his hands trembling, and I want to scream for him to get up–please get up, Logan. Don’t stop fighting. But I stay

silent. Watching. Waiting.

Vex’s shadow looms over Logan as he stumbles back to his feet, a smug grin spreading across Vex’s face. “What’s the matter, pup? Running

out of steam?”

throat, and for a split second, I think he’s

steps forward

almost not believing

I feel it in my teeth. The force of the punch reverberates through the air, and for a split second, I see everything freeze. Vex’s head jerks back, his feet skidding across the

already on him–fists flying like a hurricane,

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Chapter 47

breaking

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to protect his face, but Logan is unstoppable. Bam! The sound of bone meeting bone. Crunch!

my throat, my fists clenched at my sides.

blood spilling from his mouth as Logan drives him back, step by step, each punch stronger than the last. His breath is ragged now, his eyes wild with pain, but Logan is a machine. Relentless. He doesn’t even seem to be thinking

One final blow.

Crack.

angle. His eyes roll back into his head as he crumples

Silence.

but the ringing in my ears, the

like he’s ready to throw another punch–but there’s

inch of him

still. I stare at him, my heart pounding so loudly in my ears I can’t hear anything else. His eyes meet mine across the arena, and there’s something in them–something raw, something fierce–but it’s not

it’s over.

press in from all sides, shouting, clapping, hollering for the victor. But I

sure who moves first, but I’m

fear that’s still coursing through me.

arm. “You are you-?”

hand. His eyes flicker over me,

pain in his eyes, the exhaustion weighing him down, but I

there, watching