needs to shake it off. I wince, knowing that mine and Reyn’s little stunt had given the Northridge guy an opening.
Despite that, Sebastian is grinning—if you could call the tight, feral thing on his face anything of the sort. His lips are pulled back, eyes burning, and his teeth are stained red with blood.
I stiffen in anticipation of the next blow, because maybe we hadn’t distracted Sebastian after all. Now that the other guy has drawn first blood, Sebastian goes all-in, fists flying, feet moving. This part, at least, is nothing like Reyn had said. The blows keep coming. No one tries to stop them.
Between blows, the Northridge guy gets in a solid hit, and the crack of his knuckles against Sebastian’s temple makes me rear back in alarm, hands coming up to cover my eyes before I can see him fall.
Reyn’s voice is warm and soft in my ear. “He’s alright, just rung his bell a bit. Still on his feet.”
Despite that, I can only peek through my fingers to watch as Sebastian retaliates, looking slightly less agile than before, but no less full of rage. I have no idea what Heston was talking about before, about his brother being all temper and no strategy. Sebastian’s fists land every time, and when he grabs the guy by his hair, bringing his face down into his knee, it’s such a precise, practiced motion that it barely looks like it takes any effort at all.
Even though I want him to win, it still hurts to watch the other guy get pummeled. I have to turn my face into Reyn’s shoulder, away from the blood and the sickening crunch of bones and flesh. It’s nothing like it is on TV. This is painfully human, what’s happening here. Like sacks of angry meat banging around.
I might be sick.
Reyn spits a low curse, hand coming up to cradle the back of my head. “Em! I’m taking her out.”
I don’t hear what Emory says in reply, but I feel Reyn’s hands clamp around my hips. He pulls me close and his football player physique plows through the crowd, not stopping until he gets us away from everyone. The fresh air feels good against my hot cheeks, but my stomach’s still churning.
“Hey,” he says once we stop, sweeping my hair back. “You okay?”
I nod uneasily. “I don’t think I’m into that,” I admit.
“That’s okay,” he says, eyes searching me carefully. “You look a little green.”
He sighs, lips pressing softly against my forehead. “Can I get you something? Water? I think Carlton had some in the cooler.”
I nod. “Yeah that would be good.”
“Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
He ducks back in the crowd and I stick by the wall of another falling-down building. There’s a little creek nearby, I can hear the water rushing downstream. While I wait, my heart rate slows, and I wonder why it made me so sick. Part of it was the intensity Sebastian showed in the ring. It was scary, and it felt like the anger was barely a peek under the surface. Another part was just the memory of hitting the pavement, the sounds of a body breaking. Yet another part was recognizing the stillness of Sebastian’s face, just before the fight really got started. The same kind of stillness I see in Reyn sometimes, but have never been able to explain.
It’s the look of someone bracing for impact.
Suddenly, the noise of the crowd erupts into a climactic cheer. I don’t have to wonder for long who won. The sight of Heston’s angry face as he and his friends stalk toward me tells me all I need to know.
22
Reyn
I get there just as Sebastian lays the Northridge kid out, so it takes a while before I can even reach the cooler. Everyone is losing their damn minds. If anyone from Northridge is even here, you wouldn’t know it going by the cheers and excited screams.
Not my scene, if I’m being honest.
I manage to catch Emory by the wall, laughing something into Aubrey’s ear. “Hey, V’s all good.”
Annoyingly, Emory just shrugs. “Okay.” He’s trying to act like he doesn’t care, even though it’s obvious that some of the tension in his shoulders eases.
I roll my eyes. “Whatever. Where’s Carl?” I follow where he points, having to squeeze between a group of rowdy guys before meeting up with the rest of the Devils. The water is buried deep enough under the beer that I’m up to