Dragon's Fake Wedding Date - Riley Storm Page 0,56

of reality like a bucket of cold water. He was still in a fight, and his questions had to wait until later.

Anger surged up, matching the fury he’d seen in Gayle’s face, and with a roar, Rann’s hips bucked and he flung Linck aside. He was on his feet in an instant, charging after his opponent. Instead of tackling him though, he re-formed his fire weapon and swept it down at his opponent like a baseball player hitting a home run.

Linck went clear across the combat chamber and into the far wall, crashing down hard. A fireball from Rann shot across the arena and impacted on his chest just as he tried to get up, throwing him back to the ground. Two more followed in quick succession, driving the nearest of the audience back away from the heat.

Rann darted in, stopping just short of Linck’s striking range. The dazed shifter fell for it and kicked out. Rann grinned, his fingers wrapping around Linck’s ankle. Then, he pivoted, lifted Linck from the ground, and swung his opponent’s entire body around and slammed him into the wall.

“Ouch,” Rann said with a sympathetic hiss when Linck tried to stop the impact with an outstretched arm.

The force of the impact shattered the limb in several different places.

Rann dropped a trio more fireballs right on Linck’s chest and then laid a blade of yellow-white fire mere inches from his throat.

“Yield?” he asked calmly.

Linck slapped the floor three times.

Polite applause filtered down from above as the fight was concluded. Rann stepped back, his eyes searching the crowd. He just barely caught sight of a Gayle as she exited the chamber, only identifiable by her hair.

What the hell is going on?

Shirtless and barefooted, Rann didn’t care. He wasn’t letting her go. Not now. Not after he’d finally found her.

He crouched and then exploded upward, landing easily on the viewing ledge above the arena and charged for the exit.

“Gayle!” he called as he emerged into the corridor beyond. “Gayle, wait!”

She was already out of sight, but only one way led to the exit, and Rann felt confident that was where she was going. He raced down the hallway, his feet slapping at the rock.

“Gayle,” he repeated as he rounded the corner and saw her perhaps fifty feet ahead of him, short legs pumping hard as she went for the exit.

He caught up to her easily and then slipped past her and blocked the hallway.

“Gayle, what the hell is going on?” he growled, his own emotions sharpening as he once more caught sight of the anger etched into her face.

There was more though, it wasn’t just anger there. It was…pain?

“I would like to go home please,” she said stiffly. “Now.”

“What? Why? What happened?” he pleaded. “Just talk to me.”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Gayle said in that same stiff, awkwardly formal, clearly holding back anger voice. “I want to go home. Now. Please take me or help me. Otherwise, move aside.”

Rann shook his head, more in shock than refusing her request. “I don’t understand. I thought we were good? Why are you acting like this? What did I do?”

Her eyes snapped up, finally focusing on him, and Rann took a step back at the hurt and hatred boiling in them.

“I’m done,” she said quietly. “My eyes have been opened, and I’m not blind anymore. I can’t believe I was so stupid. Now take me home! I never want to see you again!”

The last word was a full-fledged shriek that echoed down the hallway in both directions.

Rann flung up his hands, taking a step back at the same time. He didn’t know what had happened, but it was clear that right then he wasn’t going to get anything more out of Gayle. She was livid with him, and he was going to have to do some investigating to find out why.

I haven’t done anything wrong though…right?

“Okay,” he said quietly. “Let’s go then. I’ll take you home. Not a problem.”

“Thank you,” she said, her voice returning to normal levels, though it still didn’t lose that awkwardness to it.

“Yeah, no problem,” he muttered, stepping aside and following her out of the mountain tunnel system, his brain racing in a dozen different directions.

He’d won his bout and would now fight in the final against Kladd, his team leader and one of his closest friends. Whoever won that fight would become the new head of Clan Atrox. This should be a time for celebrating, because no matter who won, Rann felt confident