Chapter 5

"I guess, I no longer need to find you to get even for stealing what's mine," Xena greeted with a cunning smile after she marched towrds my direction. She was wearing a black racerback hugging her petite bulky body. It was paired with black cargo pants and black leather boots.

"Is there any other opponent to fight me? It is an insult to fight someone I've beaten before." My eyes wandered among those werewolves then looked at her mockingly.

My retaliation was enough to make her brows furrowed. Bernadette was right, it was so easy to push her buttons. It didn't help that people around us found it amusing, triggering the fire between us.

"You won the death race by luck, filthy human! But it doesn't mean you will earn our respect!" she spat and pushed my shoulder but I remained still in my position.

"Who says I want your respect?" I see with my satirical face. "You're just a failure to your pack who wasn't able to win against me, a human. Your performance was completely a flop and a disgrace."

"I'll make you beg and ask for mercy for talking back to me!"

I remembered what she told me in the game, it was the same but I still managed to bring triumph.

"Oh, teach me. You know how, right?" I said then my lips mustered an evil grin then she recalled what happened in the death race.

"I'm gonna kill you!"

My eyes widened when she threw a punch which I immediately dodged, but her sudden kick almost made me tumble. I wanted to ask if we could start the duel without the lycan king around but I had to move quickly to avoid her hard punches. Damn it!

I had no choice but to fight plus no one was stopping us, they were cheering us instead. Maybe, this was how it worked here. I had to teach this woman her second meaningful lesson.

She continued attacking me and all I did was to cover my body. We were not able to fight hand in hand in the competition since she had a bloody fight with one of the participants so I was still finding her weak spots. I tried to knock seven bells out of her stomach but she wasn't affected. Xena barked into laughter like she found it humorous.

"Is that all you can do?" she asked with disbelief. "Did you win the game like that?"

I smiled scornfully. "Too early to celebrate, I am not yet starting."

I ran forward in her direction with great speed. She wasn't able to prepare herself for my attack. My shoulder slammed into her gut like a spear, enough to make her stunned. The momentum of my attack made her lose her balance. Before she could recover, I kicked her face while she was sitting. I was about to make a back kick but she held my leg and threw me to the ground.

She stood with so much rage written all over her face. I grinned ear to ear to piss her off. It darkened her face more.

"Oh, this filthy human managed to kick your beautiful face? How was that?"

"I swear, I'm gonna kill you."

I was caught off guard when she went to me with an increased spread then she choked me. I tried to reach her but I couldn't. Her grip tightened like she was trying to block the airflow.

"I'll break your neck! How dare you insult me in front of them!"

She slammed me to the ground and kicked me. I thought she would finally end me but she grabbed my hair and led me to the fountain.

"Or I'm gonna drown you!"

She banged my head into the fountain basin until my blood blended with the water reservoir. To make it even worse, she submerged my face in the water and then pulled my hair harshly. She did it multiple times and I was running out of air.

I was hurt but not hurt enough to offer her hard strikes, but she wasn't knocked out by it! She kicked my stomach which made me grimace and wail in pain! My white racerback was now covered with blood from my wound!

Holy cow! Why did she have to know my weak spot? I stood because her look was telling me that she wouldn't let another minute pass to end my life. I knew it would be the end of me. Especially when she started to smirk victoriously like she already won the game.

She advanced to me but I swerved and tripped her feet. She fell and was now in her kneeling position. I stomped her face with my foot multiple times until I knocked her out, I ended it with a powerful backkick.

I was panting hardly from our fight when a deafening silence reigned in the courtyard and warriors had stopped cheering. Moments later, three consecutive slow claps filled the room.

When I turned around, pairs of pitch-black orbs greeted me. Watching his menacing eyes felt like he was trying to suck my energy and spirit and refusing to leave any vintage of vigour and colour.

My breathing pattern became heavy when the space between us lessened. I winced when he tried to hold my chin again, lifting it to look at him because he observed my attempt to avert my gaze.

After guzzling my energy, his touch delivered an undefined feeling that ran through my spine. Like the first time, I saw the crimson hue in his eyes for a moment and he gaped into words. His jaw tightened and removed his hand from touching me.

"What commendable skills! We'll put that into use while you are in my territory."

His words were praises but there was something in his eyes while he was watching me. It was filled with madness.

"Seems like this castle will have the first human high-ranking warrior, huh?" He said then he threw Xena his frightening stare. "Bring this warrior who can't respect his King to the cell. Xena Williams will be punished!"