And as my brother stands next to me and my cousin comes to my other side, I refuse to let myself be intimidated by these horrible men. Not by their cruelty. Not by their brute control. No, I won’t be cowed by it. And by the low growls that I can almost feel rumbling in Rafe and Jesse’s chests,
My stomach twists uncomfortably and I put my glass of wine down on the wall in front of us, not sure if I can have any more, not sure that I’ll be able to keep it down. I’m suddenly so worried about Luca. Not that I think he can’t handle himself - I just have…no idea what the Atalaxians are going
And right in time to see Luca come out of the dark tunnel on the eastern side of the stadium, the lights flashing all around him as a confetti cannon filled with silver and gold rectangles explodes above him, filling the air with fluttering flares of light. I shout and cheer along with everyone el
Because there’s no denying it – no denying who he’s pointing to, or what he’s smiling about.And there’s absolutely no way to pretend that I’m not laughing, and leaning across this barrier, and grinning at him with joy in every inch of me because I don’t feel precisely the same.The crowd screams th
“He’s fucking huge,” Jesse whispers, and when I glance at my cousin I see that his brows are knit together as he addresses Rafe over my head.“Is that bad?” I burst out.“Of course it’s bad, Ari,” Rafe growls, though I can tell his anger isn’t for me. He flicks his gaze at me before snapping it up t
I snap my eyes back to my uncle and a rush of gratitude runs through me that he’s not lying or sugar coating this to make me feel better. “Luca could get seriously hurt if he fights,” Roger says, holding my gaze.“Well, don’t let him fight!” I gasp, spinning back to the edge of the box, leaning over
I give her a little smile, grateful for her support, and then turn my attention back to my brother.“Luca’s better?” I ask, looking back towards the ring. “How do you know?”“Watch how he moves,” Rafe instructs, and I do as I’m bid. “See how Luca’s always one step ahead? He knows what the Atalaxian
The bell rings again suddenly, making me jump, but Luca and the Atalaxian drop their fists mid-fight and turn away from each other, each heading immediately to their respective corners. I know enough about the basics of boxing to know that this is the end of the round, but – well, I don’t know preci