Page 105 of Scarlet Wars
Without Emma, I might’ve ended up there anyway.
The crowd erupted, a storm of voices that shook the bars around me. Some jeered, some screamed approval, but all of it was fuel thrown onto the fire of the pit.
The cage emptied in a surge, bodies pressing toward the exit as though the smell of blood only made them hungrier. Hands clapped my shoulders as I pushed through, people shouted congratulations I didn’t hear. None of it mattered.
Until I saw her.
Her hair caught in the stuttering neon; sky-blue eyes fixed on me in a way that made the whole world tilt.
Emma stood right beyond the pit, still as stone in the chaos. And next to her:Levi Cloutier. Standing there like they were old friends, like he had any right to her closeness.
How the hell had that happened?
The smug bastard was leaning in far too close, his grin sharp with entitlement. He held a glass out to her like it was an offering, his other hand hovering near her elbow, casual enough to look harmless, intentional enough to make me want to break every bone in his body.
My ribs throbbed, every step a slice of pain, but I barely felt it over the cold fury tightening in my chest.
I took a step forward, then another, but before I could close the gap between us, a hand shot out and grabbed my arm.
Sean’s grip was iron; his face carved from suspicion. He leaned in close, a hiss under the roar of the crowd.
“Ye better have a good explanation for this.”
I met his stare but said nothing. He knew all too well the cages were nothing compared to the battles I fought in my sleep, where the demons didn’t wait for a bell or a referee.
I shook him off without a word and crossed the last few feet in three long strides.
My hand found Emma’s wrist, the pulse there leaping against my fingers like it recognized me too, but before I could form the words, Levi slid in between us like he’d been waiting for the moment.
“Hell of a fight, Colt,” he drawled, before he clapped me on the back like we were old comrades instead of strangers.
His gaze slid to Emma—lingered a heartbeat too long—before his grin widened as he slung an arm over her shoulder. “No wonder nobody here wanted to bet against you.”
The rage in me burned cold, colder than the rebar I’d just driven through a man’s ribs. My hands curled, aching for a second fight with only one survivor.
Emma saved the man’s life when she shrugged him off, right before I smiled at him without warmth, and leaned in until my breath brushed his ear. “You so much as lay another finger onher,” I murmured, the threat low, “I’ll rip off that hand and make you watch it twitch.”
His smirk faltered enough to satisfy me. I straightened, calm and collected again, then reached for Emma’s arm. “Excuse us for a second.”
She didn’t even get a full breath out before I dragged her across the room. Her heels screamed against the floor; she turned and twisted, but I tightened my grip until her protests shredded into nothing.
I shoved her into the darkest corner, shoulder-first, and forced her back until the curtain swallowed most of us. The wall hit the small of her back; my hand still clamped to her wrist like iron.
Control yourself, Colt.
With my other hand I slammed my palm flat against the wall beside her head, boxing her in. I leaned in until our breaths mixed, my shadow devouring hers. Up close, the light caught in her pupils, blown wide.
“What the hell is your problem?” she hissed, all hot and bothered.
My lips twisted. “You could’ve gotten us both killed with that little stunt of yours,” I bit out, each word clipped.
“Oh, excuse me for trying to save your ass, Colt. Had I known it would turn you into this caveman, I would’ve happily let you bleed to death.”
I didn’t answer right away, because words were fuckingimpossiblewhen she looked likethat.
The lighting hit her enough to make every inch of her glow. That dress clung to her hips like it was painted on, the hem teasing the tops of her thighs every time she moved. Those boots—tight, black, unapologetic—made her legs look like sin in motion. And that mouth,fuck. Soft, defiant, the kind of mouth you could ruin yourself on.
I dragged my gaze back up, forcing my jaw to unclench. “You didn’t know I was going to fight tonight,” I growled, more to cover the rasp in my voice than anything else.
