Page 47 of Darkness Defined

“He’ll do,” I said, removing my shirt. Things got burned when you played with fire and I liked this shirt. I shoved it into my bag and dropped it to the side.

“Yo, Neese! Your boy is raring to go tonight!” Otto called out over the crowd.

Neese stepped into the ring as the current fight ended and hissed for me to join him. I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders while Otto retrieved my opponent. Before coming here, I would’ve never dreamed of taking on anyone that looked like Carl. He may have only been five-foot-something, but he looked like he’d been forged in fire. Which, to be fair, was entirely possible. I had no idea how fire demons came about.

He walked into the ring and snickered. Most people here still didn’t know what I really was besides fast and slipperier than the devil himself. It was hard to hold a shadow unless you actually were one. I smiled in anticipation and waited. He didn’t keep me waiting long.

Almost as soon as Neese announced the fight and cleared the ring, fire shot from Carl’s hands toward me. I shadowed out, only to reappear completely untouched in the same spot once the flames cleared. Fury clouded his face. Perfect.

I’d started doing research on the supernaturals I saw here after that first fight with Granite, who’d turned out to be a type of golem. Fire Demons were notorious for their temper and lack of control. The angrier he got, the more mistakes he was liable to make. Of course, it also made him infinitely more dangerous, because there was no telling which way the flames would go. While he focused his attacks mostly through his hands, the ability wasn’t exclusively limited that way. Get him mad enough and he could literally blow.

I danced out of the way of another assault. I had to at least make it look like I was trying. This was going to be way too easy. Across the ring, I could see Neese and Otto’s smug grins. Carl may be strong, but he was still no match for me. I stepped in closer, forcing him to use shorter blasts. It clearly wasn’t his style, and he didn’t appreciate being forced to do it.

“Come on, Carl, is that the best you’ve got?” I goaded him as I shadowed out of the way of yet another blast, except I cut it a little too close and the heat of it washed over me.

Flames shot from his head and he swung wildly, abandoning the flame-thrower attacks. One moment his fists were normal, the next, they were coated in orange fire.

“There, you go. Now you’re getting warmer.” The pun only infuriated him more.

The flames disappeared, and he reached for my neck. Too late. In a blink, I was behind him. Less than a second later, I drove my elbows into the back of his neck. He dropped like burnt out coal, his flames extinguishing as he hit the ground. A cheer went up and Neese walked forward to retrieve me.

“You could have made it last a little longer,” he scolded under his breath, even as he raised my arm up as the victor.

“Is it my fault he lost his temper?”

“I wouldn’t say he got away Scott-free. Looks like our little Matty got caught by some after burn,” Otto said, thumping me in the chest. A pain very much like the fire I’d been avoiding spread across my torso.

“Shit.” I hadn’t even noticed. I’d been reckless. Distracted.

“At least it shows the crowd you’re not completely untouchable. You keep fighting like that and no one will want to challenge.” Neese squeezed the back of my neck to the point of pain. “We certainly wouldn’t want that, would we?” He released me with a shove. “Put something on that. After-burns can get nasty and I want you in top shape for the next meeting.”

I walked over to my things and then to the corner that held what constituted as medical. While they didn’t have healers to take injuries away like they never happened, they couldn’t afford wounds getting infected and bringing unwanted attention to the club.

The girl manning the table tilted her chin at me as I approached. “Not bad.” She unscrewed a container filled with some kind of goo. Even from six feet away, I could tell it smelled foul. “Well, come here,” she snapped impatiently and indicated for me to walk around the table.

I eyed her warily. She had dark liner on and magenta hair worn in a choppy style that paired with the rest of her obvious bad-girl look. Normally, the medic on duty gave you whatever it was and left you to fend for yourself.

“The name’s Misty,” she said as she smeared the affected area with the ointment. “Okay…” she added when I didn’t respond. “Everyone knows you’re Matt, but what are you?” Her hand slid smoothly along my torso. The salve was definitely working, and already the feeling of fire sitting on my chest was dissipating.

“Are you finished yet?”

“Yeah.” She quickly removed her hand and wiped it off on a spare towel, then replaced the lid.

The salve had yet to soak in when I put my shirt back on. I probably should have waited, but I didn’t like her questions or the way she’d gotten handsy. I slung my bag up and turned to go.

“Hey, you didn’t answer my question.”

“If Neese wanted you to know, then you would.”

Her jaw dropped, and I left. I could’ve stayed and watched some of the other fights, normally I would have. Yet something about Misty made me nervous. She wanted something, and I didn’t trust the way she’d eyed me like I was something to pick apart and eat. Besides, I still needed to figure out what was up with Alex.

Chapter 14

Assumptions

A

“You’vecomeagoodways, Ed.” I smiled and handed him back the writing assignment we’d been working on.