Page 90 of Embriagado

“Don’t be cocky,” he said slowly, fiery eyes locked with mine. “Arrogance is man’s worst enemy. It’s what brings empires down, let alone fools such as yourself.”

I gave him one raised brow. “Empires, huh?”

He brought my face closer until he was a breath away.

“Listen to me now, you stupid fool. I’ve had fighters like you before, and they’re all gone now. Why? Because they were all acting like men.” He moved his lips to my ear, his breath hot against my skin. “I do not need another bullfighter,” he whispered in Spanish, the language rolling off his tongue like poetry. “What I need is not a man, but a bull. A beast who sees red and nothing more.”

Fucking chills ran down my spine at his words, going straight to my cock.

Fuck.

My skin erupted with goose bumps, and I ached to have him whisper more poetry in my ear, but he pulled back.

“Can you be that for me? Can you be my beast?”

I slowly lifted my stare, eyes meeting his.

“Just watch me.”

He didn’t give me so much as a smile, but something did glint in his eyes. An expression a dumb fuck like me couldn’t read, but if he felt a shred of the fire he’d just set inside me, I bet he was doing his best to contain himself.

A knock on the metal door told us it was fucking time, and I turned to walk out when I noticed Ariyan didn’t move.

“Aren’t you coming?”

He shook his head. “I’ll watch from the private stall.”

Brief disappointment twisted my guts. Somehow, I wanted him to be as close to the cage as possible. Close enough that he’d hear every cry and see every drop of blood I’d squeeze out of my opponent.

“Suit yourself,” I said before leaving the room.

The crowd roared for the fighter still in the cage, and I locked in on him as he raised both bloodied fists in the air, celebrating his win while two men dragged out the loser from the ring.

Slowly making my way up there, I didn’t mind the dismissal in people’s eyes. They probably saw me as just another dude who was about to get his ass kicked. But not about to focus on them, I looked up at the so-called private stalls. Sadly, they were darkened, and I couldn’t see into them, but I knew Ariyan was up there, watching me from the shadows.

He better be.

“Look at that, they sent me another pretty face to wreck,” the asshole of a fighter laughed after I got inside the cage. He tossed some punches in the air while jumping around me.

“What’s the matter, pretty boy, did I scare you?” he snarled.

Only he didn’t, nor did the blood that stained the floor.

“Aww, seems like the cat got your tongue. Just try not to piss yourself when you go down, okay? That shit’s nasty.”

Shaking my head, I huffed. “Let’s hope you’ll listen to your own advice.”

His brows dipped. “What was that?”

“I just said, don’t piss your pants, fucker.”

“You son of a bitch,” he swore, already holding his fists up.

It had been years since I’d last fought in a tournament, and while this place was nothing like what I used to know, it was still something. And just like Ariyan had promised, there were no rules in here, and all it took was for the bell to announce the fight had started, and it was on. No countdown, no rounds, no referees. Just two men, ready to fight⁠—

What I need is not a man, but a bull. A beast who sees red and nothing more.

As if his words had drilled their way into my core, something took over me, and when the other guy charged with what was supposed to be a right strike, I easily dodged it and pushed the jab away from my chin before using the momentum to power strike back.