The night of the fight arrives too fast.
The Vesper has been cleared of humans, transformed into an arena. Vampires pack the space, standing room only. The energy crackles electric and vicious. Bodies press against walls. Eyes track every movement.
I arrive with Dorian and Jett. Black pants. Tank top. Boots with good grip. No jewelry. Nothing Sabine can grab.
Dorian walks me to the designated fighting space. A circle marked in chalk on the concrete floor. His hand rests on my lower back. When we reach the edge, he turns me to face me.
He doesn't say anything. Just looks at me like he's trying to memorize every detail.
I touch his jaw. Stand on my toes. Kiss him once.
Then I step into the circle.
Sabine enters from the opposite side to applause and whistles. Red silk that moves like blood. Hair pulled back to show her throat. Confident. Amused.
She meets my eyes across the circle and smiles like she's already won.
The fight starts.
Sabine circles like a dancer. All fluid grace and confidence. She strikes fast. Testing jabs. Feints. Forcing me to react.
I block. Dodge. Keep my stance low and balanced the way Dorian taught me.
Sabine laughs. The sound carries across the silent crowd.
"This is adorable, really."
She lands a hit that sends me sprawling. The crowd murmurs. I taste blood. Spit it out. Get up.
Sabine is toying with me. Making it theatrical. Playing to the audience.
Good. Let her perform.
I wipe my mouth and smile.
"Does Lucien watch you this carefully? Or did he already trade you in for a younger model?"
The smile on Sabine's face flickers but doesn't fall. She tilts her head. Studies me like I'm something amusing she found under her shoe.
"Cute. Playing the jealous ex." She strikes. I barely dodge. "How's your little human friend? June, wasn't it?"
My vision tunnels. Heat floods my chest.
"What did you say?"
"I said, how is June?" Sabine's smile widens. "Such a fragile thing. One little push and she just crumpled. Like tissue paper."
I launch myself at her. No technique. No strategy. Pure rage.
"She’s delicious, you know," Sabine laughs. Evil. "But I’m sure you know."
Sabine catches my wrist mid-swing. Twists. My shoulder screams. She sweeps my legs and I hit concrete.
"There she is." Sabine crouches over me. "The animal underneath all that control."
She drives her fist toward my face. I roll. Her knuckles crater the floor where my head was.
"Be smarter." Dorian's voice cuts through the roar in my ears. Quiet. Certain. "She wants you angry."
I force my breath to level. Sabine lunges again. I sidestep. Let her momentum carry her past me.
"You know what Lucien loves?" I circle now. Calm. Controlled. "Models. Fresh faces. Girls who don't know enough to see through him yet."
Sabine's jaw tightens.
"How long before he finds the next one?" I press. "How long before you're the one getting replaced? A month? A week?"
"Shut your mouth."
"He's probably already looking. Probably has someone lined up." I smile. "You're just keeping his bed warm until someone better comes along."
She comes in fast. Sloppy. Anger bleeding into her technique.
I duck under a wild swing and drive my elbow into her ribs.
Bone cracks.
Sabine screams and lunges. I sidestep. Grab a fistful of red silk. Use her momentum to slam her face-first into the concrete support pillar.
Blood sprays. The crowd gasps.
Sabine staggers. Nose shattered. I'm already on her. Kick out her knee.
She drops.
I get behind her. Arm around her throat. Knee driving into her spine. She claws at my arm but the angle is wrong. She can't get leverage.
I lean in close. Mouth by her ear.
"Desperate. That's what you are. Desperate and alone and everyone here knows it."
Sabine bucks. Trying to throw me off. I tighten my grip. Cut off air.
Her healing is already working on her nose but it doesn't matter. This isn't about killing. It's about submission.
I shift my weight. Force her onto her stomach. Plant a knee on her back. Bring my face down to her throat.
My fangs extend.
The crowd holds its breath.
Sabine's hands scrabble at the floor. At my arms. Finding nothing.
My voice comes out cold.
"Yield."
Her pride wars with survival. I bite down just enough to break skin. Blood wells.
Sabine's whole body goes rigid.
Then, broken and furious, the word tears out of her.
"I yield."
I hold the position for three more seconds. Making sure everyone sees. Making sure everyone hears.
Then I release her and stand.
Blood drips from my mouth. My hands. Soaks my clothes. Sabine stays on the ground, breathing hard, hand pressed to her throat.
The room is cemetery silent.
Then a single clap echoes from the back. Another joins. Then another. The applause builds like thunder.
I don't acknowledge it. Just walk to the edge of the circle where Dorian waits.
His expression is unreadable but his eyes are burning. He hands me a towel. I wipe my face.
His voice is low. Meant only for me.
"You're magnificent."
I look down at my blood-covered hands.
"I'm a monster."
He tilts my chin up. Forces me to meet his eyes.
"Yes, you are. Use it."
Jett appears beside us. "We should leave before the crowd gets ideas."
Dorian nods. We move toward the exit. Me between them. As we pass through the crowd, vampires step aside. Some with respect. Some with fear.
At the door, I glance back.
The crowd has already swarmed Sabine. Voices rising in mockery and judgment.
Then my eyes catch movement in the shadows by the far wall. A figure standing alone. Watching.
The light hits his face for just a second.
Lucien.
Our eyes meet across the distance. He doesn't smile. Doesn't move. Just watches with something cold and calculating before melting back into the dark.
My hand finds Dorian's arm. He follows my gaze but Lucien is already gone.
Outside, the night air is sharp and clean. I breathe it in. Trying to wash the taste of Sabine’s blood from my mouth.
Dorian's voice is quiet.
"He was there."
I nod.
We both know what it means. Lucien isn't done. Not even close.