Catch Me (The Demon Underground Series)

by Parker Blue

I hesitated for a moment. “Is this fight to the death?”

  Obviously understanding the duel was going to happen whether she wanted it to or not, Rosa said, “No, the Movement’s rules do not allow that, and as arbitrator, I will enforce them. The fight is over when one is unconscious or submits to the other.”

  “What about her?” I asked, glancing pointedly at Lisette.

  “She will not interfere, either,” Luis said.

  Lisette looked annoyed but jerked her head in a nod.

  “You do not know our ways,” Rosa said to me, “so I will explain. During the duel, no one may interfere. Anyone who does will be punished. Severely.”

  Oooookay.

  AGREE, VAL. AUSTIN DOESN’T NEED YOUR HELP.

  “Okay, I’ll abide by your rules if everyone else does.” Otherwise, I was afraid they’d kick me out, and I wouldn’t be able to watch the outcome for myself.

  “Thank you,” Austin said softly.

  Rosa checked her watch. “We still have fifteen minutes before the duel is scheduled to begin. I suggest you ready yourselves.”

  Oh, crap. This was really going to happen.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Austin

  FINALLY, THIS WAS going to happen. Austin had resisted the duel out of respect for Alejandro and to keep order within the organization, but he couldn’t deny that it had been a long time in coming. Perhaps too long.

  The stakes were never higher. Alejandro’s life and the future of the organization were at risk, and Austin owed it to Rosa and Alejandro to win—decisively. For this to work, there could be no question in anyone’s mind that Austin was the better leader.

  Though, in Austin’s opinion, Luis demonstrated his unfitness for command on a daily basis, many in the organization still held to the old ways, where might meant right. The ancient way of handling leadership challenges and disagreements still held strong in the organization, no matter how outdated it was. Luckily, Alejandro had modified the rules to outlaw killing opponents in duels and challenges. Otherwise, they might have greatly reduced numbers, given the amount of testosterone saturating the membership.

  At this moment, though, Austin could see why duels to the death had been allowed in the past. Even if he won, he’d have to worry about Luis subverting his every move in the future.

  Well, he’d deal with that when it happened. For now, he had to defeat Luis so he could rescue Alejandro.

  “What kind of duel is this?” Val asked quietly, looking worried. “Crossbows at twenty paces? Or do you have your choice of weapons?”

  “No, it’s hand-to-hand combat—no weapons allowed. Just brute strength and the ability to outthink your opponent.”

  Val seemed to relax. “Then you’ve got it in the bag.” She glanced up at him. “Unless he cheats.”

  “He can’t,” Austin assured her. “Any fighter who does so automatically forfeits, and if they kill their opponent, they, in turn, will lose their life.”

  “Not exactly reassuring for the person who’s killed in the first place.”

  “It won’t come to that.” Luis was too proud to risk humiliation. And that had given Austin the basis of his strategy for the coming duel.

  “What if Lisette or one of his followers tries something hinky?”

  “They won’t. The penalties are almost as severe for interfering with a duel.”

  “Okay,” Val said. Austin hoped she’d be satisfied with that explanation—he didn’t want to go into the ancient forms of torture considered acceptable as punishment.

  He nuzzled her neck, whispering under the cover of the crowd’s noise. “And I’m counting on you to stop him or Lisette’s men if it goes that far.”

  Startled, Val stared at him open-mouthed. “But I promised—”

  “Only if someone tries to kill me,” Austin stressed. He knew he could count on Val to ensure nothing “hinky” occurred. “And Fang didn’t promise anything.”

  Val glanced down at her hellhound. “He wondered why everyone else was ignoring the other sentient being in the clearing. But you weren’t, were you?”

  “Nope.”

  “Okay,” she whispered. “But I hope it isn’t necessary.”

  Rosa was beginning to shoo people into position. Time to face the music. “It’s starting soon. Are you going to stay and watch?”

  “Of course! I have to cheer you on, right?”

  Pleased, Austin smiled down at her. “I hope you don’t mean that literally. Noise and shouts can sometimes be misconstrued as interfering.”

  “In that case, I’ll keep all the ‘rah, rah Austin’ comments between Fang and me.”

  “Good plan. But there’s nothing wrong with a combatant accepting a favor from a lovely lady . . .” He nodded to where Lisette was pulling the filmy pink scarf from her neck and tucking it into Luis’s shirtfront.

  Val’s eyes narrowed. “I’d give you a wooden stake, but that’s probably not allowed, huh?”

  He suppressed a chuckle. “Definitely not.”

  “Well, I’m not taking any clothes off in front of this crowd,” she said, trying to make a joke, but Austin could tell it bothered her that she didn’t have something to give him.

  “It’s not really necessary,” Austin reassured her. He’d just wanted to give her a way to feel a part of what was going on.

  She glanced down at Fang. “Oh, Fang reminded me I do have something.” She pulled off the necklace Ivy had given her. “Here—this has the piece of the amulet that broke.” She reached up to undo the clasp.

  Accepting it, Austin placed the necklace in his front jeans pocket where it probably wouldn’t be damaged. “What I was really hoping for was a kiss,” he told her with a grin.

  Val’s eyes darted back and forth. “In front of them?”

  “Why not? Everyone knows how I feel about you, anyway.”

  “Okay, if you insist,” Val said, and her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink discernible to his enhanced vision even in the dark of the night.

  He kissed her firmly, not lingering in a show for the prurient, but not a slow peck, either. Leaning back away from her, he flicked his finger against her soft cheek. “There. That should help me win all manner of tournaments, m’lady.”

  “This will even more,” Val said softly. She kissed him again, but this time, sent Lola surging into his chakras. Instead of draining energy from him, Val did something unexpected—she sent energy into him, making him feel strong and vibrant.

  When she finished, Val pulled away and murmured, “Just giving you back what you gave to me. Now you’re at full capacity.”

  He couldn’t argue with that and didn’t want to. She’d made him feel powerful, supremely male, able to do anything.

  “Gentlemen,” Rosa said impatiently. “If you’re ready?”

  Austin pulled away from Val and was happy to see there was no fear in her eyes—only acceptance, encouragement, and utter faith in him. It made him want to live up to that belief. He removed his Stetson and plopped it on Val’s head. “Hold that for me, darlin’.”

  “Everyone but Luis and Austin will now leave the clearing,” Rosa instructed.

  Austin had been so busy with Val that he hadn’t noticed the multitude of people who had come to watch the duel. It seemed everyone in the Movement wanted to see the outcome for themselves. The circle was ringed with spectators packed shoulder to shoulder, with others peering over their heads and some climbing onto the convenient low branches of the live oak trees.

  It annoyed him a little that they were so eager to watch the duel, then realized this was as important to them as it was to him. It made him even more determined to win. Leaving Luis in charge of the organization would be a huge mistake.

  Rosa made room for Val, Fang, and Lisette next to her at one point of t
he circle, no doubt so she could keep an eye on them. Once everyone was in place, she called out, “The first combatant to lose consciousness or yield to their opponent loses the bout. If you receive assistance or use a weapon other than your body, you will forfeit the match with dire consequences. Spectators will remain silent so as to not distract the combatants. Anyone who interferes in the match in any way will be severely punished. Is this understood?”

  Austin and Luis said, “Yes,” in unison. There were murmurs in the audience among those who hadn’t witnessed or heard of duels before, but they soon subsided.

  “Then take your positions,” she ordered.

  Austin faced Luis, both standing about ten feet in front of the spectators, on opposite sides of the circle. That left about ten feet between them. They were pretty evenly matched. Luis was a little heavier and more vicious, but Austin had a longer reach and a cooler head. He’d need both to win this bout.

  As Austin shook his arms and legs to loosen up, he tried to gauge Luis’s most probable move. Austin hadn’t paid all that much attention to Luis’s fighting style, but, knowing the man’s personality, Austin figured he’d try to take him down as soon as possible, counting on the element of surprise and the added advantage he’d received from the shattered crystal to defeat Austin in the shortest time possible.

  Austin didn’t have a plan so much as a strategy. Keep calm and humiliate Luis to make him so angry, the Spaniard would make stupid mistakes. Luis would never yield, so the only option was to render him unconscious. Contrary to popular belief, blood still flowed in a vampire’s veins, so cutting off blood flow to the brain would render him unconscious, and so would giving him a concussion or cutting off his air.

  “Begin,” Rosa exclaimed.

  Luis bellowed and charged Austin like a bull, trying to blitz him with sheer strength.

  Just as he’d expected.

  Austin sidestepped with a lightning-fast fluid movement, and, as Luis stumbled past, Austin struck him across the face with his open palm—a gesture of contempt. Shocked exclamations came from the crowd, along with a couple of chuckles. One point to me.

  “Silence,” Rosa reminded them all as Luis staggered to a halt.

  He turned to face Austin, his face red and his expression outraged. “You dare?”

  Austin merely grinned at him, using beckoning motions to egg him on.

  That’s when Luis lost it. He whirled with a snarl, and, without telegraphing his move, he leapt up for a roundhouse kick to Austin’s head.

  Austin deflected it—barely—and grabbed Luis’s leg, throwing him onto his back on the ground. With a roar, Luis leapt to his feet and onto Austin like a madman. Damn, the man caught him off guard. They both slammed to the ground, Austin underneath, as Luis grappled with him, attempting to immobilize him.

  No way would he let that happen. Luis’s hold wasn’t as good as it should have been since he’d lost his cool. Austin retained his and struck the inside of Luis’s elbow so his grip loosened, and Austin was able to jump free.

  From the ground, Luis kicked out and tripped him. Austin fell backward but used his sharp elbow to cushion his landing in Luis’s stomach. The contact left Austin off balance for a moment, and though Luis let out an oof, he got in a punch to Austin’s head. Though he’d thankfully missed Austin’s temple, Luis had scored a hard hit to his left eye, and it was bleeding.

  Realizing he’d probably lose half of his field of vision soon, Austin careened to his feet and took an instant to brush the blood out of his eye as Luis surged up from the ground, his head barreling toward Austin’s stomach.

  Austin turned to avoid the head-butt, but though Luis missed his stomach, he caught Austin on his side, in the ribs. In fact, it felt like at least one of them cracked. It hurt like hell but didn’t knock the wind out of him.

  He’d had enough, and Luis was enraged enough now, so Austin took the offense. He chopped down hard on the back of Luis’s head, then kneed him in the face. Luis started to fall, then regained his footing and reeled away backward, shaking his head.

  Following up on his advantage, Austin advanced on Luis and hit him with an uppercut, hoping the blow to his chin would cause a knockout. No such luck.

  Luis surged back and attempted another punch of his own. Just where Austin wanted him. He deflected Luis’s arm by shoving it aside and trapping it between their bodies, then caught him in a choke hold, cutting the flow on his carotid arteries.

  Luis tucked his chin and pulled on Austin’s arm in an effort to get more air and blood flow, to no avail. There was no way Austin was giving in. When that didn’t work, Luis tried to distract Austin and make him lose his grip by using his heavy boots to stomp on his foot, then slugged his free arm into Austin’s head and ribs. Austin grunted but held on. Getting desperate, Luis got in a couple of punches to the kidneys and even a shot to the groin.

  Austin held on grimly, taking the pain and punishment without letting go or giving in. Luis’s struggles slowed, then ceased altogether. Austin held on a second longer, just to make sure Luis wasn’t bluffing, then let go. Luis slumped to the ground, clearly unconscious.

  He wouldn’t be out long, but he didn’t need to be—the fight was over, and Austin had won. He rested his hands on his thighs, trying to control the pain and get his bearings back.

  The roar of approval was immediate and deafening. Surprised, Austin glanced at Rosa out of his right eye, since the left was rapidly swelling shut. She strode to the center of the clearing and grinned at him. Raising his arm in triumph, she yelled, “Austin is the winner!” He could barely hear her above the roar of the crowd.

  The crowd rushed the clearing, but Val got to him first. She grabbed him in a hug as if she’d never let go. He winced.

  “You’re hurt,” she said, pulling back and reaching up to touch the wound above his eye.

  Though his many aches and pains were screaming at him, Austin said, “It’s nothing,” and removed his hat from her head to plunk it back on his own. He wasn’t entirely lying—he might be in pain, but he’d heal soon enough, and it was worth it to get this settled once and for all. If Luis honored his word, of course.

  Some of Luis’s followers dragged him off to the side so he wouldn’t be trampled, and Rosa held her arms up. “Silence, everyone, please.” When they all finally quieted, she said, “Austin, as winner of the duel and the de facto leader of the San Antonio New Blood Movement, do you have anything to say?”

  Though he’d known it was necessary to keep Luis in line, Austin had humiliated the man enough for one day. Instead of crowing about his victory, he said simply so everyone could hear, “The true leader of the organization is Alejandro. We have discovered where he is and how to rescue him. With everyone’s help here, we can do so first thing tomorrow night. Will you help me?”

  Another roar of approval filled the air as Luis rose shakily to his feet, assisted by his minions.

  “What about Luis?” someone asked from the back.

  Austin wasn’t sure exactly what the man was asking but chose to believe he was inquiring about the rescue. “Luis has agreed to assist with saving Alejandro.”

  He heard a couple of snorts of disbelief, and Luis drew himself up to his full height, his nose in the air, his expression hard as stone. “I have given my word. I will assist in freeing Alejandro from his imprisonment.”

  He didn’t promise more, and Austin didn’t expect it. That was all he wanted from Luis—for now.

  “We will all meet at the blood demon’s house immediately after sunset tomorrow,” Austin said dismissively. “Go, prepare yourselves.”

  Val stood off to the side as many lingered to slap him on his back or congratulate him on his victory—many more than he’d expected, in fact.

  When Gwen and Elspeth approached at the end, he asked in surprise, “You came?”

>   “We wanted to support you,” Gwen said. “Did you doubt it?”

  “No, but I didn’t think you’d want to witness the fight, especially given the way Luis . . . trained you.” Scared the hell out of them was more like it.

  “And that is precisely why we came,” Elspeth informed him. “We needed to know immediately if we could continue belonging to this organization.”

  There was a wrinkle Austin hadn’t considered—how many would have left if Luis had won? Or been allowed to leave? And how many would leave now that Austin had won?

  Gwen, ever the nurse, didn’t give him a chance to think about it as she peered up at his eye. “You need to get that looked at.”

  He waved away her concern and tugged his hat lower. “I’ll be fine. I wouldn’t want to battle full demons right this moment, but I should be fully healed after a restoring sleep.”

  Elspeth patted Gwen’s arm. “He’s right. He’ll heal without us. Come, let us return to our duties.”

  “Okay,” Gwen said, then reached up to kiss him on the cheek. “You have no idea how relieved everyone is that you’ve won.”

  Bemused, Austin watched them leave. Now, no one was left but Val and Fang. He pulled her necklace from his pocket and inspected it. “See? No damage.”

  Val refastened the necklace with an odd expression on her face.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Oh, nothing. I’m glad you won and that you’ve rallied everyone to rescue Alejandro. But there’s just one problem—you haven’t convinced Micah to let Shade open the portal yet.”

  Austin tried to raise an eyebrow, but it hurt too much. “Is that really necessary now that we know you can force Shade to open the portal . . . if you choose?”

  “Yes, it’s necessary,” Val said firmly. “Micah is my boss. Would you go against Alejandro’s wishes?”

  “If it was the right thing to do,” Austin said stubbornly.

  Fang snorted, as if the hellhound knew he was lying. And if Fang thought it, Val knew it, too.