Core

by Teshelle Combs

  “Leave us alone,” Cale said through gritted teeth.

  Onna’s eyes flashed and she straightened up. “Oh, so it’s ‘us’ now? You and the human against the world, huh?”

  “Look, he said to get out of here,” Ava interjected. Enough of this girl. “It’s not even a hint anymore.”

  Onna snatched the rest of the drink from Cale’s other hand. “Fine. Why don’t the two of you dance? I’d love to see that.” She took a sip but kept her eyes glued to Cale. “But Cale would never agree to it. And I can’t blame him. He’s too bent on protecting you.”

  “From a dance?” Ava scoffed.

  Onna ignored her, still looking at Cale, at how his jaw tightened. She pushed even more. “It’s sweet. Someone with a ranking like yours? I’d be afraid I’d pound her into the ground, too. No more little rider.”

  Ava turned to Cale. “What is she talking about?”

  “It’s not important, Ava.” He glared at Onna.

  “I don’t care if it’s important or not. Tell me what she’s talking about.”

  Cale sighed again and faced Ava. Her jade and amber eyes were already narrowed, her lips pressed together.

  “I told you,” Cale said. “The dance is a stupid tradition. The rider and dragon spar with one another while the herd watches. It’s not even needed to make the pact.”

  Ava crossed her arms. “That’s not so bad. We’ve sparred before. Why didn’t we just do it and get it over with?”

  Cale knew he was about to be in trouble. Just make it sound casual so she doesn’t get mad. He shrugged. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  Ava’s face fell. Her eyes narrowed even more. “Excuse me?”

  Onna laughed and sipped her drink, swaying to the music. “No one blames you, Cale. I mean, it would be pathetic. I don’t think I could even stomach it.”

  Ava stood up, grabbed Onna’s drink out of her hand, and tossed it to the floor. The glass shattered into thousands of pieces. Onna gasped, her hand still formed in the shape of her cup, as though she couldn’t believe it was really gone.

  Cale stepped in between both girls instantly. This is worse than me fighting her. This is way, way worse. “We’re just going to go,” he said, ready to grab Ava and leave.

  “No, don’t rush off,” Onna said. Her eyes glittered as she leered at Ava. “I accept.”

  Cale could feel Ava’s rage just beneath her skin. It was as if it had been unleashed without warning. He put his arm around her and led her off to a back room near the kitchen. He flicked on the light and Rory shouted. The room was barely large enough to fit the black leather couch, much less the two dragons that had sought privacy inside of it.

  “We’re in trouble,” Cale said, choosing to ignore his brother’s newest mate.

  Rory helped the girl up wordlessly, her blonde hair frayed around her pretty face. She rattled off in red tongue as she righted her skirt and grabbed her shirt in her hand, spilling out what Ava was sure were profanities. Rory ran a hand through his disheveled hair and reached for a bottle of water from behind the couch.

  “You don’t waste time,” Rory said. “Sirens on the first night. And now ‘trouble’, whatever that means.”

  He guzzled half of the bottle and offered the rest to Cale, who declined. Good call, Ava thought. Who knows where Rory’s mouth has just been.

  “It’s not a big deal,” she said. “I’m just going to knock a few of that Onna girl’s teeth out. Then we can all go home.”

  Rory chuckled, about to take another drink. But Cale glared at him, and he sighed. “Ava, Cale’s right. That’s not a good idea.”

  “That’s why you have to go out there and tell her you change your mind,” Cale said. His voice was more strained than Rory’s. He had a lot more to lose.

  “Why would I even think about doing that?”

  “Because you’re challenging her under Cale’s name. If you lose, his rank will drop.”

  His rank? Ava looked from brother to brother in disbelief. Of course. It all made sense. The way Tattoo had backed off of him. The way Cale had been careful to get rid of Sean without challenging him. “This isn’t some night club, is it? You hold fights down here.”

  Cale ran a hand through his hair, wishing he hadn’t brought Ava, wishing he’d stayed and fought her in their back yard in front of all of Mac’s friends. What was I thinking? How did I not know I’d get us into a mess like this? “You can’t tell my dad, okay?” The secret rankings had been a terrible secret for Cale to hide, especially since lying wasn’t his forte.

  “No?” Ava scratched her head with one finger. “I thought you brought me here so I could steal all your secrets, tell your parents, and ruin your life.”

  Cale would have laughed if his gut wasn’t caving in on itself. “Ava, Onna’s really good. I know you are too, but red dragons are–”

  “Stronger? Quicker? Better?” She held up a hand. “Don’t answer that or I’ll beat you down, too.” She crossed her arms. “I’m not afraid of Onna. And besides, she’ll just heal herself every two seconds.”

  “Actually, if a red accepts a challenge, the injuries remain until the fight’s over,” Rory said carelessly.

  Cale’s shoulders dropped. He shook his head at his brother. “I’m trying to talk her out of it, Rory.”

  “Why?” Rory lay back down onto the couch, his leg draped over the arm of it. “She’s gonna do it no matter what you say. Just look at her.”

  There was a knock on the door. “What?” Cale shouted.

  “A word.”

  Cale and Rory exchanged looks. Ava could tell it was someone they respected by how quiet they both became. Cale opened the door, and the man who stood in it was older than Rory, maybe a few shades lighter than Ava. His black hair was buzzed low and his upper lip carried a small scar.

  “There are rumors,” he said, eyeing Cale. “Rumors that there’s a human in my club.” His voice was low and halting, as though he was hiding an accent.

  Cale stepped aside so that the man could see Ava. She crossed her arms as he looked her up and down. The man chewed on his bottom lip as his eyes devoured her, sizing her up. It was red dragon practice that Ava was well accustomed to. She’d had more than enough rivals give her once overs.

  “Congratulations,” the man said to Cale, barely moving his mouth as he talked. Then he looked at Ava again. “You challenging my dragons?”

  “Yes. I most certainly am.”

  “Good. Make it fast. Patience isn’t one of our giftings.” He narrowed his eyes at Cale. “I don’t have to wake Manuel for this, now do I?”

  Cale shook his head calmly. “We won’t be any more trouble.”

  The man closed the door behind him and Cale and Rory both exhaled.

  Ava frowned at the brothers. “Who was that?”

  “Victor,” Cale said. He wore his stress right on his face, though he didn’t explain further. “Okay, now you’re going to have to make an appearance. But, Ava, just dodge a few punches and forfeit. Get out of there.”

  “Will agreeing to that make you feel better?”

  “No. You actually doing that will.” Cale put his hand on her shoulder. His light brown eyes were clouded with worry. “Ava, please don’t be reckless. Not here.”

  Ava brushed his hand off. “I’m not going to be reckless. I’m going to win.”

  Outside of the room, the music had been turned off. It was anything but silent. People had clustered into a circle, talking as loudly as only red dragons could. Onna was already inside the circle, her jewelry forsaken, her hair twisted up into a bun. She wiggled her bare toes and put her fists on her hips.

  “Couldn’t talk her out of it, huh Cale? Too bad that was the last time the two of you will talk.”

  Ava didn’t let the taunts bother her. She was already in her element. It was as if the noise around her had been muffled. When she looked at Onna, all she could see was Jim’s straight nose and thin lips, his red-rimmed eyes and his pompous stance.

  Ava
made her way into the circle and Victor put his hands up to silence the crowd.

  “Tonight we have a treat. Onna of O’Hara Nest has been challenged by the rider of Cale of Anders Nest. A human. You know the rules. No weapons. No interference. The match will end when the partner of either fighter calls the match.” Victor took a few steps back. “Begin.”

  The two circled each other. Onna’s eyes gleamed, red rushing to her chest and neck. She was all too excited to pound Ava’s head in. When the match started, both opponents waited. Ava smiled to herself. She was often one of the smallest fighters, even in her weight class. Her opponents tended to pounce on her, expecting to land the first few hits easily. Ava always used their confidence in their size to her advantage.

  But Onna was just as small as Ava was. She was used to over-zealous, over-sized fighters lunging at her as well. So both girls circled and waited.

  After twenty more seconds, the crowd called out, restless and impatient. “Kill her, Onna,” they said. “Take her down. She’s scared. Look at her.”

  Ava waited. I have nothing to prove to these people. But Onna did. Unable to wait much longer, she attacked, moving forward with a nicely executed side kick. Ava took the hit to the chest and stumbled. The next kick brought her to the ground. It was as if Onna’s legs were made of steel.

  Ava flashed Cale a worried look and his heart jumped inside of him. He wanted to rush in and stop it, but he kept to his seat, gripping the edge of the stool. Rory found him and stood behind him, his eyebrows drawn together in uncharacteristic concern.

  “This is a terrible idea,” Rory said. “Onna is going to kill her.”

  Cale glared sideways at his brother. “Where were you five minutes ago?”

  “I wasn’t thinking straight,” Rory said. “I was…busy."

  Cale stood, about to break up the fight when Ava took another bone-bending hit to the midsection. She dropped to her knees for a second, coughing, trying to get air to her lungs.

  Cale had to stop it. He had to. Then, when he was about to step in, he felt something. A slow steady rhythm. Warm and cool at the same time. It almost felt like he was asleep, Ava right next to him. It was her. He could feel her. And what he felt was nothing like what he saw. She was taking hits, but she was calm. So relaxed.

  Cale sat back down on his stool, fighting off a smile. Rory studied his brother’s face in confusion. “Are you insane? Get in there and stop it.”

  But Cale leaned against the counter and ordered a different drink. A corrin, consumed for celebration, much like humans used champagne. He sipped the froth off the top and waited.

  Ava waited too. She waited until Onna gave one of those dazzling white smiles, right after Ava blocked a punch from her that was so ferocious, it bruised her forearms. Then, Ava weaved and landed a quick combination of punches into Onna’s gut. The dragon hadn’t been keeping her arms up in defense. Too cocky.

  Onna was shocked that she’d been hit, but she didn’t react quickly enough to keep it from happening again. Ava lifted her left leg, spun on her right, and snapped her sneaker right across Onna’s cheek. The dragon hit the floor instantly, like gravity had suddenly increased.

  And Ava had her. She pounced, landing the quickest jabs she could in Onna’s midsection. When Onna cried out and wrapped herself into a ball, to protect her center, Ava planted one last right to her jaw and backed off of her.

  “Get up.”

  Ava’s blood was coursing through her. She couldn’t keep still, her footwork impeccable. Cale couldn’t feel her heartbeat anymore, but he was sure it was racing. Quickly, to save face, Onna got to her feet and attacked. But Ava had been anticipating it, craving it. She met her head on, going in low, catching Onna by the waist and slamming her backwards onto the ground once more. Onna gasped for air, clutching at her chest.

  “Call it,” Cale said.

  He was talking to Myra. Onna’s twin stood in front of the circle of onlookers, her arms folded across her chest, her face emotionless, blonde bangs clouding her eyes. It was her duty to call the fight if her teammate was too injured to continue.

  “You call it,” she said to Cale. Then she turned to Ava. “Continue.”

  Ava looked at Cale, unsure of what to do. Onna was still on the ground, focusing on breathing and not on her opponent. The fight was over.

  “Don’t be stupid, Myra. She’s down. Call the fight.”

  Myra might as well have been watching it all on the internet. She didn’t show worry or concern for her sister. She didn’t even move toward her to see if she needed help. “Fight or forfeit,” was all she said.

  “I’ll fight if she stands up,” Ava replied.

  But Onna wasn’t up for it. Her breathing was still irregular. The best she could do was to writhe around on the floor. The dragons around her whispered to each other, the cheering almost depleted.

  “It looks like her lung’s about to collapse,” Ava said. “She needs help.”

  Myra stepped into the circle, right up to Ava’s face. She was furious, like a flip had been switched. Ava tried not to flinch. This crazy girl might kill me, she thought. But she held her ground.

  “Fight. Or the match is ours,” Myra said, so close Ava could taste the mint on her breath.

  “Then I forfeit,” Ava said.

  Myra smiled, a painful looking thing. “Cowards always do.”

  Rory passed Cale his keys in silence, both brothers well aware that Ava needed to leave. It was very likely that she’d be challenged again. Not only had Ava beaten Onna, she’d beaten a red. It was embarrassing for everyone.

  “I’ll find my way home,” Rory said. “Get her out of here.”

  Cale patted his brother’s shoulder and took Ava by the arm. They wove through the crowd, but by the time they reached the abandoned bar upstairs, Ava had to pause. She put her palms on her knees and took as many deep breaths as she could.

  “Do you need me to carry you?” Cale asked.

  “I will kill you,” she said in between breaths, “if you ever ask me that again.”

  She straightened up and they left the Cave and found Rory’s truck. Cale brought the engine to life and the two of them sat in silence as he drove. Ava rolled down her window and put her hand outside for a second, just to feel the breeze on her skin.

  “You scared me, you know,” Cale said.

  “Well, you should have trusted me.” She kept her attention on the way her hand floated in the wind. They left the city, and the music faded to nothing but the swish of the tires against the pavement.

  “I was wrong not to dance with you.” He looked at her. She was oblivious to it, her eyes closed and her head tilted back. “You were great tonight. Nice strategy.”

  “Well, she deserved it.”

  Cale grinned. “Yes, she did. She’s not all bad though.”

  “You’re too nice of a person, Cale. I can assure you, there’s nothing redeeming about that girl.”

  He reached over and flicked Ava’s ear. “If I listened to what people say about you, I’d kick you out of this truck right now.”

  Ava laughed. She didn’t mind riding with Cale. He didn’t try to dissect her life. He didn’t ask about Jim or her childhood. He didn’t ask her what she was feeling or thinking. It was as though he knew what she needed and gave it without question.

  “What do people say about me?” she asked.

  Cale frowned. He should have known she’d ask him that.

  “That you’re small. And weak. And female. And unimpressive.”

  Ava turned in her seat so she could get a good look at him. His cheeks showed a hint of red, even in the dark. It was obvious he hadn’t enjoyed sharing that with her.

  “Are you always this honest?” she asked.

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Are all red dragons?”

  He shook his head. “It’s rare. Extremely rare. Somehow I got stuck with it.”

  She stretched her legs sideways onto the seat of the cab. No warm up or cool down
wreaked havoc on her muscles. They twisted themselves into knots and Ava tried to rub them away without drawing attention to herself.

  Cale wanted to help, but he thought better of it. I doubt she’d appreciate the gesture. Instead, he bit his lip and looked straight ahead. When they finally pulled into his driveway, he sighed and killed the engine.

  “I had fun tonight,” Ava said.

  Cale scowled at her. “You did not.”

  “Seriously, I did. It’s easier for me to relax around you.”

  Cale let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding all night. “Maybe next time I can meet your friends,” he said.

  Ava shook her head. “Don’t have any.”

  Cale studied her, noticed the hint of sadness in her hard eyes, so subtle that even she wouldn’t notice it. Ava was easy to hang out with as well. She didn’t need babysitting and she could handle herself, even around Cale’s most intruding acquaintances. She was clever and pretty and funny once people shut up and let her talk. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with someone like that?

  Ava was relived Cale didn’t ask her about what she’d said. She didn’t want to launch into her life story, didn’t want to explain that it was easier to hide bruises and welts when there was no one around. That it was hard enough to handle her own life without being burdened by the needs of others.

  “You’re wrong about that,” Cale said. “Pretty sure we won’t have a choice but to be friends after our six hour flight tomorrow.”

  He checked his rearview mirror as a car pulled up. Ava noticed him reach into his pocket and pull out his dragonblade. He hadn’t pressed the stone yet, so the handle sat coolly against his palm. He stepped out of the truck and approached the car.

  “Can I help you?”

  The man inside had a hooked nose and handsome enough features. He rolled his window down. “Is Ava Johnson here?”

  “You are…?”

  Ava got out of the truck, willing her abdomen to mend with little result. She refused to let even an ounce of pain show on her face as she made her way to the car.

  “Cale, it’s alright. I know him.”

  But Cale didn’t relax. Ava could tell that every single one of his muscles was tensed. He stood as still as a statue, his blade handle clenched in his hand.