Entwined Realms Volume One(146)

Esh hadn’t spoken since Beylor had started, but now his voice, cool and bored, came through. “Go ahead. Kick me out.”

“Esh,” she protested, though hopefully Beylor assumed it was because of her not wanting him to give up the Tour.

Esh’s look to Nalah said Let me handle it, and though rebellion ran strong through her, she shut her mouth and sank into her seat.

After watching her a moment, Esh turned to Beylor. Esh’s voice was low and sure and sharp enough to cut through steel. “Let me get something straight. I’m here for the prize, but I can say fuck you and walk away and not think twice, and if you think I’m going to let some limp-dicked asshole touch my woman and not tear off his face so I can have the privilege of being here, you never met me. Now, kick me out of the Tour, or let me recover so I can give a damn good fight this afternoon.”

That was the longest she’d ever heard Esh speak at once, and even she didn’t want to upset him any further and bring that buried wrath in his tone down on her.

And the way Beylor made an abrupt change to his tune, his hands coming up to placate though he strained to keep his voice firm, he must have agreed. “Fine, I can understand. I would never let anyone touch my, ah, Tiffany.” The little stutter before the name didn’t bode well for their long-term relationship, and Nalah hoped Tiffany’s next rich boyfriend was nicer and did legal things. Beylor continued. “But she’s banned from the second match today. I can’t have a repeat.”

“That sounds reasonable,” Esh agreed, and she was about to voice her opinion when he added, “But she’s at the final match.”

Beylor gave a quick nod, probably deciding the final match was safe and that he didn’t want to push Esh again. “Fine.” He turned away, the move obvious dismissal.

Esh led her out and put her on the path towards their temporary home. “Get back to the rooms.” He leaned down and gave her the softest kiss possible, and when he would have pulled away she held on to him.

Something had shifted in the ring. She was the one who helped him, protected him. Because of her training, Esh escaped with little damage.

Giddiness suffused her, had her pressing deeper into the kiss. She had been valuable to him, and in return, he protected her from any consequences. Inside her some heretofore unknown part unfurled, opened up to him, and basked in the glow he provided.

They separated, not easily, but he brought his head back and smiled down at her, a half-smile that still had her heart pounding in that airy way he introduced with the kiss. “We’ll talk, and I might have to thank you too.”

“Damn straight.” And she winked, because she could, and the widening smile on him was everything she’d hoped.


Esh breathed through his mouth, broken nose useless for the task. Cracked ribs, shoulder that had been dislocated and shoved back into place, stomped on foot… all in all, not too bad for the night.

The roar of the crowd started to penetrate his fight-fueled brain, going in seconds from the light buzzing of a fly to a volume wave that could knock him over if he didn’t take care.

He stood and stretched, and his eyes gave another involuntary once-over of the front seats for Nalah. Not that he wasn’t used to that. Five years apart, and he always looked over the crowd for her.

Well, it worked, didn’t it? It was why he’d seen her that first night.

Beylor came up to him, unearned swagger in his walk. The fuck annoyed him more every time he saw him. Every negative thought he’d ever had about Beylor didn’t add up to the truth of the pissant.

“Excellent show. Will you be well enough to attend the dinner tomorrow?”

“Yeah, we’ll be there.” Great, he got to be on display for the guests. It was supposed to be a night of relaxing before the final fights, but it was a freak show for the rich and powerful to look over the fighting beasts before they bled their last.

Nalah would want to be there. Good chance that Beylor’s blonde would be wearing the ring again. After all, when else would Beylor have a chance to show everyone his victory over the Guild?

Not that he knew what to do even if the woman was wearing the ring. Fucking Guild. For all Nalah’s talk, there wasn’t any plan B he could see. She kept assuring him something had to be planned, but the lines that appeared between her eyebrows when she said the words spoke volumes. Still, all Esh could do at this point was keep moving forward. Outside of a body bag, there was no way he was getting out of the end of the Tour.

Lian kept close to Beylor like always, his beady eyes not leaving Esh for any other. Once things were settled, he and Lian would need to have a discussion with their fists.