Fighting by Anaya Phoenix (black books to read txt) 📕

“Anyone from the southern ghettos. Most wolves, cats, and birds are pretty good. It’s ‘cuz we’re fast. But the bears and dragons are good too because their hits pack a punch and they tend to analyze things faster. Everything they do is calculated, while what we do is off of instinct.”

“Wouldn’t that make you a liability?”

“Did you not see us out there? What about what we did screamed liability?” Geoffrey scoffed, crossing his gigantic arms and smirking down at me.

“I dunno, Carmen seemed to slip a little bit back there. Had this been real, any human could’ve taken her, or you for that matter, out.” I heard the softest growl emit from Carmen but her head was down, and watched as Geoffrey tensed.

“So you’re telling me if you saw any of your sisters or brothers being cut down in front of you, you would be completely fine?” Was all he said and met my gaze head on. Something stirred inside of me and suddenly I wanted to kill him. I stepped towards him, but Leo put his hand on my shoulder. That only stopped me for a moment, and then Carmen looked up at me; her eyes the milky blue of her wolf. Her eyes settled on mine and stayed there, and at that point the Alpha in me came out.

“Luna, no.” But it was too late, I pulled out my wolf and shrugged away from Leo and stepped to her and met her gaze head on. Her eye twitched and I saw her start to sweat slightly, but I kept my gaze head on and strong.

“You are still omega, girl, I’d remember that if I were you and before I’d start something I wasn’t entirely sure I couldn’t finish. You’re good, but I promise you if I wanted you’d be skinned and suffering before you’d have a chance to blink.” I looked to Geoffrey and he had the good sense to look down and away from my gaze.

“Now, it’s obvious that y’all are skilled and that’s good but this was the ideal situation. We don’t know where the actual war is going to be, so we have to practice with everything and we’ve got a little over a week. Report that to your friends, spread word.” I grabbed her by the nape of her neck, only feeling slightly bad when she cringed instinctively, and pushed her into the portal back to the training grounds and watched as Geoffrey practically ran through it too. I stood there, calming my wolf and just breathing for a while before Leo advanced me.

“What was that about?”

“I think it’s the mating, since it’s complete everything is way more powerful and potent.” I shook off the remaining bits of anger and looked to him then and saw what I knew I would see; fear.

“It’s all happening too fast, Luna.” His voice cracked and he fell to the ground, and suddenly Eternal was too quiet. My body moved from memory and I went to him, kneeling in front of him and just waiting. I let him cry it out, I let the boy who always had to be brave be scared. His hands formed fists and he punched the ground while he sobbed out his anger, blood spattering on the pure white only for it to disappear and I think that’s when he genuinely lost it. Lifitng his head up, not scared to show me the tears and the snot, he roared a loud and angry one. I just watched, letting him get out everything he couldn’t get out in the caves.

“It’s too much Luna, there’s too much to take care of.” I bit my lip and nodded solemnly, my hand itching to touch him but I knew that he needed to work through it the best way he could.

“There’s always been too much for us, though, hasn’t there been? I don’t know why I’m always so surprised!” He punched the ground again, fresh tears coming up.

“I’ve lost everything. My parents, my home, my fucking life. All of it. And for what? To just lose more? So that, at the end of this huge fucked up mess, my little sister and brother have to go through it alone? Why set me up to fight so hard for my life and freedom, only to take it all away from me?!” He looked up again, his lion out and eyes angry.

“Why play in this stupid fucking game of cat and mouse, if you’ve already set up an exterminator appointment?!” His scream was loud and it boomed around in my skull, but his words tore through my heart and I reached out then. I cupped his cheek and made him look at me, his lion so scared and so vulnerable.

“Leotis Bloomfield, get your obnoxiously large head from your ass.” He sniffled but couldn’t meet my eyes yet, I watched as fresh tears came from his eyes.

“This is what we do, Leo. This is what we’ve always done, and when this over we’ll probably be apart of the clean up team. It doesn’t matter if we’re up here or down there with them. We have a duty.”

“A burden. What we have is a burden.” He choked out his words and leaned into my hand. Knowing he needed it, I scooted closer to him and let his head rest on my chest.

“This is a happy burden. Just think about it. Them all running around, being free under our agreement. We win, that’s it. The chips are gone, the ghettos are gone. No more suicide rates, no more families being ripped apart. We win, we’re out. And, sure, at the end we won’t be here to enjoy it with them but they’ll live it for us. Think about it: Iona having a litter of her own and Zack being pride leader. Lives that aren’t bothered with meaningless and petty fighting.” At that he snorted and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.

“Have you ever been around lions? We are the textbook definition of petty. And if Iona is anything like my mother was, which she’s shaping out to be, she’s going to be nothing but petty.” I smiled and wiped the tears from his other cheek.

“Think about that. Iona grown up and micromanaging the pride, stepping on Zack’s toes and having little cubs. I know it’s hard but we have to think about the positive, otherwise we’ll get swallowed by the negative.” He was quiet for a while and the tears had stopped flowing, so I knew I’d managed to get through to him. He wiped the rest of his tears and blew a happy breath of relief. With a smirk I got up and wiped imaginary dirt from the seat of my pants before holding my hand out.

“Now come on, we’ve got to come up with a new training plan. I think tomorrow I wanna start the singing trials.” He looked up at me through his mop of blond hair and his eyes turned the red of his victor. I stood very still, knowing he didn’t know that his lion was out. He gripped my hand and pulled himself up, maintaining eye contact with me while keeping my hand in his grasp and it took all my willpower to keep his powerful gaze.

“Thank you.” His voice was so full of emotion, but his fangs weren’t down. He wasn’t feral, which was often what it meant when the victor in us came out, and he was in complete control. His hand came up and I prepared myself for the worst, and wasn’t able to hold in my gasp when he used the back of his fingers to stroke my cheek.

“So soft and so strong.” He sounded almost tormented, but those red eyes kept on gleaming into me.

“What are you doing Leo?” I asked softly, bringing my other hand behind my back and forming a small knife.

“You’ve always been so strong though, haven’t you? Since we were kids. Always.” With a small polite chuckle I tried to back away but his grip on my hand tightened and he seemed to almost pull me closer. With an internal groan I tried to move away again and he growled softly under his breath but his face was still so calm.

“Um, I might need your help guys.” I said through the link and watched as his face morphed.

“What are you doing Luna?”

“Helping your dumbass out, even though I should just handle you myself.” I squeezed onto his hand and expelled us from Eternal, taking us to Filly’s room knowing she’d be able to put an end to this. His hand clutched mine so hard I felt at least two bones break, but I maintained eye contact because I knew I had to. I didn’t know what had triggered his victor to come out, but I knew that I could keep it at bay if I just kept looking at him; I knew that a small piece of Leo would stay with me if I just kept looking for him. Filly sat up on her bed, her hair in a giant mass around her and her eyes alert and confused.

“I think your mate’s angry, and I’ve had enough of being the punching bag between you two.” I said softly, all the while looking at Leo who looked more and more lethal by the second.

“Why do you always misbehave when I’m not around? Honestly, it’s getting hurtful Leon.” She bought out Tabby and stood with her arms crossed and her hip cocked, her hair growing thicker with the arrival of her victor.

“You always come out to stop me from misbehaving, Tabitha, kinda puts a damper on my mood.” He said through grit teeth as his hand squeezed tighter around mine, thoroughly crushing three of my knuckles and almost bringing me to my knees. Almost.

“Why do you always have to go to her? How would your father feel to know you’re even considering consorting with her?” She lifted her nose and if I hadn’t been stuck in the vice of an insane lion I would’ve punched her in it.

“MY father doesn’t care about bloodlines unlike your demented mother. Lions and Wolves have been friendly-“

“Too friendly.”

“Since the beginning.”

“And what of the Hyena? You haven’t befriended him.”

“I did say wolves, didn’t I?” I saw her lips lift in a sneer before she wiped her face and stepped closer to us.

“Why don’t you let your little friend go, then? You’re hurting her, and you know it.” She didn’t sound like she cared, not that I expected her to, but it would’ve been nice.

“It isn’t me, it’s my shifter. He’s terrified, I haven’t the slightest clue why though.” Filly came to the surface quickly before Tabby kicked her to the back. She looked to me and I felt her gaze burn through the side of my head, but I wouldn’t look away. He needed me to stay here.

“Did you bully your way through him? They don’t like that. She’s kicking and screaming around in there, but honestly I couldn’t care less.” He kept his eyes on me and his lip quirked up and slow creeping came up the base of my spine.

“He’s scared.” Was all I said, and I saw something in his eyes that gave everything away.

“He’s scared, but why is he scared? It was just me and him talking, and we… were talking about it.” Realization spread through my entire body and I dropped my elemental weapon and relaxed. I was safe, no matter how hard Leon was trying to tell me otherwise.

“It’s love isn’t it? That’s what makes you come out, that’s why when he fought me earlier with you he was crying. Love runs you as my rage runs Liliana.” The side of his mouth quirked up as Tabby gasped in air.

“Love? Honestly, Leon? How are you a cat? It’s ridiculous.” She rolled her eyes and sounded thoroughly disgusted.

“He’s afraid of losing everything he loves and