Change of Darkness (The Change Series Book 3) by Jacinta Jade (best new books to read txt) 📕

other, something in her blood excited at the thought that these two impressive specimens might battle each other for her. A small part of her briefly thought the situation had escalated too quickly, but the nagging thoughts quickly faded away.

‘I think you need to stop involving yourself in other people’s concerns,’ Baindan growled out, just two paces away from Zale.

From where Siray stood to the side of the pair, Zale’s eyes seemed to glow with anger.

‘Siray is my concern.’

‘No, she’s not,’ Baindan said, pronouncing each word slowly. Finally.

This is it, Siray thought, her heart thrumming. She’d finally get to see which of them really deserved her—if either of them actually did. And if not … well, she would still enjoy watching this situation play out.

Zale unfolded his arms and stepped closer to Baindan. ‘We’ll see about—’

‘What’s going on?’

This time the interruption came from Tamot, and Siray almost laughed out loud as the ire of both Baindan and Zale turned on him. Her pulse was racing now as she eyed the tenseness lining all three males’ bodies. Her eyes darted between them, wondering who was going to make the first move.

Tamot suddenly seemed to realise he had wandered right into the middle of a situation, and he raised his hands, fending off the glares of the other males. ‘Alright, I think we all need to just calm down.’

Siray frowned at him, overwhelmed with an unfamiliar anger. He was weak to back down from the fight. She always knew he had been. But she could still get the others to fight, if she just—

‘Line up!’

Herrin’s deep roar startled all of them, and Siray gave herself a bit of a shake. Right—she had to focus now. They could come back to this later. She turned away from the males and began jogging to where Herrin was standing, keen not to be last to join the lines. Footsteps dulled by the sand sounded from behind her, and she looked around to see Baindan and Zale close behind and running side by side, their disagreement now apparently forgotten as they, too, realised that there were bigger threats to contend with.

Once they were all in the spaced-out formation again, their weapons ready at their sides, Herrin moved one or two of the units around to even up the numbers, then he gestured grandly, his usual lethal grace evident even in that simple movement. ‘And now, to put your skills to the test. Units eight and twelve, stay where you are. The rest of you, move off to the side.’

Siray obediently moved away with the others, wondering just what they were going to witness now.

Once they were clear, Herrin turned his attention back to the two units remaining. ‘A challenge now, to see who was paying the most attention this morning. Using your weapons, you must disable the other team. First unit to incapacitate the other is the victor. Or, the unit with the last person standing.’

Siray merely glanced at Herrin, then turned her gaze on the captives standing there. She knew she should have been shocked at the methods he was prepared to use. Instead, her blood was heating again as she eagerly awaited Herrin’s command for the battle to commence.

Furthermore, the captives who were about to engage each other didn’t look worried at all. They looked … keen. Calculating. Focused.

‘Begin.’

The fight started slowly, the two units circling each other as they each weighed up their opponents. Each individual seemed to pick out a target in the opposing unit, and Siray grew almost impatient for them to get into it. Then one captive leapt forwards to engage another, and this was the move that made all the rest of them jump in.

The fight was short and vicious, with one unit demonstrating considerably more skill in wielding their wooden staffs than the other. At the end, three captives from the winning unit remained standing, two with various cuts and bruises and one limping. On the ground were their other two members and all of the other unit, some of them unconscious and some of them injured and knowing better than to get back up.

Herrin sauntered over, his grey-blue eyes sharp. ‘Well done, unit eight.’ He waved his arm. ‘Now, out of the way. Units six and eleven, help move the injured off, then return.’

Upon hearing both her unit and Melora’s called, Siray felt her muscles go taut. She was ready for this. Had been primed all day to fight the sneering, curly-haired female.

Working with Zale, Siray quickly lifted and carried one of the injured captives off to the side, unceremoniously dropping him quickly to the sand before the space where the other units, including Wexner’s, stood watching.

Then Siray returned with her staff, moving quickly to take up a central position facing off against the members of unit eleven across the sand. Directly across from Melora. Adrenaline was singing through Siray’s veins as her focus narrowed to centre on the stunning but mocking face that gazed back at her, the hardness in the other female’s gaze echoing a ruthlessness that Siray could feel rising within her.

This was her chance to take the other female out—a female that wanted something that belonged to Siray. Melora had tried to seduce other males away from her previously—Zale … And Deson, before he had died … Siray wanted to give Melora a final lesson that she shouldn’t even look at Zale, or any male that Siray might be considering for her own.

So Siray didn’t take her eyes from Melora as her friends fell into position around her.

Herrin folded his arms, his muscled figure languid yet commanding. ‘Begin.’

Siray exploded into movement, her heart already racing in anticipation as she sprinted towards Melora, her feet carrying her swiftly across the sand as her hands nimbly spun her weapon and began to draw it back for her attack.

Across from her, Melora had also broken into a run, and the space separating them narrowed as the female drew ahead of her own unit.

They were the first