Read Online Born of Defiance by Sherrilyn Kenyon - Free Book Online Page B

go!”
    Reluctantly, he released her and headed for the Ring. As he reached the door, he glanced back to see her watching him. Damn, she was beautiful. Like an ethereal vision. He still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to accept him, given his lack of birth standing.
    That she had yet to run screaming for the nearest door to escape his presence.
    All he had to do was not get killed tonight. That would seriously screw up his future plans where she was concerned.
    Clamping down on his fang guard, he smiled under his mask and winked at her. He hadn’t been kidding. To have her with him, he’d gladly get the shit kicked out of him.
    The gods knew, he’d been beaten for a whole lot less.
    *   *   *
    Unsure and terrified for Talyn, Felicia chewed her nails as she paced the back room while she listened to the sound of the crowd. She heard hisses and boos and cheers so loud, they shook the stained walls around her. None of it told her how Talyn was doing.
    If he was winning or losing.
    Part of her was dying to know, but she’d meant what she said. She couldn’t stand the thought of watching him be pounded on by another fighter. Especially not with the savagery that went on in the name of entertainment. Ring fighting was the most popular sport in Andaria.
    And it was the most brutal.
    Every year, dozens of fighters died in the Ring. Dozens more after the match ended, from the injuries they’d sustained during the fight. While they wore masks and taped their clawed hands to keep from being scarred, there were no real rules. They fought until only one was left standing. However long that took.
    A loud, thunderous roar went up. It was followed by an alarm of some sort.
    Was it over?
    Biting her lip, she went to the door. She held her breath until she saw Talyn coming down the hallway with a furious light in his eyes. Blood dripped from the mask over his face. More bruises and cuts covered him. But his injuries didn’t seem to bother him at all.
    As soon as he saw her, he pulled the mask off, spit out his fang guard, and gave her a grim smile. “Still undefeated.”
    Proud, and honestly, a bit terrified by this side of him that didn’t seem to mind bleeding, she swallowed hard. There was an aura of death that clung to him now. “Are you okay?”
    â€œYeah. I’ll feel the burn later. Right now…” He picked her up with a terrifying ease and hugged her close.
    She started to wrap her arms around him, until she saw all the bleeding welts on his back. They had to be killing him. “We need to get you something for your pain.”
    He shook his head as he set her back on her feet and led her into his dressing room. “I can’t take anything.”
    â€œTalyn—”
    He set his mask down and unwrapped his hands. “They’ll test my blood as soon as I hit the barracks. If I have any drugs in my system, I’ll be court-martialed and imprisoned for it.”
    â€œAn aspirin?”
    â€œI’ll be court-martialed and imprisoned,” he repeated. “I can’t have anything in my system while I might be called to fly. It’s an order my CO’s dead serious about.”
    Aghast, she stared up at him and the horrific marks on his body. It looked as if his opponent had not only managed to get the covers off and claw him, but bitten him, too. There were definite fang marks all over his left arm. “How can you stand it?”
    He shrugged nonchalantly. “I have no choice, Felicia. Without a paternal lineage, I can’t even work as a janitor. The military’s all I have open to me. And I’m damn lucky that I was able to fight well enough to be allowed into OTS, given my caste.”
    And the armada was the only solid income he could bank on. Ring fighting didn’t pay for fighters.
    While the promoters got rich, the fighters didn’t. They were given a small stipend for each fight, and prestige, but