Read Online Eternal War Rising to the South: The Beynok Vampire Series by Erika Bradshaw - Free Book Online Page B

their match. Nickolai had challenged Yuri earlier but was interrupted by the werewolf hunt. Yuri had Nickolai down by his throat, which was unusual considering Nickolai’s strength. He is the strongest of us all on the field team. For a second, my team’s eyes were on me, but then they quickly went back to the match since I was not supposed to be a shock to them. As far as the newly arrived guards knew, my run was an everyday event, which is true, but they surely didn’t need to know it had turned into an overnight stay.
    The glance Yuri gave me gave Nickolai the upper hand. Nickolai threw Yuri off him and kicked him in midair. When Yuri landed hard on the mat, the breath was knocked out of him. Nickolai held Yuri down on the mat with as much force as he could. Nickolai didn’t release Yuri’s body until he hit the mat twice, indicating the match was over. I was disappointed for Yuri. It would have been nice if Nickolai had been put in his place.
    Everyone clapped for Nickolai. They had to; it was polite. “Anya, come here. I would like you to meet Irena,” Vladimir said. “Anya, this is Irena … Irena, this is our field leader, Anya.” I shook her hand. She was very tall and extremely thin with short, red, spiky hair, dyed, of course. Beynoks usually have brown to black hair, and Russian guards are usually more conservative looking. Not only did she have red, spiky hair, her clothes screamed whore. She wore tight pants and a tight shirt, showing way too much cleavage. What a combo. I hoped my face didn’t show how shocked I was.
    “It’s nice to meet you,” I said. “Thank you for coming.” I didn’t have anything against the Russian guards coming to Yachts, but the reason for their being here upset me. Where was Ambrose? Everyone else had watching the sparring spectacle. Had he passed while I was away? I am so selfish sometimes. Before I could go any further in thought, Irena spoke with the same strong Russian accent as Boris. Her voice had a slight hint of a high-pitched tone. It was somewhat annoying. She just annoyed me all together.
    “So who is going to challenge Nickolai since he has won the match?” Irena asked. She was looking straight at me and clearly wanted me to challenge Nickolai. To keep face, I guess I needed to challenge Nickolai. Besides, I owed it to Yuri since I was partly to blame for his loss.
    “I’ll challenge Nickolai, if you would like.” The guards from Russia were of a higher rank than field hunters, so I needed to humor her. Nickolai and I had sparred before, but most of the time the matches went on forever. His strength and gift of speed were equivalent to my skill and gift of sense, so we were evenly matched. I knew he would have the upper hand because I was exhausted, and my body hurt from sleeping on the ground all night. Well, almost all night. I just hoped I don’t totally embarrass myself in front of the Russians.
    I stood in front of Nickolai waiting for him to make his first move. He was definitely stronger than I was, so I had to be smarter. I wasn’t field leader without reason. I knew Nickolai let his anger control him, so I waited for the right moment to make a damaging move. All I needed to do was make sure he didn’t beat me with his strength first.
    He swung and swung again. I was able to dodge his fists twice but not the third time. It hit me square in the face. I rolled backwards and then back to my feet. He was definitely not going to win that easily. I needed to win this fight, not only for Yuri but also for me. I needed to put him in his place because sometimes his confidence got a little ahead of him.
    He came at me full force. He swung and swung again, hitting nothing but air. I could tell he was getting angry, and I hadn’t even opened my senses to him yet. I was waiting for the perfect moment. I danced around him until he finally got me with a swift kick to my ribs. That side was already in pain from the fight I’d had with Sorin. Thank God, no