Free Eternal War Rising to the South: The Beynok Vampire Series by Erika Bradshaw

one had been there to witness my poor show in abilities. I laughed at the thought of where the pain had truly originated. This sent Nickolai into a rage. It was time. I opened my senses. His fury filled me completely, giving me the adrenaline rush I needed to override his strength and speed.
    I threw my body into the air, directing my feet to his face. I didn’t miss this time, as I had when I was attacking Sorin. I landed exactly where I wanted, and Nickolai hit the ground. I threw a few punches on both sides of his ribs while he was down. I heard him release a sound filled with agony. Good, he deserves it. I would do anything for him except let him win this battle. Where was all my aggression coming from?
    I backed away and watched him pull himself off the floor. He turned around and faced me. The rage on his face would have scared a rabid animal. He swung and hit me in the chest. I dropped to the floor, and he was on top of me in seconds. His hands were around my throat choking me. This was a mistake for him. He should have secured my legs first because they are the strongest part of my body. I wrapped my legs around his torso and squeezed. At first, he didn’t react, but after a while, he started to squirm, trying to get free. He threw a few punches at my face and made contact. I could see my own blood spraying the matte and the sight made me squeeze even harder. I didn’t want to kill him, but I had no choice but to continue. I started to feel his ribs crack beneath my legs. He tapped out before I crushed his torso. I heard the customary applause, but this time it was voluntary.
    I released Nickolai from my grip. He was still hovering above me with a look of shock and embarrassment. This had been a quick victory for one of our fights, and he knew it. He pulled his fist back as though he was going to punch me in the face, but it landed on the mat less than an inch from me.
    “Nickolai, don’t show poor sportsmanship. Have respect for yourself and your teammates,” Vladimir said. He was standing next to Nickolai and me on the mat. He looked like he was waiting for Nickolai to draw up again. Instead, Nickolai retreated politely, offering a hand to help me up. I took it to show I had no ill feeling toward him.
    “Sorry, Anya. My anger gets the best of me sometimes.” He really did sound sincere. “You know how much I hate to lose to a girl.” He smirked with his boy-next-door smile and walked off. Even though he can be difficult sometimes, he really is a good guy, and I love him like a brother.
    “Good job, Anya,” Irena said. “You took him down and quick. You surprised me, and that doesn’t happen often.”
    “Well, with all due respect, you surprised me as well. You don’t look like a Russian guard, but I bet you’d give them hell in a battle. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be where you are, right?” I guess what I was trying to say was, I’m not the field leader because I batted my eyes and showed some cleavage, but then again, I know that’s not why she’s a Russian guard, either.
    “You’re correct.” She definitely had the “I can take anyone down” look in her eyes. “Good fight. I was entertained, but it’s getting late. Boris and I have had a long trip, and we’re hungry and tired.” She was directing the last comment to Vladimir, who was still standing beside me, and a little close at that. It might have just been me being paranoid. I didn’t want anyone in the room to pick up on Vladimir’s feelings for me. I was thankful we were the only ones who could sense others’ emotions.
    It was Nadia’s night to cook, and she usually cooks a full course meal but tonight she called for delivery. She had already made a phone call to the local pizza place. We were walking upstairs to the living room when the doorbell rang. “Great, perfect timing,” Nadia said and ran past all of us to answer the door and pay for the pizza.
    I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I hadn’t eaten since Friday