Bound by Presley Hall

Author:Presley Hall [Hall, Presley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-08-14T05:00:00+00:00

14

Khrelan

I’ve never fought harder in my life than I do in the arena with Jakra.

My blood is searing through my veins, battle rage filling me in a way that I’ve heard about and seen but never experienced for myself. I want to defeat him, to see him on the ground in front of me, to see his blood in the dirt. It’s almost a relief to let the anger fill me, to let it explode outward into the fight as I parry and strike, circling him like a wild animal going in for the kill.

I’m dimly aware that Emma is watching, that she can see all of this, but I don’t hold back. I want her to see it, the essence of who I am at my core. What Kalix is and always has been. If she’s ever to be my mate, I want her to understand whose queen she would be.

That beneath everything else, I am a warrior prince.

Jakra is a trained fighter, as all Kalixians are, but the love of it isn’t in his blood the way it is mine. I’ve wanted to fight all my life. I’ve trained every day as if I’d one day lead the warriors of Kalix, although I knew my duty lay elsewhere. And my desire to win is only intensified by the sheer fury I feel at Jakra’s actions, his betrayal of me and everything I’ve tried so hard to accomplish since the arrival of the Terran women.

He nicks me once, but that’s all. My world is narrowed down to the two of us as I anticipate his every move, and I open a gash on his leg and another below his ribcage, his blood spattering the dirt as he pivots, then falls.

He gets up the first time, but when I strike him again, my blade cutting deep into his arm, he goes to his knees and doesn’t rise.

I stand in front of him, satisfaction blazing through me as I look down at him kneeling in the dirt.

“Jakra, citizen of Kalix!” I call out, my voice carrying through the arena clearly. “For your crime against your prince and your people, you are banished from Jocia for as long as you may live. You may not return for any reason, under penalty of death. Do you understand?”

His eyes go wide as he looks up at me, pleading wordlessly, but the edict has been given. I don’t regret it.

Three of my warriors stride forward, pulling Jakra to his feet before escorting him toward the arena entrance as shouts, curses and jeers from the crowd follow him. He will be expelled from the city immediately.

Shifting my focus away from the disgraced Kalixian, I turn to face the dais, the adrenaline from the battle still pounding through me. Emma is standing at the edge of the platform, gripping the railing with shining eyes.

Even from this distance, I can feel her gaze meet mine, and something else rushes through me, an emotion so powerful that it sends a shudder through me, nearly choking me as my blood rushes through my veins.

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