Mer had never seen Rush fight before, and she waited with baited breath as he appeared below her in the arena. Under the lights, his dark sienna hair glinted brighter as it hugged his forehead and the tops of his ears in a comfortable ripple. It was impossible for her to tear her eyes away from the sheen on white silk that lay over his chest, hugging his taut muscles, the folds complimenting the defined lines of his cheekbones as he flicked his eyes up to her. Those most of all glowed in the dark, trailing emerald with him, and as he met her gaze from all the way below, her cheeks heated.

That bastard smirked knowingly before shifting his focus to a tiny Lorenzo. It was hard to miss the guy with sky blue hair, and she was glad that Rush wasn't sitting close enough to notice her reaction to him. Asmodeus was cute and she was bad at not showing it, because Lorenzo laughed next to her.

"Oz has that effect on people. A real looker that kid is," Lorenzo said, and Darius gave her a dirty look. She stuck her tongue out and stuffed herself back into her chair.

It wasn't like he was Rush hot. Rush was just... It was hard to put words to. There was this sexy refined nature about Rush, and that made it twice as irresistible when he dropped that stoic face of his for desire and rolled on her in bed. That and, like Caelan, he was a poster boy for men's fitness magazine with broad shoulders, a square jaw, and every stereotypically rugged aspect a man could have save a five o' clock shadow.

That wasn't even mentioning how loyal and sweet he was to her, in his own emotionally braindead way that she'd learned over the last year. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself because vampires could tell when humans were aroused, and if she lingered to long on Rush, that was straight where she was going.

Asmodeus was pretty boy cute, with a solid frame and muscles but gentle eyes, a smoother face, and that hair. Both he and Lorenzo had to spend plenty of time styling it in the evening to get it to swoop like that so perfectly despite the desert winds. It was fluffy with a gentle spiral that made it look almost like ice cream. His clothes were elegant in dark and light blues, bordered in gold and black that if a human wore it, it'd look ridiculous. On Asmodeus though, it looked regal and complemented his style.

The gong sounded for the fight, and Mer wondered if they'd given the start signal instruments to a toddler. It rotated form a gong, chime, and she swore, a kazoo. Perhaps the tone signified the different areas they were from. That, or they rolled a dice with each round.

She wasn't the only one who gasped as the light all went out at once. An eerie chill of night wind blew across her neck, and she couldn't see Rush, but she could feel his power. Everywhere. It saturated the air and hugged her like a warm sweater so tightly that she felt as if he was standing there with her. With each breath, she inhaled him and filled herself with his essence that she only felt this strongly during sex.

Thank god the lights came back on. They took with them the need to rub her thighs together as she laid eyes on the man she was slowly going crazy over the longer he was away from her. Was this what Rush felt like now that he was considering her as his mate? If so, poor guy.

Ahead of them, in the center of the arena, Rush sat on Asmodeus in a relaxed pose as he gripped the smaller man's arms together behind his back and pushed him face first into the ground. At first, it was silent, but then Lorenzo laughed so hard that a few other vampires joined in, and Rush stood up to release the poor Fleur General. Rush offered Asmodeus a hand, and the man accepted it with a depressed sinking of his shoulders.

"That wasn't even a fight," Mer said, covering her mouth when she realized that was rude to say.

"It wasn't," Lorenzo said with a tilt of his lips. "Oz gave up when he lost Remus in the darkness."

"He just gave up?" What kind of general did that?

"Yes. Remus and Asmodeus are very close in strength. A fight between them would be tiring and take a while. Oz has nothing to prove here, as I represent my house first and foremost in the fights. I don't think he liked how he was subdued though." Lorenzo's smile spread as he stood from his seat. "My fight is approaching in the second round, so I must take my leave. It's a few before Remus and Neil's. Enjoy the entertainment," Lorenzo gave her a super polite bow of the head before heading off, and Mer waited eagerly for Rush's return.

"Lorenzo is being too friendly," Darius said on his departure, his red eyes nearly boiling as he considered the man's hidden motives. Back in his cloak and robes, he's be lucky if he didn't trip over himself if he was in a confrontation. If he was worried, perhaps he should put some pants back on.

"Well, I've never met him before this, so don't look at me," Mer said defensively.

"Lorenzo is highly intelligent. If he wanted to remain apart from the current issues, he would sit alone as he has for centuries in his territory and wait this all out. It isn't difficult for him to remain neutral, as he usually is in vampire matters. This closeness is his form of assessing us as allies, and I'm not sure how to take it when he claims to be on Neil's side. It's suspicious."

"You think everything is suspicious, Darius." Rush's voice came from behind her and she jumped up excitedly to hug him. "You're excited," Rush observed, and she yanked him down to sit with her before she melted into him standing. No other incentive was needed, and he pulled her right onto his lap, and she nuzzled his chest as he relaxed into the chair. "I am the last fight in the rounds again, so I can sit with you for a few up here."

"Remus expressed that Lorenzo has been sitting with you." Asmodeus was right behind Rush, and he seated himself in another chair that he pulled up next to Lorenzo's.

"Yes, your master has been uncharacteristically interested in us," Darius repeated his suspicion, and Asmodeus smiled as innocently as one could.

"Lorenzo has been interested in you since Angelus' fall when he first interacted with Remus, but our territories are quite far and he's had no cause to arrange a meeting for nothing but to see what sort of people you were," Asmodeus supplied happily.

"Not very subtle are you," Darius countered.

"No need to be," Asmodeus replied with a smug smile that turned Darius' frown down harder.

The tension between them was palpable and thankfully some vampire came out to fight. They were from some houses she'd never heard of. The fight sort of went by in a languid blur as she spent her time enjoying Rush's hands running down her hair and side as he tucked her closer into him with each passing second. If he didn't stop, he might absorb her completely, something she wasn't going to argue with. She relaxed into him and closed her eyes to the hum of his energy and a low rumbling in his chest that she doubted was audible without her ear pressed to it.

"Do you want to watch him fight?" Rush asked a century later, and she pulled herself out of him to see Lorenzo facing off with another man.

"Hel Valk, The last of the three northern houses," Rush said, and Mer stiffened in apprehension.

This was supposed to be one of the battle hardened houses, and the man looked it. Hel Valk appeared as if he'd lost a fight with a buzz cut. Rough blond hair grew on only half of his head and flipped to the side to almost his ear in length. Three rings pierced his lips and there was a cruel distance in his golden eyes as he stared through Lorenzo like he was a cured ham.

The chime sounded this time, and Mer watched with unquenchable curiosity. She wanted to know about this man who would ally himself with them and Neil. As soon as the fight started, she had to tuck herself back into Rush as a freezing rush of air flushed out from Lorenzo into the stands, and she imagined it was worse around Hel Valk. The blond ruffian raised his hands for a spell but in front of his fingers, sparks crawled out only to die off and the man cursed.

Lorenzo moved as elegantly as he dressed, sliding through glitter that sparkled in the air, and landed in Hel's space. The vampire darted back but before he could get far, Lorenzo dropped both of his hands for a spell into the ground. Ice shards burst from the clay and sand walls of the arena and forced Hel back toward him. It was then that she realized the glitter was in fact tiny bits of ice shining like diamonds as they wrapped around Lorenzo.

What a showman. It seemed Lorenzo and Asmodeus shared that trait.

Hel tried to cast a spell again, but it failed as Lorenzo let out a breath into the air that sent mist up into a spell that formed overhead. Jewels rained down on Hel, and he had nowhere to retreat to as they grew in size from marbles to footballs, and then jagged spears of hail backed Hel into Lorenzo's ice and the wall reached for him. Hel sank into the crystals like it was water, and it swallowed his arms and legs, leaving only his face free as Lorenzo backed away a few steps.

Some of the house heads and generals cheered, and Lorenzo gave a small bow as he cast another spell to suck all of the ice back into himself and release his opponent. Hel didn't look happy, but also not surprised as Lorenzo turned his back on him and left the arena.

"You said that the northern houses were the most powerful," Mer said up to Rush.

"They are, Meredith Aurion," Asmodeus answered. "This was a mismatch. Hel Valk fights with lightning, and Lorenzo with ice. Ice in its essence absorbs the water from the air, and Lightning needs warmth and moisture to form and grow. In an enclosed space as just the two of them, Lorenzo shuts Hel Valk down completely, but on a battlefield, Lorenzo can't pressure an entire area like that or it would hinder his own men. We all have our strengths and weaknesses as houses."

"I see," Mer said, mirroring Asmodeus kind smile.

"My fight is two rounds from now," Rush said, and she whined as he stood up and dropped her back into the warm spot in the chair. "Let's just hope Neil doesn't do anything stupid. If he tries a cheap shot like the last fight on me, I'll backhand him harder than Talamayas."

"Rush," Mer groaned, but his eyes sharpened on her. "Don't hurt him too badly, okay?"

"I make no promises, Meredith. Neil has shown that he will take any advantage he can, so if I go easy on him, I could very well lose. I can't afford to lose here, not with how Darius was knocked out of the fights."

"You have a point," Mer said with a sigh. "Kick his ass then!" Mer chuckled, and Rush curled one of his very rare smiles.

"I will do my best." Rush headed off, and she settled in to wait for the match.

In the meantime, Lorenzo returned with a chipper skip to his step, and Asmodeus welcomed him as he sat back down. "I hope I didn't make you too cold," Lorenzo said to her, and she shook her head.

"Rush had me squished in his arms, so it was pretty warm," Mer admitted

"You two are good together," Lorenzo said, and Mer turned beat red about the same time dark magic from Darius permeated the area and lashed out in threat at Lorenzo. "Oh please, Darius. You can't believe that the other house heads don't see through that thin veil of his ownership of her? Your heir won't let her out of his sight or reach unless she is with you. It's not difficult to see that he treats her like a mate."

"It's not your business to make such claims," Darius growled, and Lorenzo rolled his eyes.

"Silly me, I'll just put on some blinders like the ones you wear." Lorenzo's easy laughter didn't lessen even a bit of the hostility between them.

It left Mer in an uncomfortable bubble, seated between Darius and Lorenzo, left in her chair like a forgotten puppy. Darius didn't seem to fear Lorenzo close to her here, and Rush had left her in the position, so she wasn't worried about Lorenzo having any attraction for her, but it was awkward sitting in complete silence while Darius and Lorenzo looked away from each other like two kids who'd been put in timeout for fighting. Thank heavens they called Neil and Rush's names so she had something else to focus on. And, man, was she focused.

Rush was as he always was, striding into position with confidence and zero indication of what he was thinking. Excitement flooded her with warmth, and Rush turned his head back for only a moment to meet her eyes and then redirect his attention. They were so close that he'd sensed her energy and she loved that about him. It made her feel like they were finally becoming something more than 'property and sexually addicted owner'.

Neil strode in with, surprisingly, just as much confidence, stopping in his spot to lift a challenging smile to Rush. It was friendly, but Rush returned none of it. While Mer couldn't blame him for being suspicious of Neil, she didn't think Neil would do something so underhanded to someone he considered a friend.

"Good luck," Neil said, and Rush straightened up and bared his fangs in a way that had Neil taking a step back. A few house heads around them sneered, and Mer felt bad for Neil. He'd been trying to be nice, but Rush didn't trust him. No matter how much Neil tried.

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Word Count: 2455