Reckless Times: A Paranormal Romance (Paragon Society Book 1)

by Michelle Hercules

  Damn it.

  There are more people from school tonight at the arena, and the place is definitely busier than it was last night. It’s jam-packed, and I’m having serious trouble picking people apart as I’m squished like tuna in a can.

  “Why is it so busy? Ugh!” I complain.

  “It’s Friday. The most badass contestants fight tonight. I plan to make some serious money,” Leroy shouts to be heard over the noise.

  “Oh yeah? How so?”

  “I have an in.”

  “Are you saying you’re going to cheat?”

  “Shhh. What are you trying to do, get me kicked out and banished for life?”

  We finally reach our seats, which are in the front row. Leroy has paid for the VIP area. The arena—or the pit, as they prefer to call it—is a 750-square-foot octagonal ring surrounded by wired fence, which doesn’t offer the crowd any real protection. The circle of energy surrounding the pit is the only thing truly keeping the fight contained to the ring.

  Leroy is more agitated than usual. His legs keep bouncing up and down as he lists off the stats of every fighter that steps into the pit. He’s not helping me with my own anxiety one bit.

  “Why do you think you’re going to make a lot of money tonight?” I ask.

  He leans closer to my ear. “The manager told me they have a new fighter straight from Japan. He’s a level fifteen, but he’s really skinny and tiny, so everyone underestimates him.”

  “What’s his skill?”

  “Elemental. He can turn any form of liquid into deadly weapons. Some people even say he can control blood.”

  “Interesting.” I turn to the pit, which is currently empty. “Who is he fighting?”

  “Lizardman. He’s been winning all night. Haven’t you been paying attention?”

  At that moment, the manager enters the pit and announces the next fight. Lizardman will face a new contestant, the secret weapon Leroy was just telling me about.

  “Ooh, this is it,” he says eagerly.

  I devote my complete attention to the pit now, wishing I could use my chains at full capacity to have a better sense of the fight. I can make out two figures in the ring. One tall and bulky—Lizardman—and a petite shape, no taller than a ten-year-old child. Viper is his name. I read his aura, noting that he’s not really masking his powers. He’s definitely a level fourteen, and Lizardman is a level thirteen. The current champion is probably banking on his larger size to make up for the difference.

  The fight commences with Lizardman going straight for the kill. He sends several sharp objects toward his adversary, but they all miss the target. Before Lizardman can attack again, Viper does several elaborate moves with his arms, like he’s dancing. Lizardman freezes, and then his body begins to mimic the other man’s movements.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “Holy shit. Viper is controlling Lizardman’s body through his blood. I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life.”

  My eyebrows furrow. An Idol who can control others would be a powerful weapon or a dangerous liability. I wonder if the Knights or Neo Gods have scouts here.

  Lost in thought, I miss when Viper ends the fight by trapping Lizardman in a block of ice.

  The crowd goes wild—Leroy included, who yells louder than the others as he jumps up and down.

  “Did you see that, Andy?” he asks.

  I’d give him a droll stare if I could, but that was clearly a slip of the tongue, so I don’t offer an angry retort.

  “Dude, how much money did you make?” Ezekiel, one of Leroy’s friends, asks.

  “A lot. We’re celebrating in style tonight.”

  “Wait. I think the manager is going to ask if anyone in the crowd would like to challenge his new champion,” someone else says.

  It turns out that’s exactly what the manager does. At once, the roar turns into murmurs.

  “No way there will be someone crazy enough to challenge that guy,” Ezekiel chimes in.

  Leroy nudges my arm. “How about it, Andy? Want to make the evening more interesting?”

  “Are you goading me?”

  “I’d bet money you would win.”

  I turn to the pit again. That guy’s ability to control blood is scary, but my chains’ protective barrier is impenetrable. I could win, and if I did, maybe Viper won’t be conscripted into something he has no desire to take part in.

  Andy, you’re jumping to conclusions. For all you know, he’s already a Neo God or a Knight.

  “Fine. I’ll do it,” I say.

  “Awesome!” He stands up, lifting me with him. “Hello! We have a challenger here.”

  “And what’s your name, son?” the manager asks.

  “Oh, not me. Her.”

  There’s a moment of utter silence. I can sense the stares of hundreds of people, and it feels like I’m being smothered by air.

  “That petite thing?” the manager replies.

  Leroy whispers in my ear, “Let them know you’re blind. It’ll make your odds of winning very low, which means more money for me.”

  “I didn’t know you were so thirsty for cash. Isn’t your family loaded?”

  “So? This is easy money.”

  “Yes, this petite thing,” I say loudly. “At least I’m taller than Viper.”

  The crowd reacts with oohs and aaahs.

  As I make my way to the pit, I pick up on my adversary’s animosity. He probably wasn’t expecting being challenged tonight. But I also sense his ego inflate as he fails to perceive me as a real threat. I’m masking my powers a little, but not by much. By all intents and purposes, I’m a level fifteen like him.

  “What’s your name, dear?” The manager sticks a mic in my face.

  “Blind Fury.”

  “Blind Fury, that’s peculiar. What’s the story behind it?”

  I stare blankly in his direction. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m blind.”

  “You’re joking, right?” my opponent says. “I can’t fight a blind girl.”

  “What’s the matter, shorty? Are you afraid?”

  “My name is Viper,” he replies through clenched teeth.

  I snort. “More like Worm.”

  “I was trying to save you from a major ass whooping, but it seems you’re intent on getting hurt.”

  “Blah, blah, blah.” I turn to the manager. “Are we doing this or what?”

  “Eager, aren’t you? I like that. The rules are there are no rules. The match can end in three ways: forfeit, knockout, or death. The fate of the loser is up to the winner.”

  “Peachy,” I say.

  The manager exits the pit while I walk to my side of the ring. I release my chains, letting them create an invisible barrier around me. At once, I sense some strange force trying to break through them. My arms and legs tense. Viper is attempting to use his blood trick on me.

  A muscle on my left arm twitches. Shit, he’s stronger than I thought. I’m starting to cramp now. If I don’t attack, he’ll break through.

  The small control I had on my chains snaps and the power within me erupts like lava from a volcano. Immediately, the power trying to control my body vanishes, but only because Viper changed tactics, sending a wave of water my way. It covers me from head to toe, solidifying into ice within seconds. The roar from the crowd becomes muffled.

  Idiots.

  The iceberg trapping me explodes into sharp shards of ice. One of them hits Viper on the shoulder, piercing his skin. The smell of blood fills my nose, and also the smell of fear. His fear.

  That’s right, asshole. Cower before me. I’m wet, cold, and pissed off.

  I finish him off by trapping him within my chains. They squeeze him like a boa constrictor, cutting off his airway.

  “Give up and I’ll let you live,” I say.

  All I hear from him are grunts. Maybe he can’t talk.

  I release my hold a fraction.

  “So, what’s it going to be?”

  “I quit,” he groans. “You win.
”

  There’s no malice in his answer. He’s telling the truth. I pull my chains back, keeping them coiled around my wrists but still visible.

  The manager rejoins us in the pit, muttering words of disbelief. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life,” he tells me.

  “Me neither,” I joke, but I don’t think he got that.

  He announces me as the new champion, and after that, everything becomes muted thanks to the loud buzz in my ears. I’m too busy processing the feeling of elation coursing through my body to give a damn about the crowd.

  Then realization hits me.

  I want to do this again.

  20

  Stephan

  “Are you still worrying about Andromeda?” Soren asks from the passenger seat.

  I grunt instead of answering him, curling my fingers tighter around the steering wheel. She blew me off earlier today and vanished from campus. I managed to find out she went home, but I still haven’t heard directly from her.

  “She’s fine. You care too much,” he continues.

  “Let’s not talk about her anymore, shall we?”

  Soren turns in his seat and tries to burn a hole through my face with his annoying stare.

  “You’re not trying to read my mind, are you?” I say.

  “I don’t need special powers to read your mind, bro. I know something happened between you and Andromeda yesterday.”

  “For the thousandth time, nothing happened. Quit being such a nosy bitch.”

  He shakes his head. “Whatever you say, Stephan. I don’t care either way. Though it’ll be nice not being the one who screws up for a change.”

  His self-deprecating tone makes me sad. “You don’t screw up all the time. I’ve had my share.”

  “Yeah, and her name is Britney.”

  Soren laughs, and despite myself, I do too.

  “What were you thinking?” he continues.

  “I don’t know.”

  The mood in the car lightens up. It’s nice to hang out with my brother without all the tension. But guilt sneaks in for not telling him the truth about Andy. Soren is my best friend, yet I’ve been lying to him.

  “You’re right about her,” I say.

  “Who?”

  “Andy.” I run a hand through my hair. “She came in last night to ask me for a favor, and we ended up kissing.”

  “I knew it!” Soren smacks his own leg, making me wince.

  “I don’t know how I let it happen. I can’t get involved with her.”

  “It seems that ship has sailed. Who made the first move? Let me guess, she did.”

  For a split second, I take my eyes off the road to glower at my brother. “What makes you say that?”

  “Come on, Steph. You’re Mr. Follow the Rules. You would never initiate it.”

  “I didn’t stop her either. As a matter of fact, if it weren’t for your timely interruption, I might have taken things too far.”

  “I know you don’t want to hear this, but haven’t you learned your lesson? Don’t shit where you eat?”

  Fuck. He’s not wrong. I slept with Britney, and now I can barely work with her. If I convince Andy to join the Knights, I might end up creating another uncomfortable situation. But deep down, I know that what I feel for her is more than just simple attraction.

  My inner thoughts are interrupted by an incoming call from William, which I put on speaker.

  “Hey—”

  “What’s your location?” His agitated voice raises alarm bells in my head.

  “Just north of—”

  “It doesn’t matter. Our warehouse in Southampton is under attack. Gunther wants everyone to head there.”

  “Fuck!” I immediately make an illegal U-turn, causing a small commotion in traffic. “We’re on our way. What do we know?”

  “Not much else besides what I told you, but we expect confrontation, so wear your masks. We can’t afford being recognized.”

  “Copy that. We’ll be there in two minutes.”

  “See you there.” He ends the call.

  I gun the engine, pushing my car to the limit.

  “How did they know about our warehouse in Southampton?” Soren asks.

  “We clearly have a mole. But let’s not worry about that now. We can’t make mistakes, Soren.”

  “If we have a rat, then the Neo Gods know our identities already.”

  “Not necessarily. The mole might be a supporter, not a member.”

  A block away from the address, we see orange flames and smoke coming from the building. But strangely enough, there are no sirens in the distance. No help is coming our way, which means the authorities have been told to stay back.

  Son of a bitch.

  “Shit. We’re too late,” Soren says.

  “No, it’s not too late,” I reply when I park near the building. Only part of the structure is ablaze. I put on my mask and open the door. “Come on, let’s go.”

  We run across the street at breakneck speed. A gaping charred hole is all that’s left of where the steel doors used to be. Someone blew that shit open.

  “Great. Who do you think we’re dealing with?” he asks.

  “A powerful pyro, most likely.”

  “Fantastic.”

  Inside the warehouse, it’s impossible to see a thing thanks to the dark smoke. I create a gust of wind, trying to clear the area, but it barely helps. Soren coughs, covering his nose.

  I focus my power on creating a bubble of clean air around our heads instead.

  “That won’t last long. Let’s find the others and get the hell out.”

  “Do you think there are workers here still?”

  “If they were attacked, it’s possible the Neo Gods trapped them somewhere. They wouldn’t hesitate burning Fringes alive.”

  The sound of fighting reaches us over the crackling of fire burning. We run toward it, mindful of our surroundings. We’re almost blind here. The enemy can spring up on us at any time. Andromeda’s chains would be useful right now.

  A low whistle is the only warning I get before a glass spear flies awfully close to my ear. Then the dark shape of a Neo God emerges from the smoke. He’s also wearing a mask, but I could never confuse him with one of our own. He’s slashing at the air with a dagger made of lightning glass, coming to me with deadly intent. I fly out of his reach, circling around him to deliver a powerful kick to the middle of his back.

  He falls to his knees but keeps hold of his weapon. Before he can get up, I trap him inside a mini tornado and send him flying across the room. He vanishes from sight.

  I hear Soren’s grunt not far from me. He must have found a Neo God of his own. I soar in his direction, only to be yanked back by a whip coiled around my ankle. I try to break free to no avail. My power deserts me, and I drop to the ground with a loud thud. Shit. This whip has been reinforced with fragments of lightning glass.

  “Try to break free now, vermin,” the Neo God holding the end of the whip sneers at me.

  My powers are reduced, but they’re not completely gone. I grab the whip and pull it hard, catching the Neo God by surprise. He staggers forward, falling within range of my free foot. I kick his face, mighty satisfied when I hear the crack of his nose breaking.

  He drops the whip to cover his face. I jump back to my feet, taking the weapon in my hand to wrap it around his body.

  “How do you like that now, punk?” I push him to the ground. “What did you do with the personnel?”

  The man laughs in a deranged way. I kick him in his rib cage. “Answer me!”

  “We used them as kindling to start the fire.”

  My stomach drops to the floor while bile pools in my mouth. “You burned them alive?”

  “Oh yeah. They screamed like little pigs being roasted. It was glorious.”

  Rage like I’ve never known seizes me. With a roar, I send the Neo God flying straight into the fire. He screams as the flames engulf him, but the sound doesn’t satisfy me. I’ll only find solace
when all of them are nuked from the face of the Earth.

  I’m still riding the fury when sounds of battle reach my ears.

  Soren. I have to find him.

  The fire is out of control now. The giant flames lick every single surface, condemning this building fast. We have to get out of here.

  I find my brother and William busy fighting three Neo Gods. I join the fray, ready to bring balance to the numbers.

  I’m in the middle of a pivot when I see the silhouette of someone who shouldn’t be here.

  Andy.

  21

  Andromeda

  “Didn’t I tell you that you would own the pit?” Leroy says too loudly next to me.

  I rub my forehead, trying to dispel the headache that’s already brewing.

  “How much money did you make?” Ezekiel asks from the back seat.

  “Crass. I’m not going to tell you the amount. Let’s just say I made ten times more than what I bet. Dick must be furious.”

  “Who’s Dick?” I ask.

  “The pit’s manager. Oh, by the way, he says if you want to fight there again, you need to be on the roster. No more out-of-the-blue challenges.”

  I want to say I don’t plan to go back, but lying to Leroy is pointless. He’s addicted to betting on those fights. If I decide to go back, which most likely I will, my secret won’t last long.

  “Dude, do you see that over there?” Ezekiel says in awe.

  “Whoa. Something is going up in flames.”

  “Let’s go check it out.”

  “What is it? There’s a building on fire? How come I don’t hear any sirens? Where are we?” I ask.

  “Southampton,” Leroy replies.

  Shit. If we were passing a Fringe or Norm neighborhood, I could understand the absence of sirens, but that’s Idol territory. It doesn’t make sense.

  Leroy presses the pedal to the metal, burning rubber as he swerves too sharply to the right. I hold on tight to the door handle, not wanting to fly out of my seat. I can’t complain about his maniac driving though. It’s nothing new.

  “Warn me when you’re about to stop the car,” I say.

  “Now!” The tires screech, and my body is thrown forward. But my chains come to the rescue, saving me from a catapult experience.