Fate's Return (Twisted Fate, Book 2)

Chapter One

Sweat rolled down my spine, cool against the burn of my skin, and pooled within the ridges of the elastic waistband of my black satin shorts. As I clenched my teeth around my mouth guard, I regulated my breathing and bobbed another right hook aimed at my chin, and then dodged to the left to let the ropes of the boxing ring help me to regain my balance. I turned to face my opponent and whirled as a left jab contacted my jaw, forcing me away until the middle rung of ropes dug into the bared skin on my back. Still, I managed to slip the follow-up cross.

Janet pounced.

I pulled my elbows in and started to roll and brought my gloves up to my forehead so that her cross and jabs—the only punches she seemed capable of completing—were absorbed by my gloves and arms. Her dark hair, hanging down her back from a ponytail holder placed at the crown of her head, whipped around to tickle my cheek.

"You think that's enough, Southpaw?" I laughed, still blocking. Why hadn't someone told her coach to teach her a proper stance? Fighting against someone who kept their dominant hand in front was like fighting a one-armed beginner.

"Fights turn around all the time." Janet stepped back, panting, seeming unable to do more than one thing at once—fight or talk—and she was choosing wrong.

"Yeah? In the last round? When you are already losing?"

"Ahh!"

Janet, easy to goad, was too distracted to think about her stance as she took the bait and tried to strike me with another cross. But her feet weren't spread. Once I blocked her punch, I managed a rear Thai kick, throwing her off balance. I weaved to the right, landing a right shovel hook before stepping out of reach.

"One-two, one-two!" Her couch stood outside the ropes, pacing, and screamed for her to complete a combination. "Janet!"

She shoulder-checked and her coach pointed at me, his beady black eyes narrowed. His face, crimson, looked as though he was the one working up a sweat in the ring instead of us.

"One-two!"

With a shake of my head, I smiled through the strands of white-blonde hair hanging in my line of sight as my adrenaline surged. It felt like a zap of energy coursed through my entire body. I brought my hands up to cover my face and lowered my chin so that I could see her through narrowed eyes over the top of my gloves. "Uh oh. Now what are you going to do?"

"I'm sure you'd love to know, wouldn't you?" She darted forward and jabbed, but I danced away.

I grinned, cocked my head to the side, and lowered my arms. Darting my eyes to her coach and back again, I asked, "Don't I already know?" I sucked in air, letting my cheeks puff out as I mimicked the combo her coach was still screaming for her to complete. "One-two, one-two. Hee. Ha! Oooh."

Shaking my arms, I bounced on the balls of my feet and laughed. It was obvious that Janet was trying to ignore her coach's distractions as she shifted, pulling her arms up and spreading her legs, but it was too late. Losing all pretence for humour, I took two steps forward, and then feinted to the right, dipping to bend at the knees. With the full weight of my body, I lunged left, driving up with my right hand while using the power of my legs, and my fist connected with her jaw.

"One-one-two... three!" Whispering out the order, I torqued my hips, and completed my own combination: jab, jab, cross, left hook.

Dancing backwards before she could retaliate, it took a moment to realize she wasn't going to. Instead, Janet raised her arm in the air, dropping her chin to her chest as she tried to suck air into her lungs. The tension began to ebb from my body and I lowered my hands, darting my gaze between our coaches.