Read The Rings Fighter for Free Online

think your masculinity would be adversely affected, that a mere human female did so well on your run?”
    He laughed, looking at her in some surprise. “You are educated?”
    She flushed, realizing she’d spoken in Nargili. “Marginally.”
    He smiled at her. “More than marginally, from what you just said.”
    She nudged him with her shoulder, embarrassed, then covered it by rolling her eyes. “Answer the question. Did she beat you or not? Or are you trying to weasel out of telling me, Ringmaster Trazen?”
    “Yes,” he said at once, smiling at her and kissing her again. “Yes, she beat me. She kicked my ass , as the human expression goes. It was quite impressive, Chloe... quite impressive. I have not enjoyed myself on a run like that since it was me running in the Rings... and you will watch it, and provide me with intelligent commentary with your ‘marginal’ education.”
    Chloe laughed again.
    Something about the pure sincerity of his happiness made it utterly irresistible.
    He continued talking about the run the rest of the way to the restaurant.
    Once they pulled up in front of their destination, however, his demeanor shifted.
    Glancing out the window up at the pale blue, glass-covered structure, his long, Nirreth-dark face grew serious, more how she remembered it from that morning. He also moved away from her on the bench, unwrapping his arm from around her shoulders and studying her face. She watched him look at her in the dress and felt her own nerves worsen.
    “We are not going in?” she said, feeling her face heat under his stare.
    “Not like this,” he said. Hesitating, he gave a Nirreth shrug, holding up a hand in apology. “I must sting you first, Chloe.”
    A light bulb flashed over her head. “Ah. Yes. Of course.”
    How had she forgotten that?
    Then, looking at Trazen, her nerves worsened for a different reason.
    Nirreth tended to get pretty, well, sexual... if not out and out turned on... when they stung someone. Humans got turned on by the stinging process, too. The venom acted as a drug on both ends of the sting, lowering inhibitions in humans, making them want physical contact, making them affectionate, sexual, even emotional. But Nirreth...
    Nirreth often lost control entirely.
    She’d managed to forget about that, in the stress of everything else. While she didn’t mind Trazen stinging her per se––certainly not the way she dreaded it with Agnon or most of his Nirreth pals––he was still a stranger to her.
    If nothing else, the idea was awkward.
    Seeming to read something in her face, Trazen let his own expression smooth.
    “I plan to take something, Chloe,” he said, his voice reassuring. “The venom won’t affect me. Well, not in the usual way.”
    “Take something?” She gave him a puzzled look. “Take what?”
    Rather than answer, he leaned back on the bench, reaching into a pocket of the dark pants he wore. After digging his hand deep enough, he produced a small metal case. Pressing a raised button on the side to pop it open, he removed a glass syringe.
    “I’ll take this,” he said.
    Staring at the cylinder in surprise, she looked up at him. “Will it hurt you?”
    He smiled that faint smile of his, shaking his head. “No, Chloe. But it is kind of you to ask.”
    Before she could decide why some part of her wanted to tell him not to do it, he’d already placed one end of the glass cylinder against the skin of his dark forearm. She watched, frowning, as he depressed a yellow button on the end, releasing the vial’s contents.
    She watched his face as he grimaced.
    Then, as his expression began to smooth.
    When he met her gaze next, his eyes looked slightly flatter.
    “It works almost at once,” he said. “Are you ready?”
    She nodded, but tensed slightly too.
    Uncoiling his tail, he slid closer to her on the bench, moving cautiously. Catching hold of her arms in his long fingers, he held her gingerly, as if she might break, and at a distance from his body.