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Chapter 93
~Valerie’s POV~
I cleared my throat quickly, lowering my gaze, grounding myself in the now.
Kai stood at the entrance, holding a spear in one hand, a confused smile tugging at his lips.
"I didn’t know you trained here too."
I cleared my throat and straightened up, quickly stepping away from the centre of the arena toward the edge to see him properly and hope this wasn’t another one of my... dreams or thoughts.
"It’s a free centre, isn’t it?" I said casually. "Felt like it."
He walked in slowly, twirling the spear with practised ease. "Got a lot on your mind, huh?"
I pursed my lips. "Maybe." No way in hell I was saying more than that, even if he asked. How was I supposed to say I was daydreaming about the others casually?
He scoffed playfully. "Sa. Wanna spar it out?"
I gave him a look that said I was not afraid, but he should be. "What? Want your ass kicked again?"
Kai grinned. "No. But looks like you’re scared of getting yours kicked, which is why you’re evading ."
"?" I placed a hand dramatically on my chest and scoffed. "Nah." But Kai did not buy it. His eyes still watched like they saw deep into my skull. "Okay, fine. I’ll indulge you."
"Better," he declared, tossing the spear aside.
"Let’s play a ga," I declared out of the blue, wanting to make this enjoyable.
"A ga?" Kai raised a brow. "What kind?"
My grin widened. "Loser pays up."
Kai narrowed his eyes, half amused. "And what’s the paynt?"
I tried to think. Money wouldn’t affect him much, but...
Kai beat to it. "No, paynt," he said, stepping into a stance. "Just higher stakes. The loser removes one piece of clothing per round."
I gawked at his proposal. "Are you a perv?"
He shrugged innocently. "If you don’t want your clothing gone, then I suggest you pay close attention and not lose."
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the smirk tugging at my lips. "Fine. Best out of three. The loser would be in their underwear by the end."
Kai winked. "Deal."
We circled each other on the mat, the weight of everything I’d been carrying pushed aside by the adrenaline rising between us.
This ti, I was going to fight my way. And if he thought I’d lose a single round to that cocky smirk, he was about to be very, very disappointed.
"Begin." The word had barely left my mouth before Kai lunged.
I dodged easily, light on my feet, letting instinct guide . He ca again, sweeping low, and I flipped sideways, catching my balance and landing a clean strike to his ribs.
I t every strike, every block, but he kept shifting angles, adapting with each move. He caught my leg mid-kick, spun , and lightly shoved backwards.
I stumbled but quickly caught myself, did a flip when he was least expecting and kicked him hard till he slipped and fell to his butt.
"Point," I smirked.
Kai straightened, rubbing his side with a grin. "Cheap shot."
"Effective shot," I corrected, placing my hands on my hips.
"A deal’s a deal," he said, grabbing the hem of his shirt without hesitation. With one smooth motion, he pulled it over his head and tossed it aside.
I tried not to stare.
Emphasis on ’Tried’ but I failed. anwhile, Astra was already purring in the back of my mind like a cat in heat.
Kai was bulkier than Axel, Ash and Ace, but not as carved as Dristan. He had that sculpted, athletic build that just worked. Shoulders broad, eight abs sharp enough to slice fruit on, and—
Okay. Enough.
"When you’re done staring," Kai said casually, "we can continue, sweetheart."
I cleared my throat and rolled my eyes, ignoring how heat crept up my neck. "Please. I’ve seen better."
"Sure," he chuckled. "Keep telling yourself that."
Round two began with him more aggressive and faster.
Kai circled slowly, one hand brushing through his ssy hair, the other flexing like he was getting ready to pounce. His grin never left, but his eyes sharpened—no more teasing. Not yet.
"You’re good," he said in a low voice, "but let’s see how long you can keep it up."
I didn’t answer. There was no need to.
The second round began not with a lunge, but with tension—a beat of silence that hung between us, thick with unspoken dare.
Then he moved.
Fast. Too fast for most to track, but I was already twisting on instinct, ducking the blur of his arm as it sliced through the space my head had just been.
He pivoted into a spin-kick, aiming for my ribs this ti, and I caught it with my forearm, the impact jarring through my bones.
The force pushed back a step, but I turned the montum into a roll, catching the mat with one hand and launching into a counterstrike—aid squarely at his jaw.
He blocked just in ti, arm raised, our skin smacking with enough force to echo.
Then it got dirty.
Kai dropped low, sweeping my legs, and I jumped to avoid it, flipping midair. But when I landed, he was already behind , close, too close—his hand wrapping lightly around my waist.
"You fallin’ for yet?" he whispered as his hot breath brushed my neck.
I snarled and slamd my elbow back, catching him in the gut. His grunt was satisfaction to my ears.
But he didn’t let go.
Instead, Kai used the grip to pull backwards and pivoted into a tight, brutal shoulder throw.
My back hit the mat, air whooshing from my lungs—but I rolled with the impact, legs catching his midsection, and flipped him off with a vicious twist.
We both sprang up at the sa ti, breathing hard, eyes locked, bodies pulsing with adrenaline and heat.
His lip bled a little and my knuckles stung but neither of us cared.
Kai lunged again, arms coming at like twin blades. I ducked under the first strike, narrowly dodged the second, and used my shoulder to ram into his chest.
He staggered back. But this ti, he grinned wider. "You’re holding back," he said, voice ragged.
"You’re delusional," I replied before charging forward.
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