Edgar rolled his shoulders when the magic barrier closed behind Ashton and Violet. "Are we following any specific rules? Can we use abilities?"
"Don't hold back because of ," Ashton said, and Edgar's eyes flashed in surprise.
Ashton's confidence was evident, and Edgar wondered if there was a genuine reason for it or if Ashton was boasting in front of his mate.
"How do we determine the winner? And what does the winner get?" Valeria asked.
"I'm sure you had ti to think about bets," Violet said. "Whatever it is, we will take it. We are that confident." Violet felt her powers changing in the last month. She didn't get to test her abilities, but everything was clearer and sharper, and she was certain she had an advantage. A big one.
"If you manage to put a finger on Vi, you win," Ashton declared.
Violet's stomach dropped. How can she fight if she can't be touched? "Ash? What are you doing?"
Ashton tilted his head to the side, and his neck cracked. "I've seen how your people are looking at you. You have their trust. I am a new face, and I need to prove myself."
"And you think that fighting Val and will help you prove sothing that will go in your favor?" Edgar asked.
Ashton ignored him as he was focused on Violet. He looked at her deeply. "You trust . Right? I won't embarrass you."
She put her hand on his cheek. "You can't embarrass , Ash. I am proud to be your mate regardless of this or any other fight. However, if you get hurt, I won't forgive you."
He grinned. "If I get hurt, you will nurse to health. I look forward to it."
"Let's not go there."
"Hellooooo!" Valeria called impatiently. "We are here to fight, not to watch your PDA."
Ashton pecked Violet's lips, and by the ti she opened her eyes, she was looking at Ashton's back.
His broad shoulders looked like an impregnable obstacle that would keep all the bad things away, and if he was not facing two tricky opponents, she would hug him and never let go.
"If any of us touches Vi, we win?" Edgar asked in disbelief, still processing this information. "How do you win?"
"When you can't fight or admit defeat."
Both Valeria and Edgar gaped at him, wondering if their ears malfunctioned.
"Confident much?" Valeria asked with a sneer, feeling that Ashton was looking down on them.
Ashton was painfully aware of his reputation. No matter what his achievents with fighting rogues were, people saw him as a llow Alpha who was good at politics and strategizing, but not much when it ca to fighting. In order to stand by Violet's side as her equal, he needed to trim down all other Alphas by a notch or two. He wanted Violet's pack to approve of him as their Alpha because of him, not because he was Violet's mate. This was important.
Violet was aware that this was much more than a spar. Everyone was fighting with pride on the line, and they needed to show what they could do. If Valeria and Edgar lost, they would be ashad. If Ashton lost, his image would crack, and their people will think of him as weak.
Violet could use her aura to suppress her cousins' abilities, and Ashton would finish them off, but Ashton declared she would stay on the side, which was a problem.
If Violet was honest, she didn't think Ashton could take on Edgar and Valeria, and even less in a two-on-one fight, but then… she never saw him fight, and his confidence spilled on her, and she decided to trust him. If anything, Ashton had a good head on his shoulders and he wouldn't jump into a fight he couldn't win.
Violet closed her eyes and focused on her surroundings. Her consciousness expanded to feel every rock and heartbeat and to cover the whole fighting area and a bit beyond it.
Violet didn't need sight to see clearly. Talia taught her that this type of perception allowed her to sense everything on a deeper level, including the energies that coursed through Valeria and Edgar. Different colors would reveal different natures of energies, and even emotions.
Violet could see that Edgar was pumped with adrenaline, ready to fight, while Valeria had a mix of guilt and anger.
'Good,' Violet thought. The guilt in her cousin told Violet that Valeria was not beyond salvation.
Violet sucked in a sharp breath when her consciousness landed on Ashton. He was like a powerbomb with several colors twirling within him, and then two more enveloped him to keep the others in check and prevent his body from falling apart under pressure.
Her heart cracked. What did they do to him? That was not normal.
'Trust , love,' Ashton spoke into their mind link. 'I can't move if I'm the source of your sadness.'
'I love you, Ash.'
'That's better,' he responded cockily. 'Watch , love. Let show you what I can do. Let show you that I can protect you and your pack no matter who my enemy is.'
Violet's eyes filled with tears. That was her mate, saying that he would do anything in his power to protect her. It was a big deal.
'BAM!'
Dust rose when Ashton moved faster than the eyes could follow to block Edgar's advance.
Ashton tried to grab Edgar, but he was already retreating, and Ashton had to move to the right because Valeria was not in her previous spot anymore.
The three of them were like blurs, making spectators wonder if their eyes were deceiving them, but the dust stirring violently was confirmation that sothing extraordinary was happening.
Edgar and Valeria stepped back and glanced at each other.
'They are coming up with a strategy,' Violet told Ashton. 'Ed is focusing energy into his legs, so expect speed and maybe kicks. Val is…'
Violet didn't have ti to finish because Edgar and Valeria were attacking already, and Ashton moved to block their paths to his mate.
Even if he could predict their movents, with two Alphas attacking, Ashton could only defend. He cursed under his breath when he realized his vision was foggy. Who did that? Edgar? Valeria?
When sparring with Damon, Ashton used his reflexes, but Valeria and Edgar were coordinating their attacks from different sides, and it was apparent they were gaining an advantage. He needed an opening, or this wouldn't end well. If he was facing rogues, he could go all out and not care if he snapped a neck in the process, but these were Violet's cousins, and he needed to defeat them without causing too many injuries.
'Ash,' Violet spoke through their mind link. 'Close your eyes and let in.'
'I don't think this is a good ti to be closing eyes, Vi.'
'You said I shouldn't be touched, but that doesn't an I can't help you. Do you trust ?'
Ashton shook his head and closed his eyes. She asked if he trusted her. How could he say no to that?
Valeria and Edgar paused and retreated a few steps.
"Why did you close your eyes?" Valeria asked warily. "Did you give up?"
"I don't need to see you in order to win," Ashton responded in a low voice, but three other people within the magical enclosure heard him clearly.
Ashton needed a mont to adjust to this new vision that Violet projected into his mind. There were outlines and colors… he didn't see things; he could feel them like they were part of him.
'Do you always feel this connection to the world?' Ashton asked Violet.
'Most of the ti,' Violet responded, happy that he approved.
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