Chapter 10: Chapter 10

REYNA

“Bitch, you’re going to pay for this,” Chloe spat a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood onto the ground. She rocked on her toes, hands fisted, blonde wisps of hair stuck to her pretty face.

“Don’t just say it, prove it,” I dared, tightening my fists, my eyes watching her footwork with narrowed eyes.

There was no heat in our words, just normal banter as we sparred. Our fights tended to be brutal, but that was how we were trained.

Chloe was the closest thing I had to a friend since Lisa and I went our separate ways.

She suddenly leaned back and stared at something behind me.

“The queen is here.”

“Oh, come on. You think I’m going to fall for that?” I rolled my eyes.

“I’m serious. She’s talking to Mary.”

“My mother?” I asked, still not trusting her, but I turned around and saw Cassandra with our trainer and her dozens of guards trailing behind her.

“Shit, you know, I always forget she’s your mom.”

I always said mother, not mom.

Cassandra had outright told me to never call her mom. That she was my mother.

Mom suggested a closeness between a daughter and her child; mother did not. It was a title of who she was to me.

A biological donor.

They were standing at the edge of the training grounds.

Mary hurried to us a few seconds later.

“Guys, the queen is here to see your fight. After the attack she has been on edge and so hard to figure out. I feel like there’s a noose around my neck. Do you think she’s going to fire me?” The tall, dark-haired woman directed the last part at me.

She was sweating profusely.

I shrugged. “Just because I’m her daughter doesn’t mean I’m privy to her inner thoughts.”

“You’re right, of course. Okay, come on, get in position and give her what she wants—fight hard, don’t fucking embarrass me.”

Chloe and I glanced at each other.

“You mean like a real fight?”

“No, Chloe, I’m sure the queen is here to see and admire your spectacular personality because she has so much time on her hands,” Mary said sarcastically.

“Really?” Chloe asked, doubtful.

“No, God, Chloe. I need you to fight like you mean it, a real fucking fight, all right? Show the queen what I’ve been teaching you all, show her that you’re capable of protecting our people.”

God, she was yelling. Mary was nervous; Cassandra’s presence was freaking her out.

I licked my lips.

“How real?”

“Broken bones and dripping blood kind of real,” she deadpanned.

“My fight with Lisa is in a couple of days. I can’t afford a broken bone.”

“Then don’t. Just try not to kill each other, okay. I can’t lose two of my best fighters and Marlenia certainly can’t afford that.” She took a couple steps backward.

“Now, begin.”

We both faced off, taking a fighting stance, legs wide and firm, hands fisted, eyes narrowed.

“I thought my life sucked, living in a family unit of eight and fighting over rations. Now, I see being a princess wasn’t all that it was made up to be.”

“You have no idea,” I muttered.

“Except maybe for the good food part. I heard you get to eat eggs and fruits daily, is that true?”

I shrugged, feeling a familiar discomfort build in the pit of my stomach.

“At least there’s that. I want to be a princ—”

“Cut the bullshit, Chloe, and fight,” Mary yelled.

That familiar guilt was the reason I wasn’t paying attention when she suddenly attacked, until pain burst in my mouth and spread.

“Damn it, Chloe,” I growled.

She shrugged.

“Pay attention next time. Beasts aren’t going to wait to kill you while you space out.”

I narrowed my eyes and fisted my hands.

We sprang toward each other, throwing punches and kicks, but instantly a loud whistling pierced the air.

Mary jogged back, face flushed.

“Chloe, you can sit this one out. Reyna will be fighting Lisa.”

“Lisa? Why would the queen want them to fight? They are already fighting in the competition in two days.” Chloe’s face twisted with confusion.

Mary shrugged.

“Hey, don’t ask me. That’s the queen’s orders. It’s just a friendly match, look at it as the pre-championship.” She glanced behind me.

And there was Lisa, looking utterly breathtaking in her scarlet dress and black leather gloves.

“Well, hello Princess Queen.” She uttered the last two words with so much loathing that, despite it not being the first time, I felt an ache deep inside at the state of us.

“It’s a ridiculous name, you know. As though we didn’t know who you are.”

“Why are you so bitter, Lisa? What happened to you?” I asked, all the confusion inside me spilling out.

Nothing about our relationship made sense.

“Just reminding myself of who you are, just so we’re clear I’m not going easy on you.” I shook my head.

“I don’t expect you to,” I muttered, taking a defensive stance.

There was no use in delaying this.

Her smirk was all the warning I got before she pounced on me.

Cassandra wanted me to prove myself as the best. It didn’t matter that Lisa was more experienced, that she’d been a Rose for two years, that Lisa and I were once the best of friends.

Unlike Chloe, Lisa was taller, bigger, and her punches packed more heat. Her kicks were harder, she struck fast and brutal, and she fought dirty.

I was forced into playing defense in the beginning, holding back my punches, watching her. This wasn’t the first time I had sparred with her.

Although Mary was my trainer, I had learned a lot from Cassandra herself.

My mother taught me how to read my opponent. While Lisa was bigger and taller than me, I was faster than her, and I’d been watching her for a while.

Just like my mother taught me: watch your opponent like a predator watches its prey, find out their weaknesses and tells, and you’ve won half the battle.

My quick reflexes were my biggest advantage. They always gave me an added edge over my opponents.

It was the only reason I was able to hold my own against Lisa.

As a princess, my mother had always expected me to be the best at everything.

So I trained harder than all the other girls, double the time the other girls trained.

Cassandra had invested her time in personally training with me three times a week, until recently when she got really busy.

Even then, I was trying hard to be perfect for her, to earn her approval.

I hadn’t gotten it yet, but I believed I’d proven myself over the years too.

I had always been on the offensive rather than the defensive.

I always threw the first punch and never held back.

I was good at fighting.

But just because I was good at it didn’t mean I liked hurting people.

I never shied away from a fight with one of the girls, as long as it was training and wasn’t for my mother’s amusement. But today I was defending rather than attacking, hesitating.

Because I couldn’t stop thinking about the little smiling girl who had defended me the first time I met her. Instead of this new woman who was a stranger to me.

Lisa was much darker. She might be the best fighter in the entire queendom.

But I wasn’t the girl I was two years ago either. I’d trained harder than the girls in my class.

Fought my way through the batch until my reputation built. The only other person that went almost head to head with me was Chloe.

Lisa was a few years older than us. And before she joined the Sisterhood of the Roses two years ago, she was my best friend, until she wasn’t.

She was a Rose now. I heard she was one of the girls sent to the outside world.

I’d also heard Lisa was one of two survivors out of seven Roses sent to the outside world months ago. Though we didn’t talk to each other, I was just glad Lisa survived whatever had attacked and killed the other Roses.

“Fuck,” Lisa spat, panting.

I was panting too. Our fight had ended, and there was no winner. We were tied.

“Glad to see some things have changed, but don’t think you’ll stand a chance against me tomorrow, because I’m going to win,” she said.

With that statement, she turned and walked away while I stared after her.

I wiped the blood from my mouth and glanced toward Cassandra.

~My mother is pissed. Shocker.~