In fact, she wouldn’t be able to resist any of her men much longer. Anthony, her quiet protector. Zane, her brilliant strategist. Killian, her noble knight. Hell, she already wanted another taste of Flynn, her endearing demigod. A twinge of disappointment blistered through her at the thought of having to choose one of the princes. She adored them all and enjoyed time with every one of them.
Each of her princes fed a different part of her soul, and she couldn’t imagine sending even one of them home. With every passing day, only one thing became clearer: she was falling in love with them all.
42
Anthony
On the final day in Olympus, Anthony leaned against the wall in the sparring arena while Draven and Killian dueled on the mat. With one leg propped against the drywall behind him, Anthony shook his head as Killian landed a powerful kick against Draven’s torso. The dragon didn’t so much as flinch.
Anthony groaned in disappointment. “Killian, your blows won’t matter if you hit him where he’s strongest.”
“But he’s a tank! Nothing hurts him!” Killian snapped, dodging a jab from the dragon prince.
Anthony studied Draven’s form. “Everyone has a weak spot. Next time he’s not paying attention, kick out his knee.”
“Whose side are you on, Anthony?” Draven chuckled and ducked his head to avoid another blow from Killian.
“Tina’s,” Anthony said with a smirk.
As the sparring match continued, Anthony kept a close watch on the princes’ forms and attack patterns, critiquing wherever improvement was needed. There wasn’t any point in hiding their abilities from each other anymore. He had seen them fight time and time again. More importantly, they had seen him fight when the dragons had attacked them.
With Tina’s safety on the line, the other princes had pulled their weight and defended her at the cost of blood and broken bones. Anthony could trust them to keep her safe.
Though they were indeed good fighters, each of them had room for improvement. Anthony needed to know they would be able to protect Tina if they were attacked again when he wasn’t around. In short, they had no choice but to be the best, and that meant giving his opponents some pointers.
Flynn and Zane leaned against the wall next Anthony, watching the fight with as much careful attention as Anthony was.
On the mat, Killian put the full force of his enhanced strength into a punch that landed squarely in Draven’s abdomen. Instead of doubling over, as Killian had likely expected, Draven let out the briefest huff of air and took Killian to the ground.
Annoyed as all hell, Anthony ran a hand through his hair. “Killian, you’re killing me. Stop. Punching. His. Torso.”
“You come fight him, then!” Killian jumped to his feet, wiping sweat from his brow as his chest heaved.
With a sigh, Anthony jumped onto the mat and rolled his shoulders, silently accepting.
“Wait.” Draven’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Are you serious?”
“You’ve never actually taken us up on it before,” Flynn said, a twinge of surprise in his voice.
“I don’t see a point in hiding my abilities anymore.” Anthony shrugged. “Besides, from what I’ve seen so far, I think Killian might learn best when a technique is demonstrated for him.”
“If you say so.” Flynn shrugged.
With a steadying breath, Anthony assumed his natural fighting stance. Killian hopped off the mat as Draven and Anthony circled each other.
As a rule, Anthony let his sparring opponents strike first. It lured them into a false sense of security and control that often played into his hands. After careful study, Anthony already knew what Draven would do: charge like a bull. The dragon did the same thing every time, almost without fail, and Anthony needed to point out this weakness to him.
Sure enough, the demigod prince charged seconds later. Anthony swept out Draven’s legs, throwing off his center of balance and taking him to the ground. Draven huffed in surprise, falling hard on his hands.
Anthony dove to take the dragon in a chokehold, but the man rolled at the last second. Draven jumped to his feet and took a defensive position, hands slightly open, in case an opportunity to grab Anthony opened up.
It wouldn’t.
Anthony charged, ready to feint to the right and take Draven to the ground again with a well-placed hook. The dragon lifted his hands to try and counter.
And that’s when everything changed.
To Anthony’s horror, a blistering fire shot from the dragon’s fingers, aimed directly at his chest.
Only his remarkable reflexes and speed saved him. He barely twisted out of the way as fire roared by his face, far too close for comfort. Draven must have realized something was wrong too, for he had jerked his hand up abruptly, sending the burst of fire into the ceiling instead. The room shook as drywall rained down on them from the new crack torn through the roof.
“What the hell are you doing?!” It took every ounce of self-restraint in Anthony’s body to not shift into his wolf and rip the dragon’s head off. “You nearly killed me!”
“But—but I’ve never—” Draven stared up at the gaping hole in the roof, eyes wide with shock.
Anthony shoved the dragon in the chest, and that seemed to snap him out of his daze. Draven scowled, squaring off as he prepared to defend himself, his broad shoulders strong as a wall.
“Guys, that’s enough!” Killian darted between them, his hands on both combatant’s chests.
Zane grabbed Anthony’s arm, tugging him backward. “Anthony, it was clearly an accident.”
“Look at the roof!” Anthony pointed to the ceiling. “That could have been my head!”
Zane sucked in a nervous breath, eyes flitting to the obliterated ceiling tiles.
“Explain,” Flynn said, arms crossed. He glared at Draven, shoulders squared, his body language saying he was ready to throw down if need be.
Anthony balled his hands into fists to restrain his anger. He scowled at the dragon prince, silently demanding answers. Killian and Zane followed suit, but Draven gawked at his hands as if they belonged to someone else.
“Draven!” Anthony barked.
“I don’t know!” Draven snapped. He frowned, deep lines of worry on his forehead.
Killian pointed a finger at the dragon, a deep scowl on his face. “I thought dragons can only breathe fire in their shifted forms. They certainly can’t throw flames around like that, out of their hands, even in dragon form.”
“That’s true! At least, I couldn’t before. This was the first time I’ve ever…” Draven trailed off again, his baffled gaze glued to his fingers.
“Can you do it again?” Zane asked.
Anthony glared at the cat shifter. “Don’t ask him to—”
Out of the corner of his eye, Anthony noticed Draven flex his hands just as he had in the match. A second blast of fire struck the ceiling, this time tearing a gaping hole in the roof. Debris fell across the room like a fog. Anthony coughed violently, the dusty air swirling as he walked off the mat.
“You need to work on your aim,” Flynn said, arms crossed as he stared at the broken ceiling. “You destroyed my roof.”
“I don’t understand,” Draven said, his voice almost too quiet to hear.
A heartbreaking realization clicked into place in Anthony’s mind. “You had sex with Tina.”
Draven’s expression hardened, his mouth a grim line as he defiantly met Anthony’s gaze. “Yes.”
Anthony let out a disappointed sigh and rubbed his temples, dismayed at hearing the truth even when he had already figured it out for himself. He had wanted Tina all to himself. To suspect was one thing, but to have his suspicions confirmed …
All around him, the other princes stared at the ground with equal disappointment. Flynn’s nose crinkled with what could only be jealousy, and Zane chewed the inside of his cheek. Killian ran his hand repeatedly through his hair, and no one spoke.
“We knew this was going to happen.” With a shake of his head, Anthony cleared the last bit of dust from his hair. “We can’t be mad at her.”