Into the ring

19- Clash

Rynn's pov

I tied my gloves securely at my wrists and tested my taped up fingers.

Today was just another fight. But an unsettling feeling of nervousity coursed through my body as I left the changing rooms. Adonis Grey seemed well-known, around here. But apparently not in the right ways.

Uneasy stares followed me as I crossed the room. My heart rate picked up as I caught sight of Adonis a few metres away, ready to fight, leaning against the wall, examining his surroundings with a bored expression. His eyes met mine and he smirked, pushing himself off the wall.

"Ready, Rynn? " he asked me as soon as I was close enough to hear.

I faked a smug look. "I should be the one asking you that, Don."  On the wall of fighters, his full name had been replaced by Don.  Everyone used nicknames, in here. No idea why.

He chuckled at my sass. "Somebody's confident. "

I faked a laugh and suddenly caught sight of Ryder behind him. His eyes met mine and held my gaze before turning towards Adonis. He gripped his shoulder and forced him to turn round roughly.

"Back off, Don. I'm the one you want. I'll fight you, leave her alone, " Ryder told him, speaking as if I wasn't here. And it pissed me off for some reason.

As if sensing an imminent cutting reply, Ryder sent me a look, obviously meaning that I should shut up.

Oblivious of our silent exchange, Adonis laughed. "No thanks, it's the title that I want. Like in the good old times, right brother? "

Adonis was Ryder's brother?  I thought that Nate was his only sibbling. How come I had never heard of him, then?

Ryder was livid, his jaw taught and his hands balled up in fists, so tightly held that his knuckles had turned a sickly white.

I could feel the anger which radiated from him. He was ready to explode.

"I can manage him, Ryder, " I told him, using a calm tone so he would relax.

He looked at me, but it seemed like he was even more stressed than before.

"It's not a question of management, Katharynna. It's one of making it out unharmed. If you knew what he did, you wouldn't even consider being near him, " he seethed out.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and my gaze drifted to Adonis. 

The smirk he previously had on his face had been wiped out by his brother's words. Instead, his expression mirrored Ryder's, hard and cold.

That's when I realised the undeniable resemblance between them. They were of almost the same height, their differently styled hair of the same chocolate brown, same well-defined manly features. But Ryder's grey eyes contrasted against his brother's hazel ones.

How could I not have realised it?

"Stay away from me, Ryder. You don't know what I can do. "

I studied Ryder's usually expressionless eyes carefully. And my heart broke.

A lone tear escaped from them, trickling down his right cheek, across the almost non-existent stubble on his jaw. My hand lifted automatically, but I caught myself in time and fought the urge to wipe it away.

Ryder seemed to have caught my movement and his eyes met mine, suddenly unreadable. I drifted my gaze to Adonis to avoid his intense stare.

"I know exactly what you can do Adonis. But if you dare hurt any of us in any way, including her, I won't hesitate to kill you. Try me. " he replied, his voice dangerously low.

He approached me and dipped his face towards my neck.

"Kick his ass, " he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. The corner of my lips tilted slightly upwards at his words. 

"You know I will, " I whispered back. He chuckled slightly, high-fived me and left.

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Ryder's pov

I had complete faith in Rynn. She would undoubtedly win. But god knows what Adonis might do to her once he would lose against her.

He wouldn't hesitate to hurt her beyond repair, break her, harm the ones for whom she cared.

He hadn't hesitated to do it to me.

"Did you convince him? " Parker asked me when I reached the side of the ring.

I shook my head and ran my fingers through my already messed up hair.

"You've been crying, " Cameron noted after having studied me carefully.

I wiped the moisture from under my eyes.

"It's nothing. Just memories, " I admitted.

Just a hell lot of painful memories...