Chapter 314

Neither Archer nor I see the point in drawing this out, so we plan the challenge for later in the evening. During the time in between, all three of the other brothers try to convince both of us separately and together that this fight is unnecessary, but neither of us will listen.

This animosity between Archer and I has been brewing from the start. For months, we’ve push pulled with each other, pressing each other’s buttons. Archer has always kept me at arm’s length. He’s the main one to stand in the way of my dreams.

I’m tired of it. Of all of it.

One way or another, I want this animosity with Archer to end.

As the camera crews are still circling, we decide to hold our challenge inside, down in the familiar weight room. Most of the gym equipment has been pushed aside, making more open space. Mats have been place down over the linoleum flooring. It will still hurt to be thrown down though.

I have to make sure that doesn’t happen to me very often.

Archer and I face each other. Only Neil and Beau are in the room with us to officiate. Steven is with Mia somewhere else in the Pyramid. No one wanted to expose Mia to this fight.

I know I’m outmatched here, but I’m going to give it everything I have. At the very least, I’m hopeful I can convince Archer I’m worthy of a warrior role. At most, I’m hoping I can catch him off guard and actually beat him.

“Archer,” Neil says, voice tense.

Archer grunts in reply.

“Don’t kill her,” Neil says.

Archer grunts again.

I roll my eyes. “I won’t kill him either, so you don’t need to ask me.”

Neil gives me a withering look. I do my best to ignore it.

“Please just start this,” I say.

“Very well.”

Neil nods to Beau who lifts his hand.

I lower my body into a fighting stance. Archer, infuriatingly, does not move a muscle.

Beau lowers his hand.

At once, I jump toward Archer, hoping to catch him off guard, since that smug bastard hasn’t dropped into fighting stance yet.

But, Archer’s speed remains impossibly fast, and he twists out of a hold I haven’t even made yet. At the last second, he sticks out his foot and I nearly trip but catch myself at the last moment.

I swivel on my heel to face him. He smirks at me.

I want to punch that look right off of his handsome face.

With more strength this time, I lunge again, I catch him around the middle this time, and actually hear the air push out of his body. Good, I at least caught him once.

He recovers quickly though, by gripping me around the waist and swinging me away. I land on my feet, and immediately bounce back.

He blocks my attack this time, and then the next.

We begin a sort of dance: strike, block, strike, parry.

For a while, it’s almost… fun. But then I remember the necessity here. If I fail this challenge, I have to give up my dreams. I can’t allow that to happen.

I try to put even more strength into my swings and kicks. But my body isn’t used to that kind of fighting, and it feels awkward.

Archer picks up on this right away.

I throw a punch and he catches my hand by the wrist. He doesn’t let go, even as I move to break his hold.

“Give up,” he says.

“No!” I shout. I lift my foot and drop my heel hard on his foot. He winces enough for me to finally break free. It’s not the most dignified move, but desperate times call for desperate measures. There are no rules on the battlefield, not when it’s life and death on the line.

While he’s still distracted, I am a punch toward his nose. He blocks.

A kick, and he grabs my leg. He twists, spinning me up into the air. I hit the mat flooring so hard, my teeth rattle.

“Stay down,” Archer says. “Give up.”

“Listen to him, Chloe,” Beau pleads. “You’ve proved whatever point you are trying to make. We’ve always known Archer was going to win.”

I obviously didn’t prove shit if Beau doesn’t even know what the point I want to make is.

Out of sheer stubbornness, I force my legs under me once more and push myself up to standing.

“Chloe…” Neil says.

I ignore all of them, focusing on Archer, my enemy. I wave him to come at me.

Archer crosses his arms. “You know you can’t win this.”

“I’m not giving up,” Chloe says. “I’ll never give up, not when there is a chance.”

“There is no chance,” Archer says.

“Well, even then.” I swallow hard. One of my teeth feels loose. “A warrior never surrenders, even in the face of certain defeat.”

Archer stills. As he looks at me, something clears in his eyes. I don’t know what it is. Sometimes Archer is really very difficult to read.

I gather what’s left of my strength and barrel forward, putting everything into one last attack.

It’s sluggish and slow. Archer has enough time to move. I know that. He knows it. Everyone knows it.

But he doesn’t move.

My attack connects, landing straight to his ribcage. He crumples over and falls down like a tower of logs.

I don’t understand.

“I’m out,” Archer says from the ground, sounding pained.

I really don’t understand.

“You’re… out…?” Beau repeats in disbelief.

No way he shouldn’t have dodged that blow. What’s worse, he could easily get back up again. But he’s not. He’s staying down there on the ground.

“Archer, get up,” I snap. “Fight me.”

“The fight’s over,” he says from the ground.

“You dived! You are losing on purpose!” I shout.

“Lost,” Archer corrects.

Neil’s brow crumples, but still he calls it. “Chloe, you win the challenge.”

“But I didn’t earn it!” I say. “Archer dived on purpose… He…” I look at him. “You…” I truly have no words. “Why would you do this?”

“Your persistence gives you an edge,” Archer says. “You’ll need training, formal training, before you can become a warrior.”

None of that was negative. He used words like you will need and you can.

Oh, Gods. Has Archer finally come over to my side? But how? Why?

Because of my persistence?

“You’ll need help to achieve your dream,” he says.

My heart melts all over again for him and the other brothers. Archer was the last holdout, the one who never really believed I had it in me to be a warrior.

But that’s all different now. Now… with him in my corner, I feel like I can take on the whole world and win.

“But there is one thing you must understand,” Archer says.

He storms toward me with such long, powerful strides, that I have to push myself to stand still, when every nerve ending in my body screams at me to take a few steps backwards.

“I will never let you go into battle…” he says.

My stomach twists again. Maybe I let hope cloud my vision. I should have known that –

He keeps talking, interrupting my thoughts. “Without me by your side.”