"And her finishing move, oh my days! Straight out of a Mortal Kombat video game, I tell you."
We'd been on the road for thirty minutes, and for the entirety of that time, Jonas couldn't stop talking about what he'd described as "the greatest fight" he'd ever even seen.
"Left, right, all around the back. Fists up, elbows tucked, feet in constant motion… I'll tell ya, Pea's got insane moves."
"Pea?" I asked with a frown.
"Yeah, Pea," Jonas said, sweeping his hair away from his forehead. "I mean, calling her 'P. 205' makes her seem like a robot. Which she probably is, 'cause what the hell did I just witness?!"
From the back seat, Darius chuckled while Jonathan started with a groan. "Just get us home without trying to get us killed, you moron. You're barely even watching the road."
"Yes, Father. I'll get us home right away," Jonas replied playfully. He winked at his twin through the rearview mirror. "Then we could discuss the terms of my newly acquired property."
As Darius and Jonas laughed, I could hear Jonathan's blood boiling. No one enjoyed losing, but few hated it like he did. And it was understandable because he was a serial winner. At high school, he was the captain of every sports team that didn't include females, and he'd led them all to glory in their fields. In college, despite being a top graduating student in Political Science, above everyone in his class, he still managed to be the MVP of his college's basketball and football teams. He'd delved fully into athletics after school and competed in the Olympics twice, snagging several gold medals for his country. Everyone was talking about the devilishly handsome and incredibly talented red-headed man for a long time. After our mother's passing, he'd moved back home, where he'd decided to open three state-of-the-art gyms and start a bodyguard agency. The word "overachiever" could barely describe what my brother was capable of. Setbacks did come by a couple of times, but I presumed that Jonathan's undiluted hatred for failure was what made them so few and far between. The only person he'd lost to more than a couple of times was his very own twin. And that was pretty frustrating for Jonathan because while he'd put his mind and soul into whatever contest they were involved in, Jonas barely even made any effort. He mostly won out of luck and pure vibes. Just like tonight.
"So, Ven, what did you think about the match tonight?"
The question came from Darius, but I knew Jonas was about to ask me the same thing. More so, I suspected Jonathan was waiting for my reply as well. I leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the trees zoom by as I reflected on one of the wildest nights I'd experienced.
"She doesn't seem like an amateur," I began. I turned to Jonas, who was starting to take his driving a lot more seriously. "You said she's fought in the Pit before, right?"
"Who? Pea? Well, yeah. I watched her just once against this other gladiator-type guy. He also changed to his werewolf form 'cause she simply outmatched him as a human. But she won anyway."
"And she's not a werewolf herself?"
Jonas chuckled. "Come on, bro. That's a funny question. We know everyone in Hell's Pit is a werewolf. It's the Council's way of reforming lycans who've broken the law in one way or the other."
"Yeah. All that horse shit," I muttered under my breath. Then I continued, "We encountered many kinds of hybrids before, Jo. How sure are you that she isn't something else? A secret weapon by the Council to keep the games entertaining, perhaps? I don't know."
Jonas veered around a curve in the isolated highway. "It is true that we've come across some real weirdos—my least favorite being sirens, by the way. But I don't know, either, man. Silver is the only known weapon that can kill a werewolf. But guess what else can also kill a werewolf? Another werewolf!"
Jonas had a point there. So if Pea was also a Lycan, why didn't she transform as well? From what Jonas said, she didn't reveal her beast form in the other fights either. There was something strange about all of it that I didn't like.
"I thought she was pretty amazing," Darius said a little too dreamily. He was the emotional one among us, so I wasn't surprised he was already attracted to Pea. Jonas had a mischievous grin playing on his lips as he peeked into the rearview mirror again.
"Falling in love already, little brother? It's not a bad choice, though she's more likely to kill you than agree to go out on a date."
"Oh?" Darius raised an eyebrow. "So she's like Lucy, then."
Jonas's smile died instantly as Darius erupted with laughter. Though I couldn't see him, I was pretty sure Jonathan was smiling, as was I. Lucy was a name only mentioned to mock Jonas and his terrible choices in women, and it was one of the very few things that could shut him up or dampen his spirits.
"That was a low blow, guys," he mumbled. "Very funny. You still haven't given your verdict on the fight," he added as he nodded at me.
"What's left to say?" I shrugged. "She has excellent instincts, and her skills are above par. If this was the preliminary to the tournament, then I can only imagine what opponents they have lined up for her."
"Shit!" Jonas skidded off the forest road and drifted into the main expressway leading to Los Angeles. Realizing it was just one of his antics, I glared at him, cursing myself quietly for letting him drive my car.
"I completely forgot about the tournament of Lupa," he said solemnly, as if he'd committed a crime by not remembering. "Is this what old age feels like, Jon?"
"I'm only five minutes older than you are, dipshit," came the reply. "My old age is pretty much still your old age."
Jonas considered it for a moment, then shrugged. "Meh. I'll survive. The tournament is going to be crazy, though. I already have a new favorite, and I reckon Venom is going to be a regular again."
"Because of Pea?" Darius asked in disbelief. "You're a funny guy, Jo. I'll give you that."
Jonas grinned. "Thanks, bro. You wanna bet on it?"
"Whoa, hey." I had to step in, someone had to clip Jonas's oversized wings of overconfidence. "This would be a bet you'd lose 'cause I'm not coming back. Tonight's match was exhilarating, yes, but fights of this intensity rarely happen more than once. Besides, you know I have responsibilities that—"
"Yes, yes, Mr. Alpha of the Greywood pack," Jonas interrupted with a wave of his hand. "We know your duties and responsibilities supersede the rest of us and are void of all fun and life. No need to remind us."
Darius settled for a weak chuckle this time, and Jonathan's silence meant he was most likely asleep.
"Well, home sweet home, boys," Jonas announced as we sped towards the city of Los Angeles. "And in record time, too. We'd be indoors before 1am, and that'll leave us plenty of time to catch some zzz's before dawn. This is Jonas Pierce, your insanely good-looking captain, wishing you all a good night."