Creatus, Tome 3: Creates Eidolon

CHAPTER ONE

Reece summed up his opponent. He was taller and heavier, but he wasn’t faster. No, he would rely on brute strength, so Reece had to rely on his agility and speed to win.

He glanced around at the onlookers. Normally he wouldn’t have to worry about an audience, but this match had brought out a score or more of creatus. He hadn’t actually counted; he’d been too busy psyching himself up.

His challenger circled him, arms open. As Reece suspected, he was a grappler. Reece, on the other hand, held his arms close to his body, lifted just below his chin, ready to strike, and watched his rival’s face. As a cop in Miami and South America, Reece had learned to pay close attention to his adversary’s eyes. When the attacker’s pupils dilated, he’d be ready.

The dance continued, and then Reece saw the subtle movement of his rival’s clavicle bone, followed by the man’s eyes dilating almost four times in size. Reece sidestepped as Mike plowed past him. No matter the training, Mike couldn’t control his body’s natural reactions.

Mike swung around and smiled. “Come on, human. How ’bout a hug.”

“Ah…that’s all right, Mike. Victoria gave me a good luck kiss and a hug before we started. And I’m not sure how much of a human I actually am.”

Mike grunted and surged forward again, his long arms stretched wide, making it impossible for Reece to sidestep him again, so Reece sprung off his heels and somersaulted over top of Mike. Reece landed on his feet and tapped Mike on the back of the head. Mike was fast, though; he swung his leg around and swept Reece off his feet, and then instantly pounced on top of him.