Punch.
A groan and a dodge.
Punch.
Jiang Lang landed a strong hit on Yan Lie's cheek. Yan Lie stumbled, groaning again. But a moment later, Yan Lie hit back with a powerful left punch to Jiang Lang's jaw. Jiang Lang's teeth rattled, and blood filled his mouth.
It tasted like metal but was strangely satisfying, calming the spirit within him.
He was smiling when he kneed Yan Lie in the stomach. The warrior bent over, struggling to breathe. More.
Jiang Lang needed to hurt him more. Before Jiang Lang could elbow Yan Lie in the head, Yan Lie lunged forward with a fierce growl, wrapping his arms around Jiang Lang and tackling him to the ground.
They rolled, each trying to gain the upper hand. Fists flew; knees clashed. Elbows hit hard.
Jiang Lang hissed when Yan Lie hit his mouth again. His smile vanished; the inside of his cheek was split. Another drop of blood went down his throat.
"Is this what you wanted?" Yan Lie grunted.
Jiang Lang hit his friend hard in the throat, making Yan Lie gasp and his skin quickly turn blue. "Is that what you wanted?" With Yan Lie struggling to breathe, Jiang Lang threw four more punches, all to the face.
A crunch. His eye socket. A crunch. His nose. A crunch. His jaw. A crunch! His temple. No more violence today, Jiang Lang chanted uselessly with each punch. No more violence.
Are you sure? the spirit coaxed.
Jiang Lang's eyes narrowed as he threw another punch.
Kill him.
"No!" he yelled, only then realizing he hadn't controlled the demon at all.
Not even a little. He stopped, gasping for air, unsure what to do. He couldn't go to Xu Ling like this, hungry for blood and even more on edge of taking her with his desires than before.
"Oh, yes." Cut and bruised, Yan Lie growled deeply and slammed his fist into Jiang Lang's right eye. Pain exploded in Jiang Lang's head as Yan Lie's rings cut a vein. His vision went black for a moment. Something warm and wet gushed down the side of his face and finally, finally, the cruel voice quieted.
Perhaps he needed the spirit to be beaten until it gave up. Happy to do it, he spread his arms wide, welcoming the next blow.
Yan Lie didn't disappoint. The warrior kicked him in the stomach, and Jiang Lang flew backward. The moment he hit the ground, Yan Lie was on top of him, strangling him, his knees holding down Jiang Lang's shoulders. Satisfaction filled Yan Lie's face, but there were dark, ugly demons in his eyes, tormenting demons, much more frightening than the tattoo on his neck.
"Want more?" Yan Lie snarled.
"More."
Punch. Jiang Lang's head flew to the left. Punch. His head flew to the right. Punch. The bone in his nose cracked.
Hit me. Hit harder! With every blow, the spirit sank deeper and deeper. Wrath against Violence, he thought, and Violence was afraid. The idea of defeating Violence felt almost like a sexual thrill. He smiled, thinking this must be how Lin Fan felt. Happy in pain, wanting more.
His teeth cut into his tongue as another blow landed. His tongue swelled. Now I won't be able to kiss Xu Ling, he thought.
You don't need to kiss her to have sex with her, the demon lashed out, showing its ugly head just long enough to send a sharp burst of anger through him.
Enough! He wanted to kiss Xu Ling. Wanted her taste in his mouth as she moved against him. And he would have it. That's all he had thought about while enduring endless pain during the night.
Another punch.
"Yan Lie! What are you doing?" Jiang Lang heard Luo Chen demand from across the hall.
"Giving Jiang Lang what he needs." Punch.
"Stop."
"No." The next blow hit deeper and harder into his temple, shaking his brain.
"Don't stop," Jiang Lang said as Yan Lie backhanded him.
A little more and the spirit might stay hidden for the rest of the day.
"Stop," Luo Chen repeated. "Now. Or tonight I'll take you into hell with Jiang Lang."
The punches immediately stopped.
It was a threat Luo Chen could easily carry out.
Yan Lie was panting; Jiang Lang was too. He almost reached out, grabbed Yan Lie's wrist, and forced him to start again.
He wanted, needed, more.
He would take no chances. If he had to be beaten until he was too weak to do anything but crawl, he would let himself be beaten.
He would not hurt Xu Ling.
Not yet, at least.
Reluctantly, Yan Lie got to his feet and offered Jiang Lang a helping hand. Jiang Lang accepted with the same reluctance and was quickly pulled to his feet. Together, he and Yan Lie faced Luo Chen.
There was no emotion in Luo Chen's eyes as he looked them over. Jiang Lang ran a hand over his bruised face, finding cuts that would have needed stitches if he were human.
"Does someone want to tell me what was happening?"
"We were trying a new sparring technique," Jiang Lang said through swollen lips. For once, the spirit remained quiet. He almost felt normal.
The realization was so wonderfully surprising, he grinned.
"That's right. New sparring technique." Yan Lie slung an arm over his shoulder. One of Yan Lie's eyes was sealed shut, and his lower lip was torn.
Within the hour, Jiang Lang knew, both of them would be completely healed. Immortality had its benefits.
Would Violence return when his body healed?
Luo Chen opened his mouth to reply, but Jiang Lang held up one bruised palm. "I will hear no complaints from you. You left Xu Ling in the dungeon. You should thank the gods I'm not going for your throat."
"We did what was necessary to make her more agreeable," Luo Chen said, and there was no apology in his tone.
Jiang Lang stiffened, anger flowing through him. But it was a remarkably ordinary anger. One that didn't force him to do terrible things. Amazing. "I asked you for two things. Only two: You failed on both counts."
"You asked that she remain alive, and you asked that she remain untouched.
She is both of those things," Luo Chen pointed out.
True, but she'd been scared and cold, and for some reason, that knowledge hurt him more than Yan Lie's fists.
She was just so small, so fragile. "I could not see to her needs. You should have." He had always hated that he lost all sense of reality when midnight struck. He hated that he didn't know what happened here during those dark hours, hated that he could not protect himself or those close to him.
For all he knew, the fortress could be attacked by hunters, burned to the ground, everyone inside killed. Xu Ling could betray him, leading those hunters inside. But Xu Ling could also be beaten. Xu Ling could be sexually assaulted or killed, and he would not know.
"Listen, right now your woman doesn't matter," Luo Chen said. "Much has happened since your latest death. The—"
A growl vibrated in his throat, his head, his ears, blocking out the warrior's voice.
Doesn't matter? "If she becomes sick..." The edges of his anger turned into sharp points, poking at the spirit. Not subdued completely after all, he realized with an inward curse, even as his body tightened, preparing for battle.
A dangerous haze covered his eyes; it was his own anger, all his own, but the demon liked it. Kill him. He means to take what is ours. Yes, he needed to kill. His blood heated to a boil. His skin stretched over his bones.
"He's not listening," Yan Lie said to Luo Chen. A muscle twitched below Yan Lie's eye, and he gave Jiang Lang a rough shake before letting go. "Are you listening to me?"
"Yes," Jiang Lang gritted out.
"Just how long do you plan to keep the woman here?"
As long as possible, his mind answered on its own.
As long as needed, he corrected.
Keeping her in the fortress was dangerous. For her. For him. For the other Lords. He knew that, but he wasn't going to set her free. He had neither the will nor the desire. Nothing was more important than discovering the pleasures her body promised. Nothing. Would she be hot and wet for him? Would she purr his name? Beg for more?
Suddenly, a fist connected with his nose, whipping his head to the side. Pain exploded in his temple, loosening anger's grip. Also arousal. Jiang Lang blinked in confusion and frowned at Yan Lie. "Why did you do that?"
"Your face was not your own, but Violence's." Luo Chen shook his head, suddenly in front of him, his expression tired. "You were about to explode."
"Get yourself under control, man." Yan Lie let out an exasperated sigh. "You're like a sword hanging by a thread, ready to drop at any moment and slice us all."
"That's funny coming from you," Jiang Lang said dryly. He might suddenly become violent without warning, but Yan Lie had also been known to go on rampages, spreading his revenge as far and wide as possible.
"Where's the girl now?" Luo Chen asked.
At first, Jiang Lang did not answer. He didn't want them to know, because they might go to her. "My room," he finally said, his tone so dark they couldn't miss his unspoken warning: Visit her and feel the pain of my demon.
"You left her alone in your room?" Yan Lie's exasperation reached a new high, and he threw his arms in the air. "Why don't you give her a knife, tell us to line up, and let her stab us one by one?"
"I locked her in. She cannot cause trouble."
"She might have picked the lock." Luo Chen rubbed the back of his neck. "She could be sneaking hunters inside this very second."
"No. I killed them."
"There could be more."
Luo Chen was right. Jiang Lang knew Luo Chen was right. He clenched his teeth, and his bruised jaw ached in protest. "I will check and make sure she is where I left her and alone." He turned quickly.
"I'm coming with you." Determined, Yan Lie walked beside him.
Luo Chen followed.
Jiang Lang started moving quickly. If Xu Ling had escaped, had brought hunters among them, the warriors would demand her death.
He wasn't sure he could give it to them, no matter her crimes. In fact, every part of his body screamed with the need to protect her. Me? A protector? His blood heated with the thought, it burned.
When – if – the time came, would he be able to do what was necessary? Jiang Lang didn't know the answer. He liked to think he would, but...