Unholy Player

"Do you need something?" Adyr asked calmly, his gaze sweeping across the small group gathered before him.

Dalin Ravencourt stood at the front, her crimson eyes fixed on him as she studied him up and down. Behind her, Cole Vance and the others held back uneasily.

Adyr’s earlier performance had left a deep impression on them. Some had even lost consciousness simply standing in his presence.

And now they were stepping directly into his path. That only tightened the tension.

Without a word, Dalin tapped a few times on the bracelet at her wrist, then held up the screen that appeared.

"J.T.Ripper," she said evenly. "That’s you, isn’t it?"

The screen displayed the latest power ranking. Adyr’s name—J.T.Ripper—had been pushed from first place at 304 points to second. The top slot now belonged to VelvetFox with 360.

Adyr didn’t bother denying it. "Looks like you overtook me," he replied, his tone unreadable. "You’re as talented as you look."

He didn’t ask how she’d guessed his nickname; she obviously had her own methods. Just like he’d known immediately that VelvetFox was hers.

"Is that so?" Dalin’s voice dropped, as if rejecting his casual compliment.

After all, she had witnessed him sparring with Rhys Graves. She had felt his presence so vividly that her knees had nearly buckled without him even looking her way. She could see what most couldn’t—Adyr was far more dangerous than his relaxed bearing suggested.