Sasha did not answer his unasked question immediately. She instead trounced him at basketball. Almost an hour after they began, the two were sitting on a bench and drinking some water. Anthony had no idea shooting hoops could work up such a sweat, though he had also been chasing after Sasha’s cute butt. The woman had run roughshod over him.
“I do want you to win,” Sasha said finally.
“Does that mean you want to become my bondmate, or is there another reason?”
“There is other reason, but do not misunderstand. I do want to become your bondmate too. It’s just not only reason,” Sasha said.
He nodded. Anthony wasn’t upset that being his bondmate wasn’t her only reason for wanting to be with him. Even he had the ulterior motive of wanting a powerful ally to help him deal with all the problems in his lap right now. How hypocritical would it be of him to get upset over that?
“What is your other reason.” He paused. “Reasons?”
“There are several,” Sasha confessed. She leaned back on the bench. “I am turning thirty next year.”
He blinked. “Really? You don’t look it.”
Sasha smiled. “Beastkin age much slower than humans.”
“So you’re turning thirty… and you’re unmarried.”
Sasha nodded. “Is not unusual for woman my age to be unmarried these days, but there are expectations placed on me as daughter of the Beast King. I am expected to sire heir. Papa expected me to be married by twenty-five but…”
“Does he really not realize that he’s the reason you aren’t married yet?” asked Anthony.
“You’d think he would, but Papa is oblivious. Instead of finding fault with his own actions, he finds fault with everyone else. There are too many weaklings! Nobody has courage anymore! He says things like that when he complains about why I’m not married.”
Sasha kicked at the floor, her shoes scuffing the wood.
“Sounds like he might need to rethink how he operates,” Anthony said. “I’m assuming the expectations your father places on you isn’t the only reason you want to get hitched.”
It wasn’t really a question, but Sasha answered anyway. “I am… jealous.”
“Of Marianne?” he asked.
She nodded. “Marianne is so shy around men and always hid behind me for protection, but now she has a man, and he is very strong. Strong enough that he may even be able to match Papa.”
“Is that your way of saying I’m amazing?” Anthony asked.
He meant to tease her, but Sasha looked quite serious as she nodded.
“You are amazing. I knew the moment you began fighting during the peace conference. You are strong, you have good heart, and you treat your bondmates with respect. I cannot think of better man to marry.”
“Oh.”
Anthony blushed. He did not expect her to be so sincere and it threw him off. He also wasn’t great at accepting compliments.
“So… anything else?” he asked, trying to move the topic along.
Sasha looked up at the ceiling as though thinking. He didn’t say anything, though he did think about interrupting her briefly.
“I am tired of being alone,” she said at last. “Mama and Papa are very busy people. They often do not have time to spend as family. I am very proud of Papa for being such good leader, but it is lonely being by myself most of time. The only time I ever feel not lonely is when I am with my team, but they all have their own families to take care of. After mission, they go back to their families, and I am alone again.”
Anthony was surprised Sasha was being so vulnerable with him, but he knew better than to comment on it. He instead thought about what she had said.
Her position was not unusual. All children of authorities figures dealt with neglect. Their parents were too busy running the nation or dealing with politics to spend much time with them. As an orphan who never knew his parents, he couldn’t say he understood where she was coming from, but he could at least sympathize with her to some degree.
“I suppose it’s a good thing I came along then,” Anthony said after a time. “I don’t plan to lose to your father, and then, you can be with me and Marianne.”
“That is the idea,” Sasha said with a smile. “It will be nice to be family with Mary. She is already like sister to me.”
It was interesting to learn that Sasha was in some ways just a lonely woman. She was beloved by everyone, but then again, being in the spotlight like she was didn’t equate to feeling like she belonged. Sometimes, you could be standing in a crowd of people and still feel alone. He thought back to all the people who greeted her this morning. They might love her, but it was because she was ‘Lady Sasha,’ daughter of the Beast King. There was a wall that separated her from them, preventing her from truly growing close to them.
Anthony stood up and turned to her.
“How about we play some more? I’m all rested up now.”
He held out a hand.
Sasha grinned ferally. “Very well. Let us play. But let us make it interesting.”
“Interesting how?” Anthony was not sure how to feel about that smile. On the one hand, it set his hairs on end. On the other, it made his pants abnormally tight.
“Let us make bet,” Sasha said. “Loser has to do one thing winner asks of them.”
Anthony pursed his lips. “So long as we make sure it is something the loser is able to do…”
“Of course.” Sasha’s grin widened. “I would never ask you to do something you are unable to.”
***
Anthony lost. He had known already that he wasn’t going to beat Sasha at basketball. She had proven that she was beyond him. He had taken her bet knowing that he would be the one who owed her a favor.
Sasha didn’t want to cash in yet. She said that she would come to him later on to cash in.
The rest of his time before fighting Ivan past by quickly and uneventfully. He was contacted by Naomi a few times to do some work that could be finished remotely, but the only other activities he indulged in were taking his women on dates and making sure they were satisfied in more ways than one.
Moscow had come alive. News of his upcoming match against Ivan had spread like wildfire and people were coming into the city in droves. There were even some foreigners coming in to watch the match.
Most of the foreign delegates arriving were those with close ties to Ivan. Several massive oni who had definitely not been living in Russia had been spotted. Sasha revealed to Anthony that Ivan was friends with the oni, who respected strength. He’d apparently impressed them by fighting and winning against their leader.
It wasn’t just big, buff oni who had arrived either. Marianne’s mother had shown up when she heard what was happening. Marianne had been extremely surprised but also happy. Anthony would have been happy, but her mother scolded him for not staying in contact and letting her know what her daughter had been up to. He didn’t think it was his responsibility, but she seemed to think otherwise.
“You might be her bondmate, but she is my daughter. I like to know what she’s up to,” Elizabeth Tepes said to him.
While he could see her point, he still did not believe it was his responsibility to inform this woman of their movements. He knew better than to say that, however. Women could be volatile at times. Powerful women especially. He tried to handle them with care like one might a nuclear warhead.
Anthony did not see Sasha after their date. He heard through the rumor mill (AKA Marianne) that Ivan had forbidden Sasha from seeing him after their date under the claim that, because Anthony had not proven himself, she could not act like they were married yet. He didn’t know if that was true. However, if it was, then he really could understand why Sasha hadn’t been married yet.
The day of their match eventually arrived, and everyone was driven out to a field in the middle of nowhere. It was literally just an open field with a stage several up several dozen miles out.
There was a reason for this. Ivan wanted Anthony to go all out, and he could not do that if they were in a crowded arena where the potential to injure bystanders existed. Having their match out in the open, in a large space that was far from any form of civilization, would let them both unleash their full strength.
***
The stands had been hastily constructed, but they were still sturdy enough not to blow over in the stiff breeze. It was also quite large, able to seat at least two hundred thousand people. Ivan’s people certainly were something. The stands were made with modular pieces so they could be broken down and remade wherever and whenever Ivan needed them.
Marianne sat alongside her mother, Brianna, Secilia, and Trinity. Elizabeth Tepes had been surprised to find Trinity among their group. She’d been even more surprised to discover that Trinity had joined Anthony’s harem. The two women were compatriots of a sort since they were both powerful figures in the international community, and they had crossed paths several times, though they’d never spoken at length.
“How did Anthony manage to hook his claws into you?” asked Elizabeth.
“You mean how did I hook my claws into Anthony?” returned Trinity. “And that’s simple. I made myself available.”
Marianne was only paying a little attention to the conversation. Trinity was telling the story of how she “caught” Anthony. It had happened relatively quickly after the events in the Rockies. Some would say it happened a little too quickly, but Anthony was an incubus. He had probably sensed a strong connection between them or something. That was Marianne’s hypothesis.
“MARY!”
“Sasha!”
Marianne turned at the voice and smiled as Sasha and her mother strode up the steps toward the group, drawing quite a few eyes as well. Marianne and Sasha shared a hug as their mothers greeted each other.
“Svetlana, it is good to see you.”
“And you, Eli. I hope your trip was smooth?”
“It was fine. There were no issues. More importantly, it looks like we might become akin to sisters soon.”
“I’m not sure if that’s how I would put it. It’s our daughters who might become sisters of a kind. But you will always be my best friend.”
“Aw, I love you too, Svetti.”
Their group sat down and the people around them eventually shifted their focus elsewhere. Everyone was talking about the upcoming match and betting on who would win. The odds were heavily in Ivan’s favor.
“It seems they don’t think too highly of Anthony,” said Elizabeth, who was listening in on several conversations.
Svetlana shrugged. “That is natural. My husband is very popular and well-known for his immense strength. Anthony is still relatively new. He might have beaten Sasha, but she cannot compare to her father yet.”
“I’ll reach his power some day,” Sasha said.
Svetlana smiled. “I’m certain you will.”
“If your husband has the better odds, I guess I should put my money on Anthony,” Elizabeth said.
Svetlana was curious when the vampire progenitor did just that. “Do you think he is actually going to win?”
“Do you think he’s going to lose?” asked Elizabeth.
Svetlana paused. “I hope he wins. For my daughter’s sake if nothing else.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I believe Anthony will win. He’s strong… though he’d be much stronger if he had made Sasha his bondmate before this match.”
“That would have defeated the purpose of the match.”
“What do you think?” Brianna asked Trinity.
“You mean do I think Anthony can win?” Trinity hummed and leaned back. “I think he has a very real chance, but he could also lose. Ivan is someone even I wouldn’t want to fight unless I had no choice.”
“I’ve heard rumors,” Secilia chimed in. “Ivan is, like, ultra powerful.”
Trinity pursed her lips. “Ivan is physically one of the strongest beings on the planet, and that strength is all natural and doesn’t require the use of mana. When he uses his mana, however… that’s when he becomes nearly invincible. I’ve often heard him described as a force of nature.”
Before anything more could be said, a holographic screen was projected into the air, and the crowd went silent as a familiar announcer appeared before them.
“Comrades of Mother Russia, friends from foreign lands, welcome to the most anticipated battle of the century! Anthony versus our very own King! I hope you’re all prepared because I have a feeling this match is going to blow us all away!”