Third Person's POV
A blood-red aura crackled faintly around her as she glared at Declan and looked every bit like a predator ready to strike.
Even Velcy bristled from her spot as her teeth bared and her gray hair started shining as she was about to transform. She started crouching as she prepared to leap at a moment's notice.
But Ethan's calm hand smoothed over Velcy's head and instantly pacified her roiled emotions. His relaxed demeanor didn't falter for even a second.
Before Ethan could respond in return to his threat, Declan raised his hand and cut him off mid-thought.
"Unless..." Declan's grin widened wickedly.
"Unless you accept a challenge. One of my underli... Ahem, teammates versus you, right now, as your official ranking match."
He nearly slipped and said "underlings" but caught himself with a visible twitch.
Ethan immediately picked up on the ploy as it wasn't even subtle.
