**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.**
Topper's eyes blazed with a crimson fury as he swung a punch at Raphael's face with a force that made my stomach churn. The impact echoed through the arena like a gunshot, and Raphael went down, hitting the ice hard. But Topper wasn't done. Not even close. He was on Raphael in a blink of an eye, straddling him and raining down punches with such ferocity that I could swear I heard bones cracking. The crowd gasped in horror, but they didn't move. No one moved. It was like we were all frozen watching the violent spectacle unfold.
Raphael, dazed but not out, managed to switch their positions, shoving Topper off and landing a few blows of his own. But Topper, with a roar that sounded animalistic, headbutted Raphael, sending him flying back to the ice. Blood splattered on the white surface, stark and shocking. Raphael's face was barely recognizable, already swelling from the barrage of punches it had suffered. Blood poured out from his nose and mouth, and he looked like he was in serious discomfort. The ice was already a mess of crimson blood.
Officials and players alike rushed to intervene, trying to pull Topper off Raphael. Even Brianna was there, her small frame struggling to restrain Topper, but it was like trying to hold back a tidal wave. Topper was a force to reckon with, his rage making him look more like his true nature — an hybrid, as he fought off anyone who dared come near him.
“Is he going to be okay?” I whispered, my voice trembling as I turned to Drake, panic seizing my chest.
Drake had removed his disguise, and for a moment, I could have mistaken him for Draken if not for the slight difference in their height and the colour of their eyes. There was a strange look in his dark eyes, one I couldn't quite decipher, as he watched the chaos on the ice unfold with a small, unsettling smile. “I don't know about Topper, but Raphael won't be recovering from those punches anytime soon.”
I tore my gaze from Drake, feeling a cold dread settle in my stomach as I looked back at the rink. Topper had managed to push away a swarm of officials trying to restrain him. His strength, his sheer, terrifying power, was staggering. It was as if he was possessed by some ancient, uncontrollable fury. But then again, he was a hybrid. Topper was on Raphael -who was cradling his nose - again, pounding him with fists that moved like sledgehammers. The sound of flesh hitting flesh was nauseating, the sight of Raphael's face — now barely more than a bloody pulp — was even worse.
But then Topper did something that made my blood run cold. With a snarl that definitely belonged to his hybrid side, he grabbed Raphael's right arm, the same one he'd used to hold the stick that hit Draken. For a split second, I thought I saw him glance in my direction, or maybe it was towards Drake. And then, with a sickening crunch, he snapped Raphael's arm like it was nothing more than a twig.
Raphael agonizing screams filled the arena, drowning the grasps and cries of the crowd. One of the officials, desperate and panicked, pulled out a taser and used it on Topper. The electricity crackled through the air, hitting Topper square in the chest, but it barely fazed him. He looked ready to take on the entire arena, his eyes wild and dangerous, until Killian appeared, stepping onto the rink with an air of calm authority.
Killian approached Topper slowly, his hands raised in a gesture of peace. The tension in the arena was suffocating as everyone held their breath, watching to see what would happen next. Killian spoke to Topper in a low, soothing voice that I chose not to listen to with my heighten senses. Then, ever so slowly, Topper began to relax. His fists unclenched, his shoulders dropped, and the fire in his eyes dimmed to a simmer. Killian guided him away from the rink, whispering in his ear as they walked, leaving the bloodied ice and the shattered Raphael behind.
The arena was in disarray as the medics rushed onto the ice, attending to Raphael who was still groaning in pain, his arm twisted at a horrific angle. I couldn't muster any sympathy for him. Not after everything he'd said to me back at the café, not after what he'd done to Draken just so they'd win the match. A part of me was even grateful to Topper, though I knew deep down that what had happened tonight could very well be the end of his journey at the university hockey team. There was no way he'd be allowed to play after this.
“That was…” Karina’s voice broke through my thoughts, snapping me back to reality. “*Unexpected.* Yeah, that's the word. I didn't know Topper could even get angry like that.”
“Same here,” I murmured, still trying to wrap my head around everything that had just happened. I sank back to my seat next to Karina and the others, who were already discussing the fight and how strong and hot Topper was in hushed tones. The game was over, but I needed a moment just to collect myself and gather the shattered pieces of my composure.
When I glanced to my side, I noticed that Drake was gone. I hadn't even seen him leave. One moment he was there, and the next, he had disappeared, like a ghost slipping back into the shadows.
“Are we going now?” I asked Karina after a while. She was already knee-deep in a heated debate with Yuri about the fight that had just gone down. They both turned to me like I had just suggested we go out in public wearing pajamas. The kind with ducks on them. “I asked when we'll be going home. I need to rest my head.”
“Are you serious?” Karina blinked at me, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
“Home? Who goes home immediately after a game?” Yuri chimed in, her face a mix of shock and pity, like I'd just admitted I didn't know how to use a smartphone. “There's a party, Eline. A real one. With music and probably too many drinks. And you can't say no,” she added, wagging her finger like a stern grandmother.
I opened my mouth to argue, but my brain had already checked out, leaving me with nothing but a shrug. “Okay, fine,” I sighed. “But if anyone spills a drink on me or forces me to *drink alcohol,*” I glanced at Karina when I said the last bit. “I’m out."
I didn't want a repeat of last time when I ended up in Draken's room.
“Deal,” Karina said with a grin, already dragging me towards the door. “Just don’t get too comfortable. But you never know if you'd see someone to get you dicked down.”
Yuri snickered, and I mentally prepared myself for whatever nonsense was coming next. But hey, at least it wasn't more alcohol.