The door clicked shut behind Jayden as he stepped into his room, the weight of the day's hunt still pressing against his shoulders. His muscles ached, his ribs still tender from the D-Rank Smasher's devastating blow. The memory of that smirk... the smaller Earth Smasher's mocking grin, flashed in his mind, sending a fresh wave of fury through his veins.
He took off his clothes, kicked them aside as he stalked toward the bathroom.
The shower hissed as he twisted the knob, the scalding water cascading over his battered body. He stepped under the spray, hissing as heat met raw skin. His fists clenched against the tiled wall, knuckles whitening.
"That brat."
The image burned behind his eyelids—the Smasher's smug face, its relief as its leader arrived. The way it had dared to mock him. Jayden's claws slid free, scraping against ceramic. He wanted to rip that expression off its face. Wanted to crush it's skull between his hands, feel its bones crumble in his fingers.
