Fighting for Keeps

by Grace Brennan

  The only saving grace was the rule that if one fighter wore shoes, the other fighter had to as well, to eliminate any advantages gained. It happened more often than he could really believe. He couldn’t count the times he heard a human complaining about how fighting barefoot was distracting on a dirt floor, the inevitable twigs, clumps of dirt, or even occasional small rocks, hurting their feet.

  Bunch of pansy ass wimps, the lot of them.

  Like you? his cat taunted.

  Head falling back, Seth groaned. Really? You want to do this now? I thought we were on the same page with this fight.

  Silence for a moment. Then, Good point.

  Rolling his eyes as his cat went quiet, Seth got back to his pre-fight routine. It was times like this when he was sure he and his animal really were borderline insane. He was just finishing his stretches when a knock sounded on the side of the stall, and Cammie poked her head in. Grinning, she walked in, Alex trailing behind her.

  “You’re up after Jax and Ian, who are next. But you got this, Seth. I know you can focus and take Zane down.”

  Ian and Jax gathered their things. “We’re going to go to another stall, give you a chance to have some time to yourself and prepare,” Ian told him. He gave him a fist bump, saying, “Like Cammie said, you got this. You’re good enough, Seth. Just don’t let your animal’s taunts get to you when you’re in the middle of the fight. Do your best to ignore him, and focus on the fight with Zane, not on your animal being a dick.”

  Both of the fighters gave him a hard clap on the back, and went to find another stall.

  Eyes wide, Cammie watched them go and then held up a hand. “Whoa. Back the fuck up. What the hell is he talking about? Your animal talks smack to you while you’re fighting?”

  Seth turned his gaze away, pretending to study the speed bag. “You know my leopard is a dick.”

  “Well yeah, but I didn’t know he was taunting you, messing with you while you fought. I thought you were unfocused as a fighter most of the time, and rushing your moves naturally. You never let on you had trouble with your animal.”

  Reluctantly returning his gaze to hers, he shrugged. “I didn’t see the need to tell anyone. Ian only knows because he figured it out on his own.”

  “Didn’t see the—for crying out loud, Seth, I reprimanded and lectured you for hours after a fight, on multiple occasions, and I didn’t need to. I went around for years thinking you were the least skilled of all of us, but the truth is really, you’re a much better fighter. You were fighting not to let your cat’s asshole taunts get to you, while fighting to keep your human skin, all while fighting an actual opponent. Even making it to the end of a fight is a win under those conditions, and you’ve never bowed out. You even beat us sometimes. My God, you’re a beast. If your cat left you alone, you’d be damned near unstoppable. You should have fucking told us.”

  “It wouldn’t have changed anything,” he replied with another shrug. “He’s always done that, and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. And while he continues to act like a dick when I fight, I’m still going to struggle to finish, or come close to winning. I don’t see it ever changing. It is what it is.”

  “Listen,” she said, squaring up to him, going up on tiptoe and grabbing his shoulders while she met his eyes. “I believed it when I said I thought Amelia could be a turning point for you. And this fight is about defending her honor. I’ve seen Zane fight, and he’s not as good as you, even when you’re fighting your animal. I really do think the odds of you winning are high. But you can’t let him get in your head. A douchebag like that will do whatever he can to win, even if it’s not honorable, because he has no honor. You cannot let what he says get to you, hear me?”

  “Yes, Oh Wise One,” he said with a grin.

  “Oh sure, poke fun. I’m still right,” she replied, letting go of his shoulders and stepping away. “We better let you warm up.”

  “I guess this means I need to get better fast if I want a chance at beating you,” Alex said with a grin. “You’re the only one I have a shot at winning against, and that shot will vanish if your animal stops being a taint weevil.”

  Seth threw his head back with a laugh. “Taint weevil. That’s a good one. You’re almost there, Alex. You learned to fight, and became good at it in a really short time. I think you have a shot at beating me soon.”

  “Good to know. Listen, good luck out there tonight. We’ll see you after your win.”

  “Damn straight, we will,” Cammie said as they moved to leave. Turning her head, she mouthed you got this, and then they disappeared from sight.

  Exhaling, and feeling lighter and even more confident than he had before, he turned to the speed bag and began throwing punches, using his shifter speed, moving so fast that neither his hands or the bag were ever visible. It was the sound of a throat clearing that had him stopping, putting his hands out and halting the movement of the bag while he turned his head, hoping whoever it was hadn’t noticed how fast he’d been going.

  Amelia was standing in the doorway with her eyes down, like she wasn’t sure if she was welcome. Breath catching, he ran his eyes up and down her tall frame, drinking her in. She had boots on and wore snug jeans. Her top was a blue and green plaid shirt with pearl buttons, and it nipped in at the waist, showing her curves. She looked like a born and bred country girl.

  Dragging his eyes to her face, he saw that her makeup was minimal, and she’d slicked her lips with a pale pink gloss. Her square, black frame glasses rested on her pert nose, and her short black curls were pulled back in a high ponytail.

  He sucked in a breath, realizing just then that he hadn’t been breathing. His mate was gorgeous, and say what he would about his cantankerous, unruly animal, his leopard sure knew how to pick ‘em.

  “Am I interrupting? Greg just announced Jax and Ian, and I haven’t seen you since last night. I wanted to before your match,” she said softly, her words almost running together like she was nervous.

  “You’re the most welcome interruption I’ve ever had,” he said softly, unable to help placing his hands on her hips and pulling her closer.

  “I’m glad,” she replied, voice huskier than normal. “I wanted to wish you luck before you went out there.”

  “And maybe send me off with that good luck kiss?” he asked, his own voice turning gravelly.

  “That too,” she said, eyes dropping to his lips.

  Lowering his head, he put his lips to hers, heat rushing through his veins. She moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck, and plastered her body to his. Sliding his hands to the small of her back, he held her tighter still, and passed his tongue across her lips. The lip gloss she had on was flavored, and the taste of strawberries danced across his tongue as she opened, letting him in. Sweeping his tongue inside, he tangled it with hers, the taste that was uniquely Amelia overpowering his senses. Amelia and strawberries, and it was quickly becoming his favorite taste in the world.

  They made out like teenagers for a few moments, until the roar of the crowd cheering loudly broke them apart.

  “We should probably put a hold on that thought for now,” she said, panting.

  It took all his willpower to let her go, but he managed it, chest heaving for air as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, that’s probably best. It would be difficult, not to mention dangerous to go into a fight with a massive boner.”

  Her eyes dropped to his groin where his dick was tenting up the front of his shorts, her eyes forming full moons. “Oh my,” she replied faintly.

  “Exactly,” he said wryly, not bothering to adjust himself. He had a feeling any touch other than hers, including his own, would be too painful to endure in this state. He willed his erection to deflate, and after it slowly subsided, he ran a hand through his hair and turned back to her.

  She looked deliciously disheveled, her lips swollen and glistening from his kiss, her shirt askew, and little tendrils of hair escaping from her ponytail to curl around the back of her neck. Cursi
ng beneath his breath, he looked for a distraction as he fought his body’s instant reaction to her.

  “How are you doing today? You know, after the pictures and the letter?”

  “I haven’t read the letter yet. I can’t seem to make myself. I guess I haven’t been ready. If it’s not from her, I’ll be disappointed. And if it is… well, I’m just not ready for it. But I will be soon, I think. I need to know either way. I don’t deal with unanswered questions well. The pictures are amazing, though. I can’t stop staring at them.”

  “You’ll be okay when you read it. I’ll be with you, if you want. Silent support,” he replied, grabbing her hands and giving them a squeeze. He opened his mouth so say more, but paused when he heard Greg call out that it was almost time for him and Zane to fight.

  Keeping one of Amelia’s hands in his, he walked out of the stall. Zane was already there waiting, and his eyes fell to where their hands were clasped together. When he lifted his gaze, his eyes were burning, but he held his silence while Amelia wished Seth good luck one last time, and left to find her seat.

  “You think you’ve already won, but you have not,” the tiger shifter spat. “Soon she’ll see who the superior shifter is.”

  “Give it a rest,” Seth replied mildly, refusing to let Zane ruffle him. “She’s not interested in you.”

  “Maybe not now, while she’s slumming it with trash. But it won’t last long. She is a scientist, no? And you’re nothing more than an uneducated hick, living in an equally uneducated backwater town. She’ll get bored soon enough. And then who will she come running to?”

  Seth stiffened, but refused to react. He couldn’t let Zane know he was getting to him. And that was exactly what he was trying to do. He wanted to provoke Seth, get a reaction, throw him off his game.

  “You live here too, buddy. From where I’m sitting, you’re not looking as superior as you think you are.”

  Zane’s eyes narrowed, the hatred in them burning brighter. “You are pond scum, and not fit to lick my feet. And soon, the whole world will know how inferior you are.”

  Greg announced Zane, and the tiger shot him a goading look as he walked toward the ring. Blowing out a breath, Seth bounced on the toes of his feet, focusing all his efforts on pushing Zane’s words of his head.

  By the time Greg announced Seth, he was feeling in control of himself and his emotions again. His leopard was alert inside him, but the cat wasn’t insulting him, which was another great sign. His confidence returned, and he walked in the ring to the sound of the roaring crowd, ready to do this.

  He turned to face Zane, feeling relaxed and confident. They walked to the middle to bump fists, the official start to the match.

  “Think about it, Birmingham. She’ll turn all that desire she feels my way. Soon, I’ll know how she tastes, what she feels like under me, skin to skin. You’re just a novelty to her, and it won’t be long until she gets bored and turns to me, looking for what you’ll never be able to offer her.”

  Seth stood frozen as Zane bumped his fists and backed away, a smirk on his face. A buzzing sound was ringing in Seth’s ears, and a red haze coated his vision as he looked at Zane.

  Maim, destroy, kill.

  His cat was hissing and spitting inside him, urging Seth to let him out. Seth kept a tight reign on the animal, but he wasn’t going to be able to control him while he fought. And he didn’t want to, regardless of the likelihood that he would spill his secret nature to the humans. Zane was asking to die, and Seth was just the person to grant his wish.

  No. This was what Zane wanted. And Seth wasn’t giving that fucking tiger one sliver of an advantage over him.

  Do not react. Do. Not. Fight. Me. We take this asshole down, he ordered his cat. Get the fuck back in line and on the same page again.

  For a moment, he worried his cat would refuse. He couldn’t do this if he was fighting his emotions and his leopard while he fought Zane. The fight needed one hundred percent of his focus.

  If we want to repay him for what he said, the best way is taking him out in this fight. We humiliate him, because that’s something he can’t handle. And we need to do this for Amelia. Remember Amelia.

  At the sound of her name, his cat slowly and reluctantly settled down inside Seth, and his mind was suddenly focused and clear. He and Zane circled each other, and even though he had opportunities, Seth didn’t strike. He wanted to lull the tiger into thinking he had this. He wanted him to think he had a shot, to get his hopes up, before Seth crushed him to dust.

  Zane darted forward and slammed his fist into Seth’s jaw. His head whipped back as pain exploded, but when he looked at Zane again, a grin spread across Seth’s face.

  Now fuck him the hell up.

  Already on it, he told his cat.

  “And that’s the only hit you get tonight.”

  And with a flurry of movements, Seth lunged, and started landing blow after blow, never letting up. For the first time, he and his cat were one in the same, and it was perfect. And now it was time to show this tiger who the truly superior shifter was.

  Amelia made her way to a spot in the stands, warring emotions dueling it out inside her. She was here tonight for a very different purpose than trying to figure out what Seth was. She was here to support him, to encourage him. And even though she’d seen him fight and knew how good he was, she couldn’t help feeling fear he’d get hurt. Research was the last thing on her mind.

  Things had changed so much since she’d arrived. She’d changed. So much happened in so short a time, it left her reeling inside, unable to find her footing. And the longing she felt for Seth threw her into another tailspin all over again when she thought about it.

  For the first time, she wasn’t thinking logically, wasn’t thinking in black and white. She was thinking as a woman—a woman who had major feelings for Seth.

  The crowd roared, drawing her attention back to the ring, and Amelia frowned, chewing anxiously on her thumbnail as Seth stood frozen. She was near enough that she saw Zane say something to him, but not close enough to hear the words, especially over the crowd. But whatever he said obviously packed a wallop, if it was enough to stun Seth.

  Holding her breath as Zane darted in, she silently urged Seth to move, but he just stood there while Zane landed a powerful blow to his cheek. What the hell was he doing? He could fight, she knew he could. She’d seen it with her own eyes, but he acted like he was in shock. Getting concerned, she started to move toward Greg, and have him call the match off, but she paused as Seth’s lips moved. She couldn’t be sure, but it looked like he said, “And that’s the only hit you get tonight.”

  Suddenly, in one powerful move, he lunged toward Zane, catching him off guard as Seth landed his own blow, the force of it sending Zane stumbling backward. Not giving him any time to recover, Seth was on him again, landing a succession of blows that made Amelia wince.

  Mouth hanging open in growing shock, she watched as Seth thoroughly kicked Zane’s ass. As far as she could tell, he wasn’t using any of his supernatural enhancements, although it was possible he was using strength. But she knew whatever Seth was, Zane was as well, because she saw his eyes change color before the fight. And unlike Seth, he was using his advantages, moving too quickly, healing too fast. But even using them, he was still no match for Seth, even while fighting at human level.

  Seth drew the fight out, a mocking smile directed Zane’s way the whole time. Amelia had no words for the moves he was making, having no clue of the fighting terms. But Seth never let Zane land even one more hit. He was poetry in motion, graceful, powerful, every move thought out and precise, delivered seamlessly.

  He took her breath away.

  Zane kicked his leg up, looking like he was aiming for Seth’s chin, but Seth caught his foot, twisting slightly as he pulled up, throwing Zane off balance and sending him to the floor. His back hit the ground with a thud she could practically feel vibrating her feet, and Seth was on him in an instant. Shoving Zane onto his stomach, Seth strad
dled him as he yanked Zane’s arm up behind him in a maneuver that looked so painful, Amelia couldn’t help but shudder.

  Zane struggled for a moment, his face showing his fury, before he finally tapped the floor in succession with his free hand, admitting his defeat. Seth yanked Zane’s captive arm higher for a moment before he let go and stood, arms raised in victory as the crowd roared their approval.

  Greg entered the ring to announce Seth’s victory, and a smile crept across Amelia’s face, growing bigger and bigger until her cheeks hurt. Sidling through the rowdy crowd, she made her way toward the stalls so she could congratulate him as soon as he was finished, thinking over the fight as she went. Even when he fought Jax last week, it was nothing like this. He was amazing out there tonight, and she wanted to be one of the first to tell him so.

  She made it back to the stalls, coming to an abrupt halt as Zane stepped in front of her. He was battered and bloody, but even as she watched, his wounds were slowly healing.

  “Come to check on me? Did I make you hot while I was up there fighting? Did you come to realize I’m the better man?”

  Eyebrows raising as she took in his words, she thought for a moment he was kidding, but no, he was completely serious. “You lost, Zane. Seth kicked your ass. It was barely even a match.”

  A dark expression crossed his face. “The fucker cheated. He’ll pay for that.”

  “I was there, Zane. I watched it all happen. He didn’t cheat, he was just better than you. A thousand times better than you.”

  Narrowing his eyes, he stepped in close, invading her personal space. “I was distracted, thinking of all the things I was going to do to you. He might have been good enough to beat me tonight, but I can guarantee you I’m better than him in bed. Are you ready to find out how it feels to sleep with a real man?”

  “Oh, sod off, you bloody beef curtain. I want nothing to do with you,” she bit out, shoving his arm so she could dart away, taking pleasure in his grimace of pain when she pushed on a sore spot.