by H. T. Night
I had to go to Running Springs one more time and do my werewolf thing.
I was anticipating seeing Maya again. We said a lot to one another the last couple times. We had been separated by bars. She was a crafty one. I just wanted to have a more meaningful encounter, whatever that meant when dealing with a human and an angel.
I began my new, rigorous training schedule with my new handpicked trainer, Gary McDonald. He was the best in the business and he was one of my first mentors, so I asked him and he was more than game.
I was ten days into my workout routine and I was about to have a full moon problem. I had to explain to Gary I had to go to the Reserves on a Wednesday. Not an easy lie to tell to an ex-corporal in the United States Marines. But I think he bought it. At the worst, he thought I needed a four-day rest, which wasn’t true at all. I was planning on working out all day when I was at my cabin. I would just use my werewolf time as sleep. Hopefully, my werewolf self slept. It was all I could do, being stuck in a cage.
I needed to go up to Running Springs and stay a couple nights at Verna’s cabin. She gave me her cabin as a birthday present on my eighteenth birthday. She did it so I would always have a place that was my own. I told Verna that I was going up there for a few days to clear my head. She offered to go up with me. I told her maybe next time.
I took the forty-five-minute drive to my cabin. I was getting settled in when, just like a breeze, Maya’s presence was obvious. She was going to reveal herself to me any moment. There was a part of me that thought she purposely waited until I went inside the cage and locked it before she revealed herself. It was a way for us to be physically separated.
I brought my P90X workout DVD. I put it on and worked out. I did the most extreme DVD and knew I was in tip-top shape. I went upstairs and took a shower. The water felt good on my body. Every now and then, a shower feels like a baptism into cleanliness, and this was one of them. I enjoyed every wet, warm moment I had underneath that shower rod.
It was nearing an hour from the first moonlight when I decided I was going to play a trick on an angel.
I did my typical routine of setting up both remote control cars. I even went above and beyond and put new batteries in both cars. When it came to locking myself in, I usually locked the lock on the outside, so it was easy to just close the door shut. But this time, when it was time in my routine to lock it, I just pretended to. And when I checked to see if was locked once I was inside, I only pretended that it was locked.
Why was I going through all of this? I wanted more of Maya, and I couldn’t have it being separated by a cage. I was willing to do whatever it takes to feel the woman I love tonight. I didn’t know what that entailed. I just knew I needed more of her.
I lay back, closed my eyes, and waited for Maya to reveal herself. Who knows? Maybe she knew I was trying to trick her and she was going to have no part in revealing herself to me tonight.
As I lay with my eyes closed, I thought of Maya, but I also thought about Josiah. I’d never hit him before. I’d never tried to hurt him before and it was making me feel extremely sad thinking about the concept of wanting to hurt someone that I loved so dearly. Our fight was close, and before we knew it, one of us was going to have to live with the defeat given to us by the other. It was too weird of a scenario to even fathom, yet put on an undercard for a fight.
I sighed out loud and just waited.
Chapter Seventeen
I must have had my eyes closed for five minutes when I was startled by a voice that sounded far too close to me.
“Tommy?” It was Maya.
I opened my eyes and Maya was lying right next to me on the ground inside the cage with the door shut. She was no more than two feet away. I gave her a look that must have been one for the ages because she laughed out loud.
“Don’t get excited. We still can’t touch,” Maya warned. “But you have been such a gentleman the last couple times, I thought I’d lie next to you. If that’s okay with you?”
“Of course it’s okay with me.” I smiled and maneuvered my body so I was on my side. This was the best way to see a lying angel in my cage.
I looked at Maya from head to toe. She seemed as real as day, but if I were to touch her, my hand would go right through her. She was wearing a light-blue blouse with white capri pants.
“Don’t get turned on, Tommy. It won’t do anybody any good.” Maya’s look was priceless.
“I was just appreciating all of your beauty. At the very least, may I be able to do that?”
Maya blushed. “Well, thank you.” She decided to change the subject to her brother. “So, your next fight’s against Josiah?”
“Yup,” I said.
“How do you feel about that?” Maya asked.
“I think it sucks, but it’s Josiah’s fault. If he had his shit together, they wouldn’t be punishing him by having him go up against me.”
“You’re certain you’re going to win?” Maya asked me as honestly as she could.
I laughed. The truth is whenever I thought about the fight, I was scared to death. “No, I’m scared shitless,” I said. “I have waited all my life to fight in this sport and I finally have a shot at the title. I was supposed to have a cakewalk opponent this time. Instead, they give me the most explosive fighter in the sport.”
“Josiah can beat you, Tommy. Will he? That will be determined.”
“Look, you probably think your brother is going to beat me. Your loyalty to him as a fighter has always been well documented.”
“Tommy, I think you’ll win,” Maya said.
“You do?”
“Yeah. Josiah is a great fighter, but he is too green to fight a fighter as seasoned as you. Tommy, just don’t hurt him. Don’t get machismo and end up sending him to the hospital. And if I had contact with Josiah, I would be telling him the same thing. Not that I think he can beat you, but he can hurt you.”
“I love you, Maya,” I said. “I would love to talk about something else.”
“Like what?” Maya asked.
“Maya,” I said, “this is crazy. We are already doing something that no one has ever heard of. The last time we talked, you acted like that was enough. I’m saying it’s not. I’m saying we can share more. We can have more fulfillment from one another. If it isn’t this ungodly sexual pleasure, I don’t see why it’s a bad thing.”
Maya looked at me and she was struggling to wrap her mind around what I was asking her to do. Hell, I wasn’t too sure myself. “What are you suggesting we try, Tommy?”
I said, “Maybe we can allow our emotions to feel so much for one another. Just like what happened the time I felt you for that split second in time, and when you were able to knock me off my bike. I’m suggesting that we love each other. We just live inside each other’s love and see what happens.”
Maya had tears dripping from her eyes. “How do you suppose we do this?”
“We stand up and we put our arms around each other as if we were actually embracing. Our chests, our hearts, will be touching, and at the same moment in time, we both feel as much love as we can feel for another. I’m thinking just maybe we might be able to feel one another.”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“Then we tried,” I said, exhausted from the explanation. “Then we know that we did all we could to hold one another. Even if it’s just one glimpse in time, I think it’s worth a shot.” I started laughing. It was not a nervous laugh, but a self-deprecating one. But I continued to tell Maya what was in my heart. “In my mind,” I said, “it sounded like a ridiculous thing to say to you. But as I tell you in its simplicity that it can be something marvelous.”
Maya stared at me and asked the obvious question. “What if we achieve what we achieve and it’s against the rules?”
“It can’t be against the rules. We’re coming up with a way for our two worlds to touch. There is nothing malicious about what we are trying to do. And if whoever is in charge of all of this can’t see that, then maybe I don’t wa
nt anything to do with that someone who would turn his back on a love as strong as ours.”
“Are you talking about God?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I’m just saying.”
“Look, the Creator has enough problems and doesn’t need angel drama on His plate.”
“Then who decided?” I asked. “You don’t tell me anything about your world, so I am left guessing and making wild insinuations.”
I stared at Maya and then I stood up to my feet. “I want to hold you. I want to feel you.” I looked down and waited for her to stand too. She hesitated. “Maya,” I said. “I need to know if I can touch you one more time. Please.”
Maya exhaled and nodded her head. She stood up facing me. We were both in the cage.
“By the way, I know you didn’t lock the cage door,” she said, winking at me.
“Do you want to step out of the cage?” I said.
“No,” Maya said. “The cage is as romantic a place as any.”
“Okay,” I said.
Maya and I stared at one another. One minute turned into two. We were communicating without words, just with our eyes. I loved her so deeply. Right at the same moment, Maya and I reached for one another for our embrace. At first, we swooped into each other’s bodies, but then something happened. I could feel her blouse with my hand. I could feel her legs with my legs. I looked down and Maya was as surprised as I was. I leaned in and gave her the longest, deepest, wettest kiss in the history of the world. I felt the entire kiss. The kiss went through me from head to toe. We kept hugging and embracing one another. I didn’t know how long this was going to last. I wonder if we lost touch, would that mean we lost the ability to touch? It was as good a reason as any to not let go of her.
I held Maya tightly, and I kissed her again and again. I kissed her face, her cheek, her forehead.
Suddenly, Maya let go of me and went to the other side of the cage. I walked over to her and reached my hand out to hers, and our fingers dissolved into one another.
“Tommy, I love you. You don’t see the harm in it, but we did a very bad thing tonight. It isn’t about morality. It’s about nature and making a mockery of it.” Maya paused and said, “I’m going to go. This was a bad idea. I’m sorry, Tommy.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I said. “It was the greatest forty-five seconds of my life.”
Maya looked at me and smiled. She shook her head. “Goodbye, Tommy.” Then, poof. Maya disappeared.
I hurried and set up the remote control cars. This time, I locked the cage.
Chapter Eighteen
The next couple of days were filled with daily exercises and nights of being a werewolf locked in a cage for his and everyone’s good. I kept remembering what it felt to touch Maya. The supernatural electricity was everything I’d hope to feel, and more.
When my time in the cabin was over, I headed back down to Verna’s house in Fullerton. I wondered if Josiah was doing okay. I hadn’t called him or talked to him since I told him we were going up against one another. It was better this way.
I trained harder for my fight against Josiah than I had ever trained in such a short amount of time. Our fight was at the Anaheim Sports Arena. We were on a smaller card and were the second fight up.
When I arrived at the arena, I decided to isolate myself until it was time. I let my trainer Gary know I was here but was going to do some meditating. Gary had thought all along that I had an unorthodox way of training, but he seemed to like the effort I gave, no matter what drill we were doing.
I heard that Josiah had arrived. It was a couple of hours before the fight. I headed down to my dressing room. I didn’t want to see Josiah till we were in the ring. Call me a romantic.
Gary and I did some punching drills and I receive a prefight massage from Gary’s personal masseuse. Very nice.
I stood up slowly from my rather physical massage from what looked to be an old Eastern European dude. I felt incredible, rejuvenated, and was waiting to get into in the ring.
Eventually, it was time for our fight and I made my way down to the ring first, with just Gary in my corner. As I entered the arena, it was a typical night for MMA fighting. Anticipation was in the air.
I stepped through the ropes that were being lifted for me by Gary and entered the ring to a sound that has grown a little more familiar each time I fought. I heard more women screaming for me in the audience, each and every fight.
I had to admit, I like the cheers from the ladies. I stood facing the crowd. I noticed a lot of faces. Some I recognized. I saw Yari. She was in the crowd next to this extremely tall fellow that I recognized. His name was Atticai. He was there the night I turned for the first time at the Flatlands. Why were they all here? Were they here to see Josiah? Is that who he had been hanging out with?
Holy shit. You don’t see a guy for a couple of weeks and he goes all vampire on you. I looked over at Josiah and he wouldn’t look at me. I was pretty sure he hasn’t turned into a vampire. I wasn’t sure. Why were they all here? What did they want with Josiah?
We were introduced as two undefeated fighters. That had the crowd’s attention, especially those who didn’t know who Josiah and I were. There were about fifteen hundred people in the stands.
Before I knew it, the opening bell rang. Holy shit, I had lost all of my focus thinking about trivial things with the audience.
I moved toward the center of the ring and hit gloves with Josiah. I bounced back to gather my focus. Josiah was circling. So, I countered his circle with one of my own. Josiah looked good. He looked as if he was going to kill someone. At this point in time, that someone was me.
I was trying my hardest to concentrate, but something beyond this world was paralyzing me. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn’t.
Before I knew it, Josiah swung a hard right hand that landed on the side of my face. I fell backward. It was the hardest my face had ever been hit in my fighting life.
“Watch his right hand!” Gary yelled out.
I shook my head and came back at him. We were going round and round again in the ring. Suddenly, Josiah threw a five-punch combination that included an uppercut that landed directly on my chin. Every punch felt as if a dagger had struck me. Damn, Josiah’s punches hurt. Holy hell. I fell to the mat. Josiah then jumped on top of me and began clobbering me. I had to do something. I was trying a reverse-axle-flat-submissive hold, but I couldn’t get a hold of Josiah’s knee. All the while, Josiah was just unloading on my head, face, and shoulders. My entire upper body felt like it had just crashed into a semi-truck. Josiah was the hardest-hitting motherfucker that had ever lived. I felt like I was bleeding internally.
I escaped from Josiah’s clutches and as I did, I swept Josiah’s feet. He stumbled a bit and jumped up and wanted to go neutral.
Josiah looked up and saw that we were three minutes into our fight. He grinned at me. It was probably the longest fight he’d had. We circled each other some more. I was trying to regain my focus.
Josiah lunged forward and threw a powerhouse right. I blocked it with my arms. Damn, that fucking hurt. The dude’s fists were like sledgehammers. It felt like he’d just broken both of my arms. He didn’t quit, either; he threw more punches than I thought was humanly possible. I was a human punching bag. The pain from Josiah’s punches was overwhelming. I began to lose all concentration. I did, until I heard someone in the crowd yell to Josiah, “Finish him!”
Holy shit, that’s the crowd telling Josiah to finish me. I needed to get back in this game. Just as I gathered my senses, I could feel Josiah tiring out. “Don’t stop, Josiah. You’re not even breathing hard.” Josiah put me in a reverse headlock until the bell sounded.
I could hear Mike screaming at Josiah for not fighting. Gary gave me an earful himself. “If you don’t want it, kid, why are you wasting my time?” Gary said to me.
I looked at Gary and said simply, “Round two, we’ll fight my way.”
The second round bell rang. I walked out this time and watched Josiah
come toward me in his boxing stance. We slowly circled one another when Josiah said to me, “You’re going to have to punch me, Tommy. You can’t beat me unless you punch me. You need to forget who we are. This is your fight. This is your career. You can go toe-to-toe with me, but you will have to strike, also.”
I nodded, but like I needed a pep talk from him. I lunged forward and threw a haymaker. I landed it across Josiah’s pretty face. This time, he stumbled back.
Josiah smiled. “There you go, Tommy. Now, it’s a fight.”
Then something happened that surprised even me. I stood toe-to-toe with Josiah, trading punches. Each time one of his punches landed, I thought I was going to squeal out loud in pain. But I was hanging in there with him.
When the time was just right, I dropped down, sprung across, and grabbed both of Josiah’s legs. I picked him up like he weighed fifty pounds and I slammed him down hard on the mat, gaining top control. I secured myself behind him by riding his hips. I slowly moved my body around his. I slipped my front choke submissive hold. I locked my forearm under my neck and had it crammed in there nice and tight. Josiah was a freak of nature. He had never experienced anything like what was happening in this fight. Josiah fought my hold and wouldn’t tap out. He refused to tap out. I was suffocating him. I would soon be killing him. I looked at the referee and pleaded for him to call the fight.
And he did, at 2:12 p.m. in the second period. The referee jumped on top of us and broke me off Josiah. I let go immediately. I wasn’t trying to hurt Josiah. I had to get in there tight, so they’d call it. The referee called it a TKO. I officially knocked out Josiah Reign in a professional fight.
I jumped up and raised my hands. I looked down and Josiah was still blacked out. For a second, I thought I might have seriously hurt him. The paramedics were waiting ringside anyway, so they were already in the ring, going to Josiah. I didn’t care about winning. I didn’t care about this dumb sport. All I wanted was to see Josiah move.
