by Lisa Kessler
“You needed to think, asshole. A survey? No way. You knew it was blood money.” I hit him again and when his knees buckled this time, I let him fall to the floor. The door flew open behind me. I spun around to find Kilani, eyes wide.
“Oh Jesus, Jason.” She rushed past me to inspect Todd’s bloody lip.
I frowned. Was she seriously nursing that waste of skin? “He’s working for them. He told them where to find you.”
“I’m angry, too. Pissed, in fact.” She looked up as she grabbed some gauze pads from the shelf. “But this isn’t a boxing ring. This is assault. You could get arrested.”
“I don’t believe this. You’re angry at me?” I pointed at the piece of shit she was cleaning up. “This is the bastard who told Nero where you work. He took their money and sold you out.”
My pulse pounded in my ears, fury roaring in my head like a lion. I’d never needed to hit anything so badly. I wanted to pummel something until I was too exhausted to lift my arms, until the rage ran dry.
“I know who he is.” She disinfected his wounds with a jerky hand. He flinched a couple of times but had the good sense to keep his mouth shut. “And I know what he did.” She met my eyes. “But right now, I need to clean up this mess so you don’t end up in jail. I need you with me, remember?”
“What the hell?”
I turned around to find Jared in the doorway. Kilani glanced up at him. “Your brother just beat up this nurse.”
I narrowed my eyes, struggling to keep my voice down. “This is the guy who tipped off Nero, and she’s defending him.”
Jared met my eyes, his tone low and even. “Go walk it off, bro. I’ll be sure she stays safe.”
“Walk it off? Are you two crazy?” I raked both hands back through my hair. “This bastard sold out my mate for money and I’m supposed to be calm?”
Jared put a heavy hand on my shoulder. “You don’t have to be calm, but beating him senseless isn’t going to get us information.”
I coiled my fingers into an aching fist, welcoming the pain. Rational thought was out the window, but I managed not to hit my brother. Barely.
“You’ll keep her safe.”
“You know I will.”
I nodded and started to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Kilani asked.
“Ask him.” I pointed to the weasel with the ice pack. “He runs the fight club.”
The sun faded into the horizon as my tires ground into the pitted, cracked pavement of the warehouse that housed the fight club. Above me, the sky was painted in a sea of turbulent orange and red, mirroring my frustration and anger.
Todd, the guy I’d talked to just last night, the guy who first invited me to the club, also spied for goddamned Nero. Did he know they wanted to kill her? On second thought, I didn’t give a shit whether he knew or not. What kind of man gave out personal information about a coworker for money?
Filthy spineless weasels. Pond scum.
And I’d been paying him for a chance to get in that ring, for a little taste of control of my destiny, a vent to release some pressure. I couldn’t have known he worked in the building right next door to my office, but as I tore off my shirt in the musty locker room, clear thinking was a distant memory.
With my aggressive wolf so close to the surface, the world seemed more black and white, right and wrong. Todd led killers to my mate. That made him a threat to her. I wanted to kill him.
Instead, I’d take it out on the poor bastard waiting to fight me.
My chest heaved with frustration as I stalked toward the ring, seething for primal satisfaction. A familiar scent hit me between the eyes, as solid as any punch. Jaguar.
Adrenaline exploded through my body. If I weren’t a werewolf, this might’ve been enough pressure to cause a heart attack, but in my current state, all I could think was, Bring it on, asshole.
Marv blocked my path. “Wolf. I thought you were resting. You said—”
“Change of plans, Marv.”
He shook his head. “Your eye’s still bruised up, and your ribs—”
“Are fine.” I stared at my opponent’s back, willing him to turn around and face me. “Tell Bob I’m in.”
Marv sighed, but he did as he was told. Bob’s shoulders fell as I approached. He met me at the ropes. “This is a bad idea, Wolf. Go home. Rest up.”
“I’m not going anywhere except inside this ring. You can either ring the bell or get the hell out of the way.”
Bob pulled the ropes up, and I ducked through. The small bloodthirsty crowd roared as I walked toward the center of the ring. The clipboard with bets and bills passed through the bleacher seats like a wildfire. I rolled my shoulders, my gaze still burning a hole in my opponent’s back. He had to have caught my scent, too. He had to know a werewolf had gotten into the ring, but he still didn’t turn.
“Next up, our reigning champ, Wolf, will face off with the champ from the Virginia Brawlers Club, Jaguar.”
He called us to the center, and the jaguar finally turned. His aloof smirk stoked my fury. His cultured, deep voice didn’t help, either. “Well, well. Look what we have here…Wolf.”
I couldn’t wait to beat the ever-loving shit out of this guy. While Bob rambled through the rules, we stared each other down. No one else in the club understood the significance, the bad blood between my Pack and the jaguar shifters.
Bob finished his spiel and we bumped gloves. The top of a lion tattoo peered out on the inside of his arm, uncovered by the glove laces. The letter N emblazoned on the lion’s forehead.
Fucking Nero. This jaguar was here for Kilani. I’d kill him.
We circled each other. I ground my teeth into my mouthpiece. He was about my height and build. His jaguar nature would mean he’d be light on his feet and tough to go down unless I knocked him out. He landed a jab to my ribs, reminding me they hadn’t healed yet. I answered with a solid right to his chest, bumping him back a step.
He raised a brow in mock amusement, and then unleashed a combination of punches to my abdomen, working me back toward the corner. The post hit me between the shoulder blades as he landed one more punch, growling near my ear. “You should’ve known this ring belongs to me. Eye of the tiger.”
I shoved him. “But I have the heart of the wolf, asshole.”
I pummeled him with jabs to his ribs, then countered with a right to his temple and a left to his midsection. Bob chased us to the other corner. The jaguar’s breathing wheezed past his lips, his elitist smirk gone.
We were through talking.
The bell rang and I forced myself back to the corner. My towel hung off the corner, pinned between the ropes. I snagged it and wiped my face, wishing for the first time that I had a trainer in my corner. This jaguar was the toughest opponent I’d met in this ring, and having someone apply Vaseline to help the gloves slide off on impact made more sense now. Sadly, I was worlds away from that.. Our ring reeked of mildew, sweat, and blood. Our punches were landed for glory, to silence the inner demons, not for cameras or endorsement deals.
My gaze stayed on my opponent as I bounced my weight on the balls of my feet, keeping my muscles loose. Because I was a werewolf, my extra strength gave me an advantage even over guys who outweighed me or had a few inches over my arm reach. But this guy was a jaguar.
Neither one of us had the advantage of our animal natures. This would be a gladiator battle to the end.
Maybe then I’d be able to walk away from this place for more than a day or two. Maybe this would calm the beast inside of me.
The bell rang and we rushed to the center of the ring. No dancing around this time. I landed a left to his gut and a right uppercut to his chin. He staggered back a couple of steps, wiping away a little blood from the corner of his mouth. My wolf growled, agitated by the scent.
I waved him closer with my gloves, taunting. “Come on, Jaguar. That all you got?”
He charged forward, his right hand impacting my ribs so hard, stars ignited at the edge of my vision
. I retaliated with a left to the head, and when his hands went up in defense, I attacked his ribs with a solid combination. The assault continued back and forth until the bell finally clanged.
In my corner, I struggled to catch my breath. Exhaustion soothed my temper and left an opening for rational thought to creep in. I had to defend my ribs. If they weren’t already cracked, they would be soon. How could I protect Kilani with a broken body?
Why was I wasting myself on this fight in a ring? I should’ve been with her, keeping her safe. Shit.
The bell rang, signaling the third round. We walked to the center, no longer fresh, and I contemplated the fastest way to get out of here and back to Kilani. If I got lucky, I could land a solid punch to his jaw and knock him out.
Or I could take a fall.
Pride twisted in my gut. I’d never been knocked out. But none of this mattered. This ring, it wasn’t my world. Kilani was. Right now, she was my priority, and I needed to get a fucking grip on this anger that I’d allowed to become my master.
I charged the jaguar, punching his ribs, waiting for my opening to hit his face. If I could knock him out, I would. Otherwise, I’d take the fall. This fight was about to end, one way or the other.
“Jason. No!”
My head snapped to the right. Kilani ran toward the ring. Before I could reply, the jaguar’s glove hit my temple. My vision wavered. The room tilted.
And I fell into the darkness.
Chapter Fourteen
KILANI
Jason hit the floor, blood trickling from his nose. The same scene from my vision. And my interfering had caused it. He took his eye off his opponent and… Wait a second…I recognized his opponent.
“Sebastian?” I climbed into the ring as the older guy counted. Sebastian narrowed his eyes, but if he meant to caution me, he could stuff it. “Get me a towel. Now.” Sebastian snapped out of his victory daze and went to the other corner. I yanked the rag from his hand. “What are you doing here?”
“We don’t use our names in these clubs.”
“I don’t give a flipping crap what you use here. I need you to find me some ice.”
A young, mousy-looking guy jogged up the aisle with an ice pack. He handed it to Sebastian without looking at him, all his attention on Jason.
“No one’s ever knocked Wolf down. I told him it was too soon to fight again.”
I placed the ice at the back of Jason’s neck while I cleaned the blood from his face. “Don’t feel bad. He wasn’t thinking straight.” The kid didn’t move. I met his eyes. “Wolf will be okay.” I hoped I was right. Glaring up at Sebastian, I asked once more, “What are you doing here?”
“Beating up a wolf, blowing off steam. What are you doing here? I thought that doctor was supposed to be protecting you.”
“He found the informant who told your brother I was here. He went ballistic. We had to get him out of there before he ended up in jail.” Jason’s eyes shifted under his eyelids. I stroked his cheek. “Jason?”
“This is the Pack doctor?” Sebastian wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth and almost looked…impressed.
Jason blinked and frowned. “Kilani. Where’s—”
“Jared is parking his truck. I jumped out and ran in here to save you from yourself.”
He chuckled, his swollen lower lip curving into a lopsided smile. My heart stuttered. He reached up to touch my cheek. “You got me knocked out.”
“Sorry about that.” I’d tell him about the vision later. I’d seen him on the ground in the third round, but I had no idea my running in screaming at him was what put him there. Visions were tricky like that. I tipped my head up toward Sebastian. “Help me get him up.”
Jason frowned. “You know this guy?”
I nodded. “Yeah. This is Sebastian.”
He shifted his gaze. “You’re Sebastian?”
Sebastian pulled off one of his gloves and offered his hand. Jason stared at it, making no move to accept his help. I did my best not to punch them both.
To his credit, Sebastian didn’t storm off. “I only offer my hand to a worthy opponent.”
Jason iced him for a couple more seconds before he grudgingly took his hand and got to his feet. “You had to wait until I was distracted to get that knockout.”
Sebastian shrugged. “If I see an opportunity, I don’t hesitate. I take it.”
I slid my arm around Jason’s waist and told myself it was to make sure he didn’t fall over, not because I wanted to hug him and make certain he would be all right. Seeing him go down did something to me. I wasn’t sure what exactly it was just yet, but for now, I wasn’t letting him out of my sight.
We got to the ropes, and Marv helped me steady Jason despite his grumbles that he was fine. He’d passed out in the shower last night and got knocked unconscious tonight. This was no way to heal a concussion.
I looked back over my shoulder at Sebastian. “Go talk to Adam. We’ll meet you at the ranch.”
He frowned. “Enough with names; there are ears everywhere.”
I didn’t bother to look back. Nero’s ears were still out in the truck with Jared. Todd wasn’t going anywhere.
Jason got changed and sat on the bench in the locker room, his forearms on his thighs and his head down.
“Are you dizzy?”
“Nah. I’m trying to keep my back from cramping up.” He sighed, his head bowed. “And feeling like a hot-headed idiot.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I went into nurse mode. At the sink, I soaked a clean towel in hot water. I wrung it out and folded it before bringing it over to press the warm compress to his lower back.
“Mmm, that feels good.”
Hearing the gruff pleasure in his voice had my mind imagining other things that would feel good.
As the heat faded, he finally straightened, his eyes locking on mine. “I’m sorry about today, at the hospital. When I recognized Todd, something snapped.” He stared at his red hands. “You were right about my anger being out of control. The fights…it takes more each time to relieve the pressure. Tonight, I realized fighting isn’t helping me deal with the frustration and rage. It’s controlling me.”
Again, I struggled for something to say. I’d never allowed myself to be close enough to anyone for a soul-bearing talk like this. I wanted to comfort him, but I had no clue how to accomplish it.
His gaze pleaded with me. “What I’m trying to say is, I’m never coming back here. It sounds completely nuts, since we haven’t known each other long, but the truth is, you are what matters most to me. I need to stop getting beat up so I can be at my best to protect you and keep you safe.” He tugged my hand, pulling me down to sit beside him. “I’m giving you my word right now. I’m through.” He tossed his boxing gloves in his bag. “Wolf is out. For good.”
I kissed him, gently at first, careful of his injuries, but he pulled me tight, his tongue parting my lips until I moaned with desire. My pulse raced as I tightened my fingers in his wet hair.
When he rested his forehead against mine, he whispered, “I want to be the mate you deserve.” I opened my mouth to respond, but Jason put his finger over my lips. “Jared’s here.”
We both turned as he rounded the corner to the lockers. “Bro, this place reeks.”
“Yeah. I’m sticking to the gym from now on. At least they disinfect the weight room.”
Jared’s expression lightened. “Glad to hear it.”
“I let Todd know that if he goes to the police, I’d be happy to place an anonymous call to the authorities about illegal gambling at an unlicensed fight club.” He leaned against the wall, crossing his ankles. “He agreed to let this go before he locked himself in his office here.”
“Thanks.” Jason got to his feet without any hint of a wobble. Good sign. He grabbed his gym bag and offered me his hand. “We should get over to Adam’s.”
He and his brother clasped forearms. I kept meaning to ask what that was about, but there were more pressing concerns.
“Call me if you need me.” Jared nodded in my direction. “Keep my brother in line for me?”
“You know it.” I grinned.
“I need to talk to Marv before we go.”
Jared pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’m going to check on Mom and Dad. I’ll call you later.”
“Sounds good.”
Jared headed for the exit, and Jason walked across the front of the bleachers toward the young guy who’d given me the ice pack. I trailed behind, just in case he went down.
“Hey, Marv.”
The kid with skittish dark eyes looked up. “Wolf. You’re okay?”
Jason nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.” He scanned the club. “Where’d Jaguar go?”
“He left a few minutes ago.”
Jason took a slow breath. Was he sniffing to be sure Sebastian was gone? My life was getting way too strange, even for me.
He gave Marv’s shoulder a pat. “I’m retiring. You won’t see me back here again.”
Marv glanced at me and back to Jason. “You got a girlfriend.”
Jason chuckled and reached back for my hand, pulling me beside him. “She’s pretty wonderful. And I think she likes me better in one piece.”
Blushing, Marv grinned and stared at his shoes. Jason dropped his bag from his shoulder and tugged his battered boxing gloves free. “I want you to have these.”
Marv lifted his head, his eyes widened. “No, Wolf. I can’t take your gloves.”
“Yes, you can.” Jason put the laces in his hands. “You’re the champ now.”
Tears swelled in my eyes as I witnessed the joy on Marv’s face. He clutched the gloves tight. “I’m gonna miss you, Wolf.”
Jason mussed his hair. “You are the only thing I’m going to miss about this place.” He tilted his head toward the ring. “Okay, I might miss Bob a little, too.”
Marv stepped back. “I’ll take good care of these.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
Jason picked up his bag and took my hand. My fingers laced with his like we’d known each other for years. Once we were out of the building I glanced up at him. “That was sweet what you did for that kid.”
“He’s got a heart of gold, and Todd doesn’t treat him as well as he should. I wish I could do more.”
