Tor

by Lynn Lorenz

  Enraged, he flew at Tor, but Tor sidestepped him, letting the big were fly past. Then Tor spun and kicked Janko in the back. Janko’s head hit the steel bar between the fencing, and he staggered.

  The crowd went wild, chanting Tor’s name.

  Janko recovered and swore at Tor, spittle flying from his mouth. He pushed off the bar, and the bell rang. Janko skidded to a halt, glaring at Tor.

  Tor glared back, then returned to his corner and Sky.

  “Okay, here’s what I’ve seen.” Sky explained all the things he’d noticed, and Tor listened, head down, but something was up. His mate was thinking, and it wasn’t about what he’d said.

  “Isn’t that what I’m supposed to tell you?” Sky was confused.

  Tor nodded, his lips a thin white line, his eyes as dark as the deepest blue.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Something. I don’t know what, but something is very wrong.”

  “With?” Sky glanced over at Janko. “Janko?”

  “Yeah. He’s…familiar.”

  “Maybe you’ve fought him before.”

  Tor shook his head. The bell rang, and he turned to enter the fight again. Sky had done what he’d been trained to do, find weaknesses and strengths, and help his mate. Now it was up to Tor.

  Janko made it to the center of the cage, and the air vibrated, signaling a shift.

  “He’s shifting!” Sky yelled.

  ∙•∙

  Tor began his shift, but held back. Janko shifted, and just before Tor went to wolf form, he recognized who Janko really was, even without the wolf tattoo or the bald head. Hair grew back, easy enough to let happen, but someone had paid a lot of money to remove that tattoo and alter his identification numbers. Anything that changed a slave’s appearance had to be done on the black market, because no free doctor would risk it.

  Tor’s vision went red as the bloodlust rose in his veins.

  He shifted to meet the bastard on his own terms.

  Janko lunged toward Sky, and Tor’s wolf growled as he leaped into the air, knocking Janko sideways, rolling him along the floor. Both wolves snarled and bit at each other. Tor tasted flesh and blood. He bit down, and something snapped. Janko howled and shook him off.

  Janko shifted back to heal, but Tor stayed a wolf, keeping the upper hand. He hunkered low to the ground, stalking his prey. Janko backed up, farther from Sky, toward his own corner.

  “He’s shifting back!” Sky’s voice broke through the rage. Tor charged before the change could complete, and he caught Janko by the throat before he was ready.

  The bell rang.

  The crowd roared.

  “Tor, let him go!” Sky called. It was his job, no matter what he felt about the other were, to keep Tor from killing.

  Tor released his prey and growled all the way back to Sky.

  Sky fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around Tor’s neck. “You’re kicking his ass, Tor. Now change back.” Sky let him go, and Tor shifted.

  Tor stood and cuffed Sky on his head. “You’re doing great, Sky.”

  His mate stared up at him. “You know who he is, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I know who the bastard is.” Tor took Sky by the arms. “It’s Cosack. I don’t know how they fooled the league, but it’s him.”

  “Cosack? The were who killed Jin?” Sky stared over Tor’s shoulder.

  “I don’t know why he’s back, but it’s obvious someone wants him for something.”

  “But what? And why are you fighting him? Again?” Sky asked.

  “I’m not sure, but I don’t believe in coincidences.”

  The bell rang. No more time for talk. Only time for fighting, and this time, Tor swore he’d come out the winner. And Janko—Cosack—would die.

  He turned back and strode to the center of the ring, hands raised, ready to do battle with the man who’d taken Jin from him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sky clung to the links as thoughts swirled in his head. This was Cosack? How? Why? He stared at the man circling Tor, and a surge of hatred Sky’d never felt before washed over him.

  He wanted Janko dead. He’d never wished pain or injury on anyone before, but this man had killed Jin, hurt and nearly destroyed Tor. He had to pay for that, didn’t he?

  From the way Tor advanced, Tor felt the same way.

  But the question why kept circling around Sky’s mind.

  Sky knew he wasn’t smart, but he had to figure this out. If he didn’t, it could mean his and Tor’s life.

  So, what was the same about the first fight? Marrack arranged it. Marrack arranged this one too. Marrack needed Tor to fight and had lost a lot of money when he’d been injured. Tor had told him gambling was the sole purpose for the fights.

  But Tor hadn’t lost. The fight had been declared null. Tor had retained his title, but did that mean all the bets were off? Had Marrack lost money? Did owners bet? Were they allowed? There was just so much he didn’t know about the business of fighting.

  Sky’s focus shifted back to the fight. The two men were boxing, Tor looking for any opportunity to strike Janko on his injured side. He’d backed Janko against a bar and laid into him with a flurry of punches.

  Janko held up his hands to block, but Sky could tell Tor landed more hits than Janko deflected. Good. Sky cheered his mate on as he hung from the fencing, his body leaning out into the cage.

  The bell rang. Second round over.

  Tor returned to Sky.

  “Tor, do owners bet on the fights?” Sky asked as he handed Tor a bottle of water.

  “No. It’s illegal. They get a cut of the take—plenty of money. They’re rich as shit.” Tor drank and wiped his mouth with his arm.

  “But if an owner bet, say against his own fighter…” Sky didn’t know how to say it.

  Tor froze, and his eyes narrowed.

  “Did the bets on your fight with Cosack get paid?”

  “No. There was no declared winner.”

  “So if Marrack needed a lot of money, and he arranged for you to lose, and he placed a huge bet, then it wouldn’t have paid off.”

  “No.” Tor shook his head.

  Sky closed his eyes. He needed to think fast before the bell rang for the next round.

  “So he’d be broke. How could he keep you if he was broke?”

  “He’d have to mortgage me on future fights.” Tor’s eyes narrowed.

  The bell rang.

  “Get him, Tor.” Sky brushed his hand over Tor’s brow.

  Tor turned and went back into the ring. Janko advanced.

  Sky knew what they had to do. It might cost them everything, but they were fighting for their lives now.

  “Tor, shift!” Sky called out.

  ∙•∙

  Tor shifted and met Janko with his mouth open and his teeth bared. He locked his jaws on Janko’s leg and shook him.

  Janko screamed and beat on Tor’s head to free himself. Tor only bit harder, trying to do maximum damage. This time Janko wouldn’t walk away from the fight.

  Punches rained down on Tor’s head, but he held on. Janko pushed backward, still trying to free himself, but Tor didn’t let go.

  Janko shifted. Now he had fangs and claws, but his leg was still in Tor’s mouth.

  The taste of blood enraged Tor. He wanted to howl his fury.

  Janko’s jaws snapped and caught Tor’s ear, ripping it in two. Tor yelped and let go. Both wolves broke away and moved off to a safer distance. Both wounded, both needed to shift.

  Sky’s voice called to him. “Shift!”

  Tor obeyed. He stood in the ring with a wounded, insane wolf. He knew Cosack hadn’t become sane. If anything, he had to be out of his mind trying to pull this off. If the league found out, they’d have his owner thrown into slavery. And Cosack? Probably put to death.

  His gaze shifted to Sky, but Tor focused on Marrack. That bastard. It had to be him. He had to have set it up with Cosack’s owner, but neither of them had counted on Cosack being insane. No on
e thought he’d stab Tor and kill Jin and negate the fight.

  And Marrack was doing it again? He must be insane also, or incredibly desperate.

  If Tor had anything to do with it—and from where he stood in this cage, he had everything to do with how this would end—this time he’d win.

  He’d made up his mind. This match was to the death.

  »»•««

  Sky knew the moment Tor made the connection. The man’s entire demeanor changed, and so did his pheromones. Now Tor’s scent smelled…dangerous.

  Did Tor plan on doing what Sky thought he was going to do?

  Well, if Tor was going for it, Sky would do what he could to help. To hell with mates not fighting in the cage.

  Sky kneeled and unhooked the chains around his ankles. Each one was at least eighteen inches long, and they were all the wealth he possessed. He linked them together, doubled them, then wrapped it around his wrist.

  Back in the cage, Janko had shifted to heal from the gaping wound on his leg.

  The two men stared at each other, chests heaving, bodies drenched in sweat and blood.

  “I know who you are, Cosack,” Tor shouted. “You’ve made a mistake, thinking you could do this again.”

  Janko laughed. “I will do it. I will beat you and fuck your new boy, just like I fucked and killed Jin.” He made a motion with his hand, simulating jerking off. “And I’ll kill him after too.”

  “Not before I kill you.”

  So Tor was going to do it, and Sky had to help. He’d have to wait for his chance.

  The crowd roared, impatient for the fight to continue.

  Tor put his hands up, in fighting stance, and Janko did the same. They moved together, and the battle began again. Fists pummeled bodies, spittle flew, and blood ran. Tor hammered Janko’s weakened side, never letting up. Janko backed up, attempted a few kicks, but only landed one or two.

  He caught Tor below the knee, and Tor stumbled. Janko threw himself on Tor, and the two men skidded across the floor, limbs tangled, almost to Sky.

  Sky danced backward out of the way as the men grappled. Now they wrestled, each trying to get a hold on a body slick with sweat. Janko flipped Tor onto his belly, locked Tor’s legs with his own, and grabbed Tor’s hair.

  Janko pulled back, and Tor’s back arched. Sky’s heart staggered. Janko had Tor in a hold that he might not get out of. Janko put his foot in the middle of Tor’s back and pushed. His back and arm muscles strained as he continued to pull back, trying to break Tor’s spine.

  The pain on Tor’s face propelled Sky into action. If he didn’t do something now, Janko would kill Tor.

  Sky unwrapped the chain, then wrapped the ends around his hands. He took a deep breath and leaped forward, landing on Janko’s back. With a flick of his wrists, he tossed the chain around Janko’s neck and fell backward.

  The crowd went wild. In the distance, Sky heard it, but all he wanted to do was make Janko stop. The man outweighed him, but the silver chain brought some equalization.

  Sky twisted the chains and pulled back, strangling Janko.

  “You bastard!” he shouted. “Crazy bastard!” He fell to his knees.

  Janko choked, and he had to either let Tor go or let Sky strangle him. He released Tor to claw at the thick chain, already cutting into his flesh. Blood necklaced his throat. Sky held on, his feet planted now on the floor of the cage, his muscles straining.

  Tor gasped and shook his head. He turned and caught Sky’s eye. Tor’s eyes widened, then narrowed. He nodded. “Good job, boy! Hold him!” Tor pushed to his feet and staggered to the side of the cage. “Marrack! You bastard! You rigged the fight!”

  The cage-side judges stood and pointed at Marrack. Tor left him to them and turned back to help his mate.

  Sky’s brow dripped sweat, but Janko couldn’t get free. Sky now stood with one foot in the center of Janko’s back, one on the floor, and the chain wrapped tight around Janko’s neck. The were’s face turned purple, and his tongue extended as his air was cut off.

  “This is for Tor. And for Jin.” Sky closed his eyes and twisted with all the might in his body, refusing to give up. He was a foolish, stubborn slave boy, after all.

  “He’s dead, Sky. Let him go.” Tor’s voice broke through to Sky.

  Sky opened his eyes. Janko hung limp from his chains, his body slack, his tongue hanging out. “Fuck!” Sky shook as he tried to free his hands from the silver chain.

  Tor eased the chains off, pulling them free from Sky’s flesh. They had cut deep, but he hadn’t felt it at all. Sky stared at his bloody wrists, then at the body of their challenger. He looked up into Tor’s eyes.

  “We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” Sky asked. All around them, the crowd was going crazy, and the judges had entered the cage, dragging Marrack along with them.

  “Maybe.” Tor glared at Marrack. “How could you?”

  “You’re a fucking slave, Tor. You serve me!” He struggled, but they had his hands cuffed behind his back.

  “I think you’ll find that Marrack has placed a substantial bet on our fight. He bet I’d lose, with some help from Cosack.” Tor pointed to the body on the floor. “Cosack had been banned from fighting, so Marrack and Cosack’s owner gave him a makeover and entered him as Janko. They tried to fix the other fight, the one where Cosack killed my mate.”

  One of the judges kneeled next to Janko’s body. “We have his DNA. We’ll do a match and confirm.”

  Tor nodded and pulled Sky under his arm to protect him. Sky shivered, his knees wobbling. He’d killed Janko.

  He’d killed a werewolf.

  But Tor had him, safe in his arms. He didn’t know what would happen next, but as long as Tor was alive, Sky didn’t care.

  A shout from the crowd, a familiar voice, and Stoltz stepped forward. “These men need medical aid.” He bundled both Tor and Sky in his arms and led them from the cage.

  The crowd chanted “Sky! Sky! Sky!” It was his name they were saying. Tor cuffed his head and grinned at him.

  Sky looked back over his shoulder at the cage. At Janko-Cosack’s body and the others standing around it.

  He had a feeling his first match might just be his last.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Stoltz closed the door to Tor’s quarters and leaned against it. “I’m not sure what happened out there, but I think you’d better tell me why you just killed that man.”

  Tor slumped into his recliner and pulled Sky onto his lap, cradling him in his arms and arranging the folds of his burka around him. Stoltz opened the small case he’d brought with him and checked over Sky’s wounds. He couldn’t change to heal like Tor could. Carefully, Stoltz cleaned Sky’s wrists, then wrapped them in bandages.

  Sky shivered. He’d done it. Killed Janko, or Cosack, or whoever the bastard was, for Tor and for Jin. He’d never thought he could do it, but if he hadn’t…

  “He had you, didn’t he, Tor?” Sky asked.

  Tor grunted. “Yeah, he had me pinned. If you hadn’t joined in, I’d have a broken back, or be dead.” This time Tor shivered. “Just the thought of being paralyzed like that. I think I’d rather he just killed me.”

  “Don’t say that!” Sky threw his arms around Tor’s neck. “I couldn’t live without you, Tor. You’re my mate.”

  Stoltz gave a harsh laugh. “Well, I never thought I’d live to see the day when a slave boy could kill a were in the cage, but now? Sky, you were amazing. Not that I condone killing, especially in the cage, but that were needed to be put down.”

  Sky looked up. “Amazing? Me?” He smiled, then remembered there would be consequences, and his smile faded. “What’s going to happen now? To Tor and me?”

  “So, why’d you do it?” Stoltz asked again. Clearly, the man wasn’t going to be satisfied unless he heard the truth.

  Tor filled him in, from the first suspicion to the final clue about Marrack dropping into place. Stoltz listened, somber faced, and then he went to the door. “Stay here. Be together. It m
ight be your last time. I’m going to talk to the judges, let them know what you’ve told me. Finding out if Marrack placed those wagers should be easy enough.”

  He left, and Sky slumped back into Tor’s arms. “Our last time?” he cried. “I’m sorry, Tor. I’ve ruined everything.”

  “No, boy. You saved my life. You proved mates can do anything in the cage that weres can do.” Tor rubbed his back. “You were amazing, Sky. I was so proud of you.”

  “Really?” Sky sniffed.

  “Yes. And if this is the last time, if this is the only time I’ll hold you in my arms or make love to you again, then it’s going to be the best I can manage. I want us both to remember it.”

  “So do I.” Sky nuzzled his mate’s neck and inhaled, loving the scent of this man. He licked a line up to Tor’s ear, then nipped it. Sky wiggled on Tor’s lap, found Tor’s earlobe, and tugged on it.

  Tor’s cock rose under the leather loincloth, nudging Sky in the ass. Sky’s cock rose also, to meet its mate. He leaned back and unfastened the belt, moved it to the side, and exposed Tor’s cock.

  Sky reached up to remove his burka, but Tor stopped him. “Wait. I want you like this. Ride me.”

  “In my burka?”

  “Yes. I want to just see your eyes.” Tor ran a hand over Sky’s back, then pulled him to him. With the veil in the way, they couldn’t kiss. Sky raised the long skirt of the gown and straddled Tor, his knees on either side of him, wedged next to the arms of the recliner.

  Tor drew open the drawer of the side table and pulled out a tube of slick. He popped the top, squirted some onto his hand, and then, under Sky’s gown, worked it over his cock. Sky stayed on his knees until Tor had finished; then as Tor held his cock steady, Sky descended, impaling himself on that fine, thick, hard but soft-as-velvet flesh.

  “So good,” Sky murmured. It was so good, having Tor inside him. The complete fullness he felt never grew old, and the feeling of the power of Tor’s body belonging to Sky, and the look of tenderness evolving into desire and lust—all of that was wonderful.

  “I am the luckiest, most foolish, most stubborn slave boy in the world.”