by Renee Rose
I start walking towards the Fight Club building, ushering Jordy with me.
“Keep close, Kit,” I tell her, my hand clamped on the back of her neck. It feels right to hold her. “Follow my lead.”
She doesn’t answer but her body moves and responds to mine, taking cues from me, molding to what I need her to be. Alert, attentive. Completely in tune. Fates, she’s fucking perfect.
She stays one step behind me as I stride to the Fight Club door. I used to work here until the Tucson wolf pack found out that I work for the vampires. I didn’t mean anything by it. Frangelico just offered me a better deal—a chance at actually completing my mission.
I slow as I approach the Fight Club door. It’s new and sturdy looking. The last time I saw it, it had yellow tape over it. Someone’s cleaned up the place since I’ve been here, but it feels familiar. My bear thinks of this place as home. Even if the wolves think I betrayed them, I belong here.
Jordy stays one step behind me as I approach, glancing right and left. A bunch of punk bikers have their rides parked alongside the chain link fence. They’re talking and chilling before the bar opens. Cat shifters, from the smell of them. Even if I couldn’t smell them, the way they fuss with their colored leather jackets and run combs through their hair constantly would tip me off that they’re a bunch of pussies. They don’t even ride real bikes, just crotch rockets, which probably makes them cheetahs. Cheetahs live for speed.
They barely glance my way as Jordy and I hit the Fight Club doorstep. Before I can grab the handle, the door opens and a giant shifter looms in front of me. Bright green eyes hit mine. This guy is big, and his animal is bigger—and ready to blow. Direct eye contact with a brawler bear like me is a straight up challenge. Red cape to a bull, gauntlet thrown.
“Hey.” I stand my ground but don’t offer offense. “Is Jared or Trey in?”
“Nope. Who the hell are you?”
“Someone who wants to talk to a wolf.”
“No wolves in here.” His feral eyes flick up and down, sizing me up. “At least, not for the likes of you.”
Insults, great. “You got a beef with me? Bring it.” My bear could use a fight.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a flash of auburn hair. Jordy. Fuck, I don’t want her involved in this.
“Ready when you are.” The guy folds his arms over his chest and the light in his eyes flares. Lots of muscle mass and a barely contained animal. Not sure what species, but he smells dangerous.
“Or you could just let me pass.”
“Got orders. No bears allowed. In fact, the wolves said if you showed and The Bastard wanted a fight, I could take you down.”
“The Bastard? Is that what you call your animal?” I shake my head in mock pity. Behind my back, I wave Jordy away. She paces back slowly, not drawing attention to herself. Good girl. “I’m a fighter and I got a booking tomorrow,” I tell the bouncer. “You gonna stop me from walking in then? Got a right to be here.”
He shakes his head and I get a whiff of his scent. Something fruity—bananas?
“Gorilla,” I murmur and the green eyes narrow. “All right, monkey boy, you take dictation?”
“What?”
“Can you read and write? I’m gonna leave a message.”
“Fuck off.”
“You don’t want to know the message?”
The gorilla starts to pull away to shut the door. Before he can, I punch him in the face.
He recovers in a split second and comes roaring after me. I dance backward.
“You want more of this? Sign up to face me in the cage. Animal to animal.”
“They told me about you,” he spits. “You’re in league with the leeches. You fight for them.”
“I fight for whoever pays me.”
“Species traitor.”
Fuck this. “You wanna go, banana eater? Let’s go.” He’s big, but not the brightest bulb in the box. It’ll be easy.
The gorilla stops in his tracks. I can practically read the moment he has an idea.
“Hey,” he shouts to the cat shifters. “Didn’t one of your females get bitten last week?”
Fuck.
The head cheetah, a guy with a face full of piercings and a black mohawk lopes forward. He’s lean but not scrawny. “Not one of ours. We protect our own.”
“She was a cat, though.” Another pipes up. “A rare one. Lynx or something.”
“Yeah. And a vampire bit her.” The gorilla says.
“Yeah? So?” The cat’s hackles are up. If he was in animal form his hair would be on end. Pissed.
“So this guy works with vampires.” The gorilla points at me. I growl at him and he shows his teeth. Not blunt like a normal gorilla. Sharp like the predator he is.
“Asshole,” I mutter as the cat shifters head from their bikes towards me.
“Not so brave when the odds are against you,” the gorilla scoffs.
“Fifteen to one isn’t a fair fight,” I mutter and back up until I reach Jordy. “Kit, you get ready to run.”
“Grizz,” she grips me. The cheetah pack spreads out, starting to flank me. I can’t let them circle until Jordy’s outta here.
I reach into the jacket she’s wearing, pull out my flask, unscrew the top and take a swig.
“Now. Head for the Camaro.” I give her a push. Declan, Laurie and Parker are still a half a parking lot away, watching us. They’d have my back but they’re smaller than most shifters. Their animals are messed up, broken. Not exactly fighting material. Still, I know they’ll protect Jordy.
I turn back to the lead cheetah and growl loud enough to set him back a step. “You know I can take you?”
“Not all of us.” His eyes are lit. Fuck, I’m surrounded by crazy shifters. “You the grizzly?”
I straighten. “I’m a grizzly. One of them. We’re apex predators. Not exactly endangered species. At least, not like cheetahs.” I show my teeth.
“That’s funny. There’s a bunch of us and only one of you. Now who’s the endangered species?”
One of the cheetahs breaks off from the pack and heads for Jordy. Fuck. No.
“Leave her alone,” I snarl just as the cat blocks my Kit’s path.
“You with him?” He bends down, getting in her face. “You with the grizzly?”
She looks at me, eyes wide.
“You smell like him.” He grabs her and she squawks.
Aw, hell no.
“Get your hands off her.” I head towards the guy tugging at Jordy. She’s fighting, trying to free herself.
The pack closes in. I grab the first body in front of me and haul it out of the way. It goes flying, three more take its place. With a roar I push forward.
They push me back, but I got a secret weapon. I raise my flask and drain it. Power hits my cells. Before my vision turns black, I call my bear.
Jordy
A rushing sound like the wind and brown fur bursts from Grizz’s skin. His animal explodes out of him, shredding his clothes. Cheetahs go flying as giant bear paws hit the pavement, sending a mini earthquake rippling through the parking lot. The black top cracks.
The cheetah holding me pauses, watching his friends rip their jackets off and shift. I bite him hard, and he snarls, gripping my throat and raising me above his head. I kick him in the crotch. He drops me and I twist away. Sucking air through my bruised neck, choking a little, I scuttle away from him as fast as I can. He doesn’t follow.
All around, greasy bikers fall to their knees and contort, their cats emerging. They’re bigger than any natural cheetah, with teeth like sabertooth tigers. They leap on Grizz.
“No,” I shout when someone clutches my arm. I fight wildly and another hand clamps on my other arm.
“Lass, it’s all right, it’s us.” Declan tugs me towards the Camaro. “We’re on your side.”
“No, I can’t leave him.” I try to dig my feet into the pavement.
“You’re not. We just gotta get you safe.”
Behind us, th
e grizzly bellows as cat after cat leaps on him while a huge gorilla hangs from the chain link fence, laughing.
“We gotta help him!”
“Not our fight, lass.” Declan tugs me the final few feet to the bike and pushes me down. “Stay here.”
I gnaw my lip, wishing I was stronger, faster, more dominant. So far Grizz has swatted most of the cats away. It’s crazy. The bear’s completely outnumbered…and he’s winning.
“Never seen anything like it,” Declan whispers beside me as Grizz whips around, smashing an attacking cheetah to the ground. Another move, too fast to track, and more cheetahs lay out on the blacktop, moaning. Grizz throws cats like they’re hollow. And—
“He’s moving so fast he blurs,” Parker says.
The gorilla roars in frustration. More cheetahs fall.
“Uh oh,” Declan murmurs and my heart seizes. Five cheetahs crouch behind Grizz, waiting to jump him. Two more run at the bear, who easily deflects them. But he takes a step back, right into the trap.
“No,” I moan. Five cats jump Grizz at once. One gets on his back, claws dug in, head rearing back for a killing bite.
“They’re killing him!” I shriek. “Do something.”
“Feckin’ hell,” Declan mutters and shouts to Parker. “Wrap this up.”
The grey-haired shifter is on top of the Camaro. “Cops are coming!” he hollers. The brawling animals don’t notice.
A whistle pierces the air. The cats scream and I cover my ears, wishing Declan warned me he was going to whistle.
Parker repeats, “Cops are coming.”
“Cops,” one of the bikers takes up the cry. He lets out a scream and his buddies stop mauling Grizz.
“Cops!” Declan whoops. “Every animal for himself!”
The cheetahs turn tail and run.
Grizz picks himself up. His fur is red in patches and he’s limping. But he’s still alive.
The gorilla roars and leaps from his perch, landing a few feet away from Grizz.
“He’s not gonna let Grizz leave without a fight,” Parker says. “Don’t got time for this. Cops are coming.”
“Feck, did you actually call them?” Declan gasps.
“I did,” Laurie says from the passenger seat of the Camaro.
The Irishman swears and grabs me. “Call him,” he orders.
“What?” I gape.
“Call him,” Declan repeats, and hands me something. A helmet—the one Laurie was wearing. “Call Grizz. Now!”
“Grizz,” I scream. The big bear is pacing back and forth, waiting for the gorilla to charge. “Grizz the cops are coming! You gotta come! Come back to me.”
Grizz turns and starts to shrink. The gorilla pounces, but at the last second, Grizz whirls. A blur and the gorilla’s down on the ground, shrinking back into a human body.
“Come on,” Declan shouts as sirens rise around us. “Now!”
The bear races towards us. Fur recedes from bloodied skin, and then it’s just Grizz running up to me and the bike.
“You’re naked, man, here,” Declan hands him a pair of sweatpants. I pull off the leather jacket and wince as Grizz shrugs that on over his bloody torso. He shoves his feet into the Timberlands and swings a big leg over his bike.
“Hop on,” he orders and my skin crackles with his dominance. Helmet secure on my head, I climb on behind Grizz and grab his jacket.
“Arms around me,” he says, and growls when I hesitate. I don’t want to hurt him but when I put my arms tentatively around his middle, he tugs me snug to his back.
“Tight, Kit,” he orders and kicks the bike off. The engine blasts to life and we zoom away, following the white Camaro in a twisting, turning escape route out of the warehouse district.
We turn onto the main road a second before a firetruck screams past, flashing red and flying towards the Fight Club as we make our getaway in the opposite direction.
Chapter 6
Grizz
The bike growls as I weave between cars, pushing it faster and faster. Jordy’s fingers dig into me, but I don’t slow. I gotta get her home, get her safe before the power drains from my veins, leaving me too weak to defend her. Coming off the juice is always hard.
At least we’re not being followed. Just in case, I change lanes and turn onto a side street.
By the time my bike has climbed my mountain, the red hot rage simmering in my blood has cooled. I cut off the engine and slump forward, my limbs heavy and cold. My stomach a mass of knots. When I fight, I’m made of adrenaline. After the adrenaline leaves, nothing’s left.
My vision goes black a moment. I fight through the sludge of my own consciousness, back to reality, back to life. There was something I needed to do—
A slight weight moves behind me and I raise my head. Jordy. Gotta get her off the bike, get her safe.
“Grizz?” Jordy calls. She’s standing beside me now. I’m losing seconds, losing time.
Blinking, I shake my head. “Inside. Now.”
I haul my body off the bike, take a few steps and stagger.
“Grizz!” She presses to my side. Propping me up. Helping me walk. Not right. I should be helping her.
“Inside. Gotta get…safe…” My tongue is swollen, filling my mouth, making me mumble.
Keys clink and the door opens, the familiar scent of my den embracing me. Almost there. I power forward and fall to my knees before I reach my kitchen.
“Grizz, what’s wrong?” Jordy’s voice is high pitched. “What do you need?
“Coming off the fight. Be…fine.” I don’t know if I will be fine. It’s never been this bad before.
“It’s okay, just lie down.” Her hands pat over my body. Something cushions my head. My boots come off. “Grizz, can you hear me? Can I get you something?”
“Meat,” I groan and lick my lips. “Water.”
A rushing sound and she’s back, holding the cool rim of a glass to my lips. “Drink this.” Her breath comes in frantic little pants. I pat her leg. I want her to know I’ll be all right. The water rushes down my throat, clearing out my lungs. I can breathe. Yes, that’s it. Replace the juice with something clean and pure.
“Here,” Jordy says. Her voice is funny. Blood hits my lips and I snarl, grabbing the hunk of meat she found. It’s half frozen but my bear doesn’t care. I rip and gnaw into it, slowly coming back to myself. I’m on the tiles, lying on my back, my leather jacket under my head. Jordy kneels close to me. She gives me more water when I ask, and another hunk of meat.
I raise my heavy arm, find her face with my hand. I cup her cheek, frowning at the wetness I find there.
“It’s all right,” I mumble around my swollen tongue. “Just give me a second. Be right back.”
“Shhh.” She holds my hand to her face. “It’s okay. I’m here.” Beyond her is my front door. She could easily walk out and leave, return to her master, but she doesn’t.
“Stay with me,” I murmur. I don’t have the energy to order her.
“Of course,” she whispers and I let my head roll back as I slide out of consciousness.
I come to in stages. There’s something soft under my head—softer than the leather jacket. A pillow. A slight body presses against my sore ribs. A lovely scent wafts up to my nose. Jordy. She’s lying next to me and my bear loves it.
I’m warm, too warm. Something’s draped over us and it smells of vampire. With a growl, I rip off the blanket I found on Jordy’s cage and toss it across the room. It lands by the door. I’ll burn it later. Don’t want to smell that vampire again.
I’m on the floor halfway between the door and kitchen, my jacket’s hung on its hook and my boots are stacked neatly underneath. My body is a mass of fiery pain, the worst is a bite on my leg and another on my shoulder. Damn cats. As soon as I can move I’m gonna rinse these bites out real good.
In the meantime, I’m just gonna lie here and thank my lucky stars things went down like they did. That was the hardest I’ve come off the juice. And I’m healing slower, m
y body having to recover in more ways than one. Not a great sign. I’ll have to be more careful in the future.
I’m the luckiest bear in the world. Not because I survived the fight, but because of the warm weight tucked against me. Jordy got me inside, fed and watered me. She made a bed on the tiles and lay down next to me.
I could lie here forever, sore ribs be damned.
A small noise and Jordy raises her head. Her eyes are worried under the tangle of her hair.
“Hey,” she whispers. I grin and stroke back the auburn strands. “You doing okay?”
“Much better.” My voice is deep as the grave.
“You were so out of it.” She bites her lip. “I was worried.”
“Didn’t mean to scare you, Kit.” Shit, was I out for a couple of hours? That’s the worst by a long shot.
She holds still, snuggled into my side with her freckled face turned up to mine, as I brush her hair back. When I drop my hand, she stirs.
“Here.” She gets up and heads to the sink, returning with a big glass of water. I sit up and drink while she crouches beside me.
“Thanks.”
“You want to eat something?”
I nod. “That’d be good.”
“You want some meat?”
“Nothing frozen.”
She shoots me a tiny grin over her shoulder as she heads into the kitchen again. “I pulled a bunch out of the freezer, put it into the sink to thaw.”
I sit up as she putters back and forth, handing me a slab of steak, refilling my water glass. She makes no comment when I find new strength and rise on wobbly legs. I look like a newborn fawn, and groan as I sink down like an old man. Silently, she serves me another plate of meat. I’m eating it raw but it goes down just right. Gotta replenish what the fighting took outta me. It feels like there’s a hole in my middle.
The whole time I eat, I don’t take my eyes off her. Jordy fixes another plate for me and heats up some cooked leftovers for herself. Every movement is fluid and graceful, as if she’s in a choreographed dance. Did Augustine make her serve him and his friends like this? Probably. The thought makes me choke. Jordy whirls around, eyes wide and I quickly swig some water and swallow the mouthful. Only when I signal that all’s well does she go back to what she’s doing. So attentive, so well trained. I guess I should be thanking Augustine, but I just want to kill the bastard.