“Steroids?” Cage asked, scoffing.
“No,” Mal said. His voice was too low for even the shifters in the front row to hear him. “It’s called Bearly Human. It prevents me from fully shifting, but when I do shift, I get some insane strength. You’ll see.”
“Why would you tell me you’re cheating?” Cage asked. “Wasn’t the whole point of this to prove that you could beat me fair and square?”
“All that matters is what other people think,” Mal said. “You won’t be able to tell anyone, because you’re not going to leave this cage alive.”
And then he lunged. Cage was ready. They traded punches, but each had a hand up to absorb the brunt of the impact. Cage jabbed a knee at Mal’s side, but he blocked with his thigh, and Cage’s kick rolled off with little damage.
Mal flung his own leg around, and his heel bit into Cage’s ankle. Cage stumbled backward to avoid falling, and Mal used that time to gain ground.
Cage could not afford to fall. He knew Ren was in the crowd, and Mickey. And Lisa was at home somewhere, safe. None of them were safe if he fell and lost in the first round.
Cage ducked a punch and rose back up with an uppercut. He slammed a clean hit right under Mal’s jaw. He felt a crack jolt through his knuckles, and blood splattered onto his chest. Mal threw a haphazard punch in retaliation, but it hit Cage with little impact as he threw a second punch right into Mal’s gut. Mal doubled over from the impact, and Cage’s leg hooked Mal’s ankles.
He pulled, and Mal started to fall.
Cage grabbed hold of Mal and fell with him, poised to crush on top of him. He’d pin him to the ground and do what had to be done.
Don’t kill him! his bear roared. Ren won’t want to let us fill her pot with honey if we kill him!
He had to kill him. Didn’t he?
Cage fell with his elbow digging into Mal’s chest, and the slammed onto the ground with the full impact of their mass. All of Cage’s weight went into his elbow, and Mal grunted as it drilled into his chest.
Mal had taken a drug that sounded wildly unsafe and untested to kill Cage in the ring. What measures would he take to get revenge if Cage let him live? Ren would have to understand.
Cage’s face was right above Mal’s shoulder, so he bit into it. His teeth cut through skin and sinew, and he felt it flex and bleed beneath him.
Noo! his bear screamed.
Cage ripped out a chunk of Mal’s flesh and spit it out, and he slammed Mal upside the head repeatedly. He didn’t want to hit him straight in the face and break his nose or get him bloody. He wanted the torque to the spine that would lead to a knockout at a certain level of force, and that would kill if he went hard enough.
He hesitated, and he hit Mal just hard enough to not kill him. He didn’t want to kill him. He just felt he had to. If he killed Mal, then who really won the fight? Who was in control then?
He hesitated for an instant, and Mal’s bloodied face lit up in a wide smile. The glowing yellow from his irises swallowed up his pupils and then the whites of his eyes. His teeth became sharp, and Cage felt his muscles rumble like an earthquake beneath him.
Shit! It was the Bearly Human. Mal had partially shifted, and—
Mal caught Cage’s next punch in his palm, and then he squeezed. Cage heard his bones cracking, and Mal flung him. Cage was peeled off Mal’s body like an ant. He flew through the air for at least five feet, and then he slammed into the ground and rolled until he clattered against the chain-link edge of the cage.
Shit! He could have killed Mal there, but he’d hesitated, and now he risked being the one who’d die. Mickey would do his best to protect Ren and Lisa...but Cage didn’t like their odds.
So he’d have to stand and fight. It wasn’t in him to just roll over and submit.
Should he shift? Mal had technically shifted already, but the drug made it so no one could tell. He was a grizzly bear in a human mask, while Cage was just a man with extra strength. Shifting would even the fight, but there were no refs in the cage. Break a rule and the crowd would settle things—violently. If Cage shifted, he’d have about ten seconds to take Mal out before a full-on zoo of animals tore him to shreds. Shifting might allow him to kill Mal, but they’d both die. This fight was too big for the audience to tolerate clear and obvious breaches of the rules.
Mal crept toward him, eyes like headlights in a bloody mask. His shoulder was still gushing blood, and Cage noticed that whole arm was quivering. He’d done that damage before Mal had shifted, and shifter healing worked in hours or days, not minutes.
He’d have to focus his attacks at that open wound, and he’d have to fight as a striker, relying on hits while avoiding the ground. Cage’s usual strategy of crushing his opponent to the ground and forcing submission would not work here. If Mal grounded him, it would be over.
Mal roared and slashed at him. Cage jumped back, but one nail bit into his skin and peeled off the first few layers of skin from his forearm. Mal swiped again, and Cage ducked down and then kicked Mal’s side. He pushed off Mal’s body to jump away and get away from the chain-link. He needed to stay in the middle of the ring and avoid getting cornered.
Mal was slashing and swiping, not punching. He really was shifted in all but appearance. Would Mal’s inner bear be in the pilot seat? And would Mal’s inner bear be as dumb as Cage’s?
Hey! That’s mean! But yeah, hopefully Mal’s bear is even more stupider than me.
Mal came at him again. Cage made a calculated move: He let Mal’s slash hit his right arm, and he punched with his left as hard as he could. His fist hit Mal’s gushing wound cleanly, and Mal roared as his entire arm seized up. Mal took two or three steps back, but fresh blood drizzled down Mal’s forearm. The swipe had hit him deep.
The bell rang, and round one was over.
Cage backed off immediately, but Mal’s arm trembled, and his eyes glowed hot. He grunted and stumbled toward the cage. Then he squeezed the chain-link.
Cage stepped out of the ring, and Mickey was there.
“You’re supposed to be with Ren!” Cage said.
“I got my friends with her,” he said. “I had to come down and—”
“He’s taken some kind of drug,” Cage said. “He’s shifted but still looks human. He’s stronger and faster, but dumber too.”
Mickey looked over at Mal. His cronies were in the cage, trying to get him to come down and take a rest, but Mal swiped at them and they backed off. He clutched the cage with both hands and shook.
“Is he trying to shift back then?” Mickey asked.
“Maybe he can’t? Or maybe if he does, he won’t be able to shit again.”
“Shit, man!” Mickey said. “You’re bleeding bad.”
Mickey got out a first-aid kit and did a quick and burning disinfectant job on the deep wound from Mal’s slash, and then he wrapped it in a bandage.
“So he’s just as strong as a full-sized grizzly?” Mickey asked as he watched Mal rattle the cage.
“You saw how far he threw me.”
“Well,” Mickey said, “if he’s dumber, then you’ve just gotta be smarter.”
“That’s the plan,” Cage said.
The bell rang, and round two began.
Cage got back in the ring, and the moment Mal heard the door clatter, he charged at Cage.
He dodged the hit, but just barely. He rolled across the ground and jumped to his feet just in time to see Mal right on top of him.
He kicked, aiming for the wound, but Mal dodged and swiped. Cage felt a deep burn lance across his leg.
He jumped back before Mal could ground him, but when he tried to step toward the middle of the ring, he felt pain spike up from his leg and then to his spine, and finally it filled his entire body. He winced and took two steps anyway. Each time he put weight on the leg, his vision blurred from the explosive pain.
Dumb or not, it was in a hunter’s instincts to spot weaknesses like this, and Mal would be all over it. He’d surely already noticed. Cage had to end
the fight. Time was up.
Mal sensed the weakness, and he charged head-first. Cage waited until the last moment, and then he pressed off with his good leg. He dodged Mal’s head by inches, but still he felt Mal’s nails sink into his side in a grazing slash. Cage rolled across the ground and stood back up, using mostly his good leg.
Shit! He was dead. He wouldn’t be able to dodge the next head butt attempt.
No head butts in the cage! his bear said. Am I smart to remember that?
Head butts! Mal had forgotten the rules. He didn’t have to dodge anything, but, God, it was risky as all hell. Still, it was his only move. If he tried to keep dodging, one good swipe and he would be on the floor, and Mal would tear him to shreds.
Cage planted himself and turned back toward Mal. It looked just like what he’d done on Mal’s previous attempt. Mal would expect him to dodge at the last minute, and he’d swipe at him again. Mal expected this to happen a dozen or so more times, until eventually Cage was too slow or injured to keep fighting.
Mal charged, head down. Three feet away. Two feet. Cage faked as if he would dodge, just in case Mal got suspicious. One foot. Six inches. Cage noticed a twitch of surprise in Mal’s face, and Cage crossed his arms across his chest.
Mal’s head slammed into Cage’s arms with the force of a cannonball. He flew backward and off his feet. He felt his stomach drop as if he were on a rollercoaster, and blunt yet overwhelming pain exploded through his arms. His bones hurt.
He hit the ground flat on his back, and all the air shot out of his lungs. There was sound all around. Something was happening in the crowd, but that was something that was over ten seconds away. Cage had to survive the next three and four seconds. Each one would be a battle.
Before he could catch his breath, two yellow glows flew across his vision and Mal’s knee slammed into his gut. He flexed his stomach, and his abs took just enough of the impact that he was able to get in a labored breath. His six-pack wasn’t just for show.
Mal swiped, and Cage could only turn his face sideways. It was impossible to dodge. A burning explosion overtook his face, and he wondered if half the skin had been flayed off.
From the corner of his vision he saw the dripping red wound that was Mal’s shoulder.
Another swipe, and Cage sacrificed the other side of his face. He punched at Mal’s right side, and as soon as Mal moved to defend it, Cage threw his left hand up and punched his fist through Mal’s wound.
Mal wailed and screeched and hissed, and once Cage’s hand was in, he tore and clawed at nerve and tendon. Mal’s right arm shot up, and it shifted. It burst out in full-fledged claw and fur.
Mal used his still-human hand to squeeze Cage’s neck. It was at least three times more pressure than Tane Orbsen’s chokehold, and Cage’s vision blurred and blackened almost instantly. There was no faking death against this chokehold. The last thing he recalled seeing was what looked like a bald eagle flying above Mal.
One last hallucination before he died. A bald eagle was a good enough last sight, though he’d have preferred to have seen Ren. To have said goodbye to her. To tell her he loved her one last time.
He heard a screech, and suddenly he was able to gasp air through his lungs. His vision came back, and an eagle’s claws sunk into each of Mal’s glowing eyes.
His bear arm was hanging limp, and his human one swatted futilely at the eagle. Then a wolf jumped up and tore a fresh chunk out of Mal’s torso. Two more wolves, a panther, and a snake jumped onto Mal’s body.
The crowd had shifted and was taking justice into their own hands—or claws and fangs and talons.
The head butt had likely gotten them started, but the shifted arm had sealed the deal. Half of the audience had huge money riding on Cage’s win, and they wouldn’t sit down and watch Mal cheat.
The animals swarmed Mal, and he threw a panther off with his arm. Then he slung a snake off like a whip, but for each animal he swatted away, two more were on him.
Cage looked away. He looked to the stands, to Ren.
He limped out of the bear cage, bruised and bloody. Behind him was a terrible scream buried beneath the sounds of all the animals. Justice had caught up with Mal, and it was over. Finally.
Ren ran up and hugged him, and the slight pressure killed his ribs. He winced, but the pain was worth it.
Mickey caught on to how injured he was and opted for a light fist bump.
None of them felt like celebrating, however, because the cage had turned into a bloody pool of animal fury. Mal was in pieces, strewn across the cage, and blood-soaked shifters in both human and animal form had succumbed to some kind of bloody, sexless orgy. Cage wanted nothing to do with it.
“I’d kiss you,” Cage said to Ren, “but my mouth is full of blood. I think I need to go home and hibernate for a few years.”
***
It was sixteen hours of sleep. He woke up with only a slight limp and minor bruising. He’d be fully healed after another night’s sleep.
“Hey,” Ren said as Cage walked into the kitchen. “Coffee?”
Cage shook his head. He took Ren by the hand and walked her to the door.
“Put on some shoes,” he said. “We’re going into the forest.”
He took her by the hand and they walked deep into the forest. There was a light fog, and all the leaves and grass were coated in dew.
“Why are we walking around in the forest?” Ren asked.
“I want to show you something,” he said.
CHAPTER 22
REN
She was getting winded from walking so long. They had begun to walk up an incline, and the path was barely there. Each step required her to push through some heavy brush.
“Cage,” she said, “seriously—”
“We’re almost there,” he said. “Trust me, it will be worth it.”
He was wearing jeans that hugged his body nicely, and his white undershirt was wet and translucent with sweat and dew. At least she had something nice to look at as she trekked through the forest.
“Here we are,” Cage said. “Good thing the fog is mostly gone.”
She took a few steps up a steep incline, and he held her hand to help her up. When she reached the top, she saw a breathtaking waterfall. It wasn’t the largest or the most majestic waterfall in the world, but it emptied into a crystal-clear little stream, and the woods opened up around it, creating a tiny little grove.
“I never knew there was a waterfall here,” she said.
“It’s a secret,” Cage said. “Some people have found it, but they keep it quiet because they don’t want it to get ruined. I stumbled across it while hunting back here. I’ve wanted to show you since we got together...but I was saving it for a special occasion.”
“A special occasion?” Ren asked. “Mal dying? You winning the championship? That’s not exactly super romantic…”
“No,” Cage said, and he bent down on one knee and then pulled something out of his pocket.
Ren’s heart slammed against her chest. Birds chirped cheerfully over the rushing water. Cage opened up the box, and a big diamond ring shimmered in the rising sun. He could afford it, she knew. The championship was worth a good chunk of money.
“Ren,” he said, “will you—”
“Yes!”
She bent down and met him on the forest floor. He slid the ring onto her finger, and she tackled him. He let her win, falling onto his back. She straddled him and smiled widely. “Tell your bear that I’m ready to make some cubs.”
EPILOGUE
Jace and Luca shifted. Ren loved watching her little boys shift, transforming from the cutest little toddlers into the cutest little teddy bears. They tried to roar, but it sounded way more adorable than it did threatening.
“Mom!” Lisbeth said to Lisa. “Jace and Luca shifted inside!”
“Boys,” Cage said, “go outside with that! Don’t set a bad example for your cousin.”
He opened the door, and Jace and Luca rushed outside. Lisbeth tu
rned into an adorable little panther kitten as soon as one foot hit the grass.
“She’s so well-behaved,” Ren said.
Mickey smiled. “I’m sure that won’t last. I remember when I first learned that I could break the rules.... It was a revelation.”
“Girls are well-behaved longer,” Lisa said, “but once they start disobeying their parents, they’re much worse about it. Lisbeth seems well-behaved now, but we’ll be jealous of you guys and your boys once she turns twelve or so.”
“When are you two reopening?” Mickey asked.
“January second,” Ren said. “I’m so excited.... We have so many new students signed up.”
Unbearable Cage (The Grizzly Next Door 3) Page 12