by Cree Storm
* * * *
As they made their way back around the fight ring, they spotted Enoch and a few of his men standing against the wall around the ring, as they watched the match.
“Enoch, any luck?” Ezra asked as they approached.
Enoch turned in their direction and bowed his head slightly to his king. “We were unable to find the traitor, Nicu. I had some of my men stay on the trail, so we could come back and bring you up to speed on the search. We were able to track him to an old mill about thirty miles north of here in a small industrial town. After searching the place, we found this,” Enoch replied as he reached into a pocket and pulled something from within and held it out to Ezra.
Taking the item, Ezra asked, “What is this?”
“I’m not sure, your Majesty, but it appears to be some kind of stone. There was a scattering of a few different ones around a pentagram. There were also candles placed around the pentagram. It was very large and painted on the floor with what looked like blood.”
Jewel held out his hand and touched the crystal, then quickly pulled his hand back. “That’s a Carnelian, Ezra. I’ve seen it before. It’s supposed to be used to promote courage, passion, determination, and victory. It’s a great stone to wear to increase chances of success in all areas of life, as it stokes the inner fire.”
“So I’m confused, what would this mean to us and finding Nicu?”
Enoch nodded to one of his men, who then stretched out his arm toward Ezra, handing him a black hoodie. “Recognize this?” Enoch asked.
“Yes,” Ezra said. “It’s Nicu’s”
“Then that proves he was in the mill,” Enoch said.
“Ezra, if the mage is involved he could have cast a spell on one of those crystals to help Nicu in anything he went up against. If he is a strong mage, and I know he is from the time he held me captive, then he could spell that crystal into making Nicu successful if he came back here to kill Orion or Nelson. With that stone cursed just right, neither Nelson or Orion would stand a chance.”
“Son of a bitch. We need more guards on Nelson now. As soon as this match is over, I want some on Orion as well,” Ezra ordered.
“Oh, he’ll just love that,” Enoch said with a smirk.
“Orion will just have to get over it. I need to keep him protected as well.”
“How much longer do you think this farce of a match will go on?” Enoch asked as he motioned with his chin toward the ring.
“If the mage is helping Napal as we suspect, then I’m not sure,” Ezra said with a sigh.
Enoch’s brows lowered into a deep vee. “Napal?
Ezra looked at him as if he lost his mind. “Yes, Napal. How do you not even know one of your own?”
Now Enoch’s brows rose so far up his forehead Nelson was surprised they didn’t disappear in his hair. “One of mine? I don’t have a Napal in my ranks. I’ve never seen that man before. He’s definitely not from my coven.”
“Then where the hell did he come from? He registered under your coven,” Ezra asked.
“I never signed anyone up for the ceremonies named Napal. And looking at that man, again, Re, I have never seen him before,” Enoch protested.
“Oh my god,” Nelson gasped. “He’s going to kill my mate.”
Jewel wrapped his arms around Nelson in comfort. “We won’t let that happen, Nelson. You said your animal had an idea. Tell us.”
Just then Ezra’s guards returned, pointing at a spot in the stands. Nelson quickly turned his attention in the direction and spotted the cloaked man, but this time the hood had slid back off his face and Nelson could see his cold eyes.
“That’s the mage, Ezra,” Jewel said grabbing Ezra’s arm. “The one who took me.”
“Seize him, but be careful of his magic,” Ezra ordered his men in a low voice.
“Wait. As Jewel said, my fox has a plan and I think we should listen to him. But we have to move fast before my mate gets killed.”
“What do you suggest?” Ezra asked, moving in closer.
Once Enoch and his men as well as Ezra’s guards all moved closer too, Nelson began to explain, “Jewel, we need you to focus your magic on Napal or whoever the hell he is.”
“But my magic is all wonky, Nelson, which I just proved a few minutes ago with the whole naked thing,” Jewel protested.
Nelson gave him a wicked smile. “Exactly. We’re counting on it. Just… try not to hit my mate with it.”
“Hey, I make no promises with this crazy magic, but I’ll do my best.”
“Good. And Jewel? Go big.”
Jewel gave Nelson a bright smile and turned toward the fight.
“Ezra, you stay by Jewel’s side in case he needs you, or your people start to revolt over what’s happening. In the meantime, Enoch, take your men and wrap around the other side. Cassidy, you and your men slowly make your way around the ring from here and wait for Enoch to get to the other side. As your two groups move at the same time up the stands from either side of him, I’ll head up the middle toward him,” Nelson instructed.
“But he’ll see you, Nelson, and who knows what he’ll do? You may get trampled,” Cassidy replied.
Nelson smiled again. “He won’t even see me coming.” Immediately he stepped behind the line of guards and shifted into his fox. Cassidy and the others all looked down at him and smiled, understanding in their eyes.
“Well, you heard him men, go,” Ezra commanded.
The two groups of guards began moving as Ezra and Jewel turned toward the ring and focused on the match. Nelson spared a quick glance at his mate and saw Orion slam his elbow up into Napal’s nose, then the thing began to bleed. “Good. That’ll teach the bastard,” his fox said in his head.
Nelson turned and hurried his little fox feet so that he would go up the stands directly in front of the mage and be in position as Enoch and Cassidy’s men also got into their positions.
CHAPTER 11
The crowd let out a collective gasp of pain and Nelson spun around to see what was happening. He and his fox both cringed from the sight of their mate’s blood. “Wait. We have to go back really quick.”
“But the mage…”
The fox turned back toward where Jewel stood, saying, “Will still be there when we get to him. This is important.”
Nelson’s fox rushed back toward Jewel just as Orion flew through the air and landed on his back with a grunt. His arm was twisted at an awkward angle. The crowd gasped when he got to the opening of the ring, but his fox remembered what Ezra had said, if anyone entered the ring the match would be over and since Orion was currently on the floor, that would mean Napal would win. Careful not to get too close, his fox plucked several hairs from his body and blew them towards Orion. Each follicle floated through the air, then landed on his mate and Orion hissed as his back arched. His arm returned to its natural position as his body began to heal. All injuries the bastard Napal had caused because of his magic were gone and Orion was back to his healthy self, ready to continue this fight. Turning, the fox said, “Now we can go.”
“I had no idea you could do that,” Nelson mentally murmured to his fox.
“We, Nelson… we. It seems to me you often forget that we are one. You are as much a part of me as I am of you. Our fox and human are not separate entities. When that gets through your head, maybe then we can be who the Gods intended us to be. And there are a lot of things we can do you don’t know about,” his fox said in annoyance.
“I know that. I just said it wrong,” Nelson quietly muttered.
“No, Nelson, you don’t. You think on the terms of I and him. You never use the word we in anything you say when it comes to me. You act as if I’m your underling, when in fact I’m your equal. You make decisions and choices for both of us, and that has always been our downfall. It is not only demeaning to me, it is very hurtful,” his fox said, putting his inner agitation into his tone.
Just as he turned around, a wave of magic flowed past him going toward Orion. His mate stood the
re as butterflies fluttered around the ring and Jewel hissed, “Damn it! I said for Orion to make his butt fly, not butterflies.”
The butterflies fluttered around Napal and Orion took the opportunity Jewel had given him, saying, “I’ll make his butt fly for you.” Rushing forward, Orion brought his leg up, leapt into the air swinging around, his foot connecting with Napal’s face. His head snapped to the side as his body lifted into the air twisting around and the prick landed on the mat.
“Yes, I knew Jewel could help us,” the fox said, letting his joy flutter through his mind.
Nelson and his fox were beginning to believe that things were going their way. Napal was lifted high into the air, his arms open wide as he started turning in circles, his face seemed to flicker and distort, but then quickly went back to normal. Every cut, injury, and bone began to heal. Nelson’s fox looked towards the mage as he stood high, with his own arms open wide, chanting. “Damn it, we need to stop this fucker, now.”
Napal dropped back to his feet, and gave Orion an evil smile, as he said in a loud mechanical like voice, “Now you will die.”
Orion went into his fighting stance. Napal moved so fast no one saw the roundhouse kick coming until Orion’s head twisted and he flew across the arena. Again, Napal lifted up into the air and seemed to fly towards Orion, coming down hard. Orion rolled out of the way just in time and Nelson’s fox mentally shouted, “We need to move, now!”
Quickly making his way up into the stands, Nelson and his fox had one goal in mind… getting to that mage and stopping him from helping Napal. The crowd screamed out in horror, but the fox didn’t look back. If he got distracted now, the mage might see him coming and use his magic to stop them from helping Orion.
As Enoch and Cassidy’s men were making their way up the sides the mage saw them coming. He flicked his wrist to the right and the other to the left, and half the men went flying off the stands as the others ducked for cover. The people in the stands started screaming and running down the stairs. Nelson’s fox had to dodge and weave to avoid being trampled. Ezra’s booming voice shouted, “Everyone stay calm, our men are taking care of the problem. Trust in our soldiers!”
The crowd began to calm, and Nelson’s fox continued on. The mage spotted him seconds before they reached him. Nelson saw through his fox eyes as the hideous face looked at him. The scars and tightened skin made him look like Freddy Kruger from those horror movies his brothers liked to watch. His nails were so long it made the look all the more real and fuck… he was pointing one of them at him.
“Move right!” Nelson shouted to his fox.
Thankfully the fox in him listened just as a magical light flew past him and a hole appeared where he and his fox had just been. Nelson’s fox, hissed, and leaped at the mage, biting down on the fucker’s thigh. The mage began to scream in pain lifting his leg as he dug his claw shaped nails into the sides of Nelson’s fox. The pain was intense, but they were not letting go. Instead, he removed his teeth and dug his own claws into the man’s leg higher up, pulling them further up the man’s thigh, then he bit down even harder.
The mage screamed and pulled on Nelson. This time his fox lost his hold and they went sailing through the air, landing on an empty seat. His fox didn’t move as the mage continued to scream in pain. Nelson mentally hissed, “We need to attack again.”
His fox gave a mental scoff, “No, we don’t. Like I said, Nelson, there is a great deal about us you don’t know. Your parents never had the chance to talk to you about our lethal side. You see, they tell you about the quick shift causing the people and objects around you to explode because they don’t want you to accidently kill someone on your first shift. They tell you about the use of our fur opening portals, so you can escape anyone trying to take us from our homes to use against the enemy. What they don’t tell you, until you are much older is why. I will explain all of this to you later. For now, trust me, the mage is taken care of. Let’s get to our mate.”
The mage lifted his arms into the air shouting, “I will be back, fox! Next time when I return, I will kill all that you love! You will suffer before you die!” Then he disappeared before their eyes.
Nelson’s fox took off as quickly as he could down the stands as the crowd stood shouting and cheering. Once at the bottom, his fox looked around until he saw Orion standing in the center of the arena with only the referee. Nelson and his fox were both shocked to see him in a hula skirt with a flower wreath on his head for a crown.
“I accidently did the naked on Orion and I didn’t think you’d appreciate everyone looking at his bits and pieces. I said shirt but the skirt kind of appeared. My magic seems to have a flower theme to it, Jewel said walking up to them with a shrug.
The Referee lifted Orion’s arm and the crowd went wild. Jumping, clapping, and screaming his name, “Orion! Orion! Orion!”
The announcer picked up the microphone and handed it to Ezra as he made his way to the center of the ring. Ezra lifted the mic, saying, “This battle was not what it should have been. The contender not only fought without honor, he fled when he was being beaten by the best man for the job as our Regal. However, this fight showed everyone here how, if you work together, no matter how the cards are stacked against us, together we can beat anyone who threatens our lands and our people. Together we are strong. Together, no man, paranormal, or mage will defeat us!”
The crowd went wild. The sounds deafening as their feet pounded on the stands over and over again. Ezra lifted Orion’s other arm into the air, shouting into the microphone, “Orion Leventis… Regal to all… second in command to your Re!”
The people cheered, screaming Orion’s name. Nelson and his fox were filled with pride in the man they called their own. Not able to stand another second without him, Nelson’s fox scurried to their mate and leaped onto him, careful not to scratch his already marred body. The referee and Ezra must have let his arms go, because Nelson felt his mate cuddling his fox close, whispering, “I love you, Cuddle bug.”
Surprisingly, his fox called on their shift and Nelson found his body pressed to Orion’s, whispering, “I love you too, Sexy.”
Nelson felt Orion’s cock harden and wasn’t the least bit surprised when his own shaft did the same.
“Everyone, quiet. It’s time we heard a few words from our new Regal,” Ezra said.
Ezra turned the microphone towards Orion. “The people need to hear from their new Regal.”
Orion took the microphone and the stands fell quiet—everyone sitting and waiting to hear what Orion had to say. “I had always looked at our coven as my family. Every man, woman, and child, as one of my sisters, brothers, cousins, as well as my friends. When I received my scars, that seemed to change. I don’t mean my love for my family, but how I was to all around me. I thought my scars scared most of you, and that caused me to step back. That all changed the moment I met this man here. Nelson is my true mate. He made me see that I am not a freak. I am not alone… that the only one who saw me any differently was myself. He was right. I heard all of you chanting my name today. I felt all of you giving me the strength to keep fighting, because I knew if I did not win, Napal would have taken all I hold dear and that, my friends… my family, is all of you.”
Everyone cheered, chanting his name once again. Ezra held his hand up, calming the crowd as Orion continued. “I didn’t want this fight to end with my opponent running with his tail between his legs and if I could, I would force him to return and finish what we started. However, the rules are set, and I promise you all, I will find this man and I will definitely earn my title as Regal to you all.”
Nelson almost exploded with pride. His cock was so hard he thought it might empty right there in front of everyone. The need to feel his mate was strong. It was almost overpowering. Orion must have felt the same way, because he handed the microphone to Ezra and without a word tightened his hold on Nelson and left the arena.
Nelson didn’t think he blinked before he found himself in their room being tosse
d onto the bed with Orion hissing, “If you like those clothes, I suggest you get out of them quickly.”
Orion ripped the skirt from his body and went to take the flower crown off, but Nelson smiled as he removed the last of his clothing, saying, “Leave it on.”
Orion didn’t even argue as he grabbed the lube from the bedside table and popped the top. “Turn over, Starlight.”
Nelson quickly flipped over getting onto his hands and knees. His ass high in the air, anticipating his mate’s touch.
Orion didn’t disappoint. A slick finger entered his hole and was thrusting in and out in record speed, then was quickly joined by a second digit. “I’m sorry, Starlight. I can’t go slow.”
“Orion, I don’t want slow, I just want you… in me… now,” Nelson moaned, gasping as Orion added a third finger.
“I must have you,” Orion snarled as his fangs dropped down and his claws came out.
Nelson’s fox scurried with excitement inside him and both let out a pleasurable gasp when Orion lined up his big cock and pushed inside. It only took seconds before Orion’s balls were touching Nelson’s ass. Not waiting a second, Orion pulled almost all of the way out and pushed forward again. His claws digging into the sides of Nelson’s hips.
Orion’s thrusts were hard, and soon Nelson felt one of Orion’s hands pushing his shoulders onto the bed and lifting his ass higher, grunting with each thrust. Nelson hissed, “Yes! Fuck me, sexy man. Fuck me good.”
No words came from Orion’s mouth, just sounds of pleasure and need. His thrusts increased, pushing Nelson so far up the bed that he had to hold onto the headboard, so he didn’t hurt himself. However, there was no way in hell he was going to ask his mate to stop. This joining felt too fucking good. “Yes, sexy man. Pound my ass.”
Orion lifted Nelson even higher thrusting in and out of Nelson’s body. The move had Nelson screaming in pure mating bliss as Orion pegged his love gland over and over. “I’m not going to last, sexy man! I’m not going to last.”