by R. E. Butler
“You focus on the fights. I’ve got this. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”
“Thanks,” Ian said, and returned to his work.
Quill hadn’t been happy to hear that Ian had been fighting in illegal underground were-fights, but in a way, he wasn’t surprised. They’d all had to come to terms with their dad’s betrayal and erratic behavior on their own. They each felt responsible in one way or another about it, but the truth was that it was Davion’s doing, and they’d been unwitting pawns. He was putting the past firmly in the past.
He walked out of the cabin and found Brin and Angel strolling down the main path, holding hands. “Hey!” Angel said with a smile as she jogged over to Quill and greeted him with a hug and kiss. “I was just coming to see what you were up to.”
“I’m heading into town for some supplies for Saturday.”
“Sexy supplies?” she asked, wiggling her brows.
He chuckled. “Among other things.”
“Can I come?”
Oh, he’d be sure she did. Lots.
Clearing the wicked thoughts from his mind, he said, “You’re not supposed to help. It’s a male thing.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I’ll miss you.” She went onto her toes and kissed him. “Whisper called me.”
“Oh?” Her best friend hadn’t been happy to hear about her mating Quill and his brothers. He didn’t necessarily blame the hyena female – their father had paid someone to kidnap her as a toddler. But he did think that she should understand about mates, and that they definitely weren’t their father, and had zero bad intentions when it came to Angel.
“Yeah. She said she was sorry that she’d been angry, but she didn’t think she could be around you.”
“I’m sorry.”
She looked at him, her gaze a mixture of sadness and determination. “I told her she’s wrong to feel that way about you. You’re my mates, and if you’re not welcome, then I’m not either.”
He loved that she was willing to stand up for them, but he didn’t want her to lose someone so close. “We can stay outside of Beyton and you can go with your mom.”
“No. That’s not how friends are supposed to act. You’re mine, and that’s all that should matter to her. I accepted her mates without question.”
He smiled ruefully. “Their father didn’t kidnap you.”
She harrumphed and crossed her arms. “If she changes her mind, then I’ll go, but as of right now, I’m not going to the shower. I’ll still get together with my mom and stepdad because they want to meet you guys, but that’s it.”
“Where will we stay?”
“My mom and step-dad said we could stay with them, but they only have a tiny twin bed in their guest bedroom, and there’s no way that all four of us would fit on it. I’d kind of hoped we could stay at the apartment above the bar, but I’d say that’s out now. We can find a hotel.”
“Sounds good. It’ll be October before you know it.”
“Can I ask you something?” she peered up at him.
“Anything.”
“Are we going to get married, too?”
“Of course.”
“Good. I want to have your last name.”
“In a rush to make honest males out of your mates?” Brin teased.
She grinned so sinfully that Quill’s whole body reacted by hardening.
“You bet.”
He glanced over his shoulder as Ian came rushing out of the house. He growled softly as he drew close. “I was working and smelled something super sweet and hot. Turned out to be my favorite dessert. Angel.”
“Too bad we’re working right now,” she murmured.
“Damn it,” Quill said.
“Hey, go take a break with your mate,” Blake shouted from the doorway. “We all remember what it was like to be newly mated. Just don’t forget to come back to work at some point in the day.”
Ian ducked to his knee and straightened with Angel over his shoulder. She shrieked in laughter as he took off for the cabin they were sharing with Brierley. Quill and Brin thanked Blake and hustled off after their brother and mate, anxious to get her alone.
* * *
Friday night came both too slowly and too fast, in that way that time works when you’re both anticipating and dreading something. Ian didn’t mind going to the fights again, but he hated having to leave Angel, even if he was leaving her with Quill. Thursday night was the first night they’d spent in their newly cleaned cabin. Before they moved in, he’d outfitted the cabin with security measures to ensure his family remained protected. Along with new deadbolts for the front and back doors, he installed motion sensors around the trees in the yard and the outside of the house, as well as window alarms. If anyone tried to get into the house, the local police would be alerted, as would Richard’s clan. It wasn’t that he thought anyone would come after his family, but he felt it necessary to be prepared – expecting the worst and hoping for the best.
As the time to leave approached, he filled his duffel and went to the family room. Brin and Quill sat with Angel on the couch, talking quietly. They stopped speaking when he walked into the room.
“I suspect I’m the subject of conversation?” he asked.
Angel stood and moved to him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she went onto her toes and brushed her lips against his. “I just want you to be safe. Promise you’ll come back to me in one piece. We have a new life to start.”
“I promise.”
His beast growled in agreement. There was no other choice. Angel was theirs, and he would return to her when the fights were done.
Brin and Quill joined them.
Angel kissed his brothers and said to Brin, “You come back in one piece, too.”
Brin flashed a grin. “You better believe I will. Sexy times await tomorrow night.”
“I love sexy times,” Angel said.
Ian looked at Quill. “Keep her safe.”
“With my life.”
After kissing Angel once more for luck, he and Brin left. Ian waited until he heard the deadbolt slide into place before he got into the truck and set his bag on the seat between him and Brin.
“Is there anything I need to know?” Brin asked as Ian pulled away from their cabin and headed through the campground.
“Yeah, try not to get into a fight.”
He snorted. “I’ll do my best. I’m really more of a lover than a fighter. Just ask Angel.”
Ian chuckled. “Thanks for not being pissed at me. And for coming with me.”
“Angel’s worried about you. I think it put her mind at ease a little to know you have someone there watching your back.”
“Wallace is a businessman at heart, so I don’t think he’ll do anything shady, but it’s best to be alert. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
They reached the warehouse, and he introduced Brin to Sandren and Cley at the front door. “Heard you’re done here?” Cley asked.
“Last night,” Ian answered.
“Good luck,” Sandren said.
Teun, who was blowing a spiral of smoke into the air and then flapping his wings to disperse it, looked Brin up and down and said, “Wallace advertised this as your last night. There’s a big crowd. Lots of males came in just for the chance to fight you one last time.”
Ian mentally growled. Of course Wallace would’ve publicized things to draw in as much of a crowd as possible. “It’s going to be a long night.”
“Good luck. I’ll miss you around here.”
Ian shook his hand. “Thanks.”
To Brin he said, “Ready?”
“I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
“I’m ready for anything.”
He found Wallace in the glass booth, with Axtyn standing beside him. He nodded to Wallace, and the male smiled in return. Ian changed into his shorts, leaving his regular clothes and shoes in the duffel. Then he cracked his knuckles and moved to the edge of the crowd. Wallace appeared, his big bodyguard cutting
a path through the crowd just by glowering at them.
Ian wanted to thoroughly threaten Wallace against harming Angel or his brothers, wanted to get it in writing that after tonight, he was well and truly done with fighting. But he knew better than to push the male. He hadn’t gotten his reputation for a bad temper by just frowning at everyone. He was lethal all on his own, not to mention the males he surrounded himself with.
“I trust you’re ready to fight,” Wallace said. It was a question, but his tone made it a statement that brooked no argument.
“I am.”
“You’ve got five fights. When you defeat all your opponents, there will be a final fight. I’m calling it the Free-For-All Brawl. Ten males, no rules, no referees. Last one standing is the winner.” He stepped close and lowered his voice to a bare whisper. “You will win. Are we clear?”
Ian swallowed the smart retort on his tongue. If Wallace had wanted him to win everything, he shouldn’t have tried so hard make things difficult. He’d never fought in a brawl before, but he wasn’t worried. Wallace did appear to want him to win so he could cash in on Ian’s winnings, but he was still asserting himself as boss of the fights by changing things up. Ian wouldn’t cry foul. He was fighting for Angel and his clan. Nothing else mattered.
“I’ll win.”
Wallace nodded sharply and turned, walking away. Axtyn lingered, staring down at Ian with an inscrutable look. “Problem?” Ian asked.
The big male shook his head. “I feel I should warn you. Some of the males in the brawl will be partially shifting. Wallace told them that ‘anything goes’ means that partial shifting is allowed. You can use it to your advantage; just don’t shift entirely or you’ll be disqualified.”
Ian’s brows rose. “Why are you telling me this?”
Axtyn’s eyes flashed, the irises ringed with red. “I don’t know.” He rubbed the space over his heart. “I don’t fucking know.”
The male turned and plowed through the crowd, finding Wallace in the main ring. As Wallace announced the first fight, calling Ian to the ring to a mix of cheers and jeers, Brin clapped him on the shoulder.
“For Angel.”
“For our clan,” Ian said.
* * *
Three hours later, Ian faced off against the last two males in the brawl. His entire body ached from the previous fights, but he wasn’t down for the count. He’d beaten every single male who had come at him, and during the brawl, he’d been the target of all nine males. It hadn’t surprised him – Wallace had promised the winner would have a fifty-thousand-dollar prize. All told, Wallace stood to make seventy-five thousand from Ian’s wins, not to mention however much he’d made in bets.
The two males charged at him, one on either side. Ian flipped backward at the last moment, allowing the males to crash into each other. He didn’t wait for them to get their bearings from the impact, but was on them a heartbeat later, claws slashing. One male was a wolf, and the other was a bear shifter. Their claws came at him as the two worked together to take him out.
The bear shifter was bigger, but because of his size, he wasn’t as fast. Ian used that to his advantage, sliding between the male’s legs and coming up behind him. He stabbed his claws into the bear’s ribs and hefted upward, the male screaming in surprise as Ian pierced his lungs and cracked his ribs with the motion. Ian tossed the male aside, and he rolled to a stop against a corner post. He attempted to rise to his feet, but couldn’t. His head dropped to the mat as he growled, unable to return to the fight.
The wolf circled Ian, fangs peeking from his parted lips. “I’ll have the purse, and your heart.”
“Fuck. You.” Ian said.
As the wolf charged, clawed hands slashing wildly through the air and a howl of rage parting from his lips, Ian drew on his beast to increase his strength and speed. He side-stepped at the last moment, smashing his fist into the wolf’s back. He hit the ground with a snarl, and Ian followed him down, pressing his knee into his back and wrapping his hands around his neck.
It was tempting to snap the wolf’s neck, but Ian didn’t want to break the rules and intentionally kill the male, even though he’d just threatened to do the same to Ian. The wolf struggled under him as Ian dug his claws into his neck and held him still. Hot blood poured over his fingers, but he didn’t let go until the male slumped to the mat. He extracted his claws and listened for the male’s breathing and heartbeat, which proved he still lived. Then he rose to his feet and let loose a roar of victory.
The crowd erupted into a frenzy, and Ian pumped his fists in the air. He found Brin giving him a thumbs-up at the back of the crowd. Wallace appeared with Axtyn, grasping Ian’s left wrist and saying, “Winner, Ian!”
Ian waited with Brin until the crowd had died down, gamblers leaving with smiles or frowns, depending on how their betting had gone. Wallace approached him and Brin and said, “You were quite the cash cow tonight. I would say thank you, but you’re robbing me of the ability to do so well in the future.”
“The wolf I beat last is a good fighter. When he heals, you should focus on him. He would be a good replacement.”
Wallace shook his head. “He lost too publicly. I don’t want to back a loser.” He gave Ian an appraising look. “Are you certain you don’t want to fight again? I can’t change your mind?”
Ian shook his head. “I’m done. We agreed to this.”
“Can’t blame a male for trying.” Wallace extended his hand. “Good luck.”
“Thanks. Same to you,” Ian said.
Ian nodded to Axtyn, grabbed his duffel from Brin, and headed outside. The fresh air greeted him, and he couldn’t stop the smile making his cheeks hurt. He was done. He was finally, truly done with fighting, and now he could focus on the next chapter of his life – mating Angel and starting a family. Everything was falling into place more perfectly than he ever could’ve hoped for.
It was all thanks to his sweetheart.
Chapter 9
Angel couldn’t sleep a wink as she waited for Ian and Brin to return. Even though Quill had tried to sex her into a coma to keep her mind off the fights, she still hadn’t been able to rest easily. It seemed wrong to be sleeping while he was fighting. It certainly didn’t seem like the fight owner was the sort of guy who let people tell him what to do. She was worried on a hundred different levels for her mates.
When she heard the truck stop in front of the house, she jumped up from the couch and raced to the front door. Twisting the deadbolt, she threw open the door and rushed down the stairs. She wanted to throw herself into Ian’s arms, but as he got out of the truck, she saw that he was pretty beat up. Tears sprang to her eyes as she skidded to a stop in front of him.
“Oh, Ian.”
He reached for her, drawing her close even as he winced with the motion. “I’m okay, love. I won, I’m done.”
“I knew you’d win,” she promised.
She helped him into the house. “Bed or shower?” she asked.
“Shower, only if you’ll help.”
“You know I will,” she said.
Brin followed behind, closing and locking the front door. “You want a steak?”
“Yeah, make it two. I’m freaking starving,” Ian said. To Angel he said, “I always get hungry after fighting. It’s draining.”
“Then we’ll get you something delicious.”
“You?”
She laughed as she maneuvered him into the bathroom. “Even when you’re beat all to hell, you still want to have sex?”
“Sex? No. Make love? Yes.”
Her body heated at the thought, but one look at his bleeding knuckles and battered face, and she knew the last thing he needed was her pawing at him. She turned on the shower and helped him strip out of his clothes. Every inch of flesh she bared was marred – bruised or cut or torn – but she could see that he was healing. It pained her all over that he was injured, but she was thankful he was done.
“It feels better than it looks,” he said.
“Well, that’s a little comforting.”
When the water was hot, she stripped and got into the shower with him, washing him gently from head to toe. He yawned several times, winced when deeper wounds were cleaned, but kept up a steady chatter of how much he was looking forward to Saturday night. Once he was out of the shower, dried, and wearing shorts, she bandaged some of the wounds and helped him settle in bed.
“You’re treating me like an invalid,” he groused as she fussed over him.
“I’m not. I know you’re a strong, capable male. You defeated how many tonight to set yourself free and keep us safe?”
He yawned. “A lot.”
She smiled indulgently. “Okay. So let me take care of you. Are you sure you shouldn’t shift? My friends always said healing came faster in the shift.”
Brin came into the room with a plate containing two steaks, which he handed to Angel, along with several bottles of sports drink he had tucked under his arm. He’d already cut the steaks into pieces, and passed her a fork from his pocket.
“I don’t want to shift,” Ian said. “I just want to eat and have my sweetheart cuddled up next to me.”
She glanced at Brin, and he shrugged. “He knows what his body needs. Do you want anything to eat, love?”
“I’m good. Thank you.”
Quill came into the room and told them, “I’m going to crash on the couch. I have to get up early for some errands for our ceremony.” He kissed Angel goodnight and walked out of the room.
Brin kissed her cheek and said something similar about errands.
She scooched closer to Ian and stabbed a piece of steak with the fork. “I guess it’s just you and me in the big bed.”
“Sure I can’t convince you to take me for a ride?” he asked after swallowing the bite.
“I’m sure. You’re very tempting, though.”
They talked while he ate, and she listened with rapt attention as he shared about the fights. Things could’ve gone a lot worse for him. That he was injured, but not in a life-threatening way, made her thankful. She didn’t know what she would’ve done if he’d been seriously injured. When the plate was empty and the sports drinks drained, she slipped under the covers and settled her head on his chest, careful of his injuries. “Thank you,” she murmured.