Ashland

by Lynn Lorenz

  Antonio didn’t say a word, but his gaze danced between Stoltz and his owner, taking them both in as they talked about him. He’d know better than to speak before being spoken to.

  “Does it matter?” Granger asked.

  “No. But I might be able to help you out when it comes time to fight. Point you in the right direction of appropriate mates. Don’t want him winning someone he doesn’t want, right?”

  Granger nodded. “I’d appreciate it. I want Antonio happy. A happy fighter is a good fighter, and a mated fighter is deadly. Am I right?”

  “That’s what they say.” Stoltz laughed. “Okay, let’s put them through their paces. See what Antonio’s got.”

  He moved to the cage, climbed the stairs, and unlocked the gate. “Come on, men. Get inside. Ash, take defender. Antonio, challenger.”

  The men stepped past him and took their positions.

  “No shifting.” He turned to Granger. “How are you controlling him in shifted form?”

  Granger turned to the man dressed only in a short toga who stood next to him; he’d been nearly invisible the entire time. “This is Leon. He’s been with Antonio for a few years.”

  “Mated?” Stoltz frowned. That was strange.

  “Not really. They have fucked, when Antonio can’t find anyone else, but in the cage, Leon controls him. Or he will until Antonio wins a mate.”

  Stoltz looked the other slave over. A blend of Hispanic and African. Not a werewolf—no markings. Darker and smaller than Antonio, beautiful, yet not at all feminine. “So, why isn’t Antonio fighting with Leon as his mate?” Didn’t make much sense to Stoltz. He could go in as a defender, not a challenger. Enter the rankings higher from the beginning.

  Granger shrugged. “Leon doesn’t want to be in the cage. He’ll guide him from the outside instead. Antonio wants it that way too.”

  When did an owner care what a slave wanted? Maybe Granger was someone he could really like and respect, and he’d met few owners who fell into that category.

  Still, it wasn’t Stoltz’s place to criticize, and he’d never give his opinion without being asked for it. The two men removed their wraps. Flexed. Antonio bounced on his toes, looking eager to get started. Ash had that grin of anticipation he wore before a bout.

  “Okay. Take your positions. Three rounds. Four minutes. Mixed martial. No shifting.” He waited until the men squared off, then rang the bell as he hit the stopwatch.

  Ash and Antonio circled, drawing closer as they took each other’s measure. Stoltz watched, letting Ash work out his opening. He didn’t like to interfere or break Ash’s concentration. He trusted Ash to make the right decisions in the cage.

  Antonio charged. Ash stepped forward, into it before Antonio was ready. He flew up into a kick and caught the man square in the chest. Antonio fell back, but he rolled to his feet and sprang back, out of Ash’s reach. The man had good reflexes.

  Ash danced around, fists up, ready to strike. Antonio’s footwork was good, but he was a little heavy. Some rope work would fix that. Ash moved in, jabbing a few quick hits to Antonio’s midsection.

  Antonio answered with his own punches, landing about half. He had a tendency to swing a little wide, but that could be solved with some additional bag work. They got too close, got wrapped up together, arms reaching around each other as they whaled away on each other’s backs.

  Stoltz shouted, “Break it up, men!”

  Ash grunted and pushed Antonio off, Antonio staggered back, and Ash took the opportunity to move in.

  This time, Ash swung and scored a big hit, rocking Antonio’s head back. A gash opened above Antonio’s eye where Ash’s bare knuckles scraped it. Blood dripped down Antonio’s cheek, and he wiped his face with his arm.

  Vulnerable again, Antonio left himself open. Ash moved in and, with a roundhouse kick to the chest, spun Antonio around and to his knees.

  The watch beeped, and Stoltz hit the bell. End of the first round.

  “Over here,” he called to Antonio. The man got to his feet, shook his head, sending blood drops flying, and came to the side of the cage. Stoltz wiped off the slit, rubbed some styptic on it to stop the bleeding, and gave him a nod.

  “Good job. A little slow on your feet, but we can work on picking up speed. How much rope work do you do a day?”

  “About fifteen minutes,” Antonio answered.

  “Make it thirty starting today.” The fighter had been taking it easy and was capable of much more than a few minutes of rope work.

  “Yes, sir.” Antonio nodded and glanced at Granger, who wrote it down. Antonio looked at Ash. “Ready?”

  “When the bell rings.” Ash grinned. He held out his hand for Stoltz to check out. That last hit had busted the skin on his fingers, but nothing seemed broken. Stoltz wiped them down. “No tape. You’ll heal those with a quick shift.”

  “Right.”

  “Back in place.”

  Stoltz waited until they were ready. He held up his stopwatch, his gaze on the two fighters.

  “So, you think you can keep my prized werewolf?” A hard voice spoke from behind Stoltz.

  In the ring, Ash’s eyes widened, and his growl rumbled low in his throat as he backed up against the cage’s wall.

  “Don’t you growl at me, slave. I’ll tan your hide.” The man pointed at Ash as Stoltz swung around to face the stranger.

  This had to be Durio. He was big, bigger than Stoltz, and he looked as if he’d spent a lot of time working out. Durio wasn’t handsome, but his features might have been if his face wasn’t so twisted with hatred.

  What the fuck did he think he was doing there?

  Stoltz saw red with the urge to kill the man, but he reined it in. This wasn’t the time or place for violence, but he wasn’t going to back down either.

  “Don’t talk to my man, you fucking asshole.” Stoltz put his hands on his hips and looked the bastard up and down. Forget the man was larger; Stoltz would take this punk on and leave him in a heap on the floor if it came to it.

  “He’s mine. And I mean to have him back.” Durio leered at Ash. “Thanks for taking good care of him and training him for me. Word is, he’s on his way to being a top sparring partner. Maybe now he can earn his keep.”

  “Just because he’s moving up, making money, you want him back? You bastard. You let him almost starve.” Stoltz took a step forward.

  Ash crossed the cage to the wire mesh and threaded his fingers through it, his growl never stopping. Next to him, Antonio’s gaze darted between them all, as if trying to figure out what was going on.

  “A werewolf is expensive to keep.” Durio shrugged.

  “If you do it right, use him for the purpose he was bred for, not for your own pleasure. If you starve him, beat him, and abuse him, not so much. But he doesn’t belong to you anymore, Durio. Never will. I’ll see to that.” Stoltz punched the air in front of his face with his finger.

  “Really? Funny, that’s not what my lawyer says. He says you’ll be handing him over to me when this is done.”

  “I don’t give a shit what your lawyer says. Get out of here. Stay away from my werewolf. Until you get the right to be here, I’ll make sure the guards keep your ass out.”

  Durio laughed. “Miss me, Ashland? Miss our time together?”

  Ashland stopped growling and took a step back from the wire, his body shaking. Antonio looked at him, then at Durio, and frowned. To Stoltz’s surprise, the new man slipped between Ash and the cage and took up the warning growl.

  “Got your slaves to fight your battles?”

  “This won’t be a battle. Not here at the cages but in the league court. And don’t be so sure you’re going to win.” Stoltz pointed to the exit. “Get out before I have the guards throw you out.”

  Durio sneered. “Watch your back, Stoltz.” He turned to leave, stopped, and turned back. “Bye, Ashland. I’ll be waiting for you.” He gave a twisted smile and then left.

  Everyone watched as he strode across the facility to the doors
and out.

  A collective sigh broke out.

  Granger walked up. “What the hell was that?” He scratched his head.

  In the cage, Antonio turned to Ash and pulled him into a protective hold. Ash looked shaken, terrified, actually, and it killed Stoltz. Durio had to be stopped. It meant life or death to his werewolf. To Stoltz, it meant losing his dream, his business, and his lover.

  Both fighters were upset; there’d be no use in trying to continue sparring.

  “Come on out. That’s enough for today.” Stoltz opened the door, and the two men exited.

  Antonio kept his arm around Ash until he’d made it down the steps, and then Ash broke away and ran to Stoltz, nearly body slamming him to the floor. Stoltz wrapped his arms around Ash as the man buried his head in the crook of Stoltz’s neck.

  “Whoever that was, he’s really got your man upset. You too, from the looks of it.” Granger nodded toward Stoltz, taking in the way the men clung to each other. “I’d say you have more to lose than a werewolf.”

  “That was Ash’s former owner. The bastard lost him for nonpayment of back taxes. Ash has been with me for almost six months, and now he’s turning a profit, Durio wants him back. He’s hired a lawyer. I’m fighting it with everything I’ve got.”

  Granger frowned. “Not a nice man, if what we saw today and what you said was true.”

  “It was. Every word. And worse.” Stoltz stroked Ash’s back, trying to calm the man, but he still trembled.

  “I can tell. Your fighter’s reaction isn’t normal.”

  Antonio stepped forward. “There are all kinds of owners, Masters, or so I’ve been told. Wicked men. Cruel men. Men who should never own a slave. I’ve been lucky to have been with Granger for all of my career.” He gave a shudder, and Leon moved in close to him, putting his hand on Antonio’s back.

  “Yeah. Well.” Stoltz sighed. “Ash. Come on. He’s gone.” He pushed Ash back and took a good look, making sure the man hadn’t gone shocky. Terror could do that to a person, and Ash had been terrified.

  “How about we do this again in two days?” Granger offered. “Give your man time to recover.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.” They shook hands.

  Antonio asked, “Ash, are you okay?” Leon stood next to him, concern all over his face.

  “I’m fine. I never expected to see him again. I thought I was safe when they took me away and I was sold to Stoltz.”

  Antonio and Leon clapped Ash on the shoulder and then followed Granger out.

  Stoltz grabbed Ash’s wrap and slung it around him. “Okay?”

  “Yes, Master.” Stoltz didn’t believe Ash, not the way he looked.

  They headed to the doors.

  “Promise me. You won’t let me go to Durio.” Ash grabbed Stoltz’s hand.

  “I promise. Never.” Stoltz gave his hand a squeeze and kept walking.

  Determination burned in Stoltz’s heart. He’d die before Durio got Ash back.

  Better, Durio would die first.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Stoltz lowered Ash to the bed and crawled in next to him. He gathered him into his arms and pulled him close. Ash put his head on Stoltz’s chest and gave a final shudder.

  “I’m fine. Really. It was just seeing him. Hearing his voice. I don’t know why I acted like that.” Ash sniffed.

  “Because the man who repeatedly raped and beat you confronted you, Ash. That was a normal reaction. Trust me. You’ve been abused.”

  “But I’m a slave. It’s what we do. Have done to us. All the time.” Ash’s voice sank lower than before, as if all the fight had gone out of him.

  “Doesn’t make it right. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. It’s wrong. That’s why I didn’t ask it of you. You don’t have a choice. Having sex without true consent is rape. I won’t do that.” Stoltz stroked his hand over Ash’s arm.

  “I’ve never met a man like you, Dan. Never thought I’d… I don’t deserve…” Ash choked up again. “It’s harder because I know now what I’m losing. Before, it was how I lived, my life as a slave. I never expected better treatment.”

  “I’m sorry. Sorry for you ending up with Durio, that bastard. I’ll kill him if he comes around again, I swear it.”

  Ash snuggled closer. “You would…kill him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Don’t. He’s not worth it. Don’t take that risk. Maybe the lawyer can fix things. If you kill him, you’ll be made a slave, and he’ll still get me. I couldn’t live with knowing you’d been sentenced to this life because of me. If that happened, I might as well be dead.”

  “I know the risks. Trust me, I’m not doing anything to jeopardize our future.”

  “Good.”

  “Get some rest, Ash. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow. Back to the cages.” He patted Ash’s shoulder.

  Ash closed his eyes. Stoltz felt the slowing of Ash’s breathing as he relaxed. The man must have been emotionally and physically exhausted. Stoltz exhaled. He was wiped out too.

  He loved Ash. No denying it. And it threw a whole new light on owning slaves. On his entire life, really. On their world. How could they make men slaves? Their world was wrong. Just because these men could shift forms, because they were different, they were less human? Less men or women?

  What right did they have to breed them, like dogs, to suit their own purposes? The slave industry was huge, bringing big money with it, from the fighting shifters like Ash, to sex slaves, to the slaves who cleaned the streets. In their world, lawbreakers were sentenced not to years in jail, but years as slaves.

  How could he own Ash? How could he justify it?

  He’d bought him on the auction block, fair and square. As his owner, he had every right to do whatever he wanted to Ash—beat him, rape him, and even kill him.

  He had total control over Ash as long as Ash was his slave.

  But what if Ash wasn’t a slave?

  What if he freed Ash? Before the league hearing ruled?

  He’d call the lawyer in the morning and see if that were possible.

  Stoltz’s heart lifted. Maybe, just maybe, he could be with Ash on an equal level. Maybe if Ash were free, he wouldn’t feel so…wrong for accepting Ash’s affections.

  He wanted to jump out of bed, phone the lawyer, phone Murphy, find out what the laws said about freeing slaves, but exhaustion and common sense won out.

  He’d know the answers in the morning.

  »»•««

  Stoltz left Ash early in the morning, while the man still slept, and went back to his apartment. He needed to change his clothes, get his paperwork in order for the day’s sparring session, reserve the cage, and call Murphy about Ash.

  He grabbed the phone, fell onto the couch, and placed his cup of coffee on the side table next to the sofa. After he punched in Murphy’s number, he took a sip and swallowed.

  “Murphy here.”

  “It’s Dan. Can you talk?” Murphy was a busy man. His business thrived and grew, and Stoltz knew the man’s time was limited.

  “Got a few. What’s up? Heard from the lawyer? The league?”

  “No. I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Shoot.”

  “What are the laws, the rules, about freeing a slave?” Stoltz knew his friend would tell him the ins and outs. Stoltz had never owned anyone before. Not even his family had owned slaves—they couldn’t afford it. He’d never paid attention to the legal issues, never needed to.

  A sad sigh came over the line. “Ash? You want to free Ash.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement, and Murphy didn’t sound pleased about it.

  “I’m just thinking of a way out of this, that’s all.”

  “Let the lawyer handle it, Dan.”

  “But what if he can’t? What if they take Ash, give him back to Durio?”

  “Then he goes back. You’ll get your money back.”

  “It’s not the money. I don’t care about the money.” Stoltz couldn’t stop his voice from rising or keep the anger
out of it. “I want him safe. I want him away from that abusive fucking bastard.” Stoltz gripped the phone tighter.

  “I get that.” Another sigh. “Okay. You can free a slave, but he has to be yours for a certain length of time. I think for three years. They put the law into effect for just these circumstances. An owner falls in love with his slave. Frees the slave so they can be together, get married, whatever. The slave is freed and then disappears. The owner is out the money he paid for the slave, not to mention being made a fool of by the slave, or having his or her heart torn out and stomped on.”

  “Does that happen?”

  “More than you think. Look, slaves spend their time fucking, sleeping, fighting, and thinking about getting free.”

  “Not Ash.” Stoltz shook his head. In all their time together, Ash had never mentioned anything about being free.

  “You don’t know that, Dan. I’m not saying what he feels for you isn’t love. I’m not saying you don’t love him. I think you do, and maybe he does. I’m just saying it’s there. He’s a slave, and it’s always in the back of their minds. That’s why they created the law.”

  “It sucks.” Stoltz ran his hand through his hair and blew out a breath.

  “Yeah. But it’s a protection. If you win this hearing, Ash is yours. In three years, if you still feel this way, free him then.”

  “And if I don’t win?”

  “You’ll have to let him go, Dan. Don’t try anything stupid. Don’t run with him. You won’t get far, and you’ll ruin your life. If they catch you, you’ll be sent to the slave market.”

  Never. I swore I’d never let that happen.

  “I hear you. Wait for the ruling. I don’t like it, but I’ll have to accept it.” Stoltz gritted his teeth.

  “I’m sorry. Really. Sorry I didn’t let you buy the Asian. Maybe none of this would have happened.”

  “No going back, Murphy. You taught me that.”

  “I know. Move forward.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do. Look, I got a session scheduled later at the cages. See you around, okay?”

  “Sure. Later.”

  Stoltz hung up. He picked up his cup and finished his coffee. He had a lot to do before he retrieved Ash and headed to the cages. He started working on his paperwork and making reservations.