Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(29)

I turned in my chair to see Shaz enter the fight cage. He wore only the long shorts of a boxer. Both hands were clenched into fists as he fixated on his opponent, a thirty-something lanky werewolf with light brown hair and dark eyes that were pure beast. Both men had eyes only for each other. They were ready. I was terrified.

Shaz had a great physique. He’d always been in shape, but his time in the mountains had given him additional muscle and tone. Unfortunately, sheer force wasn’t enough to win a fight like this. He had to want it more than his opponent, and he had to be clever in his attacks.

The crowd grew loud with activity as patrons placed their bets with the designated arena bookies. My panic was growing in leaps and bounds. Why was Arys so unaffected? I wanted to shake him.

“Arys,” I spoke through gritted teeth. Turning my growing ire on Jenner, I said, “I won’t let him die in there.”

Jenner scoffed. “Don’t you dare even think about interfering, or I’ll toss your ass in there to take on the winner.” To Arys he said, “Talk some sense into your woman, brother. She’s a loose cannon.”

“I’ll show you a loose cannon,” I roared, on my feet with fangs bared.

“It’s Shaz’s fight, Alexa,” Arys warned. “We must stay out of it. He requested it.”

More like demanded it, I thought bitterly. Jenner smirked, and without second-guessing my decision, I tossed the contents of my whiskey glass into his face.

Jenner moved fast, a blur of motion. He grabbed me by the throat and jerked me close. Whiskey dripped from his face. “You have no idea who you’re f**king with, little wolf. I could have you on your knees begging me for your pathetic life before Arys could so much as blink.”

That was clearly an exaggeration. In a reflexive reaction, I smashed my knee into Jenner’s groin with enough force to drop him. When he stared up at me in open-mouthed surprise, I placed a hand on his forehead and reached for his power. It recognized me, bending easily to my will. I put the squeeze on him, focusing on his lifeless heart.

“This is how I killed Harley,” I said slyly. “A power push that caused his heart to explode. And that’s what I’ll do to you if you ever touch me again.”

A handful of Jenner’s vampires surged forward from their place in the crowd, ready to protect the master of their city. I stopped them with a hand, sweeping my power out like a wave crashing over each of them in turn. Drawing on my link to Arys, I took them all down.

Taking advantage of my small lapse in focus, Jenner slapped me with a psi ball I never saw coming. It slammed into my chest, knocking me breathless. I lost my balance and stumbled backwards. Arys’s quick catch kept me from falling.

“Enough!” Arys threw an energy wall up between me and Jenner, who got to his feet, cursing up a storm.

I took a few deep breaths, ensuring I could still breathe. That attack had carried some serious weight. Jenner was no lightweight, being almost as powerful as Arys. I would have to be more cautious during our next face off.

Tearing through Arys’s barrier was tempting. I could do it because of our bond. Instead, I spun on my heel and stormed off across the room. I was fuming, wishing I could sink claws into Jenner until he screamed like a little bitch.

Passing a waitress with a tray laden with cocktails, I swiped one and asked her to bring me something stronger. Too bad I’d wasted a drink on that sniveling vampire.

I planted myself on the opposite side of the room against the back wall where I could see everything. Arys and Jenner were right where I’d left them, heads close together as they spat profanities at each other.

I turned my attention to the two wolves inside the cage. They both moved in place, predatory and anxious to fight. The announcer stepped back into the center of the ring, and the crowd’s excitement grew. I groaned.

“I hope you’ve all placed your bets. Now let’s see what kind of beasts we’re gambling with here.” The announcer gestured to each man to shift. They did without hesitation, leaving their shorts in tattered pieces. The crowd loved this. “At the sound of the bell, the fight begins. It ends when one of you is dead. Good luck. Fight hard.”

The announcer left the ring. Apprehension was heavy as the crowd waited for the bell. I closed my eyes, willing myself to wake up from this horrible dream. The waitress returned with my whiskey, forcing me to look. I exchanged the empty cocktail glass for the double shot of rye, dropped her a tip and sighed.

The bell rang. I almost choked on the liquor. Aw hell, here we go.

Shaz hung back circling the outside of the ring. His opponent opted for the rush attack. The brown wolf flung himself at Shaz, snarling and snapping. He was too aggressive too soon. His timing was wrong and instead of sinking fangs, he ran face first into the cage. Shaz leaped on his back, getting in a few good bites before bounding backwards to circle again.

The brown wolf wasn’t so quick to make a move this time. He hung back, watching Shaz, seeking a way to his throat. I held my glass so tight I thought I felt it crack. Remembering to breathe would be a good idea.

Incessant shouts from the audience rang out, demanding blood. The majority of the crowd was human, slick businessmen in their pricey suits, seeking a bigger thrill than any human club could offer them. Monsters. Every damn one of us. Being human didn’t change that. Somehow, it made it worse.

Shaz moved fast, feinting left then right, then going left again. He leaped, crashing against the other wolf with all of his weight. The two of them tumbled across the ring in a brown and white ball of fur.