Hidden Passions (Hidden, #7)(71)

"You keep calling me that," Tony said, "I'll assume you want a date."

Tony had backed up across the grass, putting distance between them. Being isolated with an opponent was kind of a luxury. On the job, he often had to consider whether a bad guy's friends might jump into a fight. Jonah didn't like his calm response. He put up his hands, and Tony followed suit. Jonah's stance wasn't what it should have been. Like some big men did, he planted his feet too wide for good balance. His chin wasn't tucked to protect his head, and his fists were a smidge too low. He might box, but he hadn't focused on defense.

Probably he thought offense was what counted.

He was capable of being sneaky. He blurred forward without warning.

Tony slapped his first punch downward and parried the next two sideways. Jesus, the cat was quick. Tony unleashed a kick to Jonah's midsection, knocking him back a step. He'd struck the cat in the breadbox, but Jonah didn't seem winded.

"Dog thinks he can bite," Jonah quipped.

This time Tony sped to him. Jonah didn't block his strikes as well as Tony had blocked his. Unfortunately, Tony had less power to put behind them. Jonah barely rocked when Tony's jabs cleared an opening for a massive uppercut to his jaw.


Executing the combination had put him in arm's reach too long. Jonah backhanded him hard enough for his ears to ring, then tried to grapple him toward the ground. He couldn't throw Tony off balance the way he wanted, but the wrestling match wasn't one Tony could win if it lasted long. Jonah simply had too much brute strength. Determined to break his hold, Tony slammed his not-at-all-padded knee into the cat's family jewels.

That bent Jonah over for three seconds.

Tony shouldn't have given him even one to recover. Clearly, no quarter and no mercy was what surviving this match required. Long before Tony caught his breath, Jonah exploded from his hunker, pummeling him with such lightning quick combinations they were hard to defend against.

Sometimes imperfect form wasn't much of a handicap.

Tony's nose broke and then his left cheekbone. Knowing he had to cut this short, he tore free, leaped back, and thumped the cat's inner thigh with a powerful swinging kick. Tony's rotation added force to the impact of his lower leg, his foot now in the ideal position to hook Jonah behind the knee. Tony pulled, and the cat's feet slipped out from under him. As he fell back, Tony pounced, readying a strong rear cross for his exposed temple.

The punch never landed. Jonah whipped up both legs, feet snapping out as Tony descended. Never mind Jonah's strength, Tony's shifter-enhanced velocity ensured that his ribs would crack.

Fuck, he thought, the slam of pain impossible to breathe through. He rolled away as swiftly as he was able, aware he couldn't afford to stay where he'd been thrown. He spat out the blood that had filled his mouth from his nose breaking. His ribs weren't as quick to mend. They needed more than a couple breaths to heal enough for him to attack again.

Unsurprisingly, Jonah didn't give him time for that.

Tony couldn't move at full speed. He was still getting his feet steady under him when Jonah sped around him and launched into him from behind. Down Tony went, with the cat's weight and bulk on top of him.

His ribcage screamed at the fresh assault. Tony tried to flip Jonah off, but the tiger snaked a chokehold around his neck.

If he'd done it right, Tony would have passed out for sure. Jonah had him in an air choke rather than one that compressed the arteries and more swiftly triggered unconsciousness. Air chokes hurt like hell and could fracture the hyoid bone. What they didn't do was prevent a determined person from reacting.

Tony was determined and then some.

Jonah wasn't truly controlling him except around his neck. Despite the cat's greater size, Tony was able to shove up onto his knees. Quick as lightning, he shot out his claws, plunging them and his fingers deep into Jonah's gut.

It was a gross thing to do, but Tony didn't hesitate to dig and twist once they were in there. Blood gushed down his hands from the damage he was doing. Jonah grunted, pain loosening the vise he'd made with his bicep and forearm. Tony wrested free and staggered away from him.

"Dog," Jonah growled, on his knees, one hand clutched to his slashed stomach. "I'm going to enjoy killing you."

Okay, Tony thought. Good to know the stakes. He refrained from holding his aching ribs. They felt like they were still broken. Attacking Jonah while he was down was tempting but possibly not smart. Nate would have taken him already, he suspected. The stylish wolf was a pinpoint fighter. He'd taught Tony cruder control techniques. They didn't require Tony to be a ninja, just practiced and coolheaded. He reminded himself he'd learned some important things. Jonah was sloppy about defense, didn't have great balance, and wasn't used to being on the receiving end of pain.

Oh, and also he had fists like wrecking balls.

"Any time you want to call it quits," Tony suggested, recalling what Chris had said about the cat's temper.

Jonah peeled his lips back and bared his fangs. He was panting a little.

"I could offer to suck your cock," Tony said. "If that's an incentive."

Jonah flushed with anger, all the warning Tony got before he flung himself up and rushed forward.

Tony made sure he wasn't there to be hit. Jonah blurred at him again, and again Tony dodged. When events unfurled at super-speed, small differences in brain chemistry mattered. Maybe Jonah's perceptions were dulled by anger. Certainly, they weren't as sharp as Tony's. The cat overshot so far his shoulder bounced off the magic dome. The barrier clanged like a muffled bell.