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My phone buzzed from its spot on my dresser, drawing my attention to it after my nice long bath. Rhett was right, the hot water really helped soothe my muscles. They were already starting to ache. I didn’t want to imagine the pain if I hadn’t taken a hot bath.
The phone buzzed again, reminding me that I couldn’t relax like that forever, even if I was tempted. Life would always be calling.
“Yeah?” I answered.
“Today’s a championship round, wanna come?” Ami asked. “My cousin will be fighting, not in the championship, but in the opening. Still, it’ll be fun.”
“Your cousin? Is this the man named Riot?” I asked, remembering the last time she’d dragged me there and the bear shifter she cheered on.
She laughed. “Yeah, Dion.”
“Why isn’t he in the championship?”
“You have to work your way up the ranks before you qualify to challenge the current champion. He has a couple more fights to go still. It’ll be a blast, come with me.”
“I will,” I said.
“Great, I’m almost to you, meet me outside and we can walk over.” She hung up.
I shook my head and quickly finished getting dressed. I met her downstairs, where she leaned over the counter to flirt with the guard.
Or tried to at least. The man was stoic as ever, not letting her distract him. He knew the moment I entered the lobby, his energy crackling through the air. He wasn’t a shifter or vampire, I knew that much, but other than that I couldn’t figure out what he was. The employee records I was able to get on him didn’t list his species either. Most likely, he didn’t know.
“Ami, leave the man alone,” I said. Straightening up, she turned and looked at me. She rocked black jeans with a turquoise shirt, the sleeves torn off and a graphic of a video game on the front.
“I can’t help it,” she said. “I just want to break him down. I swear, he has to be a robot.”
“Roman isn’t a robot,” I said and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the apartment with me.
We made quick work getting to the fights. The park was large enough to house up to two hundred thousand people if they rallied together for some reason.
“What are you thinking about?” Ami said.
“If people were to take over the city, Silverpool Park would be the perfect place to start from,” I answered. “From here, they could branch out in all directions and either chase everyone from the city or gain control of the territories.”
“Okay, I shouldn’t have asked,” Ami said.
I laughed as the rumble of the crowd grew louder. The fights had brought all kinds of life out. The anticipation of the championship filled the air with electric excitement that skimmed over my skin, trying to pull me under. If I allowed myself, I’d get lost in the bloodthirst too.
“Let’s go to the back. He’s only doing the first fight and I want to wish him well,” Ami said and worked her way through the crowd. I shoved past them too, forcing the men to give me space through. There were some women around, but they were dwarfed by the amount of testosterone suffocating the space.
A man stopped us from entering the roped off area until Ami got us in. She didn’t even have to name drop Riot. She just used her charm and talked us through.
“And that is how Roman should react to me,” she said.
I snorted. “Roman is a guard for a reason. He doesn’t care about anyone’s opinion but his boss. That loyalty keeps him there and our best interests in mind.”
She patted my shoulder as we walked in the cool evening air to the hunter green tent. “I’ll break him, I just need to rethink my strategy.”
We got to the tent and a man sat on a stool inside, wrapping his hands. His hazel eyes snapped up as we approached, and he grinned.
“Ami, I was wondering if you were showing up today.”
“I had to pick this one up,” she said, pointing to me. “I never miss your fights. You know that.”
They hugged, and he turned to me. He wanted to go in for a hug, but I nodded instead, so he mimicked. I could do the bro greeting when I wanted, and I didn’t need a dick to do it.
Ami and Dion got into a debate about strategy, and I tuned them out, not really understanding much about fighting. All I knew was what the guys had taught me so far, which was how to fall, how to throw some basic punches, and how to not get my face pummeled. Any more than that and it went over my head.
“Right, Laila?” Ami asked, turning to me.
“Yup,” I said. She knew I wasn’t paying any attention at all.
Her grin widened as she went back to talking to her cousin, and I continued to tune them out. A familiar figure caught my attention and I turned, focusing on the burly man moving through the crowd.
“Alijah?” I said softly, and his shifter ears picked up his name. He turned and looked at me, the sun reflecting off his auburn hair. He changed directions, stalking right toward me with a scowl.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
I raised an eyebrow. “I could ask you the same. I didn’t picture this being your kind of scene.”
“I’m fighting tonight,” he said, surprising me.
“Fight?” I asked. “The championship?”
Alijah shook his head. “No, I don’t do matches often enough. I’m only here once a month and fight even less.” He glanced around briefly. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Oh?” I crossed my arms. “Why not?”
“Because it’s dangerous here.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m with Ami, I’ll be fine. And besides, her cousin is pretty kick-ass, so we don’t need to worry.”
Alijah sighed. “I’ll worry.” His eye blazed orange. “I’ll always worry when it comes to you.”
I smiled and reached up, touching his dark skin. “Thank you,” I said.
My touch seemed to relax him a bit, and the tension in his body lessened. He closed his eyes and mumbled something. When his eyes opened again, they were back to their orange color, no longer inching toward red from his heightened emotions. He’d managed to get himself under control.
“So, you like fighting too?” I asked.
“I’m a shifter, we all enjoy it. Our animals thrive on the violence. For some, it’s more so.”
“You mean, for you, it’s more so?”
He nodded and glanced around. “And I’m not here just for the chance to see blood.” His expression grew serious. “I like to keep an eye on the fights, keep it clean.”
I snorted. There was no keeping this place clean. Alijah’s eyes narrowed and a flickering red flame entered his eyes. “Two years ago, a man decided to use one of the competitions here as an opportunity to sell drugs. The drug heightened the user’s senses and made them bloodthirsty, nearly feral. Fighters and spectators both got into the drugs. A brawl broke out. I was one of the enforcers who had to clean up the mess.”
“You used to be an enforcer?” I asked.
“For a short time,” he replied cryptically
I mulled over that tidbit of information, making a mental note to add it to his file. I was beginning to realize that all those files I had were incomplete. Just like Elliot’s didn’t mention he’d been an orphan for a bit. At first, it had frustrated me, but it was kind of nice to learn about it from them, for them to open up to me about their pasts. It was like going on a scavenger hunt for information.
“Come on, I’m in the second fight,” he said and reached for my hand, his touch sending light tingles up my arm as his energy danced across my skin. “I want to patrol before. I heard rumors.”
I tugged him closer and smirked. “And I’m your ticket to blending?”
“Maybe.” He led me into the crowd. I managed to send a wave toward Ami so she didn’t think she’d lost me. Once she disappeared from sight, I faced forward, focusing on Alijah’s back as he paved the way through all the people. He had an expansive frame, with wide shoulders. His back muscles rippled underneath his black shirt. My hand wanted to do its own thing and reach out to run along his body.
Ah, screw it. I moved closer and touched his back. He stilled, turning his head just enough to stare at me. I smiled up at him and ran my hand up his spine. When I got to a spot just a hand’s width from his neck, he shivered, tilting his head up.
“That’s a bad idea right now,” he said and stepped away so I could no longer touch him.
Ouch. “Why?”
“Because you put me on edge, and what you make me want to do to you, I can’t do in public. Come on, I want to get the best view before the fight starts.”
He led me to the front, others moving out of the way.
“Instead of watching, shouldn’t you be getting ready?” I asked. “You know, hopping in place, loosening up your muscles?”
“I’m ready.” Alijah scanned the crowd and those around the ring.
“Is there something going on that I’m not aware of?” I asked, growing sober now. Alijah was already a serious guy, and now he was more so.
“No.”
I nudged him with my shoulder. “Lie.”
“Not here,” he said just as the crowd erupted into bloodthirsty excitement. The emcee climbed into the cage, calling the start of the fight. I winced as the noise overpowered my ears. Alijah didn’t flinch, and his ears should’ve been bleeding from the volume.
The first match was Ami’s cousin against a mage. They were called to the stage, and everyone went wild again. While the championship was the fight for the night, this one was a close second. It was going to set the stage for the rest of the event, rile everyone up until they chanted for more, and then when the frenzy was at its peak, the main show would come out to finish them off.
The first man entered the ring. He was about six feet and lean, with dark eyes. He moved around with deadly grace, prepared to release the violence built up inside of him. Mages were of the elements. They pulled on the magic around them and used sigils to focus that magic and help shape it to their needs. The man pulled off his sweater, showing off a toned chest.
I stepped closer to the rope surrounding the cage. A faint glow came off his skin, and when I focused, I followed the light blue radiance, taking in the shape. I only knew the basics of sigils, just enough to get by if I saw them. I recognized the protection symbol on his chest, right over his heart. Along his spine was the hand and the eye, a symbol meant to focus him. I didn’t recognize the others on his skin, but there was no doubt that they would help him in the fight.
I’d never seen a mage battle before.
A mage and a bear. This fight was going to be intense.
Alijah stayed by my side as I took a couple of steps to the side to get a better look at the fight. I felt the magic in the air drawing toward the cage as the mage collected it. This fight was going to be messy. The mage was already cooking up something big as the blue sigils on his skin intensified, blazing brighter.
As the man loosened himself up, the emcee called for Dion, and for a moment, I thought my eardrums were going to explode from the swell of noise released from the crowd. It was obvious that Dion was the preferred fighter.
I glanced at Alijah, wondering how he was in a fight. I’d never seen him fight before, not like this, with people egging him on, without backup, no one there to help him, but knowing he was a tiger shifter and taking in his large frame, I figured he’d be ruthless and calculating. I could see his calculating side as he sized up the two men, coming to a decision on who had the best chance of winning.
The fight started soon after, the emcee booking it out of the cage with another man waiting to slam and shut it. A shimmer appeared around the cage the moment the lock clicked into place, the ward activated to ensure anything used in the cage stayed there.
Dion eyed the mage critically as they did a slow circle. He moved like a stalker, light on his feet, all his focus on his opponent. He was ready. As a shifter, Dion was sensitive to energy, but not magic, if he could even sense it. So while the mage looked like he wasn’t doing much, that wasn’t the case at all.
The man was rallying the magic around him for an attack. By Dion’s wary expression, he knew something was cooking, he just didn’t know what it was. Not wanting to give the mage more time, Dion went on the offensive in a flurry of movements. My eyes barely kept up with the punches and kicks Dion sent toward his opponent. The mage defended himself and yet his magic pull wasn’t disrupted. He had practice, a ton of practice, for his concentration not to break.
I worried about Ami’s cousin.
“He’ll be fine,” Alijah said. His focus was completely on the fight, eyes hard as he watched each move made, yet somehow he knew I was tense. For a moment, I wanted to be in his head, to see what he saw, to hear his thoughts. I didn’t have magic for that, so I turned back to the fight.
Dion’s lip was bleeding, but other than that, he seemed fine. The mage looked out of breath, defending himself and pulling the magic to him was beginning to take its toll.
“Soon,” I said. He was going to release his magic at any moment.
Dion shifted into his massive bear form in a burst of energy at the exact same time that the mage released his spell. Some of his sigils burned bright as the magic released. The pressure against the wards around the cage built, and I swore the magic groaned trying to contain it all. It held, but barely.
The bear was shoved backward, up against the cage, and landed hard on his side. The crowd went wild, screaming and yelling, asking for more, wanting blood. The bear rose up on all four legs and growled at his opponent. His eyes looked feral as he fell deeper into his animal, letting its instinct take over. Right now, Dion was very much more bear than human.
The bear charged, cage shaking from his thudding weight, and the mage pushed out spells to create barriers. Dion crashed into each one and pushed through, none of them slowing him down much.
When Dion was only a few feet away, the mage did a complicated hand gesture with fluidity and then pushed outward. A stream of water flew out of his palms and right into the bear. The bear growled and fought against the flow. Neither of them gave up, and both looked ready to pass out as they fought against the other.
The ward groaned against the pressure. It wasn’t just magic building up on the other side. The energy was building too as Dion fought back.
“Shit,” I whispered. The ward was ready to go at any moment now. The crowd didn’t seem to care as they pushed to get closer. Something needed to give soon or all that magic and energy was going to break through and explode. The two of them were cooking up a bomb inside the cage and didn’t even realize it.
Alijah grabbed my arm and moved me back as people in black hoods came out of nowhere and surrounded the cage. They stood in a circle around the cage.
“What?”
“Don’t worry,” Alijah said and pulled me further back to put more space between us and the mysterious group of cloaked figures. They raised their hands and a low hum echoed through the air before another barrier rose.
Not even ten seconds later, the original ward fell and crashed into the new barrier created by the group. The crowd went crazy as Dion shoved through the water and rammed into the mage, shoving him into the cage fencing. I winced. That had to have left a nice little crisscross pattern on the mage’s back.
Suddenly, Dion flew up into the air and landed hard onto the ground thanks to some unseen force. That didn’t seem to faze him as he got back to his feet and roared. He charged and rammed into the mage again, his claws slashing. The mage barely avoided it.
Another such hit made it past the mage’s defenses, and he went down.
When the mage didn’t move, and the bear let out a roar, the bell rang, signaling the end.
Dion’s fight fed the bloodthirst spreading through the crowd, setting the stage for a lot of violence for the rest of the night. The other contestants would fight even harder to try to get this type of reaction out of the crowd.
The hooded figures released their barrier, carefully releasing all the built-up energy and magic. A group of four witches came forward, and while security worked to remove the mage and Dion shifted back to human, they built a new barrier around the cage.
“My turn,” Alijah said, his eyes blazing nearly red. He was just as bloodthirsty as the crowd, craving the violence. He was going to get exactly what he wanted.
Once everyone was set, the emcee went into the stage to call the next fight.
“Today is a special treat, he only comes out every once in a while and we managed to snag him tonight. Let’s give a loud roar for Ripper!”
The crowd paused for just a moment, as if the news needed to sink in, but once it did, the earth shook as they went even crazier. People shoved and crowded closer as Alijah scaled the cage within seconds. Since the barrier wasn’t live yet, I felt his energy flooding the place. I gaped, never expecting this reaction.
This was a part of Alijah I knew nothing about.
“You’re in for a treat,” Ami said, coming to my side.
“He’s that good?” I asked.
“If he wanted, he could be reigning champ, and I don’t think there are many out there who would be able to take him. Hell, the fucker gives me nightmares too. I’ve seen him fight for real. There’s a reason they call him Ripper.”
The emcee was just able to be heard over the crowd when he announced Alijah’s opponent.
Ajax.
A lithe man appeared on stage, coming out of nowhere.
“He’s new.” Ami frowned as she looked him over critically.
Alijah eyed the man up and down, his expression blank, eyes cold. The man, Ajax, held a sneer on his face. He had dark hair, blue-ish with the help of the sun. Thin lips were shaped by a wide jaw, and his dark, nearly black eyes, blended in with his shadowed skin.
“He’s from the south,” Dion said, coming to stand next to Ami. His eyes were ringed with exhaustion, and his skin had a sheen on it. He had exerted himself by shifting during the fight. The fact that he wasn’t passed out in a tent said a lot about his strength. “There’s a group of them going from city to city, touring the fighting scene. From what I heard about the group, for about every loss they have, they have five times the wins. This should be fun.”
I moved closer to the roped off area, trying to get a better look at the opponent. There was a small hum of energy, and when I reached out with my magic, just a light brush, it snapped at me. The man’s eyes flickered to mine, and his smile turned even more predatory.
Alijah snarled to get his attention back.
“A shadowsmith,” I whispered. They were our worlds’ ninjas. Sneaky bastards and expert energy manipulators. There were only a handful of tribes of them left, most of them out in the wild. They were mercenaries, hired to do dirty work no one else wanted. I didn’t like that they were here.
“Shit, are you sure?” Ami asked.
I nodded. I met two of them in my last foster home. Both foster parents were not good people and hired them for different jobs. They came by once for payment, smelling of violence and death. I stayed out of sight, scared out of my mind. Their energy had been repressive and felt old to me.
This guy had a similar feel.
I wanted to jump into the cage and pull Alijah out. I wanted to throw my magic at the man and dissolve him into nothing but bone mash. Or maybe have him swallowed up by the earth. Maybe teleport him to an abandoned island to rot, forgotten.
I did not want him fighting Alijah. All my instincts screamed to stop the fight.
“He’ll be fine,” Ami said, but there was a slight shake in her voice. She didn’t sound so sure either. Shadowsmiths were people of legends. They were nightmares who killed you in your sleep. It was said that if one had you in their sights, you were screwed. They were expert trackers and silent killers. You were dead before you even realized you were dead.
Children in foster homes used them as ghost stories because we’d been told on multiple occasions that if we misbehaved, they’d come after us.
“Do people die in these?” I asked.
“Accidents happen, especially when you put two bloodthirsty creatures in the cage together. If pushed too far, there’s always the risk of losing control,” Dion answered.
I frowned. That did not make me feel better. I knew Alijah was excited to be in there. He was looking to cause pain. I could feel his eagerness through the hum of his energy. The other guy, though... For all appearances, he looked bored, and I didn’t know him well enough to read him, but he wouldn’t be in there if he didn’t want to hurt someone too.
I bit my lip, hating that I had to watch this. I really didn’t like violence. Curiosity always brought me here, but that was only when Ami asked. Otherwise, I avoided these fights. My hand curled into a fist, my magic preparing.
A hand landed on my shoulder and I jumped.
“Relax, Sparks,” Ami said and pointedly looked down at my hands. “If anyone can defeat a shadowsmith, it’s Alijah.”
“And if he can’t?” I asked.
“They aren’t impossible. They’re strong, but not impossible. Like I said, Alijah is right up there in terms of strength. Sheath your magic and believe in him.”
Wanting to believe in Alijah, I gritted my teeth. I did, a little. But the thought of people I cared about in danger set my magic on edge. Doing something was better than sitting on my ass, but there was nothing for me to do. After forcing my shoulders to relax, my magic settled down, resolved to the fact that I had to watch. I didn’t really have a choice. If I wanted to stop this, I’d need to get through security and the ward.
I studied my obstacles. If I planned it just right, it could be possible. Those hooded figures flashed through my mind. I wasn’t sure what they were, I just knew they weren’t witches or mages. They didn’t feel like it. If things went to shit, no doubt they’d come out of nowhere and join the fray too. Not knowing who they were, I wouldn’t be able to do anything against them.
And let’s face it. Outside of my magic, I was a weakling. I couldn’t fight. Ami would. She’d have my back and that’d draw in Dion. Worse case, a brawl broke out everywhere, every person for themselves. I shivered. I didn’t want that.
I just didn’t want Alijah in there.
With my thoughts distracting me, I missed the announcement and the bell went off, signaling the start of the fight. The emcee booked it out of the cage. The door slammed shut, and the ward activated.
At the same time, the shadowsmith disappeared. Completely. Ami gasped. I bit my tongue. If I were in the cage, I could pinpoint the guy, but I wasn’t, so I couldn’t sense anything because of that damn ward. My anxiety went up a notch. The only thing keeping me from losing it was the fact that Alijah didn’t seemed bothered. He looked completely relaxed, arms loose at his side.
I held my breath and waited, desperate for this to hurry and end. Seeing Dion in there was fine. I didn’t know the man. But with Alijah, I knew him, and I liked him. I didn’t want him hurt. This was painful to watch. My insides tightened, my magic begging me to use it. I was so damn tempted.
Alijah rolled and the air shimmered briefly before the shadowsmith came into view. He was just behind where Alijah had been standing. Somehow, the tiger was able to sense him. A flurry of movements that were too hard to follow occurred, only stopping when Ajax hit the ground. Alijah jumped on top of Ajax and ruthlessly pounded his face in. The shadowsmith managed to toss Alijah off and my guy smashed into the cage, the metal chains rattling against the pressure.
The crowd went wild.
I stepped forward, not knowing what I wanted to do, just knowing I needed to do something. An arm wrapped around me and Ami pulled me back against her chest. Ami was a female but she could hold her own in a fight against a man. She proved to me how strong she was when she held me still.
“Be calm,” she whispered into my ear. “He’s going to be okay.”
I bit my lip, frustration building inside of me.
Alijah was okay. He got to his feet and they went at it, circling each other, most of their movements too hard to follow. They were so fast. It looked like they were far apart and then suddenly one of them would flinch or be hurt. A couple minutes into the fight and the damage was building between the two. A move from Alijah had Ajax’s nose bleeding. A move from Ajax had Alijah favoring his right side.
At one point, it looked like the shadowsmith had Alijah trapped, but then it was reversed, with Alijah pinning him down and mechanically smashing the man’s face in. They rolled until Ajax was on top and got a few of his own hits in before he was forced off him and slammed into the cage. Alijah followed through and pinned the shadowsmith against the corner pillar, his eyes blazing red, hands claw-like as his beast fought for control.
Determined to get freed, Ajax threw his elbow and clipped Alijah, who staggered back from the hit. He shook his head, in a slight daze. Not wanting to give him time, Ajax went in for the finish, throwing a combination of kicks and punches at Alijah. Ami kept me pressed up against her, but my body strained to get free, wanting to help him. I didn’t know how I would do that, and knew I wasn’t capable of protecting anyone in a fight like this. It didn’t stop my body from wanting to try.
Ajax disappeared again, and then Alijah was on his stomach on the ground. I still couldn’t see the shadowsmith, but however Alijah was tracking him was enough, because the tiger shifter rolled and then popped up. He threw a punch that landed. The air shimmered before the cloak around Ajax dropped and we could see him.
They exchanged more blows, blood soaking the matted floor. I winced at the sound of someone’s bones snapping. My own bones ached. Ajax elbowed Alijah, sending splashes of blood across the floor. The crowd was a bloodthirsty mass of excitement with the sight, pushing up against the barrier set by security. I gritted my teeth, hating every second of this.
Alijah didn’t let that deter him. In fact, the opposite happened. He fed on the rage that erupted inside of him, his body exploding into his beast. I’d only seen Alijah’s tiger form once, when I watched him take down a crazy lizard man before I began working at Biomystic. He was still gorgeous, still just as breathtaking as before. He had a thick reddish coat of fur with black stripes running down his body. Standing on all fours, the creature came up to my chest, nearly double the size of a normal tiger and over eleven feet long. I didn’t need a scale to know that if he pounced on me, I’d be crushed.
Ajax had similar thoughts because he blinked out of existence once again. The tiger wasn’t deterred and stalked around the platform, red paws soft on the mats. I shivered as he strode around the cage, nose flaring as he scented for his opponent. Being so close to a predator set my body on edge, and when Alijah passed by my side of the cage, I thought I would be his next dinner.
The next scene was almost a blur as Ajax appeared, landing on top of Alijah’s back. The tiger made a coughing roar noise and rolled, forcing Ajax to let go or risk getting squished. He made the smart decision of letting go and putting distance between him and the man-eating creature before him.
Alijah pounced and Ajax danced backward, out of the way. Despite Alijah’s huge form, he was still fast and within a blink, the two of them were across the cage, rolling around. The fencing around the cage rattled when they smashed into it. Alijah snapped, long sharp incisors gleaming in the light, as he went for the kill. Ajax barely dodged him.
Finally, Alijah was able to sink his teeth into the opponent—or his foot to be exact. Red-faced and hurting, the shadowsmith grunted, as he tried to get away. Not one to show mercy, the tiger dragged the man across the mat, and I winced when he shook his head, trying to tear his foot off. When Alijah was happy with the results, he let go, but not for long. Ajax tried to get back to his feet, determination the only thing keeping him going. It was in the way his expression twisted together. He was furious, and he was determined. His body swayed, his foot not able to fully support his body weight.
Using all seven hundred pounds of himself, Alijah jumped on his opponent as they fell back down. He then struck out with his paw, hitting Ajax in his head, and followed through until the shadowsmith’s head hit the ground.
He didn’t move.
Alijah jumped off him, circled the cage, and roared. The crowd went wild.
The fight was over.
Ami finally let me go, and I stepped away from her, wanting to cover my ears from the onslaught of cheers currently booming through the crowd.
“Damn, that was too intense,” I said and rubbed at my face.
“See, nothing to worry about,” Ami said, and I sent her a glare. I knew she was just as worried as I was. She wasn’t as close with Alijah, but he was a BMS employee and so was she. There was a sense of camaraderie between all BMS security members.
“I don’t think I can go through that again,” I said, hating that I had to admit to that.
Ami pulled me into a side hug. “Not everyone can, and that’s perfectly okay.”
I tried to wipe away the fears that surfaced. The cage was cleaned up by some witches and a little bit of magic, wiping away the violence that had occurred.
Ami grabbed my hand and shoved her way through the crowd, keeping a tight grip on me. She led the way to the fighter tents and the security guard recognized Ami and ignored us as we went by. I glanced all around at the fighters. There were going to be two more fights until the championship. I wasn’t sure who was up for the trophy or award or belt, and I wasn’t really interested. I was ready to get out of here.
When I spotted the familiar head of red hair, I yanked out of Ami’s grasp and ran toward the idiot shifter.
“You’re crazy,” I said in lieu of a greeting. I took in his wounds, some of them already closing.
“Good to see you too,” Alijah said and smiled.
I scowled. “I get it. You like violence, you like fights. I get it. But I refuse to watch again.”
“She was ready to break through and save you,” Ami said with a grin.
Alijah pondered what Ami had said. I ignored her and reached out to touch a rather painful looking wound on his arm. A chunk of skin was missing.
“I’ll be fine,” he said.
I poked it, and he winced, moving away from me. “Really?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes.”
I glanced around at the other fighters. “Are you done for the day?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled.
“Good, I’m going home.”
“Aw, don’t leave so soon,” Ami said.
I shook my head. “I can’t... I’m done with all this violence. I don’t get it. I really don’t, and it’s painful to watch. I’m going to go home and bleach my eyeballs.”
“I’ll walk you,” Alijah said.
“You don’t have to.”
“I will.” He turned, pulling off his shirt at the same time. I would have enjoyed the show if his back wasn’t covered in bruises and blood. There were some scrapes too. He pulled on a black t-shirt, covering it all up, and turned back to me.
Something in my expression gave my emotions away because he sobered. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be all healed up in a couple of hours.”
“Shifters don’t heal that fast.”
“I do.” He grabbed my hand. “Now, come. I’ll drop you off at home.”
I followed, not saying anything as he led us away from the cage, the fighters, the spectators. Away from all that blood and violence. We walked in silence until I could no longer hear the roar of the crowd.
“Thank you for watching,” Alijah said. “Even though it isn’t your thing, having you out there supporting me really helped. Thank you.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I can do that again. That scared the shit out of me. Ami had to hold me back. I like it only when it’s people I don’t know. They can hurt each other all they want. But that...” I shook my head.
He chuckled. “Then you have my undying gratitude.” He pulled out his phone, glanced at it, sent out a quick text, and then tucked it back away.
“A job?” I asked. Seemed like if the guys looked at their phone like that, then they had to take off for a job or something.
“No, just confirmation.”
We got to my apartment and stopped at the entrance. “Get ready, you’re going out tonight.”
“I am?”
He nodded. “Someone will be here to pick you up at nine. Dress pretty.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “See you in a couple hours.”
“You should rest.”
“And I will. Bye, Laila.”
He strolled away, his hands in his jeans.
I shook my head. What did he have planned for tonight?
