The gorilla fights with kicks and punches, which I block easily. I catch his thigh with a kick of my own. Close to his crotch. Yeah, it's a cheap shot, but I'm not fighting fair.
"Still hiding behind better shifters, I see," I taunt him. A scream of rage and the gorilla hurtles through the air towards me. I dodge and let him crash to the ground, following it with a kick to the head.
"K/O," Parker shouts. The crowd forgets its animosity towards me, and chants my name as I straighten with satisfaction.
One down. One to go.
"Feel free to forfeit," I tell the bear.
"You don't fucking scare me," Caleb growls back. He licks the gorilla's blood off his arm, tongue running over his lips as if he likes the taste. Fuck, he really smells broken.
We wait as the wolves enter the cage and pull the gorilla out by his feet. The first fighter leaves a long smear of blood on the floor.
Jordy
THE TWO REMAINING FIGHTERS CIRCLE, staring at each other. Grizz stands tall while his opponent remains hunched, prowling almost, on all fours. The hulking fighter looks more animal than human. Grizz jogs in place, rotating his shoulders and stretching his neck. At last he stops pretending to warm up. He hits his chest and holds out his hands. "We gonna do this? Or just dance all night?"
The opposing fighter backs up into the cage, leaning against the chain links. Pushing back further and further until the links strain. The metal creaks as the posts start to bend. The crowd quiets.
"You break the cage you buy it," Grizz warns. A few hecklers start shouting.
The fighter raises his head and roars. Chills run up and down my spine and every shifter in the place stills.
A laugh rings out. Grizz stretches his arms open and bares his teeth in a savage grin. "Bring it."
The bear snaps forward and lumbers toward Grizz, practically on all fours. At the last second, Grizz ducks out of the way, pivots, and leaps onto the creature's back. His tattooed arms tighten around the bear's neck.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," someone shouts. Declan. He's closer to my hiding spot, probably looking for me. Right now he's paused, mesmerized by the fight.
The fighter staggers under Grizz's weight. His head goes back and for a moment it looks like the fight is over.
Then the fighter's skin ripples.
"That's right," someone chuckles. One of the wolf pack, watching with an evil look on his face. "Fight that, traitor."
"What's happening?" I whisper.
"No," Declan shouts in horror.
"Yes," the wolves correct. "He's changing."
"That's against the rules!" Parker is banging on the cage.
"This isn't San Diego. No rules here."
I remember Grizz telling me some fights shifters have to keep human forms, or be disqualified. Looks like that isn't the case here.
"Rule one of Shifter Fight Club?" a wolf shouts, and the pack roars back, "There are no rules!"
"Oh no," I breathe. In the cage, Grizz struggles to hold on to the bear's neck.
"You can do it," I shout, my voice thin in the heavy silence. I cup my hands around my mouth. "Grizz, you got this!"
One second I'm inching closer to the cage. The next my arm is almost yanked from my socket. I spin around and stare into the eyes of a vampire.
"Got ya," he hisses through his fangs. Benedict.
"No," I gasp, the noise of the crowd swallowing up the small sound.
"Augustine can't wait to get his hands on you," Benedict snickers.
I remember too late I shouldn't look into his eyes, and everything goes black.
Grizz
FUCKING INSANE BLACK BEAR FUCKER. I loosen my grip as fur sprouts under my arms. The bear's on hind legs now, swaying even as his bones pop and resize. Sinking my teeth into the matted fur, I tighten my hold. He might be tripling his size, but I'm not gonna make it easy for him. After a second, I stop biting him and spit out black fur. Fates, when was the last time this idiot bathed?
The shift complete, the giant black bear lands on all fours, shaking the floor. I must look like an ant clinging to his back. I wait for my opening and kick away from him, leaping back to a far corner. I have to get out of here. Get to Jordy. That's when the juice kicks in, and I blur. I know I've moved faster than anyone thinks possible when the crowd gasps. The wolves howl, and the sound falters as I whiz around the cage.
"Traitor! Vampire pet!" The wolves start booing, and the rest of the crowd takes up the chant.
I rush my opponent, dance out of the way of giant fangs, and get two body blows in, knocking the bear back. Soon as I finish this fight, I'm challenging some wolves. I'll teach them to call me a vampire pet.
Something niggles at the back of my mind. I take a moment to scan the crowd. Where the fuck is Jordy? There, by the bleachers. Or at least, she was there.
A flash of red and my blood turns to lead. She's there, slumped over someone's shoulder. I catch the vampire's pale face before he blurs out the door.
Fuck, Jordy, no!
My bear's right there, ready to break free. I fight it back. If I shift now, I won't have the wits to hunt.
I race to the cage door but it's locked. I grab the poles and yank. Teeth sink into the back of my neck and I snarl, but don't turn. I rip away, letting blood spray, and blur to the other side of the cage where I climb the links and drop to the other side.
Gotta get Jordy. Gotta move!
Shifters scramble out of my way. Those who don't get tossed aside.
"Grizz," someone calls desperately. Declan.
"Follow me," I order him and he, Laurie, and Parker race into my wake. I'm almost outside. Almost free.
A wolf steps in front of me before I can reach the door.