Chapter 8
The next morning at fight practice
Esan glared at Jet as they circled each other in the cage. Rage was letting them practice fight each other to help get some of the tension out of them. The male was good but not as experienced as Esan. He had a few tells that would give his opponent signs indicating when he would make a move. When Jet rolled to his left should he was about to throw a punch. When Jet put more weight on his right foot he would follow up with a kick with his left leg. These were things that had to be trained out of the new fighters. Esan was happy to be the one to show Jet where he was messing up.
Jet rolled his shoulders and Esan easily dodged the punch coming his way by moving around him. He then kicked Jet in the back of his leg. Jet went down to one knee. Esan took advantage of Jet’s compromised position and kicked him in the middle of his back, knocking him to his stomach. It was a low blow but their real opponents weren’t going to be fighting honorably either. The newbies were going to have to toughen up.
“Damn it, Jet! You’re showing telltale signs of your anticipated moves, and that leaves you open. Get up off your knees and attack!” Rage yelled from the other side of the fence.
Jet shot up like he had a fire up his ass and came at Esan in a full charge. Another mistake he was making was letting his anger fuel his actions. Esan kept his movements smooth and calculated, blocking the punches thrown his way. Jet’s kicks only moved him a few inches back. Hell, he took punches from Rage and Hammer on a regular basis. This was nothing to him.
Esan made a front kick and hit Jet. Each male threw a punch at the other, but Esan’s punches were more controlled and got more contact. When they were a few feet apart, Esan took his conserved energy and let loose with a flying knee. He took a jab from Jet and responded with his own. He released his stored fury on to to Jet with total focus, with one punch, one kick, one jab one right after another until he gave one final overhand. Jet dropped to his knees. The fighter fell backward into unconsciousness.
“Damn, Esan. That was a bit savage, even for you.” Zen whistled as he commented.
Esan walked to the opening of the cage to climb out and Rage blocked him for a moment. “Was that necessary?”
“Yesss, I would sssay ssso.”
Rage just glared at him as Esan climbed out of the cage. Rage turned to his assistant. “Call for a healer. Jet needs to be fully checked out before he can finish his practice for the day. Esan, hit the treadmill and burn off any residual energy you have.”
Esan looked back at him. “I’m fine. but I’ll ssstop by the treadmill.” He walked away, knowing that the other fighters were looking at him. He understood their confusion. He was usually calm but then would explode with violence during his fights. That’s what got him his dangerous reputation. It was good when he had to go up against fighters to keep others at a distance. His sister claimed it was also his downfall when it came to females. The humans found him attractive but were too scared to approach him for sex. The Reptan females were far more aggressive and found that his halfsie side was pleasurable in bed.
Full Reptans had spikes that came out as they ejaculated to secure their place inside a female, ensuring the best possible chances for breeding. It was uncomfortable for Reptan females, but it could cause extreme pain and blood loss for other species. He didn’t have such spikes but it always made him wary of getting involved with anyone who wasn’t Reptan.
He suspected that this anatomical issue had been the reason he and his sister were created in a lab instead of being results of natural breeding between a human and a Reptan. A human male as the father would have been considered too weak to impregnate a Reptan female, and a male Reptan probably would have killed any human female he tried to have sex with. The scientists called him and Sersan a scientific breakthrough, miraculous. The Reptans called them unnatural.
His sister had been treated like a pariah growing up, but once she reached maturity, the Reptan males wanted their chance to have sex with someone more human, soft and easy to bend to their will. They didn’t approach her to mate respectfully until he and Sersan had gotten money and fame with the GCFA. Even then, the males he tried to hand-pick for her weren’t after her for love. He was glad his sister hadn’t wanted a Reptan male, but find love with a different species. Ronin loved his sister and made her happier than he had ever seen before. For that, he would be eternally grateful.
Esan entered the weight room and got onto an empty treadmill next to Zen. Zen the Sin was running effortlessly without seeming out of breath at all. Running wasn’t Esan’s thing but it kept his stamina up and it was a good workout. After thirty minutes of running, he would take a shower, change, and meet Nina for lunch.
A smile came over him from out of nowhere just at the thought of Nina Sinclair. The human was surprising and spirited — and those curves of hers had him drooling just a little. He could remember the feel of her in his arms, and he wanted to feel her there again. This was an impossible situation. She was human and he was a Reptan halfsie looking to mate a full Reptan.
“What the hell are you thinking about over there?” Zen asked.
“What?”
“One minute you’re smiling like a cat in front of a bowl of milk. The next time I look over at you, you’re practically growling and wearing a pissed-off expression.”
“Ssstop looking at me then.”
“Whatever, I was just trying to help you.”
Esan turned off the treadmill and turned to face Zen who was turning his machine off, too. “What makesss you think I need help?”
“Your upcoming gathering, your sister being away on her honeymoon, and the fact that you are attacking the newbies tells me that you are bordering on losing your shit.”
“I’m not sssaying that any of that is true, but why do you care?”
“I’ve fought alongside you for the past few years. The GCFA fighters grow close, almost like a family. I love your sister like she’s my sister and I have come to tolerate your sorry ass. You can push everyone away but know that if you need something, we will have your back. Even if you don’t want it, you’ll have it.”
Esan stared at Zen, feeling surprised and humbled. He knew that Sersan was well loved among the GCFA crew, but he hadn’t expected any of the fighters to care anything for him. It left him feeling strange, full of emotions he didn’t even know he possessed. He cleared his throat.
“Thanksss, but I don’t need help.” Esan stepped off his treadmill and walked away.
“Stubborn ass,” Zen called out as he started his treadmill back up.
Esan ignored the comment and continued on to the showers. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the concern. The GCFA was like a family to him and his sister. For so long, he’d had to look after Sersan and take care of her, protect her. When they came to the GCFA, she had made friends and started to take care of herself. It was hard letting go of the control, and in fact he had fought it tooth and nail. However, it was the best thing he could have ever done for Sersan. She had blossomed into the most amazing female. He was so proud, but also lonely. Taking care of her had been the entire focus of his life. What was he supposed to do now that she was gone?
That was why he decided this would be the best time for him to find a mate. He would be able to focus on his career and his mate would satisfy those nights when he was loneliest. Maybe one day they would breed a child or two. He couldn’t see himself as a father. There wasn’t a good role model for him to take after. His foster father was cold and calculating. The male had no kindness in his heart and no tolerance for children. Esan had done all he could to give Sersan a happy childhood, but he knew his efforts never fully replaced real parental affection.
After he entered the locker room, he started to remove his workout clothing. He tossed them in the laundry bin. When he entered the shower stalls, the water came on automatically. He washed himself quickly then dried off. He walked back to the locker area and opened his locker. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.
He put on socks and boots then glanced at the mirror. Normally he wore his hair in a spike to show his scales on the side of his head. Should he wear it up or smoothed down to make him appear more human? What would Nina prefer?
Growling at his wayward thoughts of the human, he grabbed the hair gel from his locker and spiked his hair up. The gel hardened within seconds. There was no reason to appear like something he wasn’t. It was time to go plan his future.