Zara woke with a headache and an attitude the size of Texas. As soon as consciousness returned, her cat roared at her, pissed at her human mind for being out of commission for so long. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, a sense of danger almost stealing her breath as she bolted to an upright position and looked around.

To find her father watching her.

James Hunter sat not five feet away, in a crisp, designer suit, his legs crossed at the knee as though he had all the time in the world. She cast a quick look at her surroundings. Bars enclosed her. It was like the fight night all over again, apart from the fact they weren’t in an abandoned warehouse masquerading as a club. No, the plush, luxurious surroundings rivaled that of the Grand itself apart from the cages that circled the ring. Those were straight out of that grubby little warehouse.

“Really? A cage again? For fuck’s sake, do you have no imagination at all?”

“Oh, I think you’ll find I have plenty of imagination. Let’s try this on for size, shall we?” He rose from his seat and gestured to the empty ring. Gold on his fingers flashed in the overhead lights. “The king himself, in the fight of his life…”

James slid her a glance over his shoulder and winked. “…for his life in fact. And that of his mate and her unborn brat.”

At the last words, his voice dripped with venom, the hatred in his eyes as his gaze dropped to her stomach making her shrink back in the cage. She sucked in a breath. Whatever was going on, whatever drove her father, it wasn’t just about Logan. It couldn’t be. This went way beyond destroying a business rival. It seemed almost… personal?

“Why do you hate him so much? And me? What did I do to you?”

James turned, and in that moment, she lost sight of the man who was her father. Instead, he was someone she didn’t know. Perhaps had never known.

“Hate…” He seemed to muse the word and then shook his head.

“I don’t hate you. No,” he squatted by the cage to look at her, “I loathe and despise you. You’re just like your mother, you know? I gave her everything and it wasn’t enough. She ran off with one of my fighters, a lion shifter. All brawn and no fucking brain.” He chuckled, amusement wreathing his face. “And he certainly didn’t have any when I was finished with him. Did you know shifter physiology will even try and regenerate brain injuries… so long as you don’t use a silver bullet. It’s really quite fascinating.”

Zara covered her mouth with her hand, feeling sick at the excited tone in his voice, but worse was to come.

“But your mother, she was different. Human, so no regeneration for her. She begged for her life you know? Crawled in the dirt at my feet and begged. I shot her anyway, couldn’t allow that kind of disobedience to stand.”

Nausea rose, as did tears. “You told us she’d been killed in a car crash. The police reports… the investigation. They found the other guy guilty and sent him to jail.”

He shrugged. “The crash was easy enough to stage… the other guy was drunk so he had no clue he hadn’t been driving. Police were easy to pay off.”

“You sick fuck.”

He slammed his hands into the bars, his movements filled with energy like he’d had too much coffee…or was drunk on power.

“And you’re just like her… Fucking that brute at the first opportunity. Just like him… Reese.” He spat the name. “That asshole took everything from me. Now he’s gonna pay!”

“But you killed him. The guy mom had the affair with?” She frowned, not tracking her father’s logic. “That wasn’t Logan, so why do all this to him? Why hate him so much? He had nothing to do with it, and you had your revenge already.”

“It’s not enough! He has to pay! Again!” James dropped his head back and roared.

When he looked back at her, his eyes were crazed. Suddenly she realized the truth. He was insane. Completely and utterly off his rocker. Somehow he’d linked Logan to events that had happened years ago and had convinced himself Logan and the werelion he’d killed were the same person.

“He’s back and I want everything he’s got. The power, the money… all of it. Thugs like that shouldn’t be allowed to prosper…” He looked at her stomach again. “Or breed.”

Fear hit her like a bullet. “Dad… what did you do?”

The doors opened behind James and a man entered the room. A chill swept in with him, shadows arching out over the walls behind. Zara’s breathing caught. Dragon. Her cat snarled, every survival instinct they had between them urging her to get away from the predator who had just walked in.

“I’d like you to meet my friend, Korran.” James smiled, looping his arm casually over the weredragon’s shoulders. He wasn’t a huge man, but he didn’t need to be. The coldness in his eyes spoke volumes. It was icy and uncaring, not altering as his gaze swept over Zara cowering in the cage. “He’ll be killing your mate tonight.”

He slid a glance at Korran. “How does this one strike you for your prize?”

The dragon took a breath, obviously scenting her, and his thin lips split into a chilling smile. “Perfect. I like the pregnant ones. They make a juicy meal.”

Zara closed her eyes as a tear slipped down her cheek. She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it. Not against a weredragon. Worse, not even Logan arriving would save her.

It would just mean they all died.

* * *

A lot of people wanted him dead.

Logan paused in front of the double doors that led into the arena and listened to the noise from within. The doors were closed, but the sound was still a dull roar. The place must be packed to the rafters. All those people turned out to see him get his ass handed to him on a plate.

Shit. Sucked to be popular.

Logan rolled his shoulders, moving his weight from foot to foot as he waited for the cue to enter. Had it been one of the league’s clubs, he’d have already been through the doors and walking down to the ring. He was the king. He didn’t need or do drawn out intros. But this wasn’t one of his clubs. This wasn’t the league, and here he wasn’t in charge. Two of Hunter’s goon stood either side of him, as they had since he’d walked through the doors and given himself up as Hunter had demanded.

“Introducing the self-styled Kiiiiing of the Riiiiing, LOGAN REESE!”

The ring announcer called his name and the crowd went wild. A hard shove in his back sent Logan through the doors and he gritted his teeth, the urge to rip both guards to shreds riding him hard. That would gain him nothing though, other than tiring him out, and he needed all his energy for the fight ahead.

There wasn’t a spare seat in the house, the crowds whooping and hollering as he walked down toward the ring. The lights were in his face, half blinding him as he walked, but he was used to that. Pure showboating for the audience. He got glimpses of faces around him as they cheered or jeered. Mostly jeered. The sheer hatred on some of the faces took him aback. They were faces he recognized though—low level scum he’d banned from the SFL. Made sense that they’d all congregate here to see him get his just desserts.

The irony of it all hit him and he was forced to bite back a grim smile. In his attempt to clean up the fight clubs in the city, he’d made things worse, creating an underworld for assholes like James Hunter to prosper in. Fucking great. The scum around him didn’t hold his attention for long. The lights no longer in his eyes as he reached the lower seating levels, he looked around, his gaze sharp and focused as he searched for the only thing that mattered to him.

Zara.

His entire body stilled as he spotted her. She was on the other side of the ring, her gaze on his face, and her hands on the bars in front of her. A cage. Again. He allowed his gaze to eat her up, detailing everything about her appearance and adding it to Hunter’s tally. She was tired, deep shadows under her eyes, her clothing creased as though she’d slept in them… instantly, he knew she had. Knew she’d been in that cage since yesterday. A growl trickled from his lips. Hunter would pay dearly for that and everything else his kitten had had to endure.

He locked gazes with her and willed her to see the emotions that filled his heart. He hoped she could see how much he loved her and how sorry he was for the stupid argument yesterday. He should have gone after her. Again. Hadn’t he learned his lesson the last time James had snatched her?

“I love you,” he mouthed.

She nodded, covering her lips with her hand as her eyes filled with tears. The fear written into the slump of her shoulders and the set of her delicate frame almost broke him. She didn’t think they were getting out of this. Hoisting himself up into the ring, he winked at her and then turned his focus onto his surroundings. He’d been right about the place being packed but he wasn’t interested in the scumbag audience. He was interested in the asshole puppeteer controlling it all. Sweeping his gaze up and over the crowd, he found James Hunter, sitting like royalty in the VIP box above the masses. Hunter smiled, raising his glass in salute as he noticed Logan’s attention.

“Our next fighter needs no introduction.” The announcer was good at his job, working the crowd up into a frenzy. “He’s conquered more than six cities… leaving a horde of defeated champions in his wake.”

Logan stood in his corner, his warmup showy and ostentatious, but his attention was on the crowd without seeming to be. There, between the screaming scumbags, were faces he recognized. Gage had his face half covered by a hoody. Gabbi dyed her hair and had goth makeup concealing her blonde lion coloring. Ethan Kingwood was dressed down in a scruffy jacket and cap Logan was sure had never featured in his wardrobe before. There were more, he knew that, but he couldn’t afford to try and pick them out in case James also realized they were there in the crowd.

He rolled his shoulders to loosen them up. They weren’t here for him. They were here for Zara. Their job was to grab his mate and get the fuck out of Dodge should he fall in the ring. And falling was a very real possibility…

“Here he is… KORRAN THE DEEEEEEEESTROOYYYYYEEEEERRRR!”

The lights all snapped onto the double doors on the other side from where Logan had entered, spotlighting his opponent, and the room erupted into roars and cheering. Korran wasn’t a big man, about the same height as Logan and slightly less muscled. But it didn’t come down to muscle, not in a shifter fight. It came down to power and sheer shift capability. It was about how much you could take, how much damage your body could deal with and keep fighting back.

“KOR-RAN, KOR-RAN, KOR-RAN, KOR-RAN!” the audience chanted as the dragon jogged lightly down the steps toward the ring.

Logan had to give him his due. He didn’t play up to the crowd. In fact, he all but ignored them, his black-on-black eyes on Logan as he approached. The werelion suppressed a shiver. Dragons were shifters just the same as every other, but they didn’t often enter the ring. The cage was small for one thing. Certainly smaller than their fully shifted form, so if they were knocked off guard or out, and shifted unconsciously, it would be excessively painful, if not fatal. Which meant only the best, those totally in control of their shift ability ever dared step in the ring.

And Korran was one of the best. Logan didn’t know him personally, but he knew of him. Everyone on the fight circuits did. And the stories didn’t make for pleasant reading. Originally from one of the eastern cities, he’d gained a reputation as a brutal and dirty fighter who liked bouts to the death, even when the match was only supposed to be to first blood. After numerous deaths, he’d been banned from fighting in most cities, and Logan had banned him from the SFL on principle. He couldn’t have a loose cannon fighter in the ring who didn’t obey the conventions. First blood meant first blood.

Tonight’s match was to the death.

Probably Logan’s.

He watched the dragon as he entered the ring, not taking his eyes from the guy even when the cage lowered. Even though he knew Korran would probably kill him, he was calm and centered. Surprisingly so. Adjusting his hand wraps, he poked at the feeling and found his lion waiting. The big predator wasn’t scared. It was focused. Determined. They had a mate to protect and the beast intended to do so with everything it had. Everything they had.

The world around the cage fell away and Logan locked eyes with his opponent, striding forward to touch knuckles.

“Are you ready for this, cat?” Korran grinned, showing a mouth full of teeth that were way too sharp to be human.

“Bring it on, lizard,” he threw back. “I’ll make you into a fucking handbag before we’re done.”

The dragon threw back his head and roared with laughter. When he looked at Logan again, his eyes were warm with amusement. “I like you, cat. And your pretty little mate. She’s a bit on the skinny side, but I do love a bit of crunch with my dinner.”

Logan curled his lips back and snarled, but he didn’t reply. He’d reply with his fists, make lizard-boy here pay with pain.

“Annnnndd… fight!”

The bell went and Logan launched himself at the dragon. The fight was bloody and brutal and within seconds it became apparent they were evenly matched. Logan threw punch after punch, trying to find a gap in the dragon’s defenses. All the time the lizard was trying to do the same to him. He kept his guard up as much as he could, but a few snuck through, a direct hit to his jaw making him see stars.

Breaking away, he tried to circle Korran and buy himself some time, but the dragon was all over him like a bad rash. Driven to the edge of the cage, he was forcibly reminded how quickly the tides in any match could change. The crowd roared for blood as Korran’s fists hammered into Logan’s sides again and again. He tried to cover, using his arms to guard both his stomach and his head but the dragon was unstoppable. He landed another punch and Logan felt a rib go. His breath caught as agony arched through his chest. He could barely breathe, the pain was so intense.

His lion snarled within as he tried to buck Korran off. Anything to get away and regroup because if he stayed down here much longer, caught between the floor and the cage, he was done. It would be all over.

A feminine cry caught his attention and he looked up, through the mesh. Zara was at the edge of her cage, fear on her beautiful face. Their gazes locked and in one blinding second he saw right down to her soul. He saw everything. Her love, her longing, and her fear. But through that, he saw her faith. Her trust. Somehow, despite it all, she trusted him to save them. Him. No one else. That single moment changed everything…

With a roar, he heaved up, ignoring the pain as he threw the dragon off and scuttled away. On his ass but he didn’t care how it looked. Winning wasn’t about appearances.

Korran grinned, wiping blood from the corner of his lips where Logan had landed a punch. “Ready to stop play, kitty cat? I’m looking forward to skinning you and using your hide as a fire-side rug.”

Logan rose to his feet, doing his best not to favor his side. If Korran knew that rib was busted, he’d focus on it and it alone, hoping to bring Logan down with the pain. Not. Happening. Lifting a hand, he beckoned. “Bring it on.”

Korran hissed, his wide-open mouth allowing Logan to see the glands at the back of his throat. Holy crap. They dripped with dark fluids, ones that would combine and become a gout of flame. Fire breathing wasn’t allowed in any matches, but that didn’t make any difference here and Logan knew it. If Korran needed to throw heat, he would and this lot… they’d just fucking cheer him on.

The dragon attacked in earnest, punching and kicking with blinding speed. Logan twisted and turned, not only keeping up but landing punches of his own. Energy surged through his veins, the link between him and his cat wide open as the beast fed him power. Man and lion worked in perfect harmony.

Korran ducked a blow, coming up under Logan’s guard to rake claws over his stomach, but the cat saw him. Logan shot out a hard hand and grabbed his wrist. The dragon’s eyes widened as Logan twisted and twisted. The bones of his wrist creaked, groaned… and snapped. The dragon sucked in a hard breath, pain twisting his features.

“You’ll pay for that, cat,” he hissed, grabbing Logan’s arm with his free hand and holding them locked together. Opening his mouth, he drew in a breath over his flame glands and the werelion knew what was coming. Someone, Zara by the sound of it, screamed a warning behind him but he didn’t need it.

As soon as Korran started to breathe out, he twisted and drove his other fist into the dragon’s jaw in a perfect uppercut. His mouth snapped closed, the jaw breaking at the same moment, locking it closed. Logan shoved him away, watching in fascinated horror as the dragon’s eyes widened and then went black with agony. His cheeks reddened and then glowed, the outline of scales on his skin as the burst of flame was trapped, then… went the other way. His chest jerked, expanding sharply a couple of inches, then the weredragon dropped, dead at Logan’s feet.

He just looked at the corpse, fascinated by the tiny trail of smoke that rose from Korran’s nose. He’d done it. He’d actually done it.

He’d beaten the Destroyer.