Six weeks later
Everly
Everly and her best friend Fiona entered the stadium behind Kingston Hart’s considerable bulk. The deafening cry of the crowd echoed and bounced off the steel and concrete walls.
“Where are our seats?” Fiona asked, blinking coyly up at King.
King, Everly noticed, was having none of the flirting shenanigans. “You two will sit with the other WAGS.”
Fiona turned back to Everly. “WAGS?”
“Wives and girlfriends,” Everly explained. “There were earlier matches. Preliminary stuff. Bantamweight fights. Popular, but not the big draw that the Light Heavyweight and up categories bring in.”
“You’ve become quite the expert,” Fiona said as they walked through the crowded hallways of the stadium.
“I love him, Fee. It was either jump on board and support him or fight him every step of the way.”
Fiona linked her arm with her best friend. “I know. And I’m proud of you. Especially the way you handled your cousin.”
Everly smiled. “Thank you.”
After some back and forth, Everly and her cousin had decided to split the property and donate most of the land to the bobcat sanctuary. Everly and Zane were currently living in the house with its surrounding ten acres. After an appraisal, they would pay Fannie her half. She hadn’t fully made up with Fannie, but they were closer than they had been in years.
“Me, too,” Fiona agreed.
“You need anything before I go back and check on our boy?” King asked.
Everly shook her head. She would have dearly loved a glass of wine for her nerves but had a feeling their weeks of “stamina” training had resulted in a pregnancy. She had an appointment on Monday to see the doctor. Until then, she’d refrain.
“I’m good, thanks, King. Take care of him, you hear?” It had been hard for Everly to learn to let go of her worries and let Zane be the fighter she knew he was.
“Yes, ma’am,” King said. With a stately bow to both women, he left them in the wives and girlfriends’ box.
“You don’t want to be down on the floor?” Fiona asked.
Everly shuddered. “Way too many people. And I don’t like to see Zane hurt.”
The box began filling with other wives and girlfriends for the upcoming quartet of fights. Everly nodded at Kai’s current girlfriend, a stunning raven-haired woman in a black dress.
She hadn’t thought of dressing up for a fight. Doubt crept in, but she pushed it back. Reminding herself that Zane loved her for her. Not because she traded up her Chuck Taylors for four-inch heels.
Sensing her distress, Fiona reached out to hold Everly’s hand. “You got this, girl,” she whispered.
Everyone quieted down as the referee entered the ring. In a world of bear shifters, Mick Duchene was a big guy. Even from their box seats, Everly could tell he was broad-shouldered with muscles bulging as he walked. And from watching hundreds of hours of videos, Everly knew when he spoke, his powerful voice was like a drill instructor.
Zane’s theme music started pounding through the stadium. Fans got to their feet, cheering the “Dixon Train” as they entered.
Everly felt her stomach knot knowing this was it. The final countdown to Zane’s (hopefully) final fight of his career.
“Do you ever get used to this?” she wondered.
“No.” Everly looked over at the woman in the black dress. “But you learn to get through it.”
Everly smiled her thanks to the other woman. She wasn’t sure what protocol was in these situations but figured she couldn’t go wrong with cool politeness.
After Kai’s team got him into the ring, the cage doors were slammed shut. The sound echoed and bounced off the stadium walls like the final click of a three-ring binder.
A microphone dropped, and the announcer stepped forward. “In the red corner, is the defending Middleweight champion of the BKB. A fourth-degree black belt in the martial art of jiu-jitsu and Eurasian Brown Bear. Standing at six feet, one inch tall and one hundred- and eighty-five-pounds welcome back our two-time defending champion from Silver Fells, North Carolina with the record of fifty-eight and one, Zane “the Hurricane” Dixon!”
While the crowd cheered, Rico, one of the commentators broke in. “Hurricane is really a master grappler. This should be a superb matchup,”
“Completely,” his partner Sonny heartily agreed. “I expect Zane to take his opponent straight to the ground a where he can apply those devastating chokes and joint locks he does so well.”
Everly felt weird hearing her husband spoken about in the third person like that. She sighed, hoping his three rounds would go by fast, but starting to doubt it.
“In the blue corner, we’re meeting Kai “The Sweetheart” Valentine.” There was a mixed bag of cheers and boos for Kai that made Everly feel uncomfortable. As the returning champion, Zane’s popularity in the sport grew obvious.
“Now here’s the guy that’s ready to take that belt away from The Hurricane,” Rico said.
“He’s new to the circuit. Heard he got most of his fighting experience in the streets,” Sonny agreed. “But after a few years with the Shifter Special Forces, decided to get into the cage and show these guys how it’s done!”
The announcer continued. “A third-degree black belt in the art of Tai Kwan Do, standing at five feet, ten inches and one hundred eighty pounds let’s welcome Kai “The Sweetheart” Valentine to the ring!”
The crowd cheered as the referee came out to give the rules. Both combatants nodded and shook hands before returning to their corners.
“With barely five percent body fat, Kai is a superbly conditioned fighter,” Rico pointed out.
“You should see this guy’s signature move. They coined the phrase swivel hips for him. It’s amazing to see, especially in slow motion. He can stand and hit you with a roundhouse or a heel kick without moving the rest of his body. Just amazing.”
Everly gasped as the first punch was thrown. The first round had begun.
“Oh, look at that! I don’t think I’ve seen Zane on his feet this long in a match in ages,” Rico said over the din of the crowd.
“As social media is quick to point out, Hurricane only recently married. There is some talk it’s made him soft. He may not have that killer instinct anymore.”
“They might be right, Sonny. Why isn’t he taking the fight to the ground?”
The two fighters were in a clinch, each one throwing punches at any available skin on their opponent. Everly swallowed and looked at the clock. These had to be the longest ten minutes of her life.
“Look at the balance Valentine has. Those legs are like tree trunks, trained specifically to not let his opponent take him to the ground.”
“Kai is keeping Zane from his comfort zone. What a crazy round this is!”
Everly winced as Zane head-butted his opponent but all sympathy for Kai fled when the other man sent a knee to Zane’s groin.
Zane
With a minute left in the break between rounds, Zane stood up and bounced on his legs, trying to summon up the strength. His endurance was near to an end, and he still had a five-minute all-bear round followed by another two-minute human round.
If he didn’t end this thing now.
“Kai used up a lot of energy resisting going to the ground,” King said into his ear.
“He’s not the only one,” Zane muttered as he spit out his mouth guard. He rolled his shoulders, willing his bear to come out as soon as the bell rang.
When the bell rang, Zane raced toward the center ring. Teeth bared, fingers spread, he roared as he shifted.
The crowd gasped as two stunning muscled men shifted into bears. It was a sight, he’d been told time, and again, that never got old.
Jumping, he pulled his dominant hand back and swiped at his opponent with his five-inch razor-sharp talons. The two man-bears used brute strength as they wrestled and clawed at each other.
No fancy kicks, no joint holds were available while the bears fought. This was brute against brute. Power versus power. And the one with enough left in the tank won.
Kai’s bear rolled over and kicked, sending Zane’s bear flying into the edge of the cage. Bear met steel with a bone-crunching thud. The crowd roared as Kai got to his feet to finish the match.
But Zane’s bear backed up, looking for a weakness. Round and round they circled each other as the time ticked down. This was a five-minute round, and by Zane’s calculation, they only had a minute or two left.
When Zane saw the opening, he took his. He barreled the full weight of his six-hundred-pound bear into Kai’s equally impressive one. Round and round they went like a drunken somersault until they hit the other end of the cage.
The seconds ticked down, but Zane was pretty sure he had a decent hold. They were both definitely going to the third round, but if it came down to points, Zane was pretty sure he had done well.
Clever brown eyes met his and for a moment, time hung like Michael Jordan’s flight time. Eyes never leaving Zane’s, the sharp muzzle of Kai’s bear closed around Zane’s vulnerable right wrist.
Roaring with pain, anguish, and the buried deep knowledge he may never be able to shift again, Zane lifted his left arm and punched for all he was worth.
Both men were saved by the sound of the bell. Chest heaving, Zane left his claws at Kai’s jugular until the other man released his arm. When they were finally free of each other, Zane shifted back to human as he rolled away from his opponent.
His eyes met King’s as he settled onto his stool for their two-minute break.
“Fuck, man. How bad is it?”
“Bad enough to make you swear,” Zane said. He closed his eyes and sent every ounce of healing energy into his torn and bleeding wrist.
“Do you want me to throw in the towel?”
Zane shook his head. “Tape it.”
King looked a little green around the edges. “Man, it’s bad. You’re gonna’ need a doc to put you back together.”
“Tape it. That asshole is going down.”
Everly
Sound rushed through her ears. She couldn’t look at Kai’s girlfriend. Couldn’t hear her cousin talking. Couldn’t take her eyes off the drops of blood on the floor of the octagon.
Zane’s blood.
Biting in bear form wasn’t against the rules, but in all her months of reviewing fight tapes, she’d never seen it done before. And never with such ferocity and intent.
If Kai had torn the tendons in Zane’s wrist, he might never be able to walk as a bear again.
“That was a calculated gamble,” Sonny said over the monitor in the box. “A low-blow considering how good Hurricane has been for the sport.”
Rico let out a soft whistle between his teeth. “Only time will tell. But that looked like it went straight to the bone.”
The bell rang, and the two exhausted warriors met in the center. Kai lifted his leg to kick Zane. In a blur of arms and legs, Zane caught the kick, turned, and swept the standing leg out from under Kai.
“And they’re down on the ground!” Rico’s voice rose with excitement. This was where Zane’s power dominated.
“He went down,” Sonny agreed.
“Looks like Valentine used up too much energy resisting the pressure of Hurricane plus gravity.” Rico sounded almost sad that the match was finished.
“As you know, they train for endurance. It looks brutal, but it’s a powerful sport. Both men are showing great endurance.”
“Look at that,” Rico said. “Valentine is trying to get hooks into Dixon’s legs.”
Eyes moving between the screen and the live match, Everly watched as Zane flipped to the bottom position. For some fighters, this could be the weaker point but not for Zane. This was where Zane excelled.
He seemed almost relaxed, euphoric as the fight drew to a close.
Head punches, unable to get a grip, legs extended, grabbing hair
Kai continued to waste precious energy as he writhed and fought to get away from his opponent.
“Look, he’s setting him up. Man, those legs are like boa constrictors,” Rico commented, admiration for Zane clear in his voice.
“This is what it all comes down to,” Sonny agreed. “This is where you see endurance and training pay off.”
“And heart,” Everly tacked on.
And just like that, Zane shifted his body and placed Kai in an arm lock.
“Look at that leverage Dixon uses! Valentine taps out! Valentine taps out!” Sonny yelled.
The referee pulled both men apart. They stood, glaring at each other. Panting. Exhausted.
Done.