Hidden Passions (27 page)

"You've thought about this," Evina said.

"I've thought about it regarding me," Nate answered. "I think it explains why I'm dominant to your cats."

"That doesn't guarantee Tony can defeat Jonah."

Evina's anxiety was impossible to miss. Nate stroked her curly hair. "Tony has a chance to take Jonah by surprise. Also--" The wolf cracked a smile as naughty as one of Evina's cubs. "I've noticed lately Tony has been more self-assured. It's funny what knowing you're loved can do for a person."

"You knew about Chris and Tony?"

"No." Nate laughed. "I just thought Chris was crazy for not falling in love with you."

"What if . . ." Chris hesitated, and they all looked at him. "What if I step down and let Jonah be beta? He'd drop the challenge then."

This wasn't what Tony wanted. Jonah would demand he be cast out, and no other station would hire Chris if he'd simply given up. What sort of life would he have if he couldn't save people? Firefighting was more than Chris's redemption for not rescuing his brothers; it was his calling. Confounded by the possibility that he'd quit, Tony momentarily couldn't speak.

"Chris," Evina said. "The position of beta has to be earned. And you're the best man for it."

"I got us into this."

"You didn't," she said, hands planted on her hips.

"I don't think Jonah can do the job," Nate interjected. "On the surface maybe, but not in his heart. He doesn't care enough about people he doesn't like."

Evina's eyes widened. "You didn't mention you felt this way before."

Nate hitched his shoulders. "Your crew is your business. Anyway, it didn't matter until I realized he wanted to move up."

Rick stuck his head through the arch to the living room. "Adam sent me to find out if this is happening."

He looked like he wanted to say a lot more than that. Evina pursed her lips with distress. Nate squeezed her shoulder to comfort her.

"I'm up for it," Tony said. "I wouldn't have challenged him if I weren't."

"Tony," Chris said half a second before Rick chimed in with his name as well.

"I'm not a kid," Tony said to both of them. "I'm a grown man, and I know my mind."

"I won't let him kill you," Chris warned. "I don't care what it costs. I'll step in before that happens."

Since by
stepping in
he probably meant
stepping down
, Tony sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that. "I could use a pair of pants I can fight in," he said to his brother. "The sight of my manly beauty in this swimsuit might be too much for my opponent."

"All right," Rick said.

Though he didn't laugh as he went to get them, Tony awarded him bonus points for not arguing.

~

Now that Tony had talked his way into this challenge, nervousness set in. His breath felt a little short as he stepped onto the terrace wearing Rick's black sweatpants. He hadn't bothered with a shirt. Chances were, it'd just get bloody.

"Maybe Cass could get the kids out of here," he said. "And any guests who aren't pack or clan."

"Sure," his brother said, like this was a normal way to wrap up a party.

The remaining tigers were grouped together near a flat stretch of grass--Jonah, included. The cat appeared to be in serious discussion with Cass's father. Was the pureblood a neutral party then? Tony didn't know what to make of Roald--not that it was ever easy to tell if fae were friend or foe.

Roald left Jonah and came to speak to him. The faerie's expression didn't reveal what he was thinking.

"I've taken the liberty of establishing a fighting ring for the challenge," he said, polite and businesslike. "When you and the tiger enter, its walls will activate. No one else will be able to get in."

"You mean a magical barrier," Tony said.

"Yes. What remains to decide is what will release it. The tiger has expressed a willingness that this battle be to the death, but he seems to think you might balk at that."

Tony snorted through his nose. "The tiger isn't wrong. I'd prefer a simple knockout determine victory. Or a pin, if he'll go for that. Say ten seconds with both scapulae on the ground."

"I shall present that option to him," Roald said. "Might I also suggest you allow either opponent to tap out?"

Tony looked at the impossibly handsome fae. Did everyone think he was a big pussy?

"There are those who consider surrender less onerous than death," Roald pointed out.

Tony thought the fae might be making a little funny but couldn't tell. "Fine," he said. "If either of us tap out or cry uncle, the walls should come down as well."

"Very good," Roald said. "I expect the tiger will agree. He'll like the idea of you doing that. I feel obliged to warn you, none of these stipulations prevent either of you from killing the other. As I understand it, causing an opponent's death in a dominance challenge isn't against the law."

It wasn't, which was one of the reasons shifters didn't lightly engage in them. Roald began to turn away.

"Did you know this would happen?" Tony asked. "Was that why you warned me?"

"The future isn't written until it is," Roald said over his shoulder.

Tony grimaced. He should have expected a fortune cookie answer.

Chris joined him as Roald left. Obviously upset, the cat shoveled his gold-streaked hair off his furrowed brow. "You don't have to do this."

"Pretty sure I do," Tony said.

"That magical barrier will keep me from interfering once the challenge starts."

"That's the point of it, I expect."

Chris looked extremely unhappy. "I don't want to lose you."

People were watching, but Tony clasped his face. "Please stop assuming I can't win."

Chris blew out his breath and nodded. Reluctantly, Tony dropped his hands.

"I've sparred with Jonah," Chris said almost steadily. "He drops his guard after he lands a punch. His speed is good, but sometimes his temper makes him do stupid things."

Tony hoped to avoid a boxing match. That wasn't where his strength lay. On the other hand, he didn't want Chris to worry if it turned into one.

"Good to know," he said.

Chris brow remained creased. "I love you, Tony. No one's ever done anything like this for me, but--God--I wish you weren't."

Tony grinned. "I'll be all right,
mon chat
."

Chris cursed in response to the loathed nickname. Roald returned to them.

"Your terms have been accepted," he said. "I need to remove your gauntlet so it won't accidentally affect the outcome."

Tony held out his arm for Roald to take it off. He hadn't been wearing the thing long, but his wrist already felt naked without it. Ah well. Even if he'd known how to make the cuff change shape, he'd probably suck at sword fighting.

"I can't wish you luck," Roald said. "Coming from a pureblood, those words have power."

"Understood." Tony glanced toward the ring Roald had set up. The fae had drawn a large square outline in magic, the shimmery force clinging to grass level. Jonah stood outside the line, with Liam beside him. Two more cats were a step away from them. They might or might not approve of the challenge, but they wouldn't abandon a clan member--not when he fought an outsider. Liam tried to look tough, but to Tony's eyes he seemed conflicted. When Chris nodded at the two indeterminately aligned tigers, they nodded back. That was heartening, Tony guessed.

He sensed Rick and Nate coming up behind him. Nate was the pack member Tony trained with the most, the one who'd taught him his best tricks. Nate had a good poker face, but Tony thought he was genuinely less worried than the others. His level gaze met Tony's.

Rick could only try to look as confident.

"You ready?" his brother asked.

"I'm ready," Tony said.

~

Roald gave Jonah and Tony their final instructions outside the fighting ring.

"You understand how this works?" he asked. "You step in, the walls go up. No one else can enter from any direction. If one of you goes unconscious or is pinned for ten seconds, the spell perceives the other as the victor, and the barrier falls. The same holds true if either of you concede. Jonah, if you shift to your tiger form, the enchantment treats it as a forfeit."

"What about claws and teeth?" Jonah asked.

"They're permitted," Roald said, "since Tony can use them too. Please remove your shoes and shirt."

Jonah complied. They were both barefoot and shirtless then. There'd be no gloves for this battle, no protective headgear or timeouts. They'd fight until one of them couldn't anymore. Tony tied his sweatpants more securely at his waist. Nate had made sure Tony stretched out and warmed his muscles. Jonah rolled his neck to work out its kinks, or perhaps to draw attention to how thick it was. He punched one fist into the palm of his other hand, dancing a little on the balls of his feet.

Maybe he thought he was Sugar Ray.

"Let's get this show on the road," he said. His voice was thicker, like he was letting his tiger use his vocal chords.

Tony left the posturing to him. He stepped over the glowing line of magic without comment.

The moment Jonah joined him the walls snapped up, enclosing them in an impermeable dome of force. Tony's ears popped from a change in pressure as the sounds outside the barrier disappeared. The bubble was slightly blurry, turning the people who watched them into vague blurs of color. Inside, the air was crystalline.

Tony noticed the temperature was cooler.

Jonah grinned as Tony registered the changes. "It's just you and me, cocksucker."

"You keep calling me that," Tony said, "I'll assume you want a date."

Tony had backed up across the grass, putting distance between them. Being isolated with an opponent was kind of a luxury. On the job, he often had to consider whether a bad guy's friends might jump into a fight. Jonah didn't like his calm response. He put up his hands, and Tony followed suit. Jonah's stance wasn't what it should have been. Like some big men did, he planted his feet too wide for good balance. His chin wasn't tucked to protect his head, and his fists were a smidge too low. He might box, but he hadn't focused on defense.

Probably he thought offense was what counted.

He
was
capable of being sneaky. He blurred forward without warning.

Tony slapped his first punch downward and parried the next two sideways. Jesus, the cat was quick. Tony unleashed a kick to Jonah's midsection, knocking him back a step. He'd struck the cat in the breadbox, but Jonah didn't seem winded.

"Dog thinks he can bite," Jonah quipped.

This time Tony sped to him. Jonah didn't block his strikes as well as Tony had blocked his. Unfortunately, Tony had less power to put behind them. Jonah barely rocked when Tony's jabs cleared an opening for a massive uppercut to his jaw.

Executing the combination had put him in arm's reach too long. Jonah backhanded him hard enough for his ears to ring, then tried to grapple him toward the ground. He couldn't throw Tony off balance the way he wanted, but the wrestling match wasn't one Tony could win if it lasted long. Jonah simply had too much brute strength. Determined to break his hold, Tony slammed his not-at-all-padded knee into the cat's family jewels.

That bent Jonah over for three seconds.

Tony shouldn't have given him even one to recover. Clearly, no quarter and no mercy was what surviving this match required. Long before Tony caught his breath, Jonah exploded from his hunker, pummeling him with such lightning quick combinations they were hard to defend against.

Sometimes imperfect form wasn't much of a handicap.

Tony's nose broke and then his left cheekbone. Knowing he had to cut this short, he tore free, leaped back, and thumped the cat's inner thigh with a powerful swinging kick. Tony's rotation added force to the impact of his lower leg, his foot now in the ideal position to hook Jonah behind the knee. Tony pulled, and the cat's feet slipped out from under him. As he fell back, Tony pounced, readying a strong rear cross for his exposed temple.

The punch never landed. Jonah whipped up both legs, feet snapping out as Tony descended. Never mind Jonah's strength, Tony's shifter-enhanced velocity ensured that his ribs would crack.

Fuck
, he thought, the slam of pain impossible to breathe through. He rolled away as swiftly as he was able, aware he couldn't afford to stay where he'd been thrown. He spat out the blood that had filled his mouth from his nose breaking. His ribs weren't as quick to mend. They needed more than a couple breaths to heal enough for him to attack again.

Unsurprisingly, Jonah didn't give him time for that.

Tony couldn't move at full speed. He was still getting his feet steady under him when Jonah sped around him and launched into him from behind. Down Tony went, with the cat's weight and bulk on top of him.

His ribcage screamed at the fresh assault. Tony tried to flip Jonah off, but the tiger snaked a chokehold around his neck.

If he'd done it right, Tony would have passed out for sure. Jonah had him in an air choke rather than one that compressed the arteries and more swiftly triggered unconsciousness. Air chokes hurt like hell and could fracture the hyoid bone. What they didn't do was prevent a determined person from reacting.

Tony was determined and then some.

Jonah wasn't truly controlling him except around his neck. Despite the cat's greater size, Tony was able to shove up onto his knees. Quick as lightning, he shot out his claws, plunging them and his fingers deep into Jonah's gut.

It was a gross thing to do, but Tony didn't hesitate to dig and twist once they were in there. Blood gushed down his hands from the damage he was doing. Jonah grunted, pain loosening the vise he'd made with his bicep and forearm. Tony wrested free and staggered away from him.

"Dog," Jonah growled, on his knees, one hand clutched to his slashed stomach. "I'm going to enjoy killing you."

Okay
, Tony thought. Good to know the stakes. He refrained from holding his aching ribs. They felt like they were still broken. Attacking Jonah while he was down was tempting but possibly not smart. Nate would have taken him already, he suspected. The stylish wolf was a pinpoint fighter. He'd taught Tony cruder control techniques. They didn't require Tony to be a ninja, just practiced and coolheaded. He reminded himself he'd learned some important things. Jonah was sloppy about defense, didn't have great balance, and wasn't used to being on the receiving end of pain.