“My Master has a few tricks up his sleeve. You shouldn’t underestimate him—or me.” Blood had been tasted this afternoon and I wanted more of it. I craved the sound of bones crunching beneath my knuckles. “I want to fight.”
“Fine.” Derek leaned toward me, and I stayed still. “But there are no guarantees you’ll make it out of every fight alive. There are risks, boy. YourMastercan’t call in the cops because it didn’t go the way he wanted.”
“He won’t,” I said easily. “And I deal in risks every day. I can handle it and so can he.”
He stared at me for a long moment, and I waited. Finally, he nodded. “I’m a businessman. You will sign a contract stating you accept all risks that come with my fight club. Any medical expenses will be yours to pay. We keep a limited medical staff on-site to keep people alive until they can be transported elsewhere at their own discretion. Understood?”
Excitement stirred in my belly, my cock twitching at the thought of what I was about to do. “Got it.”
He grunted. “Welcome aboard. What’s your name?”
“Aramis. People call me Ari.”
“Well, think up a good name for the ring, Ari. I’ll be in contact with your Master in a few days for your first fight.” He tapped a finger to his knee and stared at me thoughtfully. “There is only one rule in my ring—no going for the nuts. Everything else is fair game.”
I grinned. “Trust me, I know the risks.”
He chuckled. “I like you, boy.”
“I have a boyfriend, so I’m not interested,” I said, noticing his intrigue with me. I’d seen that look on men’s faces before.
“That’s a shame.” His eyes twinkled and he waved his hand toward the car door on my side. “You can see yourself out.”
I smiled smugly at him. “I hope I didn’t hurt your men too bad.” I thought about it for a moment before chuckling. “Actually, I don’t care about them. Have a nice afternoon,Derek.”
I slid out of the car, being careful with my back and how I twisted it. Once I was outside, I slowly made my way toward the house, where the two men at the door glared at me. Derek must’ve signaled for them because they walked past me, one of them slamming their shoulder into mine, and I laughed as pain from my spine wrapped around me and nearly choked out my breath. The last few guys were dragged out by men I hadn’t seen before, and when I was sure the house was clear, I went inside and slowly closed the front door.
I headed upstairs, taking each step at a sloth’s pace while my back twinged in fierce agony, and made it to the bathroom. I started the flow of water into the tub as I plugged it. When the water was ready, I turned off the faucet and got naked, cautious with how I moved to take my clothes off. I stepped in and lowered myself into the hot water, gasping as the pain blinded me. After settling in, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I wasn’t sure I would be able to move until Jules came home. Now that I was sitting, I didn’t think I could rise to my feet again without help.
I grinned anyway. At least I’d earned my spot in the ring. I was going to fuck them all up.
An hour later the door downstairs opened and closed. At first there was silence, then the sound of soft footsteps up the stairs had me grinning. No doubt he’d seen the damage downstairs and was ready to fight off intruders.
“It’s only me,” I said loud enough for him to hear.
The door to the bathroom swung open and Jules stepped inside in full uniform, a gun clutched in one hand. He stared for a moment, eyes dark with fury and concern, before he lowered the gun and set it on the vanity. He took two steps forward and fell to his knees beside the tub, reaching out to touch my cheek, which made me wince. The punch I’d taken to the face was nothing compared to my back, but he couldn’t see that yet.
“What happened?” he asked, the fury in his voice uncontrollable. I could decipher his emotions already—he wanted to kill whoever had hurt me this way—and my cock stirred at the thought of him doing thatfor me.
I laughed, then grimaced. “Our infamous fight club owner paid me a visit. He wanted to see my worth.”
Jules’s jaw tensed and his gaze went hard. “Where do I find him?”
I touched his cheek and tilted my chin up, and Jules kissed me gently. He tasted like chocolate. “You don’t. I’m in. He’ll call you in a few days.”
“I should fucking shoot him in the head for touching you like this.” His palms mapped my cheeks, neck, and shoulders. “Where else does it hurt?”
Everywhere. I blinked up at him. “Honestly? My back. I hit the edge of the staircase and I can’t move right now. I’m stiff and my spine feels like it’s on fire.”
Concern had his brows dipping. “You should go to the hospital.”
I shook my head. “No. I won’t.”
“It’s yourspine, my pretty little killer. You could be paralyzed.” He smoothed a hand over my head, pushing back the damp hair that hung loosely around my shoulders. “Then who will kill for me?”
“I’m fine,” I whispered. “Just bruised. Help me up?”
He grunted and slid his hands under my armpits. Together, we got me on my feet, and I let out a cry of pain as my back twisted and agony shot up the length of my spine. I exhaled, shaking, and he dragged me closer to lean against his chest. I grabbed a handful of his shirt, breathing deeply through my clenched teeth. It felt like my body was on fire.
