“Then let the championship bout begin!” The announcer hustled out of the cage and slammed the door with a clang.
Mireille’s heart leapt into her throat as Maloney scrambled toward Ronin, head lowered as he tried to take him out at the waist.
Ronin crouched, bracing his feet, and his chest met Maloney’s with a fleshy smack.
The first few minutes of the fight were more like a dance, the two males meeting and parting, arms, legs, fists and chests colliding. Evenly matched, neither was able to land a blow.
And though Mirielle had never seen Ronin fight, she knew he was holding back. Saving his energy by letting Maloney cometo him. A living example ofruthless efficiency. Vivienne would have been proud.
The crowd grew restless, screaming at the two fighters to quit stalling and start shedding blood.
Maloney rushed forward, arcing a hook that Ronin caught single-handedly before shoving the male away. Striking out with a wing, Maloney sliced Ronin’s shoulder with one of the sharp talons at its apex.
Mireille’s hand flew to her mouth and she emitted a little yelp, but Ronin didn’t even flinch. Merely shook off the blood before it trailed to his hand and affected his grip.
The next time the two males crashed together was far more vicious. Ronin landed a killer punch to Maloney’s temple, red spraying as his eyebrow split.
Mireille could barely watch, fingers wrenched in her lap, as the two males pummeled and ripped each other.
Maloney managed to get Ronin facedown on the floor, tearing apart Ronin’s back with his talons.
Ronin roared, and the heart-twisting sound tugged a whimper from Mireille’s wolf.
He bucked his hips and threw the Windrider off, and as he stood, blood gushed into his waistband. He bared his teeth in a feral smile, then lifted his palm to beckon Maloney.
More.
Maloney bolted for him, and Ronin captured the Windrider in his massive arms, then slammed him to the concrete. Maloney palmed Ronin’s jaw as Ronin squeezed his neck, attempting to choke the life out of him.
Ronin’s own face reddened, and beneath him, Maloney’s cuffs had lost their faint green glow.
He’s wearing fake cuffs, Mireille’s wolf growled.Cheatingass!
Mireille shot to her feet, watching in horror as Maloney summoned the wind to steal Ronin’s breath.
Ronin reared off the Windrider, then staggered to the cage wall and looped his fingers through the grate, steadying himself and clawing at his throat.
The crowd erupted into ferocious shouts, and the referee rushed in. Ronin held up a hand to stop him, and Maloney’s wind snuffed out.
Cries ofcheateranddisqualify himechoed as Ronin panted, never taking his eyes off his smirking opponent.
“You wanna finish this clean, or are you too chicken-shit?” Ronin ground out through serrated breaths.
There was no answer as the two males sprang for each other. The referee emitted a panicked bark before hustling out of the cage.
Fists collided with faces, feet cracked shins, and blood drenched the cage floor and walls.
A deafening crack sounded, and Mireille saw Ronin holding Maloney’s wing in a very unnatural position before smashing the Windrider to the floor.
Any doubt Mireille had about Ronin’s capacity for terrible violence washed away as he beat Maloney’s face into a bloody pulp.
She should’ve been terrified. Or at least disgusted.
Instead, her wolf howled with ferocious glee at Ronin’s psychotic, red-stained smile. Tingling warmth flooded Mireille’s veins before settling into a pulsing ache between her thighs.
Fucking kill him, she thought savagely, and her wolf yipped in agreement.
The referee burst into the ring, breaking Ronin’s trance. Maloney was motionless beneath him, save for a slight rise and fall of his chest.
