Page 72 of Nicolette

The room started to fill with the hum of whispered conversation at this information. I could see a mixed reaction from the pride, some hope, and excited. Others seemed to be on Zealot’s side of thinking, so I made sure to memorize their faces so I could keep an eye on them. A challenge like this wasn’t going to happen with my dusza again. This fucker got lucky I wasn’t there when shit went down.

“To be crystal clear, even if Nicolette hadn’t challenged Zealot, she would have taken over his role regardless. Her choice to do this is to prove herself to each and every one of you that she’s worthy of your respect. Many have chosen to throw the fact that she was once an indentured fighter to The Broker. As one of her fated pairs, I’m well aware of all of this information. She has kept nothing from me or the others on this matter. The final thing I’m going to say is the last. I will address this to anyone of my pride,” Nine announced, his tone going from calm and neutral to holding an edge. I could feel him weaving his alpha magic through his words, ensuring everyone heard and understood.

“Fated pairs are real. I am Nicolette’s fated pair and only Nicolette’s. However, we’ve learned that Nicolette is a fated pair to Rambler, Dice, Circus, Marco, and Polo. There was no choice in the matter for either party, and that was something we all had to adjust to. While Nicolette has multiple partners, which isn’t odd at all for female felines, we men only have her. End of story. I don’t say this to be cruel or heartless toward anyone, but it’s a fact that must be accepted. It’s never going to change. Now, it’s time to commence with the reason we’ve gathered. Bring in the challengers,” Nine ordered.

The twins ducked under the ropes heading off to where Nicolette had been placed in the women’s locker room during the speech. I spotted Crank heading to the men’s, where Zealot was waiting.

This was it.

The moment where I got to watch firsthand just how skilled my dusza was.

The last time we sparred, it had been for fun, just to push her hard enough that she’d been forced to call on her lioness. Having remembered the struggle I had with my cat after my first shift with how dominant he was, I knew it would help her in the long run to start that way.

Rambler, Circus, and I climbed out of the ring and waited for our woman to join us. The crowd parted, and there she was, hair braided back, showing off her angular features and smokey gray-green eyes. Her shoulders were back, head held high, as she stalked forward with the deadly grace of a predator. Fuck I was one lucky son of a bitch to have her as a fated pair. The twins were right behind her, almost like an honor guard, making sure her back was protected.

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth when she reached us. “Gee guys, maybe you should look like you actually think I’m going to win this fight. Right now, it seems like I’m walking to the gallows instead of a fight.”

I stepped up and caught her chin in my hand, drawing her to me. “You mistake us, dusza. We are saying our final goodbyes to the man we falsely believed to be a man worthy of our respect.”

“Oh, is that all? Well, I feel much better now,” she quipped.

Before she could say more, I slammed my lips to hers, kissing her until I felt her submit and take a step closer. With a nip on her lower lip, hard enough to sting but not break the skin, she gasped.

“Head in the fight, Nicolette,” I whispered, “You’ll soon find I’m not good at waiting, and I have for you, but it’s finally my turn.” She shivered as I stroked a finger over the edge of Rambler’s mark before taking a step to the side, allowing her to make it up the steps to the ring.

Circus stepped up beside me, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking as careless as always, but I could see the slight tension at the corner of his eyes betraying his worry. “We’re doing it together.”

“What?” I asked, even though I was well aware of what he meant.

“After the fight, we’re making her ours. There will never be another moment she risks everything for this pride without my mark on her, and I assume you feel the same,” Circus explained. “Hence why I said we’re doing this together. Something tells me that it will be a common occurrence for the three of us, so why bother fighting it.”

“After the fight,” I agreed. “But we’re doing it at Church just as she is when she leaves the ring.”

Circus let his head fall to my shoulder and rolled so he gazed up at me with a mischievous smile. “You have some of the best ideas, Dice. Now I get why you didn’t want to waste getting off earlier because this is going to be epic.”

Epic might not have been the word I’d pick, but I agreed with the sentiment. Now it was time to watch our lioness own this ring and our pride’s respect. Personally, I preferred their fear to respect, but I had a feeling she’d end up with one or the other when it was all said and done.

If not, I’d be happy to help them pick.

Chapter 29

Nicolette

The moment my foot touched the steps up to the ring, everything outside this singular event faded away. This was my comfort zone. I knew what was expected of me here. As always, there were two choices on how to finish this night, and it was dead or alive. For the past ten years, I’d been undefeated, and I planned to keep my record. I’d faced a ghoul with nothing more than a knife and come out the other side while I was still human. This time I knew exactly who my opponent was, and I was no longer human. Zealot and I were on equal footing, even if he might have an advantage of having been a shifter longer than me. Yet I felt like ten years of experience in this realm fighting for my life put us on even ground.

It was strange not to have to wrap my hands. It had become a ritual to list all the things I would do when I paid off my debt. I suppose it didn’t matter now that I was free, and hopefully, one day, I’d start working to check things off the list.

As I waited for Zealot to join me, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath through my nose. I filled my lungs until I couldn’t anymore, then slowly let it out, expelling all thoughts save one—beating this motherfucker’s ass.

“Zealot, you have been challenged by Nicolette,” Nine announced. “She has chosen this fight to be in human form where the only weapons allowed are teeth, claws, and the skills you possess. The challenge winner is acknowledged as the dominant feline and is given the power to show mercy or take the life of the loser. Does the pride acknowledge and bear witness that both challengers are present and have been presented the rules?”

The pride as a whole spoke, giving this whole situation a different feel. “We acknowledge.”

“The challenge has been acknowledged and may commence,” Nine said, backing away and ducking out of the ring to leave us to fight.

For the first time since he entered the ring, I gave Zealot my full attention, observing his stance. It was clear that he had some kind of training, probably in a martial art of some kind. Gavin had made it clear that I needed to be well-versed in all the different types of fighting I could manage. Each one had its advantages and disadvantages. Depending on who or what I was fighting, using bits and pieces of all of them could gain me an advantage as well as throwing my opponent.

“You just gonna stand there and let me hit you? What kind of bitch move is that?” Zealot taunted.