Chapter 4

4

S teel

Sweat trickles down my brow. Is it just me, or is it as hot as hell in here today? I circle my neck, rolling my shoulders and jogging on the spot, trying to loosen up.

I’m always tense before a fight.

Always!

“You know the rules,” the adjudicator bellows. He’s standing between us. “No shifting. No killing. Everything else is fully acceptable. The fight will go on until only one of you is still standing.” He eyes each of us as he talks.

I look over at my opponent, who growls at me, showing me his teeth. He’s bigger and uglier than I am. I’m fitter and more muscled than ever, but he outweighs me by a ton. He’s also slow and stupid as fuck. I’m sure I can take him. I know it and it isn’t arrogance talking.

“Steel! Steel! Steel!” the crowd chants my name. They have seen me take down similar males before, and they will again.

I’d better take him since I bet every last cent I own on winning this bout. The odds are in my favor, and therefore, the winnings won’t be as much as I would like them to be. Maybe it’s time I threw a fight or two. Not this one. I literally can’t afford to lose this particular match. The rent is due. I can’t be late for a second month running. My landlord warned me. There’s very little food left in my refrigerator. I’m a sorry case who lives from hand to mouth. I can’t believe my life has come to this.

I pull my head out of my ass. This is no time for wallowing in self-pity. I have to win.

“Once the buzzer sounds, you can begin,” the male says as he leaves the cage, the door clanging shut behind him.

The crowd goes wild. “Steel! Steel! Steel!”

The buzzer sounds, and the huge brute comes at me with a snarl, his big paws swiping even before he reaches me. I duck and roll out of the way, hearing the thud as his foot makes impact with the dirt in the spot I just moved away from. I push up off the ground and leap at him, my fists already flying. I punch him in the stomach and the side of his ribs, putting my full weight behind the blows and feeling the satisfying crunch of bone beneath my knuckles. That’ll put him on the back foot for the rest of the fight.

Perfect.

He stumbles back, gasping for breath. I see my chance to deliver a swift uppercut to his jaw, but I don’t take it. It’s as expected; he’s slow and cumbersome. I need to stay out of the way of his meaty punches, and I’ll be just fine. I can’t finish him too quickly, or I won’t get my full pay for this fight. My manager Roscoe likes the audience to get a show. He doesn’t like me taking down opponents in the first round. I’ve lost cash before. I can’t afford to lose out again. Instead of delivering the hard blow I want to, I dance around him, letting my fists glance off him so that he can catch his breath.

I dodge his clumsy swings with ease and land a few well-placed punches, keeping him off-balance. I don’t hit him too hard; it’s enough to put on a show, and the crowd goes crazy, lapping it up.

“Steel! Steel!” they continue to chant my name.

The smell of sweat and blood hangs heavy in the air. My opponent staggers, breathing hard. The air is thick with humidity; it clings to my skin.

Thankfully, the big brute finds his feet, giving a quick shake of his head to clear it. His dark eyes focus on me. He growls low, scales popping up on his chest.

“No shifting,” the adjudicator yells from the side of the cage. “Or it’s an immediate forfeit,” he warns.

We dance around one another for a few seconds. The buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the round. I step back, panting and wiping the sweat from my brow. The crowd is cheering, and Roscoe hollers from the sidelines. I accept a drink of water through the cage bars, taking a deep breath as I turn back to scan my opponent, assessing how much fight is left in him. He has a bloody eyebrow and a purple bruise forming on his ribs, but he still looks in decent shape.

Good!

I’ll put on a good show for the crowd and then finish him before the end of the next round. I stand, stepping back into the center of the ring, ready to end it. The buzzer goes, and my opponent charges at me, but I’m quick on my feet and dodge his blows with ease. I land a few solid punches, one in the kidney and one to his side, just enough to remind him that I’m not going anywhere.

He tries to hit me back, but I dodge his attempts easily. He has a clear tell. He rolls his weight over the sole of his foot on the opposite side of attack. It lasts a split second but is enough to inform me of what he plans next. I know where the blows are coming from. It’s handy information to have.

I’ve worked tirelessly to eradicate all tells from my routine. To keep myself fast and fit and agile.

I allow one of his blows to land in a way that does minimal damage and then feint a step back as if I am off balance. It lures him in. The male is grinning, already picturing a victory. Then, I dash forward and land a decisive blow to his temple, sending him crashing to the ground like a felled tree. It isn’t so hard that he’ll stay down, but hard enough to give the crowd a taste of what is to come. I hold my arms up high, tilting my chin to show confidence. As expected, the crowd goes nuts. I glance over at my manager, and he gives a nod of approval. If the audience is happy, then he is happy. It means that they will want to come back and, more importantly, that they will want to spend their money.

My opponent lumbers to his feet. He looks slightly dazed. He shakes his head a few times, staggering. It doesn’t take long for his vision to clear and to zone in on me.

“Finish him! Finish him!” the crowd screams.

A hush falls over the crowd in the next instant, and the sound of boots on concrete fills the space.

“Open this cage!” a male yells.

“Do it now!” another growls.

I turn to the commotion and frown when I see a whole host of the king’s guard outside the cage door. Their black masks reveal nothing. What do they want? Why are they here? It can’t be for me. I left that life a long time ago.

That’s when he hits me. My attention is momentarily diverted. I should have known better. Should have kept my focus. I receive a crushing blow to the back of my head that sends me sprawling to the ground. The world spins as I try to regain my footing. Instead, I’m met with a kick to my side, leaving me gasping for air. Another kick to my head must render me unconscious because I wake up on a plush carpet. The scent of lemon wood varnish hangs in the air.

Where the fuck am I?

I sit up, realizing that I am in the general’s office. I’ve been here countless times. I’d recognize the mahogany furniture from any angle.

“Why am I here?” I snarl. “My fight!” I growl. “I have to get back.” I stand, feeling a wave of dizziness come over me. Thankfully, it quickly passes.

“Sit your ass down,” General Ice says in an even voice. “The fight is over. You lost!”

What?!

“I didn’t lose. Fuck!” I push out, scrubbing a hand over my face, feeling congealed blood on my chin.

Fuck!

“It’s done. You were knocked unconscious,” he adds, unnecessarily since I was there, and it all comes back to me in a rush of anger and pure frustration.

I feel my blood boil. “Your males distracted me.” I mutter another cuss under my breath. It was my own fault I was distracted. I should never have allowed it to happen. “You just cost me a lot of money, General. This had better be good. What do you want?” My mind is both reeling and thinking of ways to convince my landlord to let me stay without paying rent. How soon can I fight again? Roscoe will be pissed. I might not get another chance for a while. I lost him money. Lots of it. He’s going to make me suffer for a while. I know him. I know him well. Fuck! I’m royally screwed. I don’t want to go back to living on the streets.

“Are you listening to me?” the general snarls.

I’m racking my brain, trying to figure out why he would want to see me, but I’m coming up short at every turn. I suppose I’d better listen to him.

“I am now,” I mutter, folding my arms and narrowing my eyes.

“I have a proposition for you,” he says.

“Not interested.” I turn and start walking to the door.

“Wait!” he says. “Hear me out first. You’re going to want to hear this, Steel.”

“Doubtful,” I tell him, still walking, my hand reaching for the door handle.

“Do you want back in? I can get you in.”

I freeze, turning.

His wide grin greets me. My first thought is to punch it off his face.

Asshole!

I guess I shouldn’t be angry with him since I’m the reason my career went to shit. There is no one else to blame. I trusted the wrong person. It’s all on me, every last thing. I can’t blame the general, even though I want to. I can’t. Ice helped me when everyone was against me. He stood with me. I’ve never liked him much, but I can give him that.

“I’m listening.” I sigh.

“I knew that would get your attention.” He pulls in a deep breath, wiping the smile from his face. “The island needs you,” he says simply.

I wait it out. I’m eager to hear more, but I don’t bite.

“It’s your chance to fix things. To right wrongs. To help your people… your king.”

It feels like a punch to the heart. I clench my jaw, feeling all the guilt rise up in me all over again. It’s always just below the surface. Always there, ready to grab me by the throat. I hate it. I own it. I fucking deserve it.

“How?” I say before I can stop myself.

His mouth twitches with another smile that doesn’t come to fruition. “I want you back in uniform, but as a guard. I can’t have you in any kind of leadership position until you prove yourself to me, to the people…to him.”

Him.

Holy fuck!

I nod once, feeling excitement start to grow in me. I was born to wear the uniform, to lead, to protect, to— No! I lost that right.

I shake my head. “I’m not sure if—”

“Didn’t you hear me? It’s your chance to right wrongs. You have to take it, Steel.”

I don’t have to do anything, but I don’t say anything. I nod, urging him to go on. I should at least hear him out.

“There is a human female staying on the island. We’re unsure how she got here. She says she can’t remember, but we suspect that she came here from Draig to spy on us.”

“What does a human have to do with me?” I ask. “Send her back. Lock her up.” I shrug.

“How can I do that when we have a shortage of females on the island? Besides, we offered her a great sum of money to stay and to mate with one of our males. To bear young, and she accepted.”

“Again, what does this have to do with me?” I ask. “I’m assuming you’re not asking me to mate with her.”

The general laughs like it’s the biggest joke he’s heard all day. He shakes his head. “Of course not…no. It’ll have to be someone with power and influence. Someone deserving of a female and young. Back to you proving yourself and restoring the people’s faith in you.”

I want to roll my eyes, but I don’t.

“The female tried to escape the island this morning as a stowaway on one of the airplanes headed for the Mainland. Thankfully, we caught her and stopped her, or it could have ended in disaster for all of us. For both islands. She went back on our agreement.” His jaw tightens, and his eyes narrow in anger.

I frown. “Why would she do that? What would she have to gain? I thought she accepted your proposition to mate a rich, important asshole in power. What about her payday?”

“I thought that would be clear.” He lifts his brows, expecting me to come up with the answer from nothing. “The human has inside information on us. She plans on going back to her people and exploiting it. She knows that shifters live on the islands. The humans think that we are dumb dragons. They don’t realize how wrong they are. The female wants to take that information to the press. She plans on exposing us to the humans and causing trouble for us. If the humans find out who and what we are, they will see us as a threat and potentially exterminate us. No! They will come for us. It’s how the humans are wired. Kill first and ask questions later. She believes that her people have a right to know all about us. But that’s not the reason she plans on doing this. She’ll out us in order to make money, thus not needing the money she accepted from us. Thing is, she accepted our offer. She can’t go back on her word. We can’t possibly let her go back to the Mainland. She either needs to stay here and work, like everyone else. Or she needs to agree to mate for a lavish lifestyle and for money.”

“Have her sign an NDA,” I tell him.

The general barks out a laugh. “She isn’t to be trusted. She’ll sign the document. Go back to the Mainland and out us. If the humans find out about our existence, they will drop their bombs and take us out. It’s guaranteed. Or worse, they will round us up and conduct experiments on us. They’ll lock us up. She can’t be allowed to leave this island.”

The general looks genuinely concerned. Maybe this human is a real threat. I was hoping this would be a bunch of bullshit.

Ice shakes his head. “At the end of the day, she knows too much about us. I gave her the options, and she insists that she wants to mate with one of our males. That means that the human needs to live up to her side of the bargain. She needs to stay here and mate with a suitable male. Once it happens, we’d put her in the care of her new mate. Until that day, it will be your duty to watch her day and night. She doesn’t leave your sight. She can’t escape or lie her way to potential escape like she tried earlier today. You are the only person I trust, Steel.”

“Why me?” I ask. There are so many males who could take on this role quite easily. It is a mere human, after all. She will be weak.

“The female, Jennifer Harris, is very beautiful. She used her feminine wiles to escape this morning. She had her guard completely fooled. Now, the male will have to suffer the consequences of her actions. He didn’t see it coming. She fooled him completely. It would happen with most males, even mated ones. Jennifer is very good. She’s devious and an excellent liar. You, of all people, know the type. You would not be fooled a second time. You’re too smart for that, Steel. You are the only male for the job. Your people need you. You will have to watch her closely until she is mated. If you carry out your assignment, you will be promoted. If you fail, I will not be able to save you this time.”

“I didn’t ask to be saved in the first place,” I growl from between clenched teeth.

“You didn’t deserve death. You made a careless mistake.”

“With dire consequences. I deserved death; I still do.”

“You deserve another chance. You have it now. Right wrongs. Take my offer.” His eyes are narrowed on me. He grips my wrist. “You will receive a decent wage, as well as board and lodgings. I know you will be stronger than to fall for the female’s trickery. You have to help your people. You owe me. More importantly, you owe your king.” His eyes narrow, and his voice takes on a hard edge.

I shake my head. It’s not that I don’t want to help my people. To do the right thing. It’s that I don’t trust myself in any kind of role that holds responsibility. A role where others could be hurt…or worse. I failed dismally before; why not again? I don’t trust anyone or anything. Not even my own fucking shadow. It is what it is, and I am highly justified in feeling the way I do.

“What do you say, Steel?”

“I need time to decide. I need—”

“We don’t have the luxury of time. You need to decide right now. You owe me.” He looks me in the eye. We both just stand there staring at one another for a few long seconds. “What do you say?” His stare continues to bore into mine. “Will you do the right thing?”