2. Kezia

Cresting the hill,I looked down at the crowd of cars and the amount of people milling around outside a large barn. Barn was an insult. It looked like an industrial warehouse, similar to the one I woke up behind the night Bullet got me.

Unease pooled in my belly as I remembered how easily he had caught me. I'd been distracted. Comfortable. Dare I say, happy? Making my way down the hill, I used my shifter sight to pick the easiest route. Keeping my eyes and ears alert, I felt my wolf come forward, alert as ever.

She hadn't liked being shot three times with silver any more than I had. I felt her familiar presence and took comfort. She may be pissed at me for taking her away from him, but she was still always ready to protect me. It made no sense to me that she wanted to be where he was. Did she believe we were mates? I was still in denial, but the shaman had thought it too…and that worried me. However, he had said distance would help, and that was what I did. Put distance between us.

I didn't know what it was helping with. Despite everything I did, I still thought about the alpha asshole every day. There was a longing inside me, sometimes it almost felt like a tug, pulling at me. Was it him? Or was it indigestion?

Although I knew little about the mate bond, I was sure if it was a giftfrom Luna, then would it matter how many miles there were between us? Mates were mates. Right? Or was it so simple to put us in different states and wait for whatever it was that bonded us together to fade? I snorted a laugh as I jumped clear of the incline onto the flat ground.

In black jeans and my black hoodie, I was merely another shadow of the night as I moved closer to the venue. Weaving amongst the crowd, I made my way inside. If I'd thought there were a lot of people outside the barn, it was nothing to the crowd inside.

Working my way through the tightly packed bodies as they mingled and jostled for a position closer to the ring, I made my way to the corner of the room, where the organizer was. I couldn't remember his name, but Vance had taken me to him once before and seemed to like him. A fact which was solidified when I spotted Vance beside him. Two of Vance's regular fighters were nearby, and as always, it amused me that they doubled as his muscle and fighters. Not that Vance needed muscle. I knew he always carried a gun and at least two knives on him.

Vance saw me approach first and nudged the organizer, who immediately stopped talking as he watched me come closer. I didn't like the way he looked me over, nor the fact he smiled widely when I stopped in front of him.

"Thought you wouldn't make it," he told me.

I kept my gaze on him, even though I noted that Vance was paying more attention than he was supposed to. "Why wouldn't I make it?" I asked him casually, keeping my voice low but still loud enough to be heard over the noise.

"You're late."

I shrugged. "I'm here now."

His loud burst of laughter caused several people to look at us. "Your first fight is next." He pointed to a door behind him. "Stash your shit, be back here in five minutes."

"My odds?"

His eyes narrowed as he watched me. "Get worse the longer you stay in front of me."

I did look at Vance then, briefly, and saw him frowning. So did the guy.

"Fine," I bit out, taking two steps away from him. "But when I beat her ass in under five minutes, you better pick up the odds for the second fight."

He laughed again and I imagined throat-punching him. The thought made me smirk, and I shouldered past his hired help on my way to the door at the side of the room.

The back room was what I assumed to be the staff break-out area. There were lockers on one side, a few tables and chairs, and located at the very back was a door, which probably led to the restrooms.

A handful of the fighters were there, some bloodier than others, and it would be a safe bet that they'd already fought. My attention drifted to the only other female in the room.

She was white, had bright red hair, and was at least a foot taller than me. Her shoulders were broad and strong. She wore a sports bra and a pair of shorts like the wrestlers did in the made-up wrestling matches on TV. The boots on her feet were as solid as the rest of her, and without her being aware I was in the room, I watched her for a few moments as I unzipped my hoodie.

Someone nudged her, pointing to me, and I chose not to pretend I hadn't been openly assessing her. She looked me over casually and then gave me her back. My head dipped as I hid my smile at her obvious dismissal.

It seemed Rita didn't think I was a threat. That worked for me.

The door opened again and as I pushed my hoodie and phone into a locker, handily supplied with a key, I watched as Vance entered the room. He didn't look at me, making his way straight to my opponent. This time, I tried not to stare as he laughed at something she said, and… Was he flirting? He was smiling at her. Widely. That was the second time he reached out and touched her arm.

Oh my Luna, was I jealous?

The thought came out of nowhere, and I turned my back abruptly on the room so no one could see me freaking out over the fact that I was reacting to Vance in the company of another woman.

He was Vance.

Vance.

The guy who made a living off other people fighting and bleeding in a ring.

I heard his laughter and a throaty female laugh along with him and winced as my nails dug into the palms of my hand. What the hell was going on with me? This was insanity. I knew insanity, had tasted it more than I should, and I absolutely could not, would not accept that I was reacting to Vance with another woman.

Another woman? As in not me. What was I thinking?

Scrambling, I looked to my wolf, who was watching me, her head resting on her paws.

Vance?

She sniffed.

Vance!

Lazily she lifted her head, tilting it to the side.

I tried to decipher her look, she simply put her head back on her paws. Frowning, I wondered if I was near my heat. I looked down at the top of my jeans, which sat just below my navel. I didn't feel the familiar itch like I had before when my heat was threatening. Rubbing my tummy, I smoothed my hands over my lower abs. I didn't feel off. I pressed my hands into my belly, trying to flatten out the potential need I may start to crave soon.

I thought you liked Cannon? I asked my wolf, blurting his name out with a wince.

Her ears perked up and she looked at me with approval, as her tail flicked.

Vance is here. I felt her grumble of disapproval. Is my heat coming? Am I overreacting to Vance's flirting? A rumble of agreement.

Okay. Not the green light to bump uglies with Vance. Got it.

I felt her become less present and risked a glance over my shoulder at the man who stood with my opponent. To my surprise, Vance was watching, and he met my look with his usual blankness. Until he saw whatever was on my face, because I saw his head tilt to the side, and I saw the small curl of his upper lip as he held my stare.

He really did look good tonight. His hair wasn't slicked back like it usually was, it was more tousled and soft-looking. His black shirt pulled nicely along his shoulders, and the dark shade complemented his skin tone, making his blue eyes more striking. I swallowed as I looked him over. When I met his gaze again, his playful smirk was gone and his eyes had narrowed slightly, a look in them that was familiar, but not a look I was familiar with from Vance.

I bit the corner of my lip as I watched him watch me and saw his eyes darken. That tug in my lower abdomen tightened.

Holy Goddess, was I flirting with Vance?

The thought made me turn away and once more give the room my back as I scrambled to control myself. Shit shit shit. Vance? This was bad.

"Next fighters in the ring!"

The loud shout brought me crashing back to reality, and I slammed the locker shut, twisting the key to lock it, and tucking the key in my bra, under my boob to keep it safe. When I turned around, I was face-to-face with Vance. I gulped as he looked down at me, a question in his eyes.

"Yeah?" I forced out, looking past him to the door where it had closed behind Rita. "You need something?"

"Gimme the key," he said quietly. "I'll keep it safe."

Looking around, I saw most of the fighters had left, and of the ones who were left, no one was paying attention to us. Under his watchful eyes, I dipped my hand into my shirt and pulled out the key. Vance held his hand out and I pressed the key into it. His fingers caught around mine, holding them for longer than necessary. And I let him. I looked up as he looked down, watching me.

"Yeah?" he asked gruffly.

Shit shit shit.I didn't know what to do. I pulled my hand free, not looking at him, and stepped back. Brushing past him, rushing for the door, I fled. I needed to escape, and the ring was calling.

The ring was safe, and I didn't trust myself right now with Vance. He was giving off signals that were confusing me. Or, more likely, I was giving him signals that were confusing both of us.

Ignoring the people around me, I made my way to it. It was a bona fide boxing ring, elevated for better viewing. The ropes were drawn taut, and I rolled under the lowest one, blocking out the usual shouts from the crowd as I bounced to my feet and took the corner opposite Rita. She was still laughing and talking. I knew why she was doing it. It looked to the observer that she wasn't worried about me, and why would she be? I was half her weight and shorter than her.

Tugging at the waistline of my jeans, I swept a glance over the crowd. Vance stayed at the back as was usual for him, and without thinking, I pulled my white tank top over my head, dropping it carelessly at my feet as I watched him drink me in greedily. Had he always looked at me like this? Maybe he had, and I'd been blind to it.

Seeing his interest now, it was my turn to smirk as I gave him my back amidst the loud cheering of appreciation from the crowd.

Stupid really. Rita and I both wore tight-fitting sports bras. As the emcee ran through the rules, I quickly braided my hair. I should have done this in the locker room, but I had been too busy freaking out over my sudden attraction to the most unlikely male.

Who was I kidding? I was still freaking out.

"Oh my Luna, will you focus, Kezia?" I growled at myself as Rita stood in the center of the ring. "Time to fight, freak out on your own time."

Standing across from Rita, I heard the bell and immediately stepped to the side when she flung out a quick jab my way. Her follow-up was wild and too loose, and I realized something very quickly about Rita as she danced backward. She looked the part, but she couldn't fight for shit. Not against me, anyway.

A well-executed roundhouse kick, a swift uppercut, and one final full punch to the side of her face, and Rita was out cold on the canvas.

Standing back, I looked down at her before I looked up at the emcee as he declared me the winner. At the ropes, I grabbed my tank top and rolled out of the ring. I made my way to the back corner where the fight organizer was, pulling my shirt on.

"I should have said sixty seconds," I told him as he watched me. "Five minutes was generous."

"You're mouthy, I don't like mouthy."

"My odds for the next one?" I asked him, ignoring his dislikes. They didn't interest me.

I saw the gleam in his eye. "You beat the next one, baby, I'll give you an all-star bonus."

I was under no illusion as to what he meant by bonus. Asshole.

With a snort, I turned on my heel, hearing him yell out that I had twenty minutes until the next fight. Blowing out a breath, I slipped outside, seeing Rita get helped from the ring. It was quiet around the back of the warehouse, and I let the night air cool my overheated skin. I'd barely broken a sweat against Rita. She hadn't landed one punch on me.

"You good?" Vance asked, and I felt irrationally angry as I heard him approach.

"Why the fuck would I throw the fight to her?" I demanded as I whirled to face Vance. "Are you out of your mind? Your redheaded crush can't even punch properly!"

Vance pushed me back as I got in his face. "Because losing to her means your odds would have been worse for the next fight, and we would make more money when you won." He looked down at me.

I scoffed as I looked away, crossing my arms across my chest. "Yeah, well, dickhead in there is giving me shit odds anyway."

I heard him chuckle and looked his way. "Yeah, well," he mimicked me, "I forgot that your natural ability to piss most people off would work in my favor."

Ducking my head, I hid my grin. "Sorry about Rita."

Vance laughed louder. "No, you're not."

I was already nodding. Resting against the wall, I turned my head to look at him. "True." I grimaced as he pulled out a cigarette. "Smoker's breath, really?" Turning away from him, I looked up at the moon. "Thought you'd have more game."

"Meaning?" I felt him move closer as he leaned against the warehouse, one leg raised as he tilted his head to look up too.

"For Rita, she might not want to kiss you if you're all nicotine and stuff."

"Why am I kissing Rita?" he asked, and I felt his hand brush the back of mine, and I didn't move away.

"Your date?" I cleared my throat. "Right?"

"I'm not going on a date with Rita," he said, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw him put his pack of cigarettes away.

"You got dressed up," I pointed out, reaching over and tugging the hem of his shirt.

"I got dressed. Like I do every other day."

Our eyes locked and held. "Right."

Vance's eyes searched my face, and I saw him lean forward before he pulled himself back. He took a step away from me. "You're giving me some strange signals, Zee."

I felt my eyes widen. Pushing off the wall, I turned to face him. "Me? You're all date-mode and cologney!"

"Cologney? I wear cologne every fucking day."

"Well, I smell it more tonight."

"So? What difference does that make?" Vance shoved his hand in his pocket, the other scratched his jaw. "Is there something you want from me, Zee?"

Was there? I didn't know. I didn't think there would be, but the tug in my abdomen was confusing me. I broke eye contact and huffed out a breath. "Maybe?"