Burning Bright (25 page)

Sasha glared but didn’t look at him. He gazed at the fight, wishing he could help Neal by watching. Grig rushed forward, claws flashing. Neal dodged and used the other tiger’s momentum to flip him over his hip. When Grig sprang up it was into Neal’s waiting fist. The younger tiger staggered several steps away, shaking his head.

“Grig’s getting tired,” Mitch told Sasha in a quiet voice. “Won’t be long now.”

As though Grig heard Mitch’s comment, he snarled. His fangs appeared. He tried to slash Neal’s face, but Neal dodged and whipped forward. Neal landed a solid punch, the sound like a boxer hitting a heavy bag, and scarlet sprayed from Grig’s split lip. The watching shifters roared in reaction as Neal drew first blood. What made it more impressive was the fact he did it without the aid of claws.

Grig seemed unwilling to concede. His face darkened with anger and a low growl came out of his mouth. He leaped forward and Sasha gasped, his heart in his mouth. Neal caught him with an audible smack and threw him onto the floor on his stomach. Straddling him before he could react, Neal rubbed his hips back and forth. Grig roared, sounding just like a tiger, and Neal’s hand clamped on his neck. Neal held him down, Grig’s face pressed flat against the mat, and squeezed.

“Let it go, son,” Neal grated. “Don’t make me do this for real.”

Grig shrieked and he struggled, but while Neal’s body bounced, Grig couldn’t dislodge him.

“He’s got him,” TJ murmured, relief in his voice. “It’s over.”

“Fuck you!” Grig screamed. “Fuck you!”

Neal bent forward and whispered something in Grig’s ear, and the Russian squirmed, small noises coming out of him. Finally he stilled, and all the fight left his body. He lay under Neal, motionless.

Neal released him and stood up. “Anybody else messes with my people, and I will put you down,” Neal stated flatly. Then he threw back his head and roared, a fully formed tiger bellow.

Sasha didn’t know whether to fuck him, or run for his life.

Neal caught Sasha’s gaze and tipped his head toward the door. Sasha nodded shakily, and followed Neal across to their apartment. Neal locked the door and stroked Sasha’s hair. “I’m gonna take a shower, okay?”

Sasha nodded, his head bouncing a little too quickly.

Neal cupped his head in one big hand. “Hey. I’m all right.”

“Yeah.” Sasha laughed shakily. “I never doubted it.”

Neal snorted and turned to the bathroom, unfastening his pants as he went.

Sasha trailed after him and leaned against the bathroom doorway as Neal stripped. He watched as Neal kicked the pants away and leaned in the stall to start the water. A few bruises were beginning to bloom on Neal’s skin. Sasha discovered it added to his arousal. The sweat and a little blood, Grig’s, he noted with pleasure, made the Marine the image of a true warrior. Neal stretched, rolling and unknotting muscles still tense from the fight.

Sasha’s cock sprang to attention as he did it, but Neal seemed too focused on the shower. Neal looked over his shoulder and smirked at him. Sasha stuck out his tongue and watched Neal’s eyes darken with desire.

“I could wash your back?” Sasha offered.

Neal shook his head. “I need to meet up with Vadim to discuss details. You ‘helping’ me will not save time.”

“What details?”

“They want to move the fight forward from Saturday to tonight. I’m agreeing. The sooner we start and finish, the sooner I can send the tribe tigers back.”

Nervousness began to build inside of Sasha, but he willed it away. He nodded his understanding and turned his back, trying to hide his reaction. His stomach growled, reminding him of his original purpose. Sasha closed the door and headed to the kitchen instead of into the shower after his lover.

Sasha tried to focus on throwing together a salad but kept dropping things. The tomato made an almighty mess on the floor, as did the avocado pit when it jumped out of his hands and bounced under the table. He dropped it three more times as it kept slithering out of his hands.

Covered in avocado pulp, he managed to get the kitchen sink started.

“What are you doing?” Neal asked, a smile in his voice. He leaned past Sasha’s shoulder and turned the faucet on.

“I need to rinse my hands,” Sasha muttered. “Why are you rubbing yourself all over me?”

Neal chuckled. “Teasing.”

“Yeah. Maybe I’ll go let Steve take the edge off.”

Neal kissed him and then pulled away to gaze at him from inches away. “I want you to stay with him during the fight, okay?”

“Sure. I’ll get a few things prepped, just in case.”

“Good idea.”

Sasha finished making them sandwiches and set them on two plates.

“I’ll carry mine,” Neal told him. “I’ve got to meet with the others.”

“I’ll walk you down, okay?” He took a big bite of sandwich first, still starving.

They emerged to find Vadim waiting for them downstairs in Neal’s office. Neal kissed Sasha at the doorway. “I’ll see you later.”

“I can walk around now without an escort?”

“Yeah, if they try anything now they know I’ll kill them.”

Sasha nodded and squeezed Neal’s ass as he walked in. Vadim said nothing, just watched him with cold blue eyes. The door closed on their conversation and Sasha stood a moment, his hand still on the handle, feeling heavy in all his muscles.

Finally Sasha stirred and went back upstairs. He tossed the rest of his sandwich away, his stomach too knotted with stress. Worrying wouldn’t accomplish anything. Instead, he gathered every medical supply they had and set up an infirmary in the vacant area they’d used for the fight.

Better use for that area any day. He stomped up the stairs, adrenalin giving him a needed boost. He organized what he already had until a tiger announced the jaguars’ arrival. Felipe brought an ambulance and parked in the employee lot. His huge soldiers, silent and hulking, brought even more supplies upstairs and put everything exactly where Sasha ordered them to.

After a while, Sasha started to enjoy bossing them around.

Even better, he kicked the new tigers out of their beds and sent them downstairs. He needed their cots for his makeshift infirmary. Their attitudes were very respectful around him now. He liked it.

The clock moved without slowing, despite Sasha’s wishes. Some of the windows in this corner looked out over the roof of the abandoned building across the street. Neal owned it, it turned out, and both sides agreed to hold the fight there. Sasha tried to ignore the squat concrete presence below the windows as he organized bandages, tape and sutures. Since the vacant building only stretched two storeys, as long as he didn’t look out the third floor window too close to it he could pretend it didn’t exist.

“They’re here,” Felipe announced.

Stomach clenching, Sasha straightened from counting gauze rolls. “Now?”

Neal, standing across the open area from him, met his gaze. “Time to rock and roll.”

Steve, who sat in a chair by a folding table to sort out medications, looked over at Sasha. “Waiting’s the hardest part.”

“No kidding.” Sasha broke eye contact and turned away, fists clenched.

Neal’s familiar scent enveloped Sasha, and then strong arms circled him. “Hey, Doc, it’s gonna be okay.”

Neal’s body bulked harder than normal and Sasha turned. “What are you wearing?”

“Kevlar.”

“I thought there were no guns.”

Neal’s hand cupped his cheek. “Never hurts to be careful. The Russians are going to cheat, and we need to be ready. Don’t worry, babe; I’ve got Mario on the roof with a compound bow.” He smirked. “It’s not a gun. I’ve left a message for Kiril, but he hasn’t responded yet.”

Sasha crushed Neal to him. “Be careful.”

Neal stroked his hair and then pulled out of his grasp. He walked away without looking back and tears sprang into Sasha’s eyes.

Ten minutes went by with no sound or any indication from anywhere that the fight started. Driven to distraction, Sasha finally threw the roll of cloth tape onto the table. “Gods.”

“Doc, it’s—”

He whirled and Steve broke off mid-sentence. “If you tell me one more time that it’s gonna be okay, I swear to the Gods I will personally kick your ass,” he all but screamed at his lover.

Steve gaped at him and they both burst out laughing.

“Jesus, Doc. Grow a pair, didja?” Steve muttered.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m gonna go make us something to eat.”

“I’d love a burger,” Steve said wistfully.

Sasha blinked. “I’ll do that, then.”

“Where?”

“Mario won’t mind. I know where he keeps everything.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “I never thought of that.”

“Good thing you have me then,” Sasha murmured as he walked over. He kissed Steve’s forehead. “Why don’t you pop over to Neal’s and lay down for a sec? You look tired. We have time. Anton says there’s lots of formal stuff before the fight can start. When the wounded arrive, we’ll be busy.”

Steve looked wistfully at the window. “Maybe I could help at the window with a rifle.”

“Nope, big guy. No guns allowed. We don’t want to be the ones breaking the rules first. And we got a special clause that your injured status exempts you. From what intel said, we found out Kiril actually has a reputation for being honorable.” He ignored Steve’s disappointed look. “I’ll be right back.”

Steve grinned. “You’d better.”

Sasha bounced down the stairs, burning off some of the adrenaline in the process. The kitchen lay empty, echoing and huge, and he regretted not grabbing them sandwiches from Neal’s apartment. Instead, he tried to focus on his work. He grabbed the ground sirloin first and set it to cook, then went back to retrieve the veggie burger patty.

Turning back to the stove, he froze. Kiril, the leader of the Russian bears, stepped out from the wall by the door, a smirk on his face. “You cook?”

Sasha swallowed his heart back down into his chest, where it belonged. “What are you doing in here?”

“I came to see you.” Kiril said it like it was obvious.

Sasha backed up, and Kiril took a step forward.

Crap.

Chapter Thirty

Kiril

Sasha whirled, intending to get the Hades out of there, but Kiril caught him before he’d even gotten three steps. Kiril’s hands closed on his biceps, huge and hot. Bears had one weakness: their nose.

He whipped his head back to slam it into the big man’s face.

Kiril grunted and then laughed.

Sasha squirmed, and Kiril released his right arm. Sasha spun, kicking at Kiril’s knee, but Kiril moved too fast to see.

The shifter backed Sasha with his hips into the wall. Pinned next to the door, Sasha struggled and Kiril’s hand closed on his throat.

“Stop,” Kiril said softly. “I’m not here to hurt you, but I will if I have to.”

Sasha swallowed, his skin moving against Kiril’s palm. “I’m not part of this.”

“Promises have been made, little one,” Kiril purred. “And you smell good.” He inhaled.

Sasha barked a laugh that bordered on hysteria. “It’s shampoo and soap.”

Kiril smirked, an arrogant tilt to his head. “I think that’s not all of it, though, is it?” He leaned forward, aiming for Sasha’s mouth. “Is it?”

Sasha turned his head and Kiril’s face came up against his cheek. Kiril’s nose buried Sasha’s ear, the bear sniffed him with a loud snuffling noise. His breath warmed Sasha’s neck and sent prickles of fear down the front of his body.

Stomach cramping, Sasha resisted flinching, but only just. “Please. I’m not part of this.”

“They promised you to me,” Kiril murmured against his skin.

“What? Who? Does Neal know about this?”

“Neal is not important now.” Kiril cocked his head. “And if you’re not with me, Ivan will kill you for Petya.”

“I didn’t kill Petya.”

“No?”

“No. He attacked me in the park, and shot my lover.
Felipe
killed him.”

“The jaguar.”

“Yes. I’ve never killed anyone in my life!”

Something changed in Kiril’s eyes as he stared at Sasha. “Never.”

“No.”

“Ivan sees you as responsible for Petya, and you did attack Alyosha. He will kill you if he can.”

“I didn’t
attack
Alyosha. He and his buddies jumped
me
in the alley. Don’t tell me you believe their version.”

Kirl frowned and seemed to consider Sasha’s words. Sasha took a deep breath and did what he’d seen other Guardians do. He pushed with his magic into Kiril’s body, attempting to get the shifter to back up or at least release him.

Kiril reacted, arching his back and pressing his hips against Sasha. “What is that?” His lips turned up in a grin, like he enjoyed it.

“Get off me, and I’ll show you.” Sasha tried to pull away again.

It almost worked. Kiril loosened his grip, but then shook his head. “Later. We must get to the challenge now.”

“But—”

“Come,” Kiril ordered, tightening his hand on Sasha’s throat.

The bear pulled Sasha forward as though his hand were a leash around Sasha’s neck, out of the kitchen and through the hallway to the back door.

Two bodies lay near the door, one of the new tigers and one of Felipe’s jaguars. “Gods.”

Kiril chuckled. “No, they’re not dead. They were too busy squabbling to notice me sneaking up. I think I believe you when you say you never killed.” He paused. “I don’t, unless necessary.”

At the gate to the alley, Sasha threw his weight back and balked.

Kiril grinned, mocking him. “Do you want everyone to see me carry you in?”

Sasha shivered, since the bear looked like he enjoyed that idea, and started walking. They passed the dumpster where he first met Neal that night. It seemed longer than a few short weeks.

Something moved on the roof opposite and he caught sight of the head of a sniper. “I thought you said no guns? So much for your honor.” Sasha stumbled over some gravel in the alley.

Kiril slowed, frowning.

Sasha didn’t point, but he motioned with his chin. “On the roof, isn’t that a sniper? It’s not one of Neal’s. I guess your boss has a back-up plan, not too confident in you guys.”

The bear said nothing, but his jaw tightened.