Page 133 of King of the Cage

Four fights later,and I was flagging. Thank fuck that Elio, Declan, and all the men we could scrounge together were about to bust in here, because I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through the test. Honestly, I didn’t think they’d planned on letting me.

“Now, Mr. O’Connor, you meet your final test,” Archibald announced when I sank to the floor, having only just managed to choke out my latest opponent.

Exhausted and bloodied, I’d been reduced to grappling around on the floor with them, hanging onto their legs until they fell and then getting them into a lock. If there was one thing I knew about fighting, it was about not giving up. Knockdown, drag-out brawls, any kind of dogfight you could come up with — I’d die before losing.

Tonight, I had a bad feeling I was about to test that conviction, possibly unwillingly.

The unconscious man was dragged out of the cage, and the door opened for the last time. A man stepped in, followed by another. One more brought up the rear.

Three against one were odds I could handle on a good day, when I wasn’t already exhausted, had more than a few cracked ribs, and one of my eyes wasn’t so swollen I could barely see out.

Three against one today? Shit, I needed a miracle.

The first guy cracked his knuckles and beckoned me forward. I took a deep breath and shrugged. He was overly confident, with his buddies at his back. I could use that.

I pushed myself up from the mat and sauntered toward him, while he courted the attention of the audience, having a good old laugh at my expense. I watched him carefully as he shifted his weight and balled up his fist. Anticipating exactly where he’d hit me, from the furtive glance of his beady little eyes and the angle of his body, I ducked enough for his swing to go wide. I lashed my hand out when he was bent awkwardly forward and yanked him off-balance. A quick pivot, and I was able to bring my knee up under his head and smash them together hard.

He fell to the floor heavily, and silence fell in the octagon, before applause and cheering sounded.

The other two guys glanced at each other and separated, circling around me. These two wouldn’t be so easy. Then one withdrew a long, wicked-looking knife from a sheath on his leg.

All the other weapons so far had been blunt ones. The knife changed things. I checked the other guy and saw he’d also drawn his blade.

A sharp intake of breath distracted me, louder than all the shouts and cheers.

I glanced that way and saw her.

Giada.

My wee selkie, standing ringside.

40

GIADA

Ahuge cage sat in the middle of the floor, people already fighting inside it.

“Oops, seems like we’re running a little late.” Aldo chuckled.

I recognized Bran immediately, even with his back to me. His muscles flexed under the spotlights around the ring. His back was bruised up already, and blood dripped from his arms. The men in the ring took turns attacking him. It was three against one, and they had weapons. One of the men was already out for the count, but the other two looked vicious. I started forward, alarm pulsing through me.

“Don’t make a scene. It wouldn’t help him… though I don’t know why you’d want to.”

I had no words to answer Aldo, just a pounding, longing heart.

Then Bran turned around and saw me. His bare chest was streaked with blood, but that didn’t stop me from making it out.

Every single black line and cross. Every little detail of that sketch from my dreams.

That symbol of belonging, acceptance. The image was Bran’s tattoo. Of course it was.

Just like that, my memories found me, hitting me like a storm. It was like that one tattoo and the feelings it had given me unlocked my mind, and everything rushed in.

I raised my eyes back to Bran’s. He watched me, his green-eyed gaze fixed on mine. So fucking familiar, it felt like coming home after a lifetime away.

“I want to,” I said slowly, my eyes never leaving Bran’s. “Because he’s my husband.” I glanced at Aldo. “Who I love… I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

This soulless fucker had been whispering lies in my ear all night about how I’d been desperately trying to escape my marriage and had asked him to help me. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

---