Page 77 of I Am Lioness

Once again, Lexi and I nodded in unison, and then the bell rung out.

I came out in a flash with a double, my knuckles connecting powerfully with her face both times. She stumbled back and I followed, throwing out as many as I could without overworking myself. I got a few in before she covered and dodged out of reach.

“What happened to taking that title back, Lexi?” I asked, advancing toward her.

“Fuck you.” She spat, narrowing her eyes, well, one eye anyway.

Jabbing out at lightning speed, I caught her right in the nose. “No thank you, my man has that covered. Now stop being a little bitch and fight back.”

She shook her head to clear the blow and curled her lip, revealing a crimson-filled mouthguard.

“C’mon,” I coaxed. “Bring it.”

Lexi started swinging. I blocked, covered, and bounced each one off as I walked her back to one of the cage walls. When we were just a few feet away, I pounced and pushed her against it with force, her head bouncing against to cool steel. Bringing an arm up under her throat, I pinned her with my body and cocked a fist back.

‘Submit.”

“No.” She mouthed, struggling against me.

She clocked me with a few jabs but mostly her attempts were feeble, weak even. She wasn’t going anywhere and she knew it. It was all for show, though I suspected no one here cared if she fought back or not. I dug my arm further into her throat, punching the swollen area of her face with purpose.

“Submit.”

“No.” She gritted out.

I growled and in one brisk move, pulled her off the cage, trapped her neck in my arm and threw us down onto the mat, mounting her before she could roll away. She was going to submit if it was the last god damn thing I did.

My knuckles connected with her bad eye, once, twice, three more times. She wriggled beneath me, using the sides of her fists to bang into my back as she howled through the pain, but I barely felt them through the rush of adrenaline hurdling through my veins and the boisterous arena spurring me on.

Lifting her up slightly, I slammed her head down onto the mat and hammered the same weak spot. One more blow would spread the pain and wear her out giving me the upper hand. Brutal? Yes. Necessary? Also a yes. Not to mention she deserved it.

LIONESS!!! KILL HER, LIONESS!!! TAKE HER OUT!!!

Hoots and hollers of all kinds swirled around the arena, Lexi’s blood making them thirsty for more. The urge to continue pummeling her was hard to ignore, but I didn’t want to knock her out. I’d done that every year. I wanted her to bow down, to submit and give up hope of ever reclaiming the title because I. Was. The. Queen.

This was my cage, my title, and I wasn’t giving her the easy way out this time.

Latching my fingers into her hair, I angled her head right where I wanted it. She continued on in her struggle beneath me and struck me where she could, but I had her right where I wanted her. I punched her again.

“Give it up, Lexi. I know you’re suffering. I can see it in your eyes, hear your whimpers of pain every time I hit that spot. Submit and it’ll all be over.”

“I’m not fucking submitting, Perry. You’ll knock me out before I tap out.”

Another punch…

“Submit.”

“Fuck no.” She grunted, throwing her knee into my side.

With one last forceful blow that ripped her skin all the more, I release her head from my grasp and took a hold of her arm, wound myself around the extremity as I threw myself across her body. She groaned as newfound pain lanced through her from the angle in which I’d trapped her. One wrong move on her part and it would definitely dislocate.

“LI-ON-ESS, LI-ON-ESS, LI-ON-ESS!”

That was all I could hear until one voice stood out most.

Knox.

I whipped my head in his direction and was met with a wild set of blue eyes. Not worried or fearful or anxious, but feral, prideful. He nodded and it was all the ammunition I needed.

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