Page 60 of Shifting Gears

I had been so flustered at his actions that I bit his earlobe, not hard enough to hurt him, but I swore I’d felt his cock grow hard as I did it.

I shook my head and sat up straight in bed. The morning light shone through my window, and I really needed to get things going if we were going to get to this fight in time. It was a little out in the middle of nowhere.

I rolled out of bed and quickly got ready, making my way out into the kitchen, where I was surprised to see Regan up and making some food already.

“There’s some tea in the kettle all ready for you! I know you have a long day today, so I made you some breakfast too.”

I smiled at her. She seemed almost like her usual cheery self again. I thought she had begun to heal from Raven’s death. She might have even been up late last night, working on some project and listening to music again.

I can’t let her world be destroyed a second time by Kaito. There is no way I will let him touch her again.

I poured myself a cup of tea and texted AJ.

Sydney

Are you on your way yet?

AJ

Yeah, almost there.

Perfect.

I drank my cup of tea and ate the food Regan had put in front of me. It was delicious and full of protein for the day.

“Thank you, Regan. Touma will be around today to keep you company. I think he’s coming a couple of hours from now. Are you going to be good on your own until then?” I stood up and grabbed my crossbody bag from the counter, checking to make sure my wallet and cash for the bets were inside.

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’ll probably clean up from breakfast and read for a while this morning,” she said as she began to eat her own food.

“All right, I will see you later. Love you.”

With that, I went outside right as AJ pulled into the driveway. I walked over and got in, typing up the address we were driving to on my phone.

“First fight. Hope you’re ready,” I said, teasing him.

He smirked at me. “Pretty sure I showed you all week that I’m ready.”

I rolled my eyes and set my phone on the dash. “Surrre. You have your mask with you, right?”

I noticed he was wearing the shirt, but I didn’t see the mask anywhere.

He reached over and popped open the glove box, the mask sitting inside.

“Great. Now remember to put it on before you get out of the car. We can’t risk anyone seeing your full face,” I said as he shut the glove box and backed out of the driveway.

I waitedat the side of the ring, watching as AJ stood on one side and his opponent walked in across from us.

His first match was against a decent kickboxer. He was cocky and long-legged, bouncing on the balls of his feet like he had springs in his heels. Tats ran up his neck, and his knuckles looked like they’d seen more pavement than gloves.

Soon, as the ref dropped his hand, he charged at AJ with a spinning back kick, fast as hell. I watched as AJ barely brought his arms up to block the kick with his forearms before it connected with his head. I would be worried, but AJ’s eyes crinkled with a grin as he reset his stance.

He kept trying to catch him with high kicks, but AJ slipped in close every time. His reach meant nothing once AJ was up close. He caught a side kick with his forearm and drove his shoulder straight into the kickboxer’s chest, knocking him back. He stumbled but came swinging with a knee meant to knock AJ out cold. I held my breath as I watched AJ duck it and answered with an uppercut that snapped his opponent’s head back.

AJ faked left, ducked low, then fired a hook into his ribs. I heard the air wheeze out of the kickboxer like a popped balloon. He backed up, gasping, and that was when AJ pounced. Left-right-left combo, then a brutal right cross that twisted his jaw.

He hit the mat hard. The crowd cheered as money began to exchange hands in this small dojo. AJ stood over him, breathing heavily.

I walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “No mercy, just like a real demon.”

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