Page 108 of Love Bites

I lifted my face toward his, and he ducked so I could speak into his ear. “If that’s your way of inviting me, I’m going to have to pass.”

He grinned. “It wasn’t an invitation. You’re going with me if I have to drag your ass there myself.”

I laughed, and he kissed my cheek playfully.

The announcer cleared his throat, and the loud noise carried through the room.

Damian pulled me closer, tucking me between him and the cage.

The announcer’s voice boomed when he called into the microphone, “Everyone, shut up!”

The words were far from elegant, but they got the job done as the entire room quieted over the next handful of minutes.

“Let’s not waste time,” the guy barked. “We’re here for a challenge!”

The crowd roared so loudly, I resisted the urge to cover my ears.

Damian chuckled when I winced, his chest rumbling against my back. “Glad I’m not a wolf?” His voice was playful, but he was right.

Very right.

I belonged with the vampires.

I suppose that was what fate was trying to tell me when it made me his blood mate. On second thought, maybe I should’ve realized it sooner.

“Challenging our beloved alpha, we have Porter Jenkins, the heir to the throne who left us behind two centuries ago,” the announcer added.

The crowd roared louder.

I wasn’t sure if they were out for Porter’s blood, or if they wanted him to win.

Maybe some of both.

“As you know, this is a fight to the death. Last one alive takes the pack. Are we ready?”

More deafening cries flooded the room.

My fingers wrapped around the bars separating us from the wolves as the announcer finally said, “GO!”

The fight began so fast, I jerked backward a little.

I’d been trained as a kid, but was clearly not prepared for a real fight between two of the strongest men alive.

Their fur tore through their skin as they lunged for each other’s throats, shifting into their massive wolf forms. Porter’s fur was the same reddish-brown color as his hair, and Curt’s was blond, so it was easy to tell them apart.

Porter rolled at the last minute, raking his claws through Curtis’s belly as Curt sliced through his back.

They landed on the tile and circled each other slowly.

My heart pounded as they sized each other up.

Curtis snapped his teeth toward Porter’s throat.

Porter went for Curt’s leg, and I heard the crack as he broke the bone.

Curtis used the moment to tear into Porter’s shoulder, and though Porter rolled to the side, he couldn’t avoid the deep gash.

Both of them bled as they circled each other again, a little more warily.

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