looking forward to seeing a good fight. Here was hoping his opponent didn't totally suck.
The way Archer greeted the other guy in the cage, it seemed like they knew each other to some degree. Maybe just through the fight scene?
"Have they fought each other before?" I asked Steele, my eyes on the other guy, searching and assessing his physique. He was leaner than Archer, more like Kody's body type, but his muscles rippled under tanned skin. He didn't have a whole lot of ink, just one huge piece depicting a howling wolf on his side that wrapped from his back all the way around to his abs.
"Nah," Steele answered, "but they've met. Alexi is a Timberwolf, in case the ink didn't give that away."
I nodded slowly, considering this information. "I'd thought they no longer existed after... you know." After you three wiped out their entire gang in just one bloody night. "But they're not at all, are they?"
Steele gave me a knowing smile. "They restructured and now stay out of the public eye. The new management is very good at maintaining a professional front to their operation, but no. They're nowhere near as extinct as people like to think they are."
I bit at my lip, worrying that this was yet another player on the board for us to keep an eye on.
"We're on good terms with them, Hellcat. No need to look so concerned." He reached out and wove our fingers together. "Trust me on this, the Timberwolves are much more likely to come to our aid than attack. You don't need to stress on that front."
The fighters tapped gloves in the center of the cage, and then it was on.
"I'll trust you on that one," I muttered to Steele, my eyes glued on the fight. "I don't need to go borrowing extra anxiety."
"Fifty bucks says this is over before the end of round one," he told me, changing the subject to the fight in front of us. Archer certainly seemed to have the upper hand so far, landing his few test kicks and blocking the strikes Alexi threw back. But I had a feeling the Timberwolf was just biding his time.
"I'll take that bet," I replied, feeling sure. "Round three, ground and pound."
Steele barked a laugh. "You just wanna see more violence, you bloodthirsty woman. But alright, you're on."
The first round flew by, both fighters delivering and receiving some solid hits but neither of them making any power moves to try and end it. By the time the bell rang, Steele was groaning.
"They're just fucking playing with each other," he complained, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
I snickered a knowing laugh. "Yeah, no shit. All these people paid a bucket of money to see a fight. They'd be pissed as hell if it was all over in round one."
He grumbled curses, but he knew I was right. A short distance from us, Archer sat on his little stool, taking a casual sip of his water and barely even looking winded as Kody talked at top speed in his face.
Almost like he knew I was watching, Archer turned his head and met my eyes. He jerked his head, indicating he wanted me to come over, so I let go of Steele's hand to stand up.
My walk across that short gap to the cage held way more swagger than it needed to, but the way Archer's eyes darkened made it well worth the effort.
"Princess," he growled when I reached the outside of the ring. "You're a fucking tease."
"And?" I gave him a deadpan stare through the wire fence, and he just sighed.
"What's the bet, babe?" Kody asked me with a knowing grin. "Steele looks like he already lost."
I nodded. "He has. He bet me the fight would be over in round one."
"You want me to drag it out, huh?" Archer asked, swiping a gloved hand through his hair, which was barely even damp from perspiration.
"Like you weren't going to anyway," I scoffed. "But yeah, a round three ground and pound would be great. Sort it out, Sunshine."
He tossed his head back, giving a sharp laugh, then shaking his head. "Apparently I can't refuse you much of anything these days, wifey," he muttered, almost sounding like he was in disbelief at himself. "You've got it."
He stood up as the referee called out to him, indicating the break was over, and Kody slapped him on the back encouragingly. Both trainers left the cage, taking the chairs, water bottles, and towels with them, and