3#Unlikely Mates: BBW Shifter/Vampire Romance (Their Everything) (12 page)

“Never
more sure of anything in my life,” Rushe responded without hesitation.

Ward
looked relieved for just a second before schooling his emotions. “Well then
she’s yours.”

“I
wish that were true but the vampire and I both want her. We are both working at
winning her. You could call it a race to the finish and I plan on winning.
That’s why I need to pack a bag and head back to town.” He looked his alpha in
the eye, trying to convey to him the severity of the situation. “I need to
leave right now. The sooner the better. I might be gone for a while.” He took a
deep breath. “The longer I am away, the more chance he has of winning her. I
love her, Ward, and would do anything for her.” He pulled a hand out of his
pocket, dragging his fingers through his hair. “That includes leaving my pack,
walking away. I beg of you, please give me permission to go. I need your
support in this.”

“Calm
down.” Ward put a hand on his shoulder. “Everything is going to be okay. I told
you that she is yours and I meant it. I mentioned that the vampires want this
male back. They do not want a vampire and human union.” Ward removed the hand
on Rushe’s shoulder and took a few steps in the opposite direction before
pacing back. “I have agreed to you and the vampire having a fight. The winner will
get to claim and mate the female. The vampire kings saw you fight that day when
we were trying to protect Stephany. They know that you are a berserker and that
you will win. They realize that you could kill the male but are willing to risk
it.”

Rushe
felt his blood rush. “What? I told you that we’ve come to an agreement. We will
work to win the affection of this female. We do not wish to fight. The human
will choose one of us. There is no need for bloodshed.”

Ward
paced back. His whole body tense. “It does not matter what kind of a deal you
have struck with this vampire. It is done. You will fight him tomorrow and you
will win. You are the stronger male. In one on one combat, you would go into
berserker mode and win. The agreement is that the fight would not be to the
death, but rather until one of you concedes or is down.”

“No
fucking way. I would probably accidentally kill him. I don’t want that.” Rushe
growled, his skin tingled and his nail beds itched. He had to fight to keep his
wolf under control. The thought of harming Ross did not sit well with him.

“You
need to understand.” Ward stopped pacing. He locked eyes with Rushe. “Should
this vampire win and mate this female. Other vampire males could end up going
after human females. It could end up in untold bloodshed and death. The human
population would come up against us. At the very least, we would not be
permitted near their females. We have a real chance of saving the shifter
species. Of all of us males being able to find mates and having offspring.
Listen to what I’m saying, Rushe.” He took a step towards Rushe. “You get to
have the female. We get to carry on, working our way down the list. There is no
other option, this has already been decided. You fight tomorrow. I don’t want
to hear another word about it. Please try and understand.”

“If
you make me do this, you will take away my honor.”

“If
you don’t do this it could spell the end of our species and possibly even
non-humans as a whole.” Ward growled. “Think long and hard about which you
would prefer.”

“Why
don’t you just explain to the vampires that the human females would strengthen
due to the mating bond? That if they were careful and followed certain safety
rules, they too could easily take human mates. Don’t make me do this.”

Ward
shook his head. His green eyes darkened. “No. We would lose the one thing that
will ensure that we do not stay under their control.” He sighed. “I wish things
could be different. This way, the shifter packs can increase in size. It won’t
take us long before we overtake the vampires in numbers. If they knew they were
able to take human females and mate with them, easily procreate with them, they
would remain the strongest species and continue to dominate us. Is that what
you want?”

“You
know I don’t.” Fuck, he was backed into a corner. “We have to try and find a
way out of this though. I really don’t want to fight the male.”

“It
is already decided. There’s no going back.”

Rushe
ran a hand through his hair. “Okay then.” He turned and strode away, already
undoing his pants and pulling them down his thighs.

“What
are you doing?” Ward growled. Rushe could hear the male coming up behind him.

“What
does it look like?” He snarled back, turning to face his leader. “I’m heading
back to Sweetwater. I need to see Ross immediately. We need to try and come up
with a solution somehow.”

“Ross
is back with his coven.” Ward’s eyes softened. He closed the distance between
them. “One of the agreements was that you couldn’t see each other before the
fight. You will see him tomorrow when we meet on Crosses Field. At least the
location is pretty much the border between our two territories. Nice and
neutral. I’m sorry, Rushe, I wish things could have been different. Just keep
your female in mind. Do this for her. It won’t help to speak with the vampire.
There is nothing to discuss. No way out. You would only make things worse.”

As
much as he wanted to win his female. Rushe didn’t want it to be like this. He
knew without a doubt that if he fought the vampire and won, Becky would have nothing
to do with him anyway. Fear made his blood turn icy, there was a good chance he
would kill the male. Becky would hate him then. Hell, he would hate himself
enough for both of them. Unfortunately he couldn’t think of a way out.

Even
though it was mid-day, the sky was dark. Thick storm clouds continued to blow
in. It was ominous, black, he would go so far as to call the electric storm
that was brewing, threatening. The air crackled. His hair stood on end.

 Every
so often a streak of lightning flashed across the horizon. A slow rumble
sounded followed by a loud crash. Rushe hadn’t caught sight of his opponent
amongst the thick throng of vampire males, yet. All were dressed in their usual
war attire of full body leather. He knew from experience that although the
covering was soft to the touch, it was harder than it looked to pierce, giving
some degree of protection. With a shiver, he knew that it wouldn’t keep Ross
safe. Rushe prayed that he would somehow manage to keep control of his beast.

There
was sometimes nothing he could do in the throes of battle. If his wolf felt
that they were under threat, it would take over. At times like this, Rushe
would become trapped within himself. It was difficult to explain the sensation
to others. His focus would zone into his opponent. Everything in that moment
seemed to slow. He would have an uncanny ability to be able to predict his
enemy’s next move. To exploit their weaknesses. His beast was ruthless, a killing
machine capable of using tooth and claw to take out their opponents. Sure, he
was in there somewhere, able to witness what was happening but unable to do
anything himself. Certainly unable to prevent the carnage. If his wolf escaped,
Ross would die by Rushe’s own hand and he would have to live with it.

He
hadn’t known the male for very long and should want him dead. The fact of the
matter was though, he respected Ross. Even considered him to some degree to be a
friend. He certainly didn’t view the male as an enemy. How would he live with
himself if he killed Ross?

It
was almost a certainty that the vampire would die today. That his female would
never forgive him.

At
first there was a shout, then a low murmur went through the audience, followed
by silence. The crowd parted and Ross walked into the large open area. The
fight zone.

Ross’
eyes were hard, his hands were fisted at his sides. His whole demeanor was
simmering and angry. He scanned the area where Rushe’s pack had congregated
until finally the vampire’s eyes locked with his. They hardened up a whole lot
more. Even from this distance, Rushe could see his jaw clench, and a muscle
tick, in short, the male was pissed.

It
seemed that Ross had decided he was going to fight for Becky after all. Maybe
he was angry that Rushe had agreed to this whole debacle. He couldn’t blame the
male. Rushe wished for about the hundredth time that he could have a quick
conversation with Ross. It seemed that wasn’t going to be possible though. The
future of his pack and that of the shifters were at stake.

He
would just have to work hard to control his beast. Although the odds were
stacked against him, he would give everything he had inside of him to prevent
himself from going into berserker mode.

****

Ross
kept his eyes locked on the wolf.
His enemy
. Although they had agreed,
it seemed like the bastard didn’t give a shit and had decided to go back on his
word. Despite their agreement, here they stood.

The
only problem was, he had seen the wolf in action. The male would be almost
impossible to beat. Ross had decided that he would keep Becky in the forefront
of his mind. He didn’t care much for his own life but he would be damned if he
would allow this dickhead to win his mate. He would hold onto an image of the
beautiful human and use it to fuel his anger. At the very least, if the wolf
took him down, he would take the bastard with him too or die trying.

He
knew that if by some miracle he managed to beat the wolf, Becky would probably
be mad at him. More like all out pissed. Ross had seen the way that she looked
at the wolf. She may not want to admit it to herself, but Becky was head over
heels in love with the male. It made him want to roar with anger and
frustration. The only consolation was that she looked at him in much the same
way.

Bare
chested, the wolf wore only a pair of old, faded jeans. He knew from
experience, that the beasts did this so that they could shift easily without
the hassle of clothes to get in the way.
Bring it the fuck on
, he
thought to himself. Ross moved to stand in the middle of the grass area.

Another
flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a loud crash. The first
drops of rain hit his cheeks. He didn’t care. He wouldn’t let the weather or
anything else deter him. If the wolf had decided that a fight was what he
wanted, then a fight he would get.

Ross
lifted his chin and kept his hands ready at his sides. He never took his eyes
off his opponent for a minute. Even when the rain began to fall in earnest, no
one moved, no one seemed to breathe.

Zane
moved in next to him, he had been so absorbed with his enemy that he hadn’t
even heard his approach. “Ready?” his king asked.

Ross
nodded.

“You’ve
got this.” Zane said under his breath and moved a few strides forward. The
male’s back stiffened and he turned back. “If, for some reason, you are on the
losing end though, please concede.”

“What
the fuck kind of advice is that?” Ross had to work to keep his voice down.

“Good
advice.” Zane didn’t give him a chance to say anything, the male turned and
strode to the center of the grass field. Ross followed, not allowing himself to
dwell on his king’s words.

The
alpha closed the distance coming to a halt next to Zane. Walking much more
slowly, Rushe took up his position just a few feet in front of Ross.

The
rain continued to fall, by now rivulets of water were cascading down his
cheeks. Ross’ hair was sopping wet. Ross kept his eyes on Rushe, the wolf’s
hair clung to his face and neck. His chest and arms were snaked with running
water. His jeans were soaked through.

Zane,
acting as if being wet from head to toe was a normal everyday occurrence, took
a step forward. “This is a fight for the human, Becky, between one of our own,
Ross, and one of the wolves’, Rushe. It has been agreed that this will be a
fight until one of you concedes or until one of you is down. It is
not
a
fight to the death.” He growled the word while looking each of them in the eyes.

Ward
stepped forward, he raised his hand showing that he needed to speak. Zane
nodded.

“Let
it be openly mentioned that should one of the males accidentally kill the
other, no punishment may be put forward. This is still a fight and accidents
happen.” Ward kept his eyes on Zane.

There
was a long pause, cut only by the sound of the falling rain. Just as Zane
wanted to speak, there was a particularly loud crack and a crash of lightning.
It forced the male to wait.

Ross
was no fool, he knew that Ward wanted to ensure Rushe’s safety, because he knew
the wolf would most likely end up killing him. This request was proof of that
distinct possibility. A berserker was rarely capable of controlling themselves.
While the beast could try and end him, he planned on using all of his hard
earned skill and wouldn’t go down easily. Becky was the only female for him, he
would not concede, and therefore he would probably die.

Even
knowing this, he refused to allow fear to steel its way into him. He would
focus on his strengths and on the prize. Miracles happened, maybe he would win.

“We
already discussed this but I will openly agree. Let it be noted.” Zane was sure
to project his voice. “This is still a fight between two males in their prime.
I would like to still urge the two of you to please use caution. There is no
need for one of you to die.” His king looked at the wolf as he spoke. It got
Ross’ back up.

“This
is not a fight to the death, therefore there will be no weapons permitted.
Hand-to-hand combat only. No one else is allowed to assist.” Zane and the alpha
wolf moved away in large swift strides to opposite sides of the circle. Zane
lifted both of his hands and roared as a sign for them to begin.

It
was normal during such occasions for two males to first size each other up.
Then they would slowly test one another before the real fight would begin. The
only thing Ross had on his side though was the element of surprise. With this
in mind, he went at the wolf full force, both fists flying and even head-butted
the male for good measure. He didn’t give Rushe any time to recover, instead he
went at him with two well-placed punches to the face. Ross kneed his opponent
in the stomach, then followed that with another head-butt.

He
was surprised when Rushe didn’t come back at him or even try to defend himself
much. No matter, he would take the advantage. Ross went at the male again in a
similar fashion, not holding anything back. He only had one chance, this was
it. This time, at least, Rushe put up his arms to deflect the blows and even
head-butted Ross back with a hefty smack to the face.

Pain
flared, blood flowed down the back of his throat. Salty and thick. He took a
few steps back using a hand to try and remove some of the water from his eyes.
The rain continued to fall, if anything, it was coming down even heavier now.
He made sure that one of his feet was placed in front of the other and that his
right hand was up and ready, and the wolf did not come at him as expected.

Fine,
if the beast wouldn’t come to him then he would go to it. Ross closed the space
between them, coming at him hard with all he had.

“Don’t,”
Rushe growled trying to deflect his punches. “Please…”

Ross
punched the male again, feeling satisfaction as teeth loosened beneath his fist
and blood flowed. The wolf’s lip was split and bleeding heavily. Ross’ next
kick was hard enough to crack ribs. He heard them snap even through the heavy
rain.

“You
need to concede.” The wolf growled, his mouth was filled with blood.

Concede?
Was the beast mad? Ross had the upper hand at the moment. It wouldn’t help to
listen to the male’s bullshit. It would only take a few more well placed blows
and he might just win this thing. He punched Rushe again, aiming for his left
eye because it was already practically shut from the swelling. The iris of his
other eye flared, turning a brighter more icy blue.

“I
said to concede,” the wolf growled. His lip curled back revealing extended
canines.

Oh,
so this was how it was going to go down. The wolf knew that he had witnessed
him fight and seemed to hope to use fear as a motivator to get him to concede.
There was no way he was putting his hands up. He would rather die.

Ross
shook his head, coming at Rushe again. He sprang up into the air and kicked the
male solidly on the side of the head, landing in a readied position. Rushe’s
head snapped to the side and blood sprayed.

The
wolf snarled. The sound deafening. By now the rivulets of rain water on his
face and chest were streaked with red. “Dammit, Ross.” The male looked at him.
His one open eye glowed an eerie blue. His face was a mask of rage. “Fucking
concede. I don’t want to kill you.”

“Too
fucking bad, wolf. You wanted this fight.” Ross felt his lip curl. “Well here I
am. I don’t plan on conceding any time soon.”

Ross
knew that the wounds were mostly superficial. He needed to up the pace. There
would be no stopping and no turning back until only one of them was left
standing. On a loud roar, he threw himself at the male. With teeth, claws and
fists he attacked. Rushe merely defended, which irritated the hell out of him.
He couldn’t worry about that though, if he was going to have a chance in hell
then he would need to manage to get him down before he went into berserker
mode. If he couldn’t, it would be over for him. It irritated him that the wolf
thought that he could use his berserker tendencies to get him to concede. The
male had no honor, that much was clear.

Someone
was shouting for them to stop. He didn’t care though, he continued to pummel
the beast. Blood flowed, bones cracked. It was only when someone physically
pulled him off of Rushe that he regained enough of his composure to realize that
it was the alpha.

“Stop!”
Ward snarled.

Ross
was shocked to see the damage he had caused. The part of him that was fast
becoming something akin to friends with this male cringed but he pushed down
the emotion. The wolf had brought this on himself. His face was a bloody mess.
Rushe staggered, grunting as he brought both of his hands to his cracked ribs. One
of his arms was bent and obviously broken.

“You
can’t stop the battle once it has begun. You’ve only done this because your
wolf is losing,” Ross practically yelled the words in the alpha’s face.

“That’s
not it,” the alpha growled. “There is something that I need to say. Hear me out
please. Once I’m done, you can decide whether or not you want this to
continue.” Ward looked up, addressing the two kings. “There is something that I
wish to discuss with you as well. Something very important for the future of
your species. All the non-humans as a whole. We can all successfully breed and
take human females. This male”—the alpha gestured towards Ross—“can mate that
human female.”