Page 51 of Becoming One
Nelson’s heart jumped into his throat and his fox began to whimper. “What is he doing? He’s leaving himself open.”
“Orion is the biggest badass I know, Nelson,” Jael said. “There is no way anything Nicu throws at him will even make a dent.”
Nicu raised his hand and threw a punch, nailing Orion in the jaw, making his head snap to the side. Orion seemed unphased as he just turned back and looked at Nicu, a smile on his face.
“Was that it? Is that all you’ve got tough guy? I thought you were some big bad ass motherfucker, Nicu. You’re nothing more than the weakling I have always known you to be. Here, I’ll give you another free shot. Go ahead if you think your man enough. But you better make this one count, because it will be the last time you lay a hand on me,” Orion said in a cold, calm voice.
Nicu raised his fist again and Orion just stood still, but at the last moment, he quickly swept his leg out and wrapped it around Orion’s leg, bending his knee and pulling him forward. As Orion fell, Nicu threw the punch and connected with Orion’s lip, bursting it open and blood began to run down his chin.
With the momentum of Orion falling forward, it was clear to all that Nicu hadn’t put any thought into what he had done before he did it, when the full weight of Orion’s six foot five, two-hundred-and-fifty-pound frame collapsed down on top of Nicu, trapping him beneath.
Orion quickly adjusted his position and wound up driving his knee into Nicu’s groin, making the man scream in agony, as Orion grabbed Nicu by the top of the head, gripping strands of his hair, then pounded Nicu’s head against the hard-packed earth.
Tears could be seen running down Nicu’s temple and it looked like he was losing focus. In what would be a last attempt at saving face, or gaining ground, or whatever Nicu was trying to do, he raised his hand and grabbed Orion’s dick. Orion clenched his jaw and released Nicu’s hair. His mate then began to punch Nicu over and over again with his right fist.
First Nicu’s lip split, then teeth flew from his slack jaw and blood began to spray out of his mouth, covering his face and Orion’s hand. Then a loud snap was heard, and Nelson could see Nicu’s left cheek had caved in, and he knew Orion had shattered the bone.
Nicu’s face swelled as his skin turned black and blue. A sickening wet sound rose up to his ears from the fight and Nelson’s stomach rolled, threatening to lose its contents. He watched as Orion rained down punch after punch against Nicu’s face and his head rocked back and forth.
Nicu remained motionless, his body limp beneath Orion, as blood poured from his mouth, ears, nose, and eyes, as well as a few other places that the skin had split open. Nicu’s face was no longer recognizable.
Everything around him was still and silent, the only sound coming from the hits in the ring and Orion’s heavy breathing. Then suddenly, he stopped. Orion’s bloody fist was high over his head, his arm cocked back, ready to strike again, but he didn’t.
Slowly Orion lowered his arm and unclenched his fist. He raised himself up, sitting upon Nicu as his chest heaved in and out with each breath. After a few moments, Orion leaned down and placed his ear to Nicu’s lips, then he straightened, and turned to face Ezra. “It is done!” Orion announced, and the arena exploded with sound. Everyone began to stomp their feet as they yelled and clapped, cheering Orion’s victory.
Ezra stood and hurried down the steps with his guards behind him. When he approached the gate, he asked Orion, “Are you one hundred percent sure?”
Orion looked back to Nicu and grabbed a handful of his hair, then raised his arm high. Nicu’s bloody and beaten head held firmly in his grasp.
* * * *
“That wasn’t much of a fight. I mean it was way cool, but over so quickly,” Jewel said, as he and Nelson sat at the table with Ezra, Jewel, Briar, and Helio enjoying their meal.
“Did you really think Nicu had anything on Orion?” Ezra said, then placed the forkful of meat in his mouth.
“Hell no. I knew the guy was a pussy, but he was trained and served in the Imperial Guard. The asshole should have known he was no match for our Orion,” Jewel replied.
“His first mistake was using his right foot,” Ezra said.
“No, I think his first mistake was showing up,” Briar said.
“Very true,” Jewel replied.
“How does it feel to be the Regal to the Re, Orion?” Helio asked, then took a small bite from his salad.
He gave the cutie a smile, then answered, “It feels great. I finally feel as if I earned the position and wasn’t just handed it. I’m still not entirely sure that being the Regal is the right match for me. I’ve been in the Imperial Guard my whole adult life, and its top General for over twenty years. It’s a position that suits me. But if Ezra, Jewel, and my mate believe that I am the one for the job and have confidence in me, then I will serve as our people’s Regal to the best of my abilities.”
“And you will be the best damn Regal the vampires have ever seen. I have no doubts,” Nelson said, then leaned over and kissed his cheek.
Orion smiled at his mate’s love and confidence in him, and his heart filled with happiness. For the first time since that fire had damaged him, he felt whole again, and at peace. He couldn’t wait to live the rest of his life with this amazing family he now had, the wonderful friends he had, and the best mate fate had ever created.
“So are you two still planning on heading out to the willow tree tonight?” Jewel asked.
“Of course,” Nelson responded.
“It’s become a nightly thing for the three of you before heading to bed,” Ezra said.
“We’ll be heading out tomorrow to Heskel’s coven and who knows how long we’ll be. We want to make sure we get our private time in,” Nelson replied.
Orion smiled as he thought of their new nightly ritual. It had been three days since the battle with Nicu, and he looked forward to spending his time under the willow tree that Jewel had planted in the center of his maze just for them. He didn’t know how long they would be away and he was already looking forward to returning home so that he, Nelson, and his Cuddle bunny could have their special private time together.
Once inside, Nelson would let his fox take over and shift, then he and Cuddles would climb and play for hours as Nelson laughed in their heads. Once they were tired, he would find a comfortable spot to relax, as the fox curled up on his chest and Orion ran his fingers through his soft fur and took a small nap. Then right before the sun came up, the fox would allow Nelson to shift back and he and his mate would return to their room and make love for hours before falling asleep in each other’s arms.
His life was perfect.