Free Dark Devotion: Dark Series 3 by Lauren Dawes Page A

With about twenty minutes to go, Thor got Lilith to massage his legs, making sure his muscles stayed limber.
    “Thor, you’re up next,” Lilith said, interrupting his thoughts. He looked at the muted TV hanging on the wall. The final match before the main event was coming to an end. The goddess threw him a sponsor shirt and picked up his towel. Together they made their way to the start of the tunnel, waiting for their cue.
    Ten minutes later, Thor was walking toward the ring. People were crammed into the venue, spilling over the barricades. A lot of women were leaning over the railings, trying to touch him. Lilith did her best to make sure he wasn’t harassed too much, but whatever. This was a part of fame he just had to deal with.
    His career as a mixed martial arts fighter had been gradual. He’d had to work his way up through the training gym just like any human would have. He’d spent years learning Muay Thai, kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu along with other similar disciplines until finally someone had taken notice of him. And although he was still the god of thunder, Thor’s superhuman strength only manifested when he was holding his war hammer, Mjolnir.
    The ringside physician looked him over, asking him to squeeze his hands, breathe in deeply a few times. He finished by shining a flashlight in his eyes. Obviously satisfied Thor wasn’t carrying any glaring injuries, the physician gave him the go-ahead to continue. Thor took off his shirt. Some women standing close by screamed when they saw his naked chest. His tattoos always got him a lot of attention. Lilith applied petroleum jelly to his eyebrows to stop blood getting into his eyes and again to the bridge of his nose, then took his shirt from him. Thor climbed into the ring, pacing his side of the mat.
    The announcer stepped into the center after him, his microcell phone in hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the main event of the evening! Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner with a professional record of twenty-two wins, no draws, one no contest; he stands five feet seven inches tall, weighing in at one hundred and seventy pounds; fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is Anderson Souza!”
    Thor watched his opponent waving to the crowd. He was confident and Thor couldn’t wait to beat it out of him.
    “And now, introducing his opponent,” the announcer said. “Fighting out of the red corner with a professional record of thirty wins, no draws, zero no contests; weighing in at one hundred and eighty-five pounds; fighting out of Chicago, Illinois, presenting the former XFO lightweight and former XFO welterweight champion, Thor!” The cheer that greeted him was deafening. From the corner of his eye he saw a woman flashing her tits at him, but he kept his focus on Souza.
    The match began with Souza coming at him, trying to get them down on the mats. The human was good at grappling, having obviously perfected the art of Jiu-Jitsu, but Thor had the superior strength. By the end of the second round, he’d put Souza into three submission holds, but the Brazilian had broken free each time. Thor had let him, of course. He wanted to give everyone value for money. They traded blows in the fourth round, and by the fifth, Thor had had enough. He got Souza into a chokehold against the cage and it was all over.
    The roar that filled the arena made Thor’s ears throb. He stood back while the physician hopped into the ring and checked the downed man. Lilith slapped Thor hard on the back and thrust his sponsor’s shirt at his chest.
    “Great win,” she said, grinning. She was on a fucking high from the victory, and so was he. Souza regained consciousness a few minutes later. He got to his feet and walked to Thor with his hand extended.
    “Good fight,” the guy said as they embraced quickly.
    “Yes,” Thor agreed. It was a good fight. Souza’s team crowded at his back, pulling him away while the announcer stepped toward Thor. Pulling the shirt