This Is How I Own You

Chapter 21

Three weeks later

Pumyra laid belly down on a wooden table. Her arms were folded over each other beneath her chest. "Watch it!" she hissed feeling her skin sizzle underneath a hot surface.

"You wouldn't be in this mess if you had been more cautious." Her glare shifted over to Dobo.

"Well it's hard to be cautious when you paired me against twin swordsman's!" She muttered before growling at the healer for poking too close to the sensitive flesh. "I swear if you screw up once more I'm going to rip your head off and feed it to the Borarios."

"Don't threaten my healer Pumyra." Dobo warned which turned her gaze back to him. "He's trying to help and he'll be done faster if you just relax." It was a suggestion she took and with an agitated sigh she laid flat against the table. The cat could heal herself but Dobo had wanted a professional to look her over so she wouldn't fight until she was properly and fully healed.

The young puma bit at fringe of her right cuff every time the needle accidently made contact with the raw flesh inside the wound. She half lidded her eyes as she distracted herself from the pain with how the sword was jabbed in her upper thigh and dragged slowly downwards to nearly her knee. It had hurt like hell but luckily she spared herself a completely open leg by punching the twin in the throat. No one won since neither could finish off the other and she had been dragged by the left leg out of the arena.

She fully opened her right eye when she no longer felt any metal or thread. She slightly propped herself up and turned to see the young dog and Dobo looking at her. "What?" the look the healer was giving her was of annoyance.

"To no disrespect to you, Dobo but I refuse to ever tend to this cat again. She's too vicious." Pumyra snarled at the dog which proved his point before he collected the money from Dobo and left.

"Now you pissed off the healer, how lady like of you."

"You know I can fix myself, so why bring me to your little dog house?" She asked as she lowered her right leg from the table and felt the ground with the pads of her feet.

"Rest for a few days before you fight." The situation was more serious than he led on because the dog told him at least seven tendons were torn and the leg probably wouldn't support her weight very well. "Don't try-" he was cut off when the cat fell off the table onto her side.

"Damn." she muttered, feeling helpless as she tried to push herself to her feet again. Her facial features scrunched together with every painful jolt that shot up from her thigh. With a sigh she gave up and let her upper body flop on the ground.

"Pumyra get up."

"You can leave now dog, I don't need your supervision anymore."

Dobo frowned at her statement before kneeling down and putting her left arm around his neck and snaking his other arm around her back to her waist. He leaned in and huskily whispered, "You're vulnerable and alone right here with me..." He then removed his hand from her waist and placed it on her left thigh.

"Don't touch me." she hissed.

"Then get to your feet!" he yelled. "Or do you want to stay here in the infirmary where criminals come and go? Do you think you can fight off seven to eight ravished men?"

"I don't need your damn pep talk Dobo!" Pumyra winced but successfully got to her feet and limped out of the infirmary. After passing a few coves, Pumyra turned towards Dobo, "The fights-when are they?"

"You should get to your cell."

Days later

Yellow eyes glinted when the Cobra coiled herself around the shark. It was a spectacle to be seen; water vs. scale. But his mind was elsewhere as he recalled Mako's question about Pumyra's injury. It was just a question but it still hung in his mind, why? Coming out of his daze he saw Mako struggling while the Cobra laughed and squeezed tighter. His hands gripped tightly around the railing with every second that the tiger shark didn't drop dead. Wait. Brows furrowed in confusion, why did he want the shark dead?

The crowd roared when a victor came through and he gladly raised his arm, "Mako has fallen!" His eyes glanced over the howling audience until he caught a glimpse of Pumyra peeking through the small bars. She looked distraught, he smirked. "Thayme let's clean out his cell."

Dobo led Thayme and a group of three guards down to the shark's cell. All five were greeted by the blue light that came from the upright water tank. It made Dobo wondered why he even chose to keep it if it had the 'essentials'. He turned and gave the orders, "Get rid of anything presumed 'personal' to him. And then we'll drain the water-or give it to the other prisoners." The guards went their ways to search through the cove while Dobo and Thayme searched through the cracks and crevices of the walls since more likely something would be hidden in there.

Nearly twenty minutes passed as they gathered in the center and pulled out any findings. Dobo growled when nothing was found, he'd been eager to shove Mako's death in the cat's face but since nothing was recovered he wouldn't get to gloat. "You all can retreat now…" Thayme glanced at the Doberman as he passed with disappointment and sadness plastered on his face.

"Pit Master…"

"I dismissed you," Dobo looked back to see a rather young guard. Quietly he pulled a folded paper from the slit on his wrist cuff and handed it to him, "Your orders were to report any findings." The Pit Master glanced at the guard then at the paper what was he supposed to do with it?

"I rather present it to you than have the nosy guards spread rumors of what it could be. And I didn't read it." He left while Dobo read over the note. Minutes passed before the Pit Master growled, shoved the note in his holster and stormed out of the empty cell.

"What were you with Mako?" His steady gaze was on the cat who stared at the floor while his lip curled.

"Nothing. We just spoke."

He leaned in through the bars, "Get up and approach." Pumyra seemed defeated as she stood and (slightly) limped to him. His right hand went past the bars and touched her long tawny sideburn before resting on her cheek. His thumb stretched over to the corner of her lips before running over them, "Did you tell him anything about our deal?"

"No." Her amber eyes were half lidded and even though she wanted to shove his hand away, she didn't.

Again his lip curled he was trying to hold back but her refusal to look him straight in the eyes was making it difficult. "You belong to me Pumyra; you're my property," His fingers dug deep into her chin, "Well it wouldn't matter now, would it? Since he's dead." With lip still curled back he touched his lips with hers in an unruly matter. His exposed teeth poked at her upper lip until he pulled away and shoved her back. "Be prepared-tomorrow you're up."

Back in his room, Dobo lied flat on his back staring blankly at the ceiling. He had a dream. A NIGHTMARE. He let out a shaky breath when he felt a weight pressed up against him. It was the female from his dreams whose face was still unknown to him. His yellow eyes glanced down, seeing her wearing a sleeveless dark brown dress of sorts that ended below her naval. Silver armor with wide diamond shaped slits on the side dressed her thighs to the knee. To him she looked dressed for battle. "Why are you here?"

She only chuckled before speaking in a distorted voice, "You're very angry my love, but so am I." he felt her lips whisk down and lightly kiss his chest; "You don't like it when I kiss you on your chest?"

"Answer my question, why do I keep seeing you? What do you want from me?" His supposed wife jumped on him and straddled his midriff while leaning in very closely.

"I'm the very thing you try to deny, my love. I wish you weren't so needy like a child but then again you have the macho persona to cover it up." She pressed herself flat against him, lacing her armored legs between his. Her arms crossed on his chest and she laid her chin on her left hand while her veiled face stared directly at him. "Your sweaty fur makes you look more of a man and I can even picture you covered in blood. How can a clueless male like you make even bloody slaughter look so appealing?"

How flattering. He rolled his eyes, "Why am I clueless?"

"I guess love means nothing to you." Yellow eyes narrowed, "Women have confessed their love to the great Pit Master and every time you pushed them away. Why can't you tell them you feel the same?"

"Because I don't, I'd rather tell them the truth than watch them make complete fools of themselves thinking they'll be something of mine."

"Lies, my love, you don't care-you just want sex and lots of it." She gently kneed him between the legs to prove her point.

He flinched and glared down at her, "Tell me witch, why you plague me."

At this the veiled woman pressed her cheek flat on his brown chest, "Your heart murmurs, such a beautiful sound but if only you knew for who it raced and pounded for." Dobo was left unanswered as his 'wife' disappeared. He released a sigh glad that her weight was off him. Anger was still present from Mako's note but he managed to close his eyes and turn to lay on his side. Still the words were recited in his mind; I know what you did…Why…I'll forget it…Leave with me.

The following morning Pumyra was once again dragged to the gate. She still mourned the loss of her rival. A lump formed in her throat as the gate raised and sun light splayed over her. One guard approached and unlocked her cuffs before pushing her forward. She composed her posture and stepped out hearing the crowd roar. Her opponent stood in the center with fists balled. He was a Hyena with dark brown spiked hair, several stripes covering his body and he wore a tribal loin cloth with brass plates curved around his waist to his knees. Metal spikes shined from his knuckles. A punch from him and she'd probably die.

He approached with a curious smirk on his face, "So you're the famous cat…" Fire orange eyes looked her over; she was sensual for a cat with her toned shoulders and legs, the boy cutesy face, and her snarl. "Too bad I have to kill you-you would've been a good fuck." He charged first and hooked his leg around hers, knocking her of her feet.

Pumyra took blow after blow from the hyena. Although her snarls and growls showed fierceness on the inside she felt tired and drowned in her own sorrow. Weakly would she try to fight back or block his attacks. The audience saw this and began booing and throwing bottles at her while she received the first punch from his brass knuckles. She fell back again before receiving another kick to the side.

Dobo watched on as the puma flew off repeatedly and took every attack without trying to fight back or block. His brow ticked; never had the aggressive cat not fight back and he'd lose money if she kept her little stunt up. 'Fight back! Fight back!' he yelled hoping she somehow heard him telepathically. The Doberman growled and gripped his hands on the railing.

"Dobo are you alright?" Thayme asked when he saw the Pit Master begin to twitch and lean forward on the railing. His eyes looked back to match and he prayed that Dobo didn't plan on doing something stupid. "Don't-"

His breathing quickened with every blow Pumyra took. The cat was slowly crawling away and the cut on her right thigh seemed to have opened up a quarter of the way. Blood whether the sight or scent of it, never affected him but now it did if it was Pumyra's. If he didn't do something she was going to die. "Stop!" he yelled, getting every one's attention.

Yellow eyes narrowed as he jumped over the railing and onto the sand below. "This fight is void if one fighter refuses to do their part." He was greeted with a growl from the hyena, "Stay back slave." He ordered.

"You can't void a match! I was going to be one fight closer to freedom if I killed this bitch!" the hyena snarled at the Pit Master who he equally matched in both height and fighting experience. Dobo stepped towards Pumyra who lay on the ground with multiple bruises and scuffle marks, several yards away.

"Get the fuck out of my way, unless you want me to rip away any other chances of your freedom." He warned, curling his lip and pushing past him. He motioned for a guard to take Pumyra back to her cell. When he turned back towards the hyena his foot shot across the striped face and he lift hooked him in the jaw. As the hyena groaned in pain, Dobo pulled him by the hair closer to him, "This 'bitch' as you call her would have you pinned in three minutes- I would have my foot on your crushed skull. So be glad her friend died and that I'm not in the mood to get bloody."

Pumyra was curled in a tight ball on her cell floor. Mako's death did affect her but the look on his face when the cobra squeezed the last breath out of him made chills run down her spine. He had been trying to so hard to break free but when he died he looked absolutely broken and his body was discarded like a rag doll. She felt that way now, like a ragdoll. But the one thing that stressed her so much was that she had to stay alive. She COULDN'T let go since so much was at stake. Red bulging eyes were embedded in her mind so every shut eye would remind her why she was there in the first place.

"Revenge is at stake…I have nothing to lose-but I won't leave my hate and plans behind." Her desperate face twisted into one of malice and bitterness.

A:N/ Sorry I didn't update last week but math's a bitch with homework, studying and the the AP courses. Thanks to those who waited for this late update.