1 Chapter 1: Rules

The bell rang, and a small, red-haired woman sprang into action. She dodged her opponent's punch easily, and it landed on the cage side. She retaliated quickly with a kick to the ribs. She smiled as she heard the satisfying crack of ribs breaking.

<i>The number one rule of cage fighting is that if you can't breathe, you can't fight.</i>

Her opponent screamed "Bitch!" before coughing up some blood. The woman didn't mind; she had been called worse. Much, much, much worse. It didn't bother her anymore. Nothing really did anymore.

Her focus was brought sharply back into focus when the man in front of her tried to grab her. She quickly punched the man and broke his nose. Blood started to flow down his face and the crowd went wild. The woman smiled as she remembered the second rule.

<i>If you can't see, you can't fight.</i>

The red-headed woman knew the fight was almost over. Once again, her opponent had underestimated her, thinking he had the advantage in a bare-knuckle fight. "The fool!" The woman thought as she took out the man's knees. The last rule of cage fighting had been fulfilled.

<i>If you can't stand, you can't fight. </i>

The crowd, sensing the end was near, started chanting her nickname. "<i>Red Vixen! Red Vixen! Red Vixen!"</i>

They screamed excitedly, wanting her to finish it. They had seen what they wanted, their bloodlust fulfilled. The woman complied with the crowd's request and administered the finishing blow. Her opponent fell unconscious to the ground. The noise in the arena became deafening as she walked out of the cage. "You made that look too easy!" The woman's friend and fighting partner said.

"It's not really worth my time getting out of bed, to be honest, but it is three easy points for the Nine-Tails." The woman replied as she watched the body of her opponent being carried out. Not that she had a choice.

The woman looked into the crowd and focused on a young couple. They were hugging and sharing sweet kisses. The women felt a pang of jealousy towards the happy couple. She knew it could never be, no matter how much she wanted it. After all, she was cursed, and her life was not her own.

"You best get into the ice bath; you don't want Tao on your arse!" Her friend said. The woman smiled and nodded. She walked away after a last fleeting glance at the lovers. Mentally, she scolded herself. She needed to concentrate on what she was good at, and that was fighting. She could never become distracted by something as trivial as love. If she did, she could get killed.

===============================

<b>London</b>

Kurt sighed in disappointment. Another date, another failure. Kurt did not know where his friend, James, got these women from, but they were all the same. They were attractive, but there was no connection. It was something Kurt desperately yearned for.

"Are you OK, my King?" An attractive woman said as she sat opposite him. She was wearing a tight silver dress, which left nothing to the imagination. Kurt had been avoiding her flirtations all evening.

"Yes, thank you. However, I am feeling tired and I need to finish packing. " Kurt said politely.

"Of course, you are going to China in the morning! Do you need any help with the packing? " The women say this suggestively. She made it very clear to Kurt that she was available for the high, available to fulfil any of her King's desires. But, Kurt knew that it wasn't because she wanted to, but because she wanted his power and wealth. Like they all did.

Kurt paid for the meal and the taxi for the women to get home safely. He sighed and looked up at the London night sky, wondering when it would be his turn to find his soul mate.