by Anna Hackett
Thorin lifted his bottle again, wordlessly. It was the truth.
A door opened and Harper strode in. She shot him a scathing look before she headed over to the area where the kitchen workers had laid out breakfast.
Nero lumbered in. “Heard there’s a sandstorm brewing to the west. Should be fun.”
The electrical sandstorms on Carthago could be spectacular…and dangerous. Everyone would have to hunker inside and wait it out. If they were lucky, the storm would shift direction and not hit Kor Magna. If they weren’t, well, the storm would match Thorin’s mood.
Raiden’s heavy footsteps sounded and his friend paused beside Thorin’s chair. “Ale for breakfast?”
Thorin grunted. “Finishing my night of celebration.”
“Right. I heard you send those women on their way.”
Thorin tensed, his fingers curling on the bottle.
Raiden sat in a chair next to him and stretched out his legs. He pitched his voice lower, after casting a quick glance around the room. “And you sent them off right after we got back here. So either your staying power has dropped significantly, or you didn’t take them up on their offers.”
Thorin took another deliberate sip of ale. “You have a point?”
“I take it the show was for Regan. What I don’t get is why?”
Thorin stayed silent.
“She likes you, Thorin. You don’t want her, then just tell her. Some other lucky bastard will snap her up.”
The bottle in Thorin’s hand shattered, glass splintering all over the floor. The room instantly quieted. He dropped his voice even lower. “I want her more than I draking want to breathe, Raiden.”
His friend frowned. “So what’s stopping you—?”
“I’m no good for her.”
“Bullshit.”
Thorin turned his head, frowning at the foreign word. “What does that mean?”
“It’s an Earth word I learned from Harper. It means you’re lying and full of crap. You deserve a woman full of goodness. A woman like Regan.” Raiden’s gaze moved over to Harper. “They change you, even things out, make everything better and more worthwhile.” Raiden’s green gaze met Thorin’s. “It feels good.”
“You know where I came from. You saw me at my worst when I got here.” Hell, without Raiden, Thorin would have self-destructed long ago. “You know what I am.”
“Still bullshit.” Raiden leaned forward. “You aren’t one tiny bit of your heritage, Thorin. You are the man you’ve made yourself. You are a good friend, a good gladiator, and a good man.”
Drak. Thorin stared at his hands. He wanted to believe that, but he refused to do anything that could jeopardize Regan.
Another door opened, and Galen walked in. “Listen up. One of my informants got back to me. I might have some clues to Rory’s location.”
The atmosphere in the room changed, turned more focused. They all moved over to the table, where Galen laid out a sheet of paper.
“First, I need to know if this is her.”
Harper shouldered closer. Thorin looked at the image and saw a woman with an interesting face, a pointed chin, and a tough look in her gold-flecked green eyes. Deep-red curls—a unique shade he’d never seen before—twisted around her face.
Harper let out a shaky breath. “That’s her. That’s Rory.” Harper smiled briefly. “She’s still here and she’s alive. So what’s next?”
“Regan’s information was correct. The Thraxians had her, but then sold her in a private sale.” Galen said.
“What does that mean?” Harper asked with a frown.
“It means if we find out who attended the private sale, we can narrow down who has her.”
“How do we find out who was at the sale?” Lore asked.
“I’m working on that,” Galen said, tapping a finger against the table. “Another contact said he can get me the guest list for the sale. Unfortunately, he works on his own schedule and only at night.”
“Zhim,” Thorin said. The merchant sold information, was the best on Carthago and cost a pretty credit as well.
Galen’s mouth flattened. “Unfortunately, yes.”
Thorin stood. “Regan will want to know this.” He took two steps, heading toward her room.
“She’s not here,” Galen said, stopping him.
Thorin fought a clutch in his stomach. “Where is she?”
“She’s gone to the market.”
Thorin stiffened. “Alone?”
“No. I sent her with Kace.” Galen stared at him. “Strangely, she didn’t want you to go with her.”
Thorin absorbed the blow. Clean-cut, handsome Kace was just the kind of man that Regan deserved. The man was contained, controlled and never lost his cool, even in the middle of a fight. He didn’t party with women, he didn’t overindulge, and he was a hell of a fighter. He’d protect her.
A muscle ticked in Thorin’s jaw. Drak. He turned and stormed out.
***
Regan handed over the tube of med gel and took the coins in return. She smiled at the alien woman and thanked her.
She knew there was an electronic credit system in use on Carthago, mainly in the District, but here in the market, Galen had warned her the locals preferred to barter, trade coins, or run tabs with use of a token for those they trusted.
Regan turned to move back into the market. She stared down at the gold coins glinting in her hands and grinned.
“Better tuck those away.”
She smiled up at Kace and shoved the coins in her pocket. “Thanks for coming with me.”
A faint smile appeared on the gladiator’s lips. “It’s my pleasure.”
His face was sharp planes and a strong jaw, and there was no denying he was handsome. He wouldn’t have looked out of place as an action hero in a blockbuster movie back on Earth. But she’d seen him fight, with a military precision and focus that was more than a little scary.
She studied Kace in more detail. Sleek muscles, bronze skin, and that face. She couldn’t see the torment and darkness that she saw in Thorin. Kace had this containment and control about him, but… She tilted her head, studying his blue eyes. There was something lurking there.
“We better get back to the House of Galen.” Kace pointed her in the right direction.
All around them, the hustle and bustle of the market was a loud din. Being underground, the noise of conversations and the shouts of hawkers echoed off the stone walls. Nearby, she could smell something cooking.
“I’m glad we got rid of the oria first,” Regan said. She’d been nervous as hell, carrying around the plant shrouded in a cloth and knowing how much it was worth.
Kace’s small smile widened. “Me too. They are revered on my planet.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “If you look closely at my arm guard at the next fight, you’ll see a stylized oria engraved on it. I’d never seen one up close before.”
She snorted. “You’ve been eating your meals around it every day in the living area.”
“I just thought it was a stick.”
Galen had been true to his word. He’d organized a buyer for the oria. The small man they’d met had almost fallen over himself to take the plant. He’d transferred credits to an account Galen had organized for her. She couldn’t imagine carrying so many coins around.
And now she’d sold her med gel, and had organized a standing arrangement to sell more tubes to the woman who ran a healing center here in Kor Magna every month.
They’d stepped under one of the sinkholes. It was much smaller than the one used as an entrance. This one acted like a skylight to the subterranean market.
Regan looked up, the sunlight bathing her face. She could see an ornate grate covering the hole, to stop a wayward person falling into it. Despite the aches she still carried inside, thanks to a certain gladiator, she was feeling okay.
“You’re a wealthy woman now.” Kace moved closer, maneuvering her through the crowd.
She managed a smile. “Ma
ybe I’ll head to the District and try some gambling. I hear the casinos are incredible.” She shook her head. “I was completely broke when I woke up this morning.”
“It doesn’t actually look like you woke up this morning.”
She frowned up at him. “What do you mean?”
He reached out and gently touched under one of her eyes. “You don’t look like you slept at all.”
She hunched her shoulders. “I was busy in my lab.”
“Right. Thorin’s an idiot.”
“I don’t want to talk about him.” She pushed forward, quickening her stride. As they moved along the stalls and tunnels spearing off into different parts of the market, she watched Kace scanning the crowd ahead. He used his big body to keep people from bumping into her. It seemed all these House of Galen gladiators had the protector gene.
“I see the way you look at him,” Kace said.
She stayed silent, her fingers curling into her palms.
“And the way he looks at you.”
She stopped, her hands clenching in the folds of her dress. “He took some of those women, the gladiator fans, back to his room last night. He made his choice.”
Kace made an unconvinced sound. He turned her down a tunnel. “This is a shortcut back to the entrance. Look, Thorin’s…complicated.”
“It’s really not that complicated, Kace. Wanting someone, wanting to be with them, shouldn’t be complicated. Not if you want someone just the way they are.” Her heart felt like it was squeezing into a tiny ball. “I’m not asking Thorin to change who he is. I know all about that. I’ve had everyone in my life wanting me to do something else or be something else just to please them.” She wouldn’t do the same to Thorin.
Suddenly, Kace went still, his gaze focused ahead of them. He reached out and pulled her closer.
She looked ahead. The tunnel was completely empty and wreathed in shadows.
A feeling of wrongness fell over her, and her muscles tensed, one by one. The tunnel should be busy; the lights should be on.
Suddenly, a man rushed out of the darkness.
Kace thrust Regan back, and she stumbled. Two more men lunged forward, joining the first. The men all charged at Kace. The gladiator fought with his usual lethal intensity. The sounds of kicks, hits, and hard punches echoed off the walls. Kace managed to take several men down, before a tall woman stepped into the light and jabbed some sort of device into Kace’s side. The next second, Regan watched as blue electricity ran all over Kace’s body.
He froze in place, his body shuddering and his back arching. He managed to turn his head and look at her. She saw his lips move.
Run.
Regan spun and sprinted.
She heard them coming after her. Heard their pounding footsteps. The end of the tunnel looked light years away.
Arms wrapped and lifted her off her feet.
Fear arrowed through her. It felt like she was back with the Thraxians. She struggled and kicked, and then the electrical shock hit her.
She dropped to her knees, all her muscles twitching and no longer under her control. It hurt. It hurt so bad.
She struggled to breathe, to see, not to panic. Then she passed out.
Chapter Eight
Thorin pushed through the crowd, trying to spot Kace or Regan.
Some stall owners he’d questioned had told him they’d taken the eastern tunnel out of the market.
They’d also gushed about the tiny woman from Earth who’d been charming, happy, and excited. Thorin hated that he’d missed being there to see her sell her things.
He stepped into the eastern tunnel, and spotted a concerned crowd milling and talking.
He pushed forward. “What’s going on?”
As the crowd parted, he saw Kace lying facedown on the ground. Beaten, bloodied, and unconscious. A few people were trying to help him, and someone would have recognized Kace and sent word to Galen.
Drak. Thorin dropped to his knees. “Kace?” He checked the gladiator’s life signs, then slapped his cheek. “Come on, Kace. Time to wake up.”
The man slowly started to move. Thorin lifted his head, hoping to spot Regan in the crowd. She wasn’t there. Panic made his throat close. Where was she?
“Kace,” he said more urgently.
The man’s eyes opened. They looked clouded and unfocused. “I’m okay.”
Thorin helped him sit up. “Take it easy.”
“They stunned me.” As Kace leaned forward, he groaned. “It hurts like the fires of Vulca.”
Thorin grabbed the man’s shoulders. “Where’s Regan?”
Kace stiffened, his eyes clearing. “After they jumped me, I told her to run. Did she get back to the House of Galen?”
Damn. Thorin had a bad feeling about this.
“You’re looking for the woman?” An older man moved forward. “The small woman?”
Thorin pushed to his feet. “Yes. You saw her?”
“They took her. She fought hard.”
No. Thorin speared the man with a hard look. “Get a message to the House of Galen. Inform them that Regan has been taken. Go.”
The man swallowed and, with a nod, ran off.
“No one move,” Thorin demanded. “I need to take a look at the signs on the ground.”
He moved in methodical circles, staring at the hard-packed, sandy ground. He could pick out where the crowd moved in and out of the tunnel to help Kace. But then he also noted the signs of a struggle in the sand.
Kace had put up a hell of a fight.
Then he spotted Regan’s smaller footprints. Thorin crouched, touching them gently. They were surrounded by far larger ones. He followed her prints until they abruptly disappeared. He saw the place where she’d fallen, and then someone had picked her up.
Had they hurt her? Was she dead?
He shut down his thoughts straight away, and pulled in a deep breath. All he could focus on was finding her. He picked up the faint smell of her scent.
“Can you track her?” Kace was beside him, swaying a little.
“I’ve got her scent. We’ll see how far I can track her.” Thorin vowed he would go to the ends of the planet, if that’s what it took.
Kace took a step to follow him.
Thorin rounded on him “You’re in no condition—”
“I’m coming,” Kace said, tone unyielding.
Finally, Thorin gave him a nod. They moved together, going through the back tunnels, the ones less used, less populated. This was the dark underbelly of the market, the place where you could find the things that weren’t so pretty or legal. He followed the elusive smell, that sweet, sweet scent of Regan. Every now and then, he spotted some of the larger footprints he’d seen back at the fight zone.
Then he saw Regan’s footsteps again. She’d gotten loose and run, but they’d tackled her. There was a patch of ground with larger markings and a tiny handprint. She’d obviously been knocked down and they’d kicked her. He saw a drop of ruby-red blood staining the sand.
Regan’s blood.
As his hand curled into a giant fist, his knuckles cracked. Someone would pay.
Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel. It split in two directions. One headed downward to the levels where he knew some of Kor Magna’s poorer residents lived—those who couldn’t afford houses on the surface.
The other direction lead to a very large sinkhole shaft that was outfitted with a transport lift to move goods to and from the surface. The faintest trace of her scent led down that tunnel. His gut cramped. Damn, if they got her to the surface and into a transport before he could catch them, he’d lose her. He wouldn’t be able to follow her trail.
He turned toward the lift and moved faster, Kace at his heels.
They charged out of the tunnel.
“Drak,” Kace cursed.
Thorin’s head jerked up. A bulky transport with its back doors open sat on the lift platform. A group of people was trying to force Regan inside the back of the vehicle.
She was struggling, fighting like a wild woman.
In the back of the transport, Thorin spotted a cage.
He reached over his shoulder and yanked out his axe. They were trying to force her into a cage. Something dark and dangerous stirred inside him. A part of him he hadn’t felt in a long time.
He didn’t make a sound as he charged toward them. A red haze covered his vision. Before they even knew he was there, he swung his axe and took down two of her attackers.
As he swung at the next man, he glimpsed Regan’s pale, terrified face.
Thorin kept swinging, taking down another attacker, then another. He saw a man and a woman back away from him.
“Not getting paid enough for this,” the woman muttered. They turned and ran.
But Thorin lunged forward, and caught the man by the back of his shirt. He’d been the one with his hands on Regan, trying to shove her into the cage.
Thorin swung the man around and then slammed him facefirst into the mesh side of the lift. He turned his head and watched as Kace threw a knife. It flew through the air and hit the escaping female attacker in the back. She stumbled forward, hitting the ground.
With methodical precision fueled by the dark part of him he kept hidden, Thorin swung his prey around. Thorin realized his arms were covered in scales, but he didn’t care. He started hammering the man with punches. Soon, the man sagged, his screams turning to pained moans.
“Thorin!”
An annoying voice he ignored.
“Thorin, enough.” Kace shouldered in front of him. “Regan needs you.”
That made Thorin pause and drop the man. “Regan.” He turned and saw her standing there, shivering.
He opened his arms and she leaped at him, her small body slamming against his chest. “They were going to take me.”
He wrapped his arms around her, the dark scales on his arms looking wrong against her pale skin. But she hadn’t hesitated to come to him. She needed him. “You’re safe.”
“Thorin.” A shudder ran through her. “Get me away from the cage.”
As she burrowed against his chest, warmth exploded inside him. He held her, turning away from the transport.
“You’re safe now. You’re safe.” He could feel the frantic flutter of her pulse under her skin.
