by Anna Hackett
“I don’t like this,” Raiden muttered.
A large body dropped from the tree above and slammed into Thorin. He fell to his knees, and managed to grab the animal’s powerful jaws before it locked them around his throat.
Dimly, he was aware of more creatures dropping from the trees onto the others.
Thorin found himself face-to-face with a creature he’d never seen before. It had jaws like a hunting cat, a single eye that glowed a burning gold, scales like a reptile, and dozens of strong tentacles that were wrapping around his arms and squeezing tight.
Drak. He caught sight of Raiden wrestling another creature on the ground, Kace standing with one clamped around his arms, and Galen slashing at a fourth creature with his sword.
Thorin swung around and slammed the creature into the trunk of a tree. It let out a screeching sound, the tentacles loosening a little.
Thorin managed to yank one hand free, grab his dagger off his thigh, and then slam it into the alien’s eye.
It released him instantly and fell on the ground, flopping around, its tentacles writhing.
Then he reached back and pulled out his axe. He brought it down, severing the creature’s head from its body. Then he strode over to help his friends.
As they all pulled free of the creatures, they heard growling from the trees ahead.
Shadows moved. Big ones.
“Ready?” he asked.
He heard swords being drawn, and saw the swing of Kace’s staff in the green glow.
“Ready,” Raiden replied.
Giant canines loped out of the trees.
Thorin swung his axe, relieving one animal of its head. His fellow gladiators tore into the rest of the pack. Thorin slapped his axe handle against his palm. He saw some of the canines in back pause. They sniffed, scenting the blood of their comrades. They pulled back, growling in their throats. Then they disappeared into the vegetation.
Kace, Galen, and Raiden all flanked Thorin.
“Nice place,” Raiden said, his tone dry. “I wonder what else the Vorn are hiding in their collection.”
Yeah, well, Thorin didn’t really want to find out. All he wanted was Regan back in his arms, and her cousin safe.
Moving forward, they found a path snaking through the greenery. Galen nodded, and they followed it until they reached an arched gateway made of worked metal.
“What now?” Raiden grumbled.
“We need to pass through this,” Galen said. “Regan’s on the other side.”
Thorin pushed open the metal gate, and it swung wide with a metallic squeal. He stepped into what looked like some sort of giant cage, the top of it arching up to the roof.
Suddenly, a wild screech sounded above them.
“Aw, drak,” Thorin spat out. They raised their weapons.
Raiden and Galen’s swords glinted in the light given off by the plants. Kace spun his staff, getting a better grip, and Thorin hefted his axe.
Something swooped down from above. Thorin heard the flap of wings echoing in the space around them. There was another screech, and an entire flock of birds with giant claws dived at them.
Thorin swung his axe above his head, catching one bird and sending it flying. There were grunts and curses as the others fought. Thorin kept swinging, but one got past him, its claws tearing at the skin at the back of his neck. With a roar, he spun, and slammed his weapon into another vicious bird.
Finally, all the birds were down. Thorin rested his axe head on the ground, sucking in air. He glanced at the others. Raiden and Kace had scratches across their chests, their skin visible through the tears in their black shirts. Galen’s cheek was split open, blood dripping down his face.
“Let’s get Regan and her cousin and get the hell out of here,” Raiden suggested. “I’m not planning to come back for a visit anytime soon.”
They shoved their way out of the aviary, following the path through some more trees, when suddenly, the greenery thinned out into a clearing. Thorin still couldn’t believe that the Vorn had built this place beneath the arena. This immense space, filled with jungle plants and animals that should be free.
Galen moved ahead. “Not far now. She should be—”
A giant net shot out from somewhere, tangling around Galen’s body. The force of it knocked the imperator off his feet, and slammed him into a nearby tree. The net ropes moved, twining together and holding him fast. With a roar, Galen shoved against the ropes.
Raiden and Kace rushed to help him. As soon as they stepped off the path, the ground disappeared beneath them.
“No!” Thorin yelled.
Both men fell into huge holes in the floor.
“Raiden? Kace?” Thorin peered down into the blackness.
“I’m okay,” Raiden called out.
“Me too,” Kace replied.
Thorin looked at Galen. The imperator’s eye patch was askew, but in the darkness, Thorin couldn’t see what lay beneath it. As far as he knew, no one in the House of Galen knew how their imperator had lost his eye.
Galen looked pissed, his jaw locked, but he wasn’t injured.
Thorin stood at the edge of the path, weighing his options. He was torn between helping his friends and saving his woman.
Then Raiden shouted, “Go find her, Thorin. We’ll find a way out of here.”
Then he heard Kace cursing—the man rarely cursed—and some deep animal snarls coming from the pit.
“Go, Thorin,” Galen ordered.
With a single nod, Thorin hefted his axe and moved back down the path. Yep, it was official, he hated the Vorn.
The green bioluminescence from the plants slowly disappeared, leaving him in complete darkness. His steps slowed and he reached out with his senses. The gravel crunched loudly under his boots, and the only thing he could smell was flowers.
Suddenly, a light clicked on, blinding him.
Thorin held a hand up and ahead, a blur resolved itself into Kuhl.
The imperator was sitting on a large chair made of twisted trees, like it was a damn jungle throne. Behind him was an impressive display of alien weapons—daggers, poisoned sticks, firearms. They sat on a carved shelf designed to show them off. He was stroking a small winged animal in his arms. The creature looked up at Thorin and blinked its huge dark eyes. Then it hissed and bared pointed teeth.
Then Thorin heard a small gasp. He turned his head and spotted Regan.
She was standing by Kuhl’s chair. She wasn’t in her party dress anymore, but instead, wore a short skirt, and a small twist of metal covering her breasts. A thick chain lay around her neck, the back of it leading up to where the Vorn sat.
And beside Regan, wearing a similar outfit, with her hands cuffed together, was a clearly exhausted—but defiant looking—woman with red hair.
Chapter Fourteen
Thorin was here.
The thought reverberated in Regan’s head, her pulse racing. She’d heard the fighting and endured Kuhl’s glee as he’d informed her that Galen and his men had been trapped.
But clearly, Thorin hadn’t.
Regan forced her fear down. She knew Rory was hurt, her face bruised. In the short time Regan had been here, all she’d heard was Rory snapping smartass comments at the Vorn imperator.
The man might consider Rory a pet, but he didn’t mind hitting her.
“It’ll be okay,” she whispered quietly to her cousin.
Rory looked away. “Your friends aren’t doing so well right now.”
“You don’t know them like I do. They’re fierce fighters. And Thorin…” She looked at him now, standing tall and powerful. “He never gives up.”
There was anger in his face, and the way his hands clutched the handle of his axe told her he was beyond control. She knew that under his black shirt, his scales would be showing.
“You have invaded my domain,” Kuhl said. “That means I can defend it with lethal force.”
“You can try,” Thorin said.
Kuhl lifted a hand and Vorn guards
rushed in from all sides.
With a roar, Thorin swung his axe in a circle. He fought with brutal blows, giving no quarter. The sound of the fight rang in Regan’s ears.
“You shouldn’t have come, Regan,” Rory muttered.
“Like I’d leave you here!”
“You should have stayed safe!”
Regan ignored her cousin, and slid her hands down to her ankles. She brushed her skin until she found the small, thin adhesives that Lore had given her. She looked up to make sure Kuhl was still occupied, then peeled one off and handed one over to her cousin. “These are tiny explosives. Put this on your cuffs; it’ll melt through.”
Rory took it. “It won’t blow my hands off?”
“I hope not.”
Rory shot her a look then bent over her cuffs. Quickly, Regan pressed the second adhesive to her own cuffs.
A pained roar echoed around them. Regan turned. No!
Three guards had attacked Thorin at once, with long stun weapons that glowed blue at the ends. He was down on his hands and knees, his axe gone, struggling to get up. Another guard came behind, raising his stun weapon.
Heart pumping and her mind going blank, Regan lurched forward.
“Uh-uh.” The chain around her neck was jerked and she was yanked backward. “I knew this brute wanted you for himself,” Kuhl ground out.
She glared at him. “You’re the brute, not him. You pretend you’re cultured and enlightened, but you enslave people. You’re barbaric. Thorin is a hundred times the man you’ll ever be.”
The imperator’s gaze narrowed. “That beast better not have had you. Better not have slobbered all over my pet.”
She smiled. “Oh, he’s had me. Over and over again. And I loved every minute of it.”
Kuhl jerked her chain violently, and she stumbled. He yanked her until she was pressed against his legs, his hand tangling in her hair.
“He is nothing but a fighter, a weapon. No better than an animal.” Kuhl twisted her head painfully to watch the fight. “Look at him. He’s fighting like a wild man.”
Thorin did look wild. He’d managed to bring down two guards and steal a stun weapon. He swung it, tearing into the guards. He had a terrible look on his face.
But she knew the real Thorin. She knew the heart of him. “He’s a good man. And I love him.”
From beside her, Rory gasped. Kuhl smiled. It was a mean smile.
Regan felt her stomach turn over. Too late, she remembered the rule of the arena. Don’t show your hand. Don’t let them know you care. Well, she’d just shoved her feelings out there, spotlighted, for Kuhl and everyone to see.
Suddenly, she felt the adhesive burn through her cuffs, and they fell free. All the anger and fear for Rory, Thorin, herself, and the others coalesced inside her. She gripped her chain and leaped onto Kuhl. She threw the metal around his neck and yanked back on it, choking him.
The Vorn imperator grunted and struggled. Regan kept pulling, with all the strength she had, her muscles straining.
Suddenly, Kuhl swung out his arms and backhanded her viciously. The blow made her head ring. The chain slipped through her hands and she slammed to the floor.
Then Kuhl loomed over her. He grabbed her by the neck, and dragged her up. He pushed her neck to the side until she felt the muscles burning from the strain.
“One small twist and I can break your neck.”
She saw Rory on her knees nearby, watching, with fear and determination lining her face. She was pulling herself into a crouch, tensed to attack.
“That’s far enough, gladiator.” Kuhl dragged her around and she saw Thorin moving toward them.
Thorin paused, air sawing in and out of his lungs. He took another step toward them, but Kuhl pushed her head another painful inch. She cried out.
“No,” Kuhl warned. “One more step, and I will break her lovely neck.”
***
Thorin tried to calm his rage and fury. As he stood there, he smelled the sharp scent of Regan’s fear.
Kuhl would die for that.
The imperator shook his head. “A brute like you doesn’t deserve a beauty like this.” With his other hand he reached out and stroked Regan’s golden hair.
“You don’t know the first thing about her beauty,” Thorin spat out. Kuhl knew nothing of her smart mind, her sweet curves, her dedication to her friends. The Vorn only saw something shiny for his collection.
“Your big, rough hands shouldn’t be allowed on her smooth skin,” Kuhl said.
The words wormed through Thorin’s skin, and stung. His hands flexed on his weapon.
“She’s sweet, delicate,” Kuhl continued. “You can’t give her what she needs.”
Regan jerked against the man’s hold. He shook her, never letting up on the terrible angle he was holding her head at.
Thorin ground his teeth together, fighting the urge to lunge forward and strike the man down. He had to think. Behind him, he could scent more guards creeping forward to surround him. It was all just a ploy by Kuhl to let his fighters move into position.
“You have no idea what she needs,” Thorin said.
Kuhl stroked Regan’s cheek. “And you do? A big, vicious killer?”
Thorin stayed silent.
“She needs care. And love.” The imperator smiled at Thorin, then leaned over and licked Regan’s cheek.
She flinched, but kept her gaze steady on Thorin.
“Has he told you that he loves you, little sweet Earth girl?” Kuhl said.
Her lips trembled. “No.”
“And you know of all the women he fucks right after each fight? Sometimes up against the wall in the tunnels.”
Her eyes flickered. “Yes.”
“And still you love him?”
Thorin’s body jerked. She loved him?
Her gaze touched his. “Yes.”
Something inside his chest broke free, soaring. Regan loved him. He forced himself not to react to that startling news. If he gave anything away, Kuhl wouldn’t hesitate to use it against him. Against Regan.
“Well, gladiator? Do you love her?”
“Are you playing matchmaker, Kuhl?” Thorin snapped out.
“Proving a point. Answer me or you’ll hear her bones break.”
Drak. Thorin couldn’t admit what he felt. Hell, he knew nothing of love, and he wasn’t exactly sure what this mix of hot emotion inside him was. All he knew was that was right now, he had to do what was necessary to save her.
“No,” Thorin said.
“No, what, gladiator?”
Son of a crud-spawn. “No, I don’t love her.”
He saw Regan flinch. He wanted to roar. He wanted to smack his fist into Kuhl’s face.
The imperator looked smug and lifted a hand.
The guards from the shadows rushed forward in a large group.
Thorin knew there were too many. Even as he turned and fought them, he knew he’d be overpowered. He still fought, swinging his stolen stunner. Bones cracked, guards groaned and some screamed in pain.
The image of Regan’s shattered face fueled him. He fought until he was covered in blood, his hands slippery on the weapon.
Then a body rushed past him, knocking into a guard. Light glinted off a sword.
Raiden, Galen, and Kace joined the fight. With a battle cry, Thorin turned and fought beside his best friend. For a second, he was sure they were going to win.
“Kill them!” Kuhl yelled. “I want them dead.”
Thorin heard a low-pitched whistle and saw more guards coming, along with various dangerous animals that were slinking out of the vegetation. He saw a giant canine moving forward, drool dropping from its fangs.
There were too many.
Thorin’s chest constricted. He looked at Regan, still held in Kuhl’s grip.
A spasm ran through Thorin, something deep inside clawing at his chest. He was the only person that could save Regan now.
And in order to do that, he would have to let his dark side loose.
But he’d risk that to save his woman.
Thorin let out a roar. All conscious thought fell away, and he felt a ripple over his skin. His muscles burst free, shredding his shirt, his dark scales covering every inch of his skin.
His next roar sounded more guttural, and his senses exploded outward.
He dropped his weapon and lifted hands tipped by claws. He sniffed, scenting friend and foe. And another, more delicate, fragrance.
Mate. Protect mate.
He tore into his attackers.
***
Regan watched Thorin…transform.
He still stood on two feet, but the dark scales covered his entire body now, a long tail kept him balanced, and dark, leathery wings had sprung from his back. He ripped into the Vorn guards with giant clawed hands, moving faster than she’d seen anyone move before.
He looked like…a humanoid dragon.
Bodies flew through the air, screams echoing around them.
Raiden, Galen, and Kace had pulled back, all of them watching Thorin with a heavy intensity. They all kept their weapons up.
This was what Thorin had hinted at. This was the demon he’d kept hidden.
This was what he was so afraid of.
“Regan?” Rory’s whisper.
Her cousin moved closer, and Regan noticed that her hands were free. Regan tried not to look down and let Kuhl—who was watching Thorin in a shocked stupor—realize Rory was close. She blinked at her cousin.
Rory gestured at Kuhl. Regan considered. Together, the two of them might have a chance of taking the imperator down. Kuhl was watching the fight, slack-jawed, something moving through his eyes.
He wasn’t nervous. No, she saw that same desire that she’d seen when he’d looked at her at the party.
He was imagining Thorin caged. A wild, exotic beast for Kuhl’s viewing pleasure.
No way. Thorin didn’t love her. His blank face as Kuhl had forced the confession from him had almost killed her. But so what? No one had ever loved her. She still loved him, and wasn’t going to let him be captured or killed.
