by S. L. Hadley
Kitty’s escort stepped aside as she neared the table and the man sitting there looked up from his drink. The man was quite attractive, despite looking to be in his late fifties. His hair was dark, aside from small patches of grey at his temples, and cut short. Other than that, however, he might have passed for a man in his early thirties. His eyes were light blue, full of energy, and a perfect match for his brilliantly white smile. It widened as he rose to greet her, waving her toward a seat opposite his.
“You must be Kitty,” he said, waiting until she’d seated herself to retake his own. “My name is Satoshi.”
“Pleasure.”
“No, no. Please, the pleasure is mine. If I’d known that Devon’s daughter was here… well, I wanted to apologize for the misunderstanding last night.”
“It’s fine,” Kitty said, smiling softly. Inwardly, her mind was racing. The man had a certain disarming quality about him that left her feeling disoriented. “I’m sure there’s enough blame to go around.”
“Still, though. People like us need to stick together. Especially since you’re quite dear to DeWitt. What’s the old bastard up to these days?”
Satoshi flashed another smile and Kitty felt the tension in her shoulders melt away. She leaned back and found herself grinning for no reason at all. What had she been worried about?
“Oh, a bit of this and that,” she said. “Been a few months since I was home. But last time, he mentioned—”
She trailed off, a sudden sense of wrongness coalescing in her gut. The feeling of disorientation grew worse.
“Yes?” Satoshi asked. “What did he mention?”
The realization struck Kitty all at once.
“You’re a psyker!” she exclaimed, recoiling.
She regretted the words before they even left her mouth. Satoshi took a long sip from his café to hide his smirk, then set the drink aside. Leaning forward, he pointed at her.
“I very much doubt Mr. DeWitt mentioned that fact. He’s a wonderful man but not the most perceptive, if you’ll excuse me saying so. You, on the other hand, are something else entirely. To notice so quickly… are you sure you’re not a psyker yourself?”
Kitty fidgeted, glancing toward the bodyguards forming a cordon around their booth. None of the men so much as looked at her. The laspistol was suddenly very heavy on her hip and she had to resist the urge to reach for it.
“What do you want with me?” she asked.
Satoshi shrugged.
“Nothing much,” he said. “Just a bit of company, I suppose. A fresh set of eyes to admire our operation on Adrastos.”
Kitty frowned, folding her arms.
“A bit of company?” she echoed.
Laughing, Satoshi threw up his hands in a defensive gesture.
“My apologies, that was poorly phrased,” he said. “No offense, but you’re not really my type. But we’re holding a few fights this afternoon and I’d love for you to attend as my guest.”
Warily, Kitty allowed herself to feel flattered.
“What sort of fights?” she asked, keeping her expression pleasantly blank.
Satoshi’s grin, on the other hand, was so wide that it made his face look almost alien. It was an empty, carnivorous smile.
“The only sort that matter,” he said.
***
The sort that mattered, as it turned out, were held in an enormous, ancient-looking colosseum beneath an otherwise inconspicuous office building. Judging from the sheer size of the place, as well as the way much of the complex had been constructed with actual stone, rather than synthetic materials, Kitty strongly suspected that it hadn’t been approved by a zoning committee. Nevertheless, on her way in she spotted several uniformed officers crowding around one of the several bookies.
“You built this place?” Kitty asked, unable to keep the awe entirely from her voice.
“Sure did!” Satoshi said, half-shouting to be heard over the roaring crowd. There must have been well over a thousand people crowded into the stands. The sound dropped off precipitously, though it was still dimly audible, as they stepped into his private box.
“And the authorities let it happen?”
“For the most part. Technically, it was my predecessor who did the excavation. Cost him an arm and a leg. I just make sure a portion of our profits finds its way into a few reelection funds and… wouldn’t you know it? Quiet as can be.”
Settling into one of the luxurious, oversized chairs, Kitty leaned forward to examine the scene below. There wasn’t much to take in. The previous fight had concluded and one of the contestants simply roamed the sands, holding aloft a sparking electroblade and drinking in the crowd’s adulation. His opponent, whoever it had been, had already been taken away.
“Does anyone ever die?” she asked, already suspecting the answer.
From the corner of her eye, Kitty could just see Satoshi’s shrug.
“From time to time,” he admitted. “The weapons aren’t designed to be lethal, but if you hit someone hard enough…. We’ve got rules in place to discourage it, though. If a gladiator dies, his foe forfeits the match. And the prize money.”
Kitty glanced over.
“So, it’s voluntary?” she asked. “They’re all paid?”
“Not with credits, necessarily. But, yes, they’re all very well paid.”
Another vicious grin filled Satoshi’s face and he glanced over his shoulder at one of the bodyguards.
“When is Inu fighting?” he asked.
Kitty turned to look as well and cocked her head. The man Satoshi had addressed had pulled out a portable slate and thumbing through the contents.
“We’ve got six fights scheduled first,” he announced, returning the slate to an interior pocket of his jacket. “Want him moved up, sir?”
“You know me too well, Kato. Do it.”
A bit unnerved by the unceasing nature of Satoshi’s grin, Kitty waited until the man turned back around before speaking.
“Who is Inu?”
Satoshi laughed.
“He’s… well, you might call him my prized fighter. One of my men found him scrounging through the garbage as a child. Still have no idea where he came from or how he got to Adrastos. Poor devil couldn’t even speak. But, I took him in, fed him, and taught him how to fight. And, in return, Inu makes me very, very rich. Hell, the bookie fees alone are nearly ten times my next best slave. ”
“He’s a slave?” Kitty said before she could help herself. Frowning mildly as though merely confused, she donned a crooked smile and prayed Satoshi’s psyker instincts wouldn’t see through it. “I thought you said they were all paid.”
“Inu loves to fight,” Satoshi said. He gave a dismissive wave of his hand, eyes glued to the arena below. “Besides, I wouldn’t even call him a slave, really. More of a pet.”
“A pet?”
“See for yourself,” Satoshi said.
***
Inu was a drakashi.
But he wasn’t just a drakashi. From the very moment he first set foot in the arena, Kitty recognized him as the finest specimen of the race that she’d ever laid eyes on. His scales were a brilliant, uniform crimson that rippled with powerful muscles and darkened into glittering black spines at the joints of his elbows and heels. His claws and talons were made of the same gleaming obsidian, while the bony crests that extended from the sides of his head were woven with an ivy-like pattern of gold filigree. Only his eyes deviated from the theme, though their pale green was flecked with so much silver that Kitty found them captivating in their own right.
Although, given the fact he’d entered the arena naked, she likely would have found him distracting anyway.
A mix of jeers and roars greeted Inu as he crept to the center of the arena, glancing up at the spectators in silence. If the catcalling bothered him, he gave no indication of it.
Kitty, on the other hand, was horrified by it. Even with the doors to Satoshi’s private suite closed, the volume of the crowd was loud enough to be heard clearly. Finally tear
ing her eyes from the drakashi, she briefly studied the faces of her fellow audience members. To her surprise, the only thing she felt was disgust. How could someone spew such bile toward someone they’d never met?
“Inu’s got them riled up today,” Satoshi noted, recapturing Kitty’s attention. “I was worried we might have lost some of them after last week.”
“What happened?” Kitty asked. Only half-listening, she turned her gaze back toward the drakashi. He continued to pace the arena, stretching in ways she could have sworn were designed merely to entice her.
“Oh, Inu killed one of his challengers.”
“What?” she gasped.
“That’s right.” Satoshi nodded sagely. “He’s been fighting for years and it’s the first time it’s happened. It was an accident, but it cost a lot of gamblers a great deal of money. That’s the reason for all the…” he gestured in the jeer-filled air.
“He killed someone?” Kitty whispered, more to herself than Satoshi.
“I’m honestly surprised it didn’t happen sooner. Growing up on the streets, I’m sure he had to fight to survive. Plus, he’s a drakashi. Until they’ve got… well, a partner, they’re as vicious as they come.”
Kitty blinked in surprise.
“Wait,” she said, slowly. “So you mean, he’s never…?”
Satoshi chuckled, gesturing helplessly.
“Like I said, they’re vicious. None of the whores will go near him. I would’ve paid someone to bring me a female, but he’s never asked. Honestly, I doubt he’s interested; he just piles all his winnings on the floor.”
Before she was even conscious of it, Kitty had already made up her mind.
“How much do you want for him?”
Satoshi barked a laugh, eyeing her aslant.
“You are something else!” he exclaimed. “I never took you for one of those. Guess those darkmaw should have clued me in, eh?”
“You can name your price,” Kitty said.
“Afraid he’s not for sale,” Satoshi said, smile growing thin. “Though I appreciate the offer.”
Kitty chewed her lip, eying Inu as she fought her way through a whirlwind of thoughts. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Still, there was more than one way to ride a drakashi.
“All right,” she conceded. “Then how about this? If Inu wins, then you give the chance to reward him.”
Satoshi’s smile faded altogether, though an unrecognizable gleam had filled his eyes. After a few seconds, it faded and he shrugged.
“I suppose that would be acceptable,” he said. “I can’t risk hurting Devon Black’s daughter, though. I’ll have to tie him down first. But, for all I know, he might be into that.”
He’s not the only one.
Nodding gratefully, Kitty leaned forward and waited for the match to begin.
***
To call it a fair fight would have been insulting and inaccurate in multiple ways. Outnumbered four-to-one, Inu had every reason to lose disastrously. And yet, the men opposing him never stood a chance.
The first foe fell before he even had the opportunity to swing his electroblade. Inu lunged, a split-second after the deafening buzzer sounded the start of the match. He struck feet-first, driving his talons through the man’s synth-weave breastplate and hurling him several meters from the force of impact. The man landed hard on his back, but rather than rise he simply curled into a ball, clutching his chest.
Inu, on the other hand, was busy scrambling back upright. By the time he righted himself, however, he was already surrounded. The three remaining men circled cautiously, each holding their weapons in the drakashi’s direction. Hissing, Inu crouched low and waited. He followed the men, one at a time, never keeping his focus on one for too long.
The crowd howled and from the tone of its collective voice it was obvious they thought the trio held the upper hand. Again, Kitty felt her scorn grow. The drakashi was now in an even stronger position than before, but the idiots were too blind to see it.
A man lunged, thrusting with his blade at Inu’s back. In the time it took to blink, he spun, dodging the blow and slashing at the man’s wrist. The electroblade went flying, as did the man’s thumb. Before either of them had the chance to respond, however, the other two men leapt into the fray.
Kitty let out an involuntary cry as both men’s blades caught Inu across the back. The drakashi shrieked, dropping to his knees as the man he’d attacked scrambled away. Giving him no time to recover, both assailants reared for another blow. Before either of them had the chance to bring down their weapons, Inu retaliated.
The drakashi’s kick caught one man squarely on the knee with an audible crack. Despite his armor, the man screamed as his leg wobbled and gave out. And, an instant before his partner’s electroblade landed, Inu spun.
And caught it.
This time, despite the convulsions racking his body, Inu did not cry out. Instead, he hissed, rising slowly with the electrified sword still clutched in one claw. The man wielding it tried to retreat, found he could not, then abandoned his grip on the weapon.
It was too late. Inu tossed the weapon back to him, blade first, and the man collapsed as the flat of the sword caught him across the chest.
And then it was over. Or, at least, it might as well have been. The nine-fingered man had regained his feet and sword. But upon discovering he was alone, and spying the agonized expressions on the conscious members of his team, he appeared to reconsider his odds. Grimacing and clutching his bloodied hand to his body, he tossed down his weapon to a chorus of boos from the crowd.
“Damn,” muttered Satoshi. “Inu’s still pissed.”
Kitty, unable to look away from the sight of the victorious drakashi, settled for merely turning her head in the man’s direction.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
At first, Satoshi didn’t answer. He was too busy whispering something into the ear of a nearby guard. When he finally turned his attention back to Kitty, he was almost frowning.
“Normally, Inu makes a good show of it. He’ll take his time, let the competition land a few hits to make them overconfident. But this wasn’t even close to a fair fight. If this keeps up, nobody will want to take him on… or bet against him.”
Kitty nodded slowly, continuing to watch as the arena staff ushered the wounded men out. No one seemed to want to get within arm’s reach of Inu, though the drakashi didn’t seem to mind. He had resumed his pre-fight routine of stretching and staring up at the still-jeering crowd. Only when he had finally been allowed back through the far set of double doors did Kitty turn to look at Satoshi.
“So,” she said. “About our deal.”
Satoshi laughed, grin reappearing.
“Single-minded, aren’t you?” he teased gently. “I’ll have him cleaned up and sent back to his chambers. Stay, watch another fight or two, and he’ll be ready for you.”
***
As Kitty entered the drakashi’s chamber—noticing with approval the thickness of the sturdy, soundproofed door—she was all too aware of the many eyes watching her. Most, if not all of them, belonged to members of Satoshi’s organization.
Not that she could blame them for staring. It couldn’t be every day that an unfamiliar, off-world woman wandered the narrow hallways above the semi-legal, underworld fighting arena. Much less one that openly wore a laspistol on her hip.
Plus, she was here to fuck the drakashi.
The room itself was quite small, though a lack of furniture made it feel far less cramped than it might have otherwise. One corner of the studio was filled with an immense pile of valuables—mostly precious geodes, secondhand jewelry, and a few pieces of loose bullion. The mere sight of it was enough to give Kitty pause. There was enough wealth lying there to buy the Feronia twice over.
The rest of the room was a bit more orthodox. There was a bath, boxes of prepackaged meals, and what looked to be several half-finished sculptures.
At the center of the room, however, lay a lar
ge bed. A thoroughly scratched headboard faced the door and, as she silently inched forward, Kitty caught a glimpse of a scaly, red leg outstretched atop the mattress.
Inu lay on his back, arms and legs secured to the bed frame by a series of bulky shackles. For an instant, Kitty was outraged. But, up close, the size and deadly sharpness of the drakashi’s talons served to change her mind and leave her appreciative of the restraints. His eyes were open, though, and followed her emotionlessly as she made her way toward the foot of the bed.
“Your name is Inu?” Kitty asked. She barely looked at the drakashi as she said it. Her eyes were too busy scanning the room for any hidden cameras. Only when she was satisfied they were truly alone did she turn to look at him.
And, only then did Inu nod.
“I’m Kitty,” she asked. “Do you know why I’m here?”
Inu hesitated, then slowly shook his head. The twin spines of his crest scraped the headboard slightly as he did. Twisting about suddenly, he peered at the scratches he’d made in obvious annoyance.
Kitty seated herself on the foot of the bed and nearly laughed as Inu flinched. Settling for a gentle smile, she reached out and set her hand on the drakashi’s ankle, just above the cuff. His scales were impossibly smooth and warm to the touch. She could feel the muscles within tense slightly at the contact.
“I asked Satoshi if I could reward you for fighting so well,” Kitty said, allowing a faintly seductive tone to creep into her voice.
At the mention of Satoshi’s name, Inu’s expression darkened. The change was so subtle and brief that Kitty almost missed it—she certainly would have if she hadn’t been looking for it. A thrill ran through her at the unintentional revelation, leaving her almost giddy. She trailed her fingers slightly higher, toward the male’s knee.
“Have you ever been with a female?” she asked, smirking playfully. “Sexually, I mean.”
Again, Inu hesitated. He didn’t shake his head, but from the look on his face, Kitty didn’t need him to.
Smirking, she crawled fully onto the bed and trailed the palms of both her hands up the drakashi’s legs, over his knees, until she neared his hips.
