by Anna Hackett
Mina had been just as determined to get out. They hadn’t been allowed to see the other human survivors, but Quinn had talked to one of the Helios scientists through the wall, and heard others who were stuck in the Edull hellhole. Heard their cries and screams.
The Edull had gotten tired of Quinn’s repeated escape attempts and had finally sold her to Sleeja.
She thought of Mina and the others, and her heart ached.
I won’t let you down again. I’m coming for you.
Jaxer Rone slammed through the doors of the House of Rone, sending the familiar, dark-blue wall hangings swinging.
He stood for a moment, watching the fabric sway, before continuing on through the corridor. The House of Rone had been his home for a long time. Forged from blood, sweat, and tears, this gladiatorial house in the city of Kor Magna had become his haven.
But today, he didn’t feel any sense of comfort or peace. Frustration was eating at him with sharp fangs. He was hot, dusty, and he had nothing to show for his trip to the desert.
Not a single drakking thing.
A slender figure came out of one doorway, holding a tiny baby in her arms.
“Anything?” Ever’s pretty face was hopeful.
Jax looked at the human woman and shook his head regretfully. “Nothing. The lead about the other human abductees was false.”
Ever’s face dropped. In her arms, baby Asha fussed, and Ever jiggled her. The woman was the mate of the man who Jax considered a brother, a father, and a best friend all rolled into one. And Asha was Magnus’ and Ever’s child. This woman and baby had brought the cold, emotionless cyborg Magnus had once been to life. They loved him completely, just as Jax did.
Jax would give his life for Magnus. He’d give everything to protect the House of Rone. And he’d die to protect Ever and Asha. He owed that to Magnus.
“We won’t give up,” Ever said.
He gave a firm nod. “We won’t give up.” He lifted a hand and stroked Asha’s nose with a fingertip. The baby’s lips puckered, and he felt a rush of warmth in his chest. “I need to clean up.”
“Jax, you need to stop pushing yourself so hard.”
He met Ever’s eyes. “There are other human women out there. Trapped, enslaved, hurting.”
Like he’d once been. Different circumstances, but the same ugly results.
Ever went up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Fine, then Magnus and I will have to make sure you take care of yourself.”
She had it wrong. Magnus had already taken care of Jax when he’d rescued him from termination. Now, it was Jax’s turn to return the favor.
In his rooms, Jax stripped off his cloak and harness. His fingers brushed the metal enhancements embedded into the skin of his left shoulder. He had plenty of cybernetic enhancements—all thanks to the cyborg military program that created both him and Magnus. His fingers curled. Once, they’d been little more than slaves to the military, weapons to be used. Disposable and replaceable.
Not anymore.
He shucked his trousers, then naked, he crossed his room, looking out the wide, arched windows into the training arena below. He saw gladiators and cyborgs training side-by-side on the sand.
The House of Rone was known as a house of cyborgs. It was a refuge for the damaged, defective, and malfunctioning. Since cyborgs were banned from fighting in Kor Magna’s famous arena, they also housed plenty of unenhanced gladiators.
Magnus had started the House of Rone to protect Jax. Like it was yesterday, he remembered the way Magnus had broken them out of the Orionix Military base. Jax looked at his high-tech, black, cybernetic leg. He’d been injured on the mission and slated for termination.
But the most dangerous cyborg in the program had objected. Magnus had grabbed Jax, stolen a ship, and they’d escaped.
That had been almost fifteen years ago. They’d come to Carthago to hide, and arrived here with nothing. Less than nothing. Jax had been injured, with a clunky temporary prosthetic that his body had been rejecting.
Since cyborgs were banned from the Kor Magna Arena, Magnus had found other illegal fights. They’d been very lucrative.
Jax’s best friend had fought and saved, and purchased Jax a better leg. Then together, they’d both fought until Magnus had enough resources to form the House of Rone and start recruiting gladiators.
Magnus had built the House of Rone, stone by stone, and he’d done all of it for Jax. Jax’s hands touched the cool glass. He owed the man so much. Everything.
He was going to find these lost human women.
It had all started when Magnus had collided with Ever Haynes. The strong, smart Earth woman had enthralled Magnus, brought out his emotions. She loved him as much as Jax did.
Ever had survived the drakking Thraxians. Jax looked down, but he no longer saw the fighting cyborgs and gladiators. The Thraxians were the worst of the worst. The slavers had tried to grind the humans to dust beneath their heels, and instead, these plucky humans from Fortuna Station had fought back.
Now, they were thriving.
After the first few had been rescued by the House of Galen, Imperator Galen had thrown all his resources and gladiators into saving every single human they could find that had been abducted. And then, they’d ended the Thraxians.
The survivors from Earth were now all happily paired up and mated with gladiators and other Kor Magna residents. Some, like Magnus and Ever, now had children.
But they’d recently learned that there were more stolen humans. The Thraxians had imprisoned more humans aboard one of their scout ships.
One of the women had been found. Despite having her memories tampered with, Mina had survived, and was now living at the Dark Nebula Casino in Kor Magna’s busy entertainment hub called the District. She was happily in love with the casino’s head of security.
But now, they knew that there were more women out there.
Jax looked over the training arena, past the larger stone walls of the Kor Magna Arena, past the sprawl of city. In the distance, his enhanced cyborg vision caught a glimpse of Carthago’s wild deserts.
The glass under his palms cracked in a web of fractures.
Drak. He sucked in a breath and strengthened his emotional dampeners to weaken the rush of rage.
But his dampeners had never worked as well as the other cyborgs’. Jax had always felt, even when he’d had to hide those emotions.
I will find you. He was leading the search for the other women from Earth. He’d vowed to do it for Magnus and Ever. A way to pay back the man who had given Jax a life.
Once, Jax had been trapped, a slave to the cyborg program that had used him. He knew exactly what that felt like, and he wouldn’t let these other women stay in their prisons.
“I’ll find you. I swear it.”
Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone
Sentinel
Defender
Centurion
Paladin
Guard
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Preview: Edge of Eon
Framed for a crime she didn't commit, a wrongly-imprisoned space captain's only chance at freedom is to abduct a fearsome alien war commander.
Sub-Captain Eve Traynor knows a suicide mission when she sees one. With deadly insectoid aliens threatening to invade Earth, the planet’s only chance of survival is to get the attention of the fierce Eon Warriors. But the Eon want nothing to do with Earth, and Eve wants nothing to do with abducting War Commander Davion Thann-Eon off his warship. But when Earth’s Space Corps threaten her sisters, Eve will do anything to keep them safe, even if it means she might not make it back.
War Commander Davion Thann-Eon is taking his first vacation in years. Dedicated to keeping the Eon Empire safe, he’s been born and bred to protect. But when he’s attacked and snatched off his very own warship, he is shocked to find himself face-to-face with a bold, tough little Terran warrior. One who both infuriates and intrigues him.
When their shuttle is attacked
by the ravenous insectoid Kantos, Eve and Davion crash land on the terrifying hunter planet known as Hunter7. A planet designed to test a warrior to his limits. Now, the pair must work together to survive, caught between the planet and its dangers, the Kantos hunting them down, and their own incendiary attraction.
Eon Warriors
Edge of Eon
Touch of Eon
Heart of Eon
Kiss of Eon
Mark of Eon
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Also by Anna Hackett
Team 52
Mission: Her Protection
Mission: Her Rescue
Mission: Her Security
Mission: Her Defense
Mission: Her Safety
Mission: Her Freedom
Mission: Her Shield
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Treasure Hunter Security
Undiscovered
Uncharted
Unexplored
Unfathomed
Untraveled
Unmapped
Unidentified
Undetected
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Eon Warriors
Edge of Eon
Touch of Eon
Heart of Eon
Kiss of Eon
Mark of Eon
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone
Sentinel
Defender
Centurion
Paladin
Guard
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Galactic Gladiators
Gladiator
Warrior
Hero
Protector
Champion
Barbarian
Beast
Rogue
Guardian
Cyborg
Imperator
Hunter
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Hell Squad
Marcus
Cruz
Gabe
Reed
Roth
Noah
Shaw
Holmes
Niko
Finn
Theron
Hemi
Ash
Levi
Manu
Griff
Dom
Survivors
Also Available as Audiobooks!
The Anomaly Series
Time Thief
Mind Raider
Soul Stealer
Salvation
Anomaly Series Box Set
The Phoenix Adventures
Among Galactic Ruins
At Star’s End
In the Devil’s Nebula
On a Rogue Planet
Beneath a Trojan Moon
Beyond Galaxy’s Edge
On a Cyborg Planet
Return to Dark Earth
On a Barbarian World
Lost in Barbarian Space
Through Uncharted Space
Crashed on an Ice World
Perma Series
Winter Fusion
A Galactic Holiday
Warriors of the Wind
Tempest
Storm & Seduction
Fury & Darkness
Standalone Titles
Savage Dragon
Hunter’s Surrender
One Night with the Wolf
For more information visit www.annahackett.com
About the Author
I’m a USA Today bestselling romance author who’s passionate about fast-paced, emotion-filled contemporary and science fiction romance. I love writing about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. I like to believe it’s possible for all of us to do the same.
I live in Australia with my own personal hero and two very busy, always-on-the-move sons.
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Website: www.annahackett.com
