Captive (The Survival Race)

by K. M. Fawcett

  She was curled in the fetal position on her side with arms around her little belly as if trying to protect her unborn child. Something squeezed his heart. The baby couldn’t have survived Regan’s violence.

  Maybe if he got her to the infirmary in time, Fely Mor would be able to save the child. Or reawaken it.

  He glanced at Regan. But if he did that, he wouldn’t be able to come back and mutilate the gladiator’s body. Regan’s shock collar was already alerting Xanthrag to his death.

  He glanced back at the woman naked on the ground, gasping for breath.

  Ah hell.

  He scooped her body into his arms. She opened the one eye that wasn’t swollen shut. Fear glistened behind her tears. She said nothing. Neither did he. What could he say? That everything would be all right?

  That would be a damned lie and they both knew it.

  She closed her eye again.

  Max carried her to the infirmary, ignoring his stinging bloody knuckles and the shooting pain in his leg.

  * * *

  Addy awoke on an examining table to the familiar chirping of a fetal monitor. Movement on the screen drew her attention to the fetus’s kick. Her baby lived.

  Relief flooded her. Tears spilled over her eyes and ran down her cheeks.

  Behind the machine, Ferly Mor and Rosalita filled a clear tub of pink fluid with medical instruments and an arms length of hose. What would the hose have been used for? She sat up onto her elbows and glanced around the room. On a table next to hers hooked up to his own machine lay Regan.

  His bare chest rose and fell.

  She wanted to jump off the table, run away, and hide, but her body couldn’t move. She could barely breathe.

  How stupid was she? Of course the Hyboreans would pump his stomach and reawaken him. He was their damn champion alpha gladiator. His life was probably worth a hundred times more than hers was. What was she going to do now? Regan would kill her for poisoning him.

  No. He’d torture her. That seemed to be a fate worse than death here.

  Large, black alien fingers gripped her around the waist, and snatched her off the table. It was Xanthrag, and he was pissed. She could hear his anger as a throaty growl.

  “Let me go.” Her fists connected with dense padded skin in repeated punches that probably did nothing more than annoy him. His arms wrapped tightly around her naked body pinning her arms to her sides.

  The only thing she could do was bite. His impenetrable skin was as tough as a chunk of old beef jerky and tasted just as bad. She spit fur.

  He repositioned her, holding on tighter than necessary, and seemed to be “yelling” at the other Hyboreans. As he looked from one to the other, she sensed him berating them. Rosalita wouldn’t meet his gaze. Ferly Mor stood with his jaw set and stared him down with those iridescent black eyes. No vibes emanated from him.

  Was he hiding his feelings from Xanthrag? Or from her? The weight of her guilt forced her gaze down. She never thought about what repercussions Regan’s murder would have on anyone else. What was she thinking? Did she really care what these aliens felt? Besides, Regan wasn’t even dead anymore.

  The thought still blew her mind.

  Xanthrag made an about-face and carried her down the hall and through the back door of the kennel, where he opened the cage opposite Max’s. He tossed her inside, and she stumbled to remain upright. A stinging current shot from the choker through her body. She screamed and collapsed.

  The aftermath of uncontrollable muscle spasms hadn’t stopped before another bolt of lightening pierced her core and electricity tore through her body again.

  When it ebbed, she curled into a ball, crying and gulping for breath.

  Zap! God, no. Tiny hot spikes pulsated through every muscle fiber, every nerve ending, every blood cell. One jolt...two...three.

  Darkness clouded her vision. She smelled burning flesh. He was killing her.

  The current stopped, but her shaking didn’t. She gasped for air, and whimpered. It hurt too much to do anything more.

  As the pain lessened to a pins-and-needles sensation, her muscles tensed in anticipation of the next round.

  There was no next round.

  A large Hyborean presence loomed over her. She wanted to move away or at least scream, but could do nothing more than flinch. She couldn’t even blink away the dark cloud from her vision.

  Gentle purring covered her like a flannel sleeping bag. It was Ferly Mor. She never thought she’d be so happy to be in his company. Something cold, perhaps a medical instrument, rolled over her abdomen. It beeped three times and Ferly Mor’s purrs came faster and louder as if happy. Big, soft arms embraced her.

  Somehow, her baby had survived. Again.

  She sniffled and wiped the tears from her blind eyes.

  Ferly Mor dressed her, placed her on soft bedding, and with a gentle touch, stroked her hair. Lulled by his soft purring, she drifted into sleep.

  “I commend you on killing me.” Regan’s supercilious voice entered her dream.

  She awoke to restored vision. Ferly Mor was gone. Regan stood on the other side of the kennel’s bars in his militant stance with arms crossed and head in a cocky tilt. “Only a handful of alpha gladiators have managed to do the same.”

  Shouldn’t he be pissed off right now? She pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. She was safe behind these bars, wasn’t she?

  “Open your cage. We’ve got something to settle.”

  “No way.”

  His smile surprised her. “You’re a spirited little bitch, aren’t you?” Resting his forearms on the cross rail, he casually leaned into the bars. “You know, I can’t decide which way I liked you best.” His voice was cool and husky and full of himself. “Pinned against the tree fighting. Or under me begging for mercy.”

  “How about staring you in the eye while poisoning you?” Max’s casual tone was a dramatic contrast to the anger now flashing in Regan’s eyes.

  Regan composed his face before turning toward Max’s cell. “At least she had the balls to take me on. Only a pussy waits for a man to have a heart attack before striking him down. Tell me, was this your plan or hers?”

  “He had nothing to do with it.” The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. Why should she protect Max? He was the only one here who actually did rape her. Of course, if he hadn’t carried her to the infirmary, she probably would have lost the baby. It was infuriating wanting to simultaneously help him and hit him.

  Regan turned back to her. “You know, pet, a person can only take so much before they reach their breaking point. It’s only a matter of time before you leave this kennel. And when you do, nothing will come between me and what I want.”

  “If you are that hard up for sex, why don’t you go fuck yourself?”

  Max snickered.

  “Stupid bitch. It’s not about the sex. It’s about power. Dominance. Think about how good you felt killing me. How powerful.”

  How could he possibly know that? It had felt good seeing him drink that potion. Adrenaline had surged through her knowing she was almost rid of her tormentor. She’d felt strong. In control. Dominant.

  “That’s what I lust for. I want to take your strength. Kill your spirit. Leave you with nothing but fear. So fight me. Fight long. Fight hard. When I break you, the rush will be orgasmic.”

  Mouth gone dry and heart galloping, Addy watched Regan strut to the exit. Why did she have to provoke the jerk? Max was right about safety breeding bravery.

  Regan punched the button to sublimate the door, stepped over the threshold, and turned to her. “See you on the outside, pet.” He winked, and the door solidified.

  “Asshole,” she muttered.

  “Hell, woman, do you have any allies on this planet?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hello Max.” Tess’s voice was soft, tentative. The last time anyone came to see him had been three years ago, after he’d won the Survival Race Championship. He rolled over to see her nod hel
lo before she and Duncan entered into the cage across his.

  He should have known no one would visit him.

  “What happened to ye, lass? We’ve searched all over for ye.”

  Max tried not to notice the way the woman slumped to the floor. “Yesterday morning I was sexually assaulted by Regan.”

  His gut clenched. Although he’d already known that, it pissed him off to hear her verbalize it. He should have mutilated the bastard when he had the chance.

  “But his ringtone sounded before he got too far. So he commanded me to meet him at midnight to...to finish.”

  Regan hadn’t raped her? Why did the relief feel as if a weight had lifted from him? Must be his damn predatory nature. He didn’t like the idea of anyone else mating with his broodmare let alone forcing himself on her. Not like any of it was his choice. Nothing on this planet was.

  “I was not going to let another gladiator rape me.”

  What the hell did she mean by another? They’d been through this already. “I didn’t rape you.” He kept his tone neutral.

  She didn’t acknowledge him. Hell, she wouldn’t even look in his direction.

  “When will it end with these gladiators? I had to stop Regan. So I poisoned him. But all I did was make him and his race master angry. At least his beating and Xanthrag’s shock therapy didn’t harm Superbaby.” She placed a hand on her little belly, rubbed it tenderly. He’d never been around to see a woman’s body grow from his seed. It was kind of amazing. “You’re one tough kid, aren’t you?”

  The baby wasn’t the only tough one. She had more guts than he’d ever seen in a woman. Her spirit was fire. But sooner or later this frozen planet would snuff that fire out. Look what it had done to him.

  “It takes after its mother,” Tess said.

  “Aye. Determination, athletic ability, strength. Ye have all the genetics the Hyboreans want, lass. Yer offspring will be—”

  “My children,” she corrected, “will be taken from their mother and forced into a barbaric life of torment, rape, and fear. They’ll fight and die and be gambled upon for alien entertainment.”

  Why was he suddenly feeling guilty about that? It wasn’t his fault she got pregnant. Okay, it was his fault, but it hadn’t been in his control.

  “Yer bairn will only know this life. It will accept its fate.”

  “But I don’t accept its fate. My daughter won’t be a sex slave. And my son won’t compete in some bloodsport.”

  If her kid didn’t do as the Hyboreans commanded, it would be beaten and starved just like he’d been. He didn’t verbalize the thought.

  “Yer son will become an alpha champion.”

  “But he’ll have learned survival through power, violence, and dominance. I refuse to let my son grow up to be Regan. I don’t care what anyone says, we’re getting out of here if it kills us.”

  It would kill her. She’d no idea of the dangers out there.

  If she were truly serious about escaping, she was going to need serious help.

  * * *

  Four days later, Addy stood at the kennel’s door, one foot pointed toward her cage, body bent in a runner’s starting position. If Regan were waiting for her in the foyer, she’d sprint back to safety before he could grab her. She hoped.

  Damn, living in fear of Regan sucked. Which was why she remained in HuBReC’s kennel, even though she could have returned to Duncan’s home the moment she’d woken up from Xanthrag’s shock treatment. At least in here she could plot her escape without worrying about Regan attacking her. She could stand his daily taunts knowing she was protected behind bars, but what would happen when she met up with him on the outside?

  Her heart rate accelerated.

  She punched the button on the wall. The door sublimated to an empty foyer. After a pause to be sure no sound came from behind HuBReC’s waiting room door or the door to the Yard, she gathered supplies from the first aid shelves.

  The Yard door sublimated, and her heart stopped.

  “Hi,” Tess’s cheery voice called as she stepped through the vapor. “I brought everything you asked for.”

  Her heart started again.

  “Thanks for doing this,” Addy said when they were settled inside her kennel cage. “And for not telling Duncan.”

  “I don’t want you to leave, but I know I can’t stop your determination. Just promise me two things.”

  “Sure.”

  “First, be careful out there.”

  “You got it.”

  “Second, when you reach the clan at the equator, look for an ex-gladiator named Kedric and deliver this to him.” She pulled out an envelope from the backpack she brought.

  “Who is he?”

  “My brother.”

  “Your brother escaped to the equator? Why am I not surprised no one mentioned that little fact?”

  “Don’t be angry, Addy. Da thought it best not to tell you. He cares for you like a daughter and fears losing you.”

  “If he cared for me, he’d wish me freedom, not captivity.”

  Tess’s mouth formed a word, but no sound came out. Instead she sighed and placed the sealed envelope into Addy’s hands. “He’s twenty-nine, and has the same red hair and gray eyes as I do. He’s a good man and will keep you and the baby safe.”

  If he hasn’t been captured by poachers, Addy thought but didn’t say. She nodded and began ripping and tying together the bedsheets Tess had brought. Once she made her bedsheet rope, Tess would take it back to the house and hide it in the bathroom until Addy had a chance to escape. She’d then break through Ferly Mor’s window and rappel down into the city.

  “Be quick,” Tess said. “I have to go soon. Ferly Mor placed chokers on Da and me. He only does that before taking us from HuBReC.”

  “I can escape tonight then.” The excitement percolating inside had to be tamped down in order to concentrate. She couldn’t afford making any mistakes. If her knots weren’t tight she’d break her neck climbing out of the window.

  “I’ll miss you, Addy.”

  “I’ll miss you, too.” The words came out easier than she thought they would have. She’d never been one to make friends with women so quickly, but Tess had been kind and patient and almost motherly—in a good way.

  “Take care of yourself and that baby.”

  She nodded. If only she knew how to take care of a baby. She’d grown up an only child, and her mother never hung around other young moms because her wilderness rescue job kept them surrounded by men. Addy had been a tomboy, she never babysat anyone, and she never gushed over other people’s children.

  Just like Mom.

  Her heart sank. “I’m going to make a terrible parent. My kid’s going to hate me.”

  “Don’t be silly. Your baby is lucky to have you for a parent. I’ve never known another woman with more strength and determination. I know you’ll succeed at anything you want to. Including being a loving mother.” The sincerity in Tess’s eyes was overwhelming. No other woman had ever believed in Addy that much.

  Blinking back tears, she reached for Tess and gave her a hug. “Thank you.” She really would miss her friend.

  Now all she had to do was get to clan before giving birth.

  After suppertime, Max had disappeared—like he had the past two nights since the removal of his cast—so he wasn’t around to witness Addy pulling on her form-fitting, white thermal suit. Not that any man would want to watch a pregnant chick dress.

  Except maybe Regan.

  No, he’d rather rip off their clothes. She shuddered. Well, in another hour she wouldn’t have to worry about Regan or Max ever again.

  She slipped into her backpack, too heavy with supplies. It didn’t matter how many times she had dug through searching for unnecessary items to take out. She needed everything: food, canteen, first aid supplies, lightstick, knife, prenatal gun. Of course, a compass and map would have been good...and some energy bars...a polar tent...a snowmobile...a space shuttle...an OB/GYN—.

  Okay, okay
. Focus.

  Back home she had never gone camping with so little. But thoughts of the Underground Railroad and the slaves who’d successfully escaped with only the clothes on their backs fortified her. She could do this.

  She shrugged into her backpack and concealed her white thermal suit beneath Duncan’s dark cloak. She slapped the button on the wall, stepped through the white cloud, and took her first step toward freedom.

  She entered the Yard under the cover of a moonless night and sprinted into the trees, staying in the shadows for fear someone might see her through their observation wall.

  Katydids chirped and whirred. A screech owl hooted in the distance. Any other night she would have taken comfort in the glittering sky and nature’s music. But not tonight. Nothing could calm her heart, which was scampering like a chipmunk on espresso.

  When she reached the edge of the trees in front of Duncan’s house, she flipped up her hood, kept her head low as she ran to his door praying no one, especially Regan, would see her.

  She entered a quiet and empty house and breathed in relief. She hung up the cloak, shouldered the bedsheet rope Tess had hid for her, and then borrowed Duncan’s twenty-seven-inch, hand-painted, cast-iron garden gnome. She stepped inside Ferly Mor’s apartment for what she hoped would be the last time.

  Securing the rope to the couch had been easy. Climbing it with a heavy backpack and lugging an almost fifty-pound garden gnome had been somewhat trickier. Of course, this was icing-flowers on the cake compared to what challenges awaited out there in the Hyborean night.

  Few vehicles passed on the empty street below.

  She could do this. She could break the transparent wall and climb down the twenty feet. Hadn’t she scaled and rappelled higher confidence-course walls? This should be easier. She didn’t have to place her trust in a belayer.

  She pressed her hand to the windowed wall. The thermal suit prevented an icy chill from reaching her fingertips. The high-tech material would protect her from the arctic environment. Plus it was white, a perfect camouflage.

  She really could do this.