by Anna Hackett
Soon, Lore strode into the bedroom. His.
“You’re moving into my rooms,” he said.
“Lore—”
“No arguments, Madeline.” He strode into the bathroom and flicked on the shower. He slipped the blanket off her and helped her step under the spray. He stepped in behind her, fully clothed. “You’re mine.”
“I don’t belong to anyone—”
He soaped up his hands, running them over her body and hair to wash away the remnants of the regen gel. “You do.” He nuzzled her neck. “I’m sorry I gave you orders. I just wanted to protect you.”
He felt her relaxing slowly against him.
“I was afraid,” he murmured.
He finished washing her, then flicked off the shower and wrapped her in a drying cloth. After sitting her on the edge of the stone tub, he stripped off his wet clothes and wrapped a drying cloth around his hips. He lifted her again and strode into the bedroom. He laid her down, then climbed on the bed beside her. He fitted his body around hers, holding her tight.
“I need you here,” he murmured. “I need to hear you breathing. I need to hear your heart beating. I need to feel your warmth against me.”
She sighed, turning to face him. “I’m fine, Lore. Perfectly healed.”
He swallowed, feeling like a rock was lodged in his throat. “But for a while there, you weren’t.” He tried not to let the horror seep into his voice, but she must have heard it.
Her face softened. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“I’ll move in with you.”
He grinned, his chest expanding. He touched the delicate shell of her ear, and held out an item for her.
Madeline eyed the small, dark square.
“It’s called grezzo. Regan tells me it tastes almost as good as chocolate from Earth.”
Madeline touched the small treat. “You found me chocolate?” There was amazement in her voice.
“For you, anything.”
She popped the grezzo into her mouth, making a small humming sound. Then her eyelids fluttered. “It’s so good.”
He smiled at her, touching her lips. Now, he saw her eyes droop.
“Tired,” she murmured.
“Rest, dushla.”
She dropped into sleep quickly, but Lore didn’t. When she snuggled into him, trusting him, fully relaxed in his arms, his chest loosened.
He stayed there in the darkness, holding her tight. He’d fallen in love with this tough woman from Earth, with her prickly shell and her wounded heart.
Lore moved so his head rested against her chest, and fell asleep to the sound of her heartbeat.
***
Madeline opened her eyes. She felt so toasty warm.
She stared at the unfamiliar covers on the bed, and felt the unfamiliar warmth behind her.
Lore’s room. Lore’s bed. Lore.
She stayed there for a second, absorbing it all—the scent of him, the strength of him, and the steady sound of his breathing.
Energy hummed through her veins. She hadn’t felt this vibrantly alive in so long. Shifting against his hard body, she felt vicious need nipping at her. A need for him.
Madeline rolled over, her gaze raking his big, solid body. Every inch of it was so easy to look at, perfectly formed and honed by the arena. From the handsome face, to the muscled chest, to the tempting ridges of his abdomen.
Her gaze dropped lower, to the hard part of him that she was very interested in giving some extra-special attention.
Desire flared hot, like a supernova, and she cupped his heavy cock. She started to stroke it and then slithered down to wrap her lips around him. She loved that she had to stretch her mouth wide to take him all in. And it grew under her licks and sucks.
His body jerked. “Madeline.”
She made a humming sound, drawing him deeper into her mouth. So good. The musky taste of him, the thick vein running up his cock, the groan that tore from his throat.
His hand tangled in her hair, and he pulled her mouth off him. “I need to be gentle with you, but I’m not feeling gentle right now.”
“I’m fine.” She rubbed against him. “I need this, too.”
“You died.” His voice vibrated with violent emotion. “You stopped breathing. Your heart stopped beating.”
Something inside her softened. He was in pain, and she wanted to soothe that. “Lore—”
“I’ll never forget that.” His voice was raw, his big body trembling.
She leaned down, peppering kisses across his stomach, feeling the muscles tighten under her lips. She stroked his thick cock. “I’m alive. I’ll prove it to you.”
She pushed him onto his back, climbing up to straddle his lean hips. She lifted her hips, desire setting her on fire, and moved herself until she was right where she wanted to be.
Looking down, she stared into his shifting gray eyes. His hands clamped on her hips.
Madeline sank down slowly, lodging him inside her. A cry tore from her throat, and mingled with his deep groan.
“So drakking beautiful.” His hands slid up, cupping her breasts. “Fuck me, Madeline. Ride me while I touch you.”
She moaned, lifting herself up, then driving her hips back down. She moved around, changing angles to see what felt best for both of them. As she leaned forward, the pressure on her clit was perfect, and she sank her teeth into her bottom lip.
“That’s it, dushla. Ride me hard.” His big hands clamped on her ass, fingers digging into her buttocks, as he helped to work her up and down on his cock. “Come for me, Madeline.”
Silver-gray eyes were hot on hers. Her orgasm gave her no warning, slamming into her and stealing her breath. Her back bowed, her cry silent.
Beneath her, Lore thrust his hips up, bucking into her as deep as he could. He growled her name as he shuddered with his own release.
She collapsed on him, her breathing ragged, and she held on tight. He was a fire hotter than anything she’d touched before, and she was very worried that she was freefalling into love with this overprotective alien gladiator.
And love was a risk Madeline wasn’t sure she was brave enough to take.
Chapter Fourteen
Madeline had been to many meetings in her life, but never a war meeting.
All the gladiators of the House of Galen stood in the living quarters, ready and armed.
Galen pressed his hands against the table. “I got word from Zhim.”
The imperator’s tone made Madeline stiffen. “What’s wrong?”
“The fight with the dag’tar is scheduled for tomorrow,” Galen said. “The Srinar are stealthily selling tickets.” Galen’s gaze glittered. “We’re out of time. We have to get them out tonight.”
“The other houses?” Raiden asked.
Galen’s jaw tightened. “Still deliberating. We go without them.”
This was it. Tonight, they were freeing Blaine and the women.
Madeline looked at Lore, standing so straight and tall beside her. Her heart clenched. He hadn’t argued about her coming this time. He was so handsome, and he was hers.
He’d forged a life for himself from the ashes of his past. He’d lost everything—his family, his way of life, his sister—but here, inside the walls of the arena, he’d made a new life for himself.
He hadn’t wallowed in his misery, or cursed the things he couldn’t change. At the same time, he’d also honored the memory of his lost sister.
Madeline knew it was time she did the same. The thought of her Jack still filled her with pain, and she knew it probably always would. Still, even if she did commit to making a life for herself here on Carthago, the mother in her would never give up hope of hearing her son’s voice again. One day, somehow.
“Okay, time to move out,” Galen said.
The gladiators were tense but focused, as they moved as a group toward the sewer entrance. Night had fallen over the city, and the busy streets gave way to the quieter, darker ones.
This time, she was p
repared for the stench of the tanneries and the sewer. When they reached the sewer lake, Madeline’s steps slowed.
She wasn’t going to lie to herself and pretend that she wasn’t afraid. If there’d been one mutated monster in the water, she was sure there were more. She rubbed her belly, touching wounds that were long healed.
Fingers gripped her shoulder and squeezed. She shot Lore a shaky smile. He read her so easily.
She entangled her fingers with his and, together, they moved across the walkway. There were no signs of movement in the water.
Soon, they were back on the ledge, looking down at the cells below. It was eerily quiet. No voices, no cries, no guards.
Galen gave his signal, with a wave of his hand. Kace and Saff moved forward, uncoiling the ropes they both held over their shoulders. Madeline watched Saff activate a small device, a metal pin firing into the rock, before she tied the rope off on the pin.
Saff and Kace attached the ropes to clips on their belts, and, on Galen’s command, the two gladiators jumped over the edge, whizzing almost silently down to the lower level.
“Ready?” Lore asked Madeline, clipping onto the rope.
She swallowed. She’d never done anything like this before. With thoughts of Blaine and the women in her head, she nodded, and let Lore clip her on.
“We’ll go together.” He moved her to the edge.
She looked down, her stomach doing a slow somersault.
Without warning her, he stepped off the ledge, taking her with him.
Madeline bit her lip as they flew downward. Her heart leaped into her throat, her hair flying into her eyes. By the time their descent slowed, excitement had overtaken her.
Her boots touched rock, and then Lore was there, unclipping her from the rope. As the others zipped down, she looked around. Kace and Saff stood nearby, bodies taut and weapons up.
Soon, the rest of the gladiators were crowded around. Carefully and quietly, they moved toward the cells. Madeline’s gaze zeroed in on the cell where she’d last seen Blaine.
They reached it and she hurried to the bars.
The cell was empty.
Her heart clenched. “He’s not here.” She hurried along the line of cells. They were all empty.
She reached the one where she’d last seen the women.
Empty.
“There’s nobody here.” Saff shook her head.
As Raiden and Galen talked quietly, Madeline paced, eventually ending up at the edge of the dag’tar pit. She looked down into the darkness, her gut cramping with fear and suspicion.
She picked up a large rock and dropped it into the darkness.
There were no snarls or growls, or sounds of movement. The beast wasn’t there.
She spun. “The dag’tar isn’t here.”
Lore cursed—an unfamiliar alien word. “The fight isn’t tomorrow. It’s tonight.”
“Where?” Madeline spun around, looking at all the tunnel entrances leading out of the place. “Where the hell are they?”
“They can’t have gone far,” Galen said. “You can’t move a dag’tar around without someone noticing.” He eyed the walls. “They’re here somewhere. Break into pairs and spread out.”
Raiden and Harper disappeared down a tunnel. Thorin waved at Nero and the two big men moved into another tunnel. Saff and Kace took off at a jog.
Galen nodded at Madeline and Lore. “Go.”
“You’ll be alone,” Madeline said.
“I’m always alone.” Galen pointed at another tunnel. “Go and find your friends. I’m going to make contact with the other imperators, and see if they can mobilize their fighters.”
Lore grabbed Madeline’s hand. They hurried into the tunnel, darkness enveloping them. Her pulse tripped. They had to find Blaine and the others before it was too late.
Lore clicked on a small light. There was nothing in the empty tunnel that gave any sign that anyone had passed this way. They moved deeper, taking several turns, when suddenly Lore’s head shot up.
“You hear something?” She strained to hear anything.
“Voices.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her onward. Soon, she could hear the sounds, as well.
Cheering and excited shouts.
Madeline and Lore picked up speed. Ahead, light flickered at the end of the tunnel.
They slowed down and carefully crept out onto another narrow ledge. Madeline looked across the space, and her jaw tightened.
It was another circular sinkhole, but this one had been turned into a large fighting pit. Other ledges had been hewn into the rock to form seating, all of it lit up by burning torches attached to the walls. Below in the sand-covered pit, five tunnels were covered with huge metal gates. It was a makeshift underground arena.
“Drak,” Lore spat.
She followed his gaze and went rigid. In the center of the fight pit stood a giant creature.
The dag’tar pawed the dirt slowly with its huge, clawed feet. Its overlarge arms dangled forward, knuckles dragging on the ground. It was covered in tangled brown fur, drool dripping from a large mouth that was still too small to contain its giant, serrated teeth. She also couldn’t miss the huge, flaccid cock hanging between its legs.
Oh. My. God. It was so much worse than she’d imagined. The crowd was chanting, demanding to see the fighters.
Suddenly, on the ledge below, Madeline saw two Srinar guards carrying a struggling woman out between them. She was twisting and kicking, trying to break free. She was also hurling some interesting and creative insults at them.
She was tiny and had short, blonde hair that had probably been a neat pixie cut before her captivity. The guards held her at the edge of the pit.
This couldn’t be happening. Madeline gripped Lore’s hand, her nails digging into his skin. His gaze was glued to the woman, as well.
The dag’tar gave an ear-splitting roar. One of the guards stepped back, and they gave the blonde a shove.
She fell from the ledge, arms spinning. She hit the dirt in the fighting pit, landing on her hands and knees.
Madeline lunged forward. No!
***
Lore wrapped his arms around Madeline, listening to her harsh breathing as two other Earth women were dragged out of the tunnel where they’d been kept. Like their friend, they were pushed over the edge into the pit.
One was the tall brunette they’d seen earlier, and the other was a woman with hair as black as night.
How the hell could they help them? Lore scanned the cavern quickly and methodically, blocking out the cheering spectators, studying the fighting pit. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he counted the guards. There were a lot of them. Too many.
Below, the dag’tar roared. It was an aggressive and aggravated sound that echoed off the rocks around them.
The creature lumbered forward. Lore knew it might look slow and stupid, but he’d heard plenty of stories about them. When it suited them, they could build up a lot of speed, and they knew how to use their claws and teeth. Not to mention the fact that they usually tried to mate with their prey before they ate them.
The dag’tar pawed the dirt, sending up a spray of sand, and then suddenly rushed forward. Toward the women.
The tall brunette grabbed the other two, yanking them to the side. She waved and shouted, and they raced along the rock wall. The dag’tar pulled up before it hit the wall, stopping to sniff the ground where the women had been standing. Between its legs, it now had a hard, giant erection rising up through the fur.
Lore watched the women warily backing away. Two stooped down to scoop up rocks, while the other moved with arms outstretched. He frowned. The black-haired woman’s vision appeared to be impaired.
Rocks weren’t very good weapons in this situation, but Lore knew what that sort of desperation felt like. The brunette paused, brushing a foot through the sandy ground. She snatched up something, and he saw it was a broken sword, with half the blade snapped off.
The animal roared again, and took a
few steps in their direction. The women pelted it with rocks.
It charged. This time, the women scattered, ducking under its claws and running behind the creature. The brunette was dragging the blind woman beside her.
The dag’tar grunted, swiping out at them, but they scrambled out of the way. For now.
“We’ve got to get them out of there,” Madeline said. “They won’t be able to keep this up for long.”
“Let’s go that way.” Lore pointed to rough steps carved into the rock wall. They appeared to lead down to the ledge below. The two guards who’d tossed the blonde woman into the pit were still standing there, their backs toward Lore and Madeline, their attention on the fight.
Madeline nodded and pulled out her laser sword. Lore pulled out his sword.
The crowd was far too busy watching the fight below, to notice the pair of them creeping down to the next level.
“We can’t miss the guards, or they’ll send up a warning,” he whispered to her. “You have to strike to kill.”
Madeline nodded grimly. He was sorry to put her in this position, but the steady look on her face told him she’d do whatever she had to in order to save the women below.
“Remember our moves from training.”
They moved fast, and gave the guards no warning. Lore stabbed his guard, and grabbed the man’s lax body. Madeline had done exactly as ordered, and Lore snagged that guard as well. The Srinar was far too heavy for her to move.
He set them down against the rock wall, making it look like they were just sitting there, watching the fight.
In the pit below, he saw the dag’tar was getting closer and closer to the women, trapping them against the side of the pit. They were rapidly running out of options.
Lore grabbed a pouch off his belt. He watched, his muscles tense. When the creature charged the women, Lore pulled his arm back and tossed the pouch.
There was an explosion of black smoke around the creature’s head. It roared, pounding the ground with its fists.
The women scrambled as far away from it as possible.
