by Anna Hackett
A strangled laugh. It brought a smile to her lips. Something told her Kace had never laughed during sex before.
He started to move, and she did, too. They found a hard, fast rhythm, water sloshing against the side of the tub. He slid in and out of her with powerful movements.
“You are mine, Rory. There will be no one else.”
She cried out, feeling her orgasm charging at her. She wanted to believe those words. So desperately.
“If another man touches you, I will end him,” Kace growled, his hips hammering upward.
Rory was beyond conscious thought now. As she exploded into ecstasy, it was his name torn from her lips.
And as she heard Kace roar his release and pour himself inside her, she saw his eyes turn an incandescent blue. Hers. Her hands clutched at his shoulders for an anchor, and everything felt right for the first time in forever.
***
It wasn’t enough.
Kace sat in the cool water with Rory curled against his chest. The only sound in the room was the heavy pants of their breathing.
He wasn’t done yet. He wanted more. No, he needed more.
He lifted her, water sluicing off both of them, and strode into his bedroom. He lowered her down onto the sheets, covering her with his body.
“Hmm.” She stretched her arms above her head, looking like a sleek, satisfied feline. “That was—”
He shifted and thrust into her.
She cried out, arching up against him. “God, Kace.”
“Too soon?” He held himself above her, impatient, needing more.
“Just surprised.” She wrapped her arms and legs around him. “A nice one. Men on Earth need longer to get to round two.”
He thrust into her again. “I do not want to hear about men of Earth.”
“O-kay,” she managed.
He started thrusting into her with a slow, intense focus. In the bath, he’d felt wild, out of control. Now, he wanted to feel it every time she clenched, savor every move and noise she made.
Now, he wanted to claim her as his.
It had been a long time since he’d had a woman. A long time since his last military leave. Soldiers had to be in top form and leave was strictly regulated.
Her leg curled around his hip. “More.”
She was insatiable. He loved it.
He slammed into her, glorying in the feel of her, in her response. She kissed him, her body moving in time with his. He kept up his powerful thrusts, lights starting to flicker in his eyes, his pleasure clamping down hard at the base of his spine.
She took everything he gave her, this small, strong woman who wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Suddenly, she orgasmed, her cry sharp in his ears. He kept her pinned, driving home, a hard edge riding him.
“More.” His word was barely understandable. “Again.”
She cried out again, finding a second release. And that was enough to drive Kace over the edge. He came, hard.
He rolled to the side, pulling her close. He couldn’t seem to draw air into his burning lungs, and he wasn’t sure he could feel his legs.
Finally, he could think through the haze of pleasure. He moved, sprawling on his back, and pulling Rory up on top of him. She nuzzled her face against his neck, her legs falling to either side of him.
She pressed lazy kisses against his chest. “I like how you’re made, soldier.”
He toyed with her hair. All that gorgeous red hair. “I like your fire. And I don’t just mean the color of your hair.”
She lifted her head and grinned at him. “My temper?”
“Yes.” Rory embraced life, whatever it threw at her. He admired the hell out of that. “Your family must miss you.”
When he saw the pain spasm on her face, he was sorry he’d brought it up.
“I’m sure they do. I’m close to them. My parents, my three brothers. I was the youngest, a little spoiled, and I liked getting my own way.”
“That, I can believe.”
She slapped his chest playfully.
“I don’t pretend to understand the bond of family,” he said quietly. “But I can understand how much you must miss them.”
She nodded, rubbing her cheek against his skin. “It’ll take time to fully accept that I’ll never see them again.” Her chest hitched. “But I’ve never been one to wallow, and they wouldn’t want me to be unhappy.”
He nodded. “My squad is like my family. We’ve trained together from youth, and now we fight together in battle.”
“Will they come to fight in the arena as well?”
He shook his head. “The Antarian military sends soldiers to a lot of different planets to co-op with other fighters and learn new skills. The others in my squad have gone to other planets.”
She brushed her fingers across his cheek, then his lips. “And are the others in your squad like you? Brave heroes?”
“Yes. They give up everything to fight for our planet.”
“Are they sexy like you, pretty boy?”
His gaze narrowed. “I am not pretty. And you do not need to concern yourself with their sexiness.”
She winked at him, scooting downward. “So, you got to be on top last time, that means it is my turn again.”
Kace felt a shot of heat to his system. He imagined her above him, riding him hard.
“I have lots of other positions I want to try as well,” she continued.
His gut clenched. “Other positions?”
She nipped his hipbone. “Oh, yes. Lots of them.”
Kace was trying to imagine these other positions. “I want to try every one.” Then her hand closed around his cock.
He sucked in a harsh breath. His gaze was glued to her as she slithered down his body. She pushed her hair to one side so he had a clear view of her face. A clear view as she leaned down and licked the swollen head of his cock.
Even though he’d just had her, his cock filled instantly, growing under her hands. Her eyes widened and she licked her lips.
“Ready to try something else, pretty boy?”
He sank a hand into her hair. “Yes.”
He watched as she sucked his cock into her mouth. Drak.
Chapter Thirteen
Rory pressed her palms against the stone tiles in the shower. Kace was powering into her from behind, his hands clenching on her hips.
“I like—” he thrust again “—this position.”
“Me…too,” she gasped.
Rory closed her eyes, savoring every sensation—the hard steel of him, the musky scent of sex, the warm fall of water, and the incredible pleasure cascading through her.
Throughout the afternoon, Kace had proven rather imaginative. When her straight-as-an-arrow gladiator let loose, he could be very creative. And thorough. She was certain there wasn’t an inch of her he hadn’t explored with his hands, tongue, or cock.
Moaning, she rocked back against him. “More.”
This time, he didn’t hesitate. He picked up the pace, rocking into her harder than before.
Rory heard hungry little sounds echoing around them, realized they were coming from her. He leaned over her, his chest pressed to her back.
“Come for me, Rory. Now.”
Her skin flushed hot, and on his next plunge, she imploded. A second later, he gripped her hip, thrust deep, and held himself lodged to the hilt as he came.
When they could finally move, they left the shower, and took their time drying each other off. Rory liked seeing the faint smile on Kace’s face, and the playful way he wiped the water off her skin.
She wanted to see him like this more often.
They stepped back into the bedroom to find Hero waiting for them, tail wagging. With a smile, she crouched down to pat him. “Hey, boy.” She studied his damage again. She had to find some time to fix him.
A hard knock sounded at the door.
“We have a message from Zhim.” Galen’s clipped voice.
Her throat tightened, and she saw Kace’s
expression revert to serious soldier. Sighing, she quickly dressed in some fresh clothes a worker had dropped off earlier. Thank you, Regan. Rory was going to make sure the scorched clothing was properly disposed of.
When they entered the living area, the others were huddled around the screen dominated by Zhim’s striking face. She saw Regan and Harper look her way. Her cousin eyed her and grinned, while Harper looked at Kace, then back at Rory, and winked.
“Intriguing little Rory,” Zhim drawled. “How are you today?”
Kace wrapped an arm around her and tugged her to his side. Rory rolled her eyes. “You want to go ahead and just brand me, pretty boy?”
A few chuckles rolled through the room.
“Perhaps,” Kace said.
Zhim’s eyes widened. “Oh. Fascinating. I would never have picked an uptight, rigid Antarian for you.”
Kace growled, and Rory could almost see the information merchant filing Kace’s possessiveness away in a mental data file. “Enough. You have something interesting to tell us?”
“I just got a tip.” The man’s face turned serious. “Several Srinar have been spotted in the lower bowels of the market. I have it on good authority that where they’ve congregated is a possible entrance to their underground fight rings.”
Rory grabbed Kace’s hand. He squeezed her fingers. This was it. The chance to find out once and for all why the Thraxians were trying to kill her, and to get Madeline back.
Galen gave a single nod. “Thank you, Zhim.” The screen went blank, and Galen looked around the room. “Let’s go.”
All the gladiators stood.
“We’ll need to keep a low profile,” Harper said.
Raiden moved forward. “You should stay here, with Rory and Regan.”
Rory bristled. “I am not staying here.” She stared down the tattooed gladiator. “I will not hide behind you all, let you risk yourselves. This is my life.”
When she felt Kace step closer, she was ready for him to agree with Raiden. She whirled to face him.
“Rory deserves to be a part of this,” Kace said.
She opened her mouth, then closed it. She saw the glint of amusement in his gaze. “Thank you.”
Raiden sighed. “Fine. But you understand you’ll be in danger.”
“I’m in danger anyway. I almost died right here in the House of Galen.” When she heard Kace make a noise, she regretted having to remind him.
“The perpetrator was caught,” Galen said darkly.
Kace’s head whipped around. “What? Who? Why wasn’t I told?”
Galen raised a dark brow. “You were…busy.”
Rory felt an inappropriate laugh bubble up her throat.
“He was a house worker with a secret gambling problem, and a large debt to someone in the District,” Galen added. “He’s been dealt with.”
“I still want to see him,” Kace said darkly.
The imperator shot him an icy look. “I can assure you, nothing that you can do to him would be worse than my wrath.”
God, the man was scary. Rory swallowed and pressed a hand to Kace’s chest. “We have more important things to worry about. Like the people who paid this man.”
A muscle ticked in Kace’s jaw, but finally, he gave a jerky nod.
Soon, they were all gathered and ready to go. Rory was wearing black leather trousers, and a simple black shirt. She’d never seen all the gladiators so covered up and almost nondescript. Wearing understated black, Saff still looked extraordinary. No one would call her beautiful, but she was striking. Even with only a few of his tattoos peeking out from his sleeves, Raiden’s presence was commanding. Thorin radiated wild energy, Lore’s sexy smile couldn’t be ignored, and Nero’s scowl would intimidate anyone, no matter what he was wearing.
Even dressed in their all-black clothes, it didn’t quite mask their extraordinary physiques. She looked at Kace’s handsome face. These big, tough gladiators would never just blend into the background.
She felt something butt against her feet and looked down at Hero. “You need to stay here, little guy.” The dog whined.
“Here.” Kace held out a staff to Rory.
Her staff. She gripped it, her fingers closing over the Antarian inscriptions. “Thank you.” She swung it around on her back.
Regan came over to Rory. “I’m staying here. Find her, okay?”
Rory hugged her cousin tightly. “We will.”
“No one deserves to be helpless and alone.”
Rory hugged her harder. They’d all been there, but thanks to these tough gladiators surrounding them, they had the chance for something else, something far better. “Regan, will you take care of Hero for me?”
Her cousin’s gaze fell to the dog and she smiled. “Sure thing.” When she opened her arms, the mechanical pet gladly leaped into them.
The group moved fast. Night was falling, and Rory could just make out the stars in the sky blinking into view over the bright lights of the District in the distance. They descended into the Kor Magna Markets and Rory blinked.
She’d expected the place to be winding down for the day. She couldn’t have been more wrong.
There were even more people packed into the underground space. Somewhere, music was playing—cheerful tunes of strings and drums. The scents of cooking filled the air—not all of them delicious to her untutored Earth nose—and more lights were on, casting a bright, cheerful glow across the stalls.
Her group moved through the crowd quickly, ignoring the sights and sounds, and soon were heading down darker tunnels. Here, there was no music or bright lights.
“The area where the Srinar were spotted is down a few levels.” Galen led them down a ramp.
A number of shady characters were hanging around, interspersed with kids in ragged clothes, and older people sitting on battered stools, and Rory noticed their group was being carefully watched. She scanned the shadows, hoping to see Hilea, but there was no sign of the woman.
Soon, they reached an empty tunnel that finished at a dead end, with a single metal door. This far underground, Rory could no longer hear any sounds from the markets.
Galen nodded to Thorin, and the big gladiator moved forward. With a shove of his large shoulder, the door burst open.
They moved into a large room. It had a vaulted ceiling, and the place was filled with car-sized pieces of equipment. Most of the machines hummed loudly, and a few made clanking sounds. Rory moved closer, her interest piqued. They looked like generators. She followed the black cables running from the appliances up to the ceiling. She started to make her way around the closest machine, and felt something sticky under her feet. Some sort of black substance was leaking from the closest generator. The stuff was dark and viscous like oil.
“These power units provide power to the markets, and to the houses of the people who live down here,” Raiden said.
At any other time, Rory would have been interested in studying the technology. She felt that familiar itch to pull something apart and see what made it tick.
But that wasn’t why they were here.
They kept moving, and eventually reached the back of the large room. She saw some stacks of old and rusty equipment, and some large wooden crates.
There were no doorways or stairwells leading to secret underground fight rings.
She resisted the urge to kick something. “There’s nothing here.”
The gladiators spread out, looking around. Kace’s face was impassive, but she could tell he was frustrated. He was controlled, but after studying him so much, she’d learned to read the tiny signs he gave off.
Suddenly, as one, the gladiators stiffened and moved back toward her.
She glanced at Harper, who was holding her swords at the ready. Her friend shrugged, her gaze watchful.
“What’s wrong?” Rory looked around, a bad feeling growing in her belly.
“I smell Thraxians,” Thorin growled, lifting his axe.
Raiden nodded, drawing his sword. “I can sense a foul ess
ence.”
Suddenly, the walls shimmered. Huge demonic-looking Thraxians pulled away from the walls, hidden by some sort of camouflage technology.
Shouts filled the space.
“Get back!” Kace shoved Rory backward, toward Harper. Her friend lifted her swords and the two of them moved back toward a large generator. The House of Galen gladiators rushed forward.
Swords smashed against swords. Axes hit staffs.
This wasn’t like a fight in the arena. As Kace wielded his staff and the others swung their weapons, she saw that this fight wasn’t fancy or flashy. This was hard, economical fighting. And Kace was good at it.
She watched him take down two Thraxians in swift succession, the huge, horned aliens falling to the floor. Beside him, Saff covered another Thraxian in a net, and slid her sword into the alien’s shoulder. He slumped back onto the floor with a shout.
And that’s when Rory saw a hole open up in the floor. The Thraxian screamed as he fell into the black space, and then the stone closed back up behind him.
“Watch out!” she screamed.
Kace heard her, and turned. He spotted a hole as it opened up right under his feet. He leaped out of the way, just in time.
But more trapdoors were opening. As she and Harper moved closer to the generator, Rory saw one hole open up close by. She glanced down. She wasn’t exactly sure what their purpose was, but they looked like they were part of some sort of drainage system.
“Edge to the left,” Harper said. Her gaze remained locked straight ahead, watching as Raiden fought viciously with a large Thraxian.
Nearby, Thorin let out a roar and slammed his axe at an opponent. It sliced into the Thraxian’s shoulder and hit the wall, rock splintering.
Suddenly, an alien charged at Harper and Rory, his eyes glowing a deranged orange-gold.
Rory lifted her staff, ready to fight. Harper leaped forward, her swords whirling. They hit the Thraxian’s axe, and the two of them spun away in a lethal dance. The Thraxian towered over Harper, but her friend’s face was hard and set, her skill with the swords obvious, as she battled the alien.
The Thraxian slammed a powerful blow against Harper’s sword and Harper cried out, struggling to block the hit. Rory took another step away from the generator, waiting for the chance to jump in and help her friend.
