by Anna Hackett
“Vek.”
He jumped again, leaping over several more rows. When they landed, she banged her hip and cried out.
“Stop,” Raiden called out. “You’re hurting her.”
Mia lifted her head. She saw Raiden, Thorin, and Galen rushing at them. Oh, no. This wouldn’t end well. “Wait!”
Vek spun to face the oncoming attack and shoved Mia out of his way. She stumbled back, teetering on the edge of the stairs. Dammit.
She lost her balance, and then she was falling.
As she tumbled down the steps, bright sparks of pain burst inside her. Her hip, her side, her chest.
Something in her chest cracked, the pain stealing her breath, and behind her she could hear shouts.
Finally, she came to a stop and landed in a crumpled pile at the bottom of the stairs. From where she lay, she saw the empty sand of the arena floor through the railings. She tried to lift her head, but she couldn’t move. Everything hurt. She managed to move her eyes and had a sideways view of the gladiators shooting Vek with the sedative.
She watched him throw his head back and roar. The horrible, pained sound echoed out across the arena.
Vek. Darkness and pain swallowed her.
Vek woke, his head throbbing and his mouth dry. He shifted and heard the clank of chains.
Fear shot through him. Was he back in the fight rings? They’d often chained him and left him for days.
“Stay calm, and I’ll take the chain off.”
Vek lifted his head and saw one of his wrists was chained to the wall of his cell. Galen leaned against the far wall.
“What…happened?” Vek’s voice was croaky.
“You were attacked.”
His head was filled with hazy memories that he couldn’t piece together. All he remembered were the out-of-control emotions. Rage. Anger. The need to fight and kill. He had fought…men in green armor.
Then he remembered the feel of soft lips on his. His first kiss.
Mia.
Vek surged up, the chain clanking. “Mia was with me.”
Galen walked over and calmly unshackled him.
Vek growled at the imperator. “Where is she?”
“In Medical.”
An icy chill swept through Vek. “I’ll kill them all over again. What did they do to her?”
A strange, almost reluctant look crossed Galen’s face. “They injected you with something. It made you lose control.”
Vek froze, his chest locking. He remembered a fuzzy image of Mia tumbling down the arena stairs.
And he’d been the one who’d shoved her.
“Is she…”
“She’s fine, Vek. A few bumps and bruises, and some broken ribs.”
Broken ribs. He’d broken her bones. Him.
He was a monster.
Vek threw his head back and let out a howl of anguish.
Mia slowly shook off sleep and opened her eyes. She was floating in goo.
She wrinkled her nose, swirling her fingers in the blue ooze. It was the goop they had in the regen tanks in Medical. She rubbed the sticky stuff between her fingers.
“Hey, there.” Winter appeared beside her. One of her eyes was a brilliant blue, while the other one was covered in a film of white. Her eyes had been damaged by the Thraxians and their experiments, but she now had full vision back in one eye. The doctor leaned over, checking a readout on the side of the tank. “All healed. You can get out now.”
Mia gripped Winter’s hand, and let the other woman help her out. Her muscles shook as she climbed over the edge. Winter held out a robe and Mia pulled it around her naked body.
“What happened?” she asked. “I can’t remember anything.”
“You were attacked.” Winter’s face turned serious.
Mia touched her temple, trying to remember.
The doors to Medical whooshed open, and her friends appeared. She was engulfed in hugs from Madeline, Rory, and Harper. Only Regan was missing.
“I’m fine,” she told them.
“You had two broken ribs,” Winter said. “But they’re all healed now.”
“Who attacked me?”
The women traded looks. Mia’s heart thumped in her chest. What did that mean?
“Unknown assailants attacked you while you were sitting in the empty arena,” Harper said. “They killed the guards Galen had sent with you.”
Arena. Moonlight. Kiss. Vek.
“Vek! They injected him with something. Where is he?” Her tone turned frantic, and she scanned the room, trying to find something to wear.
“He’s back in his cell,” Harper said steadily.
“They attacked us,” Mia said. Where were her clothes? “They went straight for him, and injected him with something. It’s his worst nightmare being out of control like that.”
“Mia.” Harper pressed her hands to Mia’s shoulders. “Vek shoved you aside, and you fell—”
“It’s not his fault. Clothes. I need clothes.” She sent Winter an imploring look.
The doctor nodded and crossed the room to a line of cabinets. She returned with some soft, loose-fitting clothes. Mia dumped the robe, uncaring that the women would see her naked. She yanked the clothes on. She had to get to Vek.
“Was it the Srinar?” Mia asked. “Did they use the same drugs on him as in the fight rings?”
Harper shook her head. “They weren’t Srinar. We don’t know who they were. After Galen, Raiden, and the others contained Vek and got you to Medical, the bodies of the attackers had disappeared.”
“Regan took samples of the toxin from Vek,” Madeline said.
Mia stilled. “Toxin?”
Rory nodded. “It wasn’t a drug. It’s some plant-based toxin. Regan’s locked in her lab now, trying to work out what it is.”
“I need to see Vek.” Mia tucked her shirt into the trousers.
“I’ll come with you,” Harper said.
Mia shook her head. “Vek would never hurt me, Harper.” She scanned them all. “Even under the influence of that drug, he didn’t hurt me, except by accident. We freed him, yet we keep him in a cell, keep sedatives to drug him, and watch him like a wild beast that might turn on us. I will not treat him like that.”
She stepped forward and the women parted. Mia hurried out of Medical. She raced down the hall, feeling a little lightheaded, but she pushed through it.
She raced down the steps and reached the cells.
But as she neared Vek’s cell, the two guards stepped in front of her and blocked her way.
“I need to see him,” she told them.
“It’s not a good time,” the female guard said.
Mia raised her voice. “I don’t care if he’s angry. I need to see him.”
The male guard rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t let you.”
Mia was done playing around and shoved against them. They didn’t budge. “Why?”
“He doesn’t want to see you,” the woman said.
The words were like an arrow to Mia’s heart. She took a step back. “What?” She looked toward the cell. From where she stood, she couldn’t quite see inside. “Vek? It’s Mia.”
Silence.
The male guard leaned back, looking through the bars. Whatever he saw made him shake his head at her.
Mia pressed her lips together.
“It wasn’t your fault, Vek. I’m okay.” She sucked in a breath. “Can I come in?”
The guard looked once more, his mouth tightening. Mia saw pity in his eyes when he shook his head at her again.
Mia wrapped her arms around herself. Vek had never refused to see her. Ever. Not sure what to do next, she turned and made herself walk away.
Chapter Six
Vek sat in his cell, staring at the floor. He’d been doing it for hours. He’d spent a sleepless night staring at the ceiling, so today he was planning to stare at the floor. He already knew every crack, mark, and joint.
As he’d lain on his bunk during the night, all he’d seen in his h
ead were images of Mia’s body falling. Over and over.
Every time he’d drifted off, it had morphed into images of her twisted, lifeless body on the arena sand, her blood pumping out of her.
His teeth clicked together and his jaw clenched tight. He deserved to wallow in his guilt. He’d hurt the one person who he wanted to protect.
He heard voices outside his cell. A female’s voice. He cocked his head. It was Rory. He heard the rumble of the guards’ voices, and seconds later, footsteps.
There was silence, and then movement at the bars. The cell door clicked open.
He smelled her before he saw her, his body flaring to life. Mia.
Vek’s heart thumped in his chest. She looked as she always did—pretty face, slim body. She was wearing a simple slip of a dress in a shade of blue that matched her eyes, and left a lot of her slim legs bare. But she had her hands balled on her hips and a determined look etched on her face.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he growled.
“Come on,” she said. “You’re coming with me.”
He shook his head. “It’s safer if I’m locked up. Safer for everybody. Safer for you.”
She stomped over to him and Vek rose to his feet.
She poked him in the chest. “They drugged you. With some unknown poison. Regan’s trying to work out what, but you’re not superhuman, Vek.” She frowned. “Or superalien. Or whatever. If I’d been pumped full of that toxin, I would have reacted the same way. Would you have held it against me if I’d hurt you?”
He just stared at her. “Why aren’t you looking at me like I’m a monster?”
“Because you’re not.” She reached up, her hand stroking his beard-covered jaw. “From the first moment you saw me, all you’ve done is stand in front of me and been my shield. You’re a protector, Vek, not a monster.” She stroked his beard. “It’s time to stop hiding and pretending that you are one.”
Warmth flooded Vek’s chest. He recognized the sensation as hope. Something he hadn’t felt in such a long time. Something he’d thought had been stomped out of him in the fight rings. But this small woman gave it back to him.
“My mother works as a human-rights attorney. She helps people who’ve had their rights abused, or denied to them. The basic things all of us deserve. She told me that some of them punish themselves, believing they don’t deserve the simplest kindness. Sometimes, they do things to sabotage themselves.”
He watched her steadily, emotions churning inside him.
“Don’t sabotage yourself, Vek.” She held her hand out to him, palm up. “Come with me.”
He didn’t hesitate. He put his hand in hers, and she tugged him out of the cell.
He studied the empty corridor. “Where are the guards?”
“Rory helped me. She may have insinuated the baby was coming.”
Vek shook his head. These women of Earth could be devious when it suited them.
He followed Mia, as she led him up the steps and through the twists and turns of the House of Galen. They didn’t exit the House, but she led him into an area he’d never been to before, up more and more stairs that curved around and around.
Then they stepped out onto a rooftop.
It was sunny, and for a second he absorbed and savored the feel of the warmth on his skin. The wind caught his hair and he smelled the desert—hot and sandy. He looked around and saw this small space was a rooftop garden. There were lush plants everywhere. Some in rows, others in pots, and several larger trees and vines, all overgrown. His senses expanded and he instantly wanted to plunge into the dappled shadows.
Mia closed the door behind them.
“What is this place?” he asked.
“Madeline organized the kitchen staff to start this garden. They grow lots of fruit, vegetables, and herbs here. Madeline said something about saving money on fresh food. Isn’t it great? No one comes up here much. I thought you’d like it.”
Because she knew he’d spent most of his life locked deep underground, with no sunshine, no fresh air, no plants.
She led him through some vines, and he spotted a small, clear area set up with some large cushions and a small table.
On the table, he saw an electronic device, a bowl of water, a round mirror, and several metal implements, including a sharp blade.
“Sit.” She nudged him down on the pillows. Then she touched the device and music filled the air. It was the throaty sound of a woman singing. “This is an Earth singer called Adele.” Mia moved back to him, her hips shimmying a little to the beat.
Vek leaned back and listened, but his gaze was on Mia’s hips.
“Do you like it?”
He blinked. “What?”
“The music.” She started singing, adding her voice to the song.
He could see how much she loved the music. Her face lit up when she sang, her eyes glowed. “I like it when you sing.”
She smiled at him, then reached out and touched the long strands of his black hair. “This really needs a trim.”
She’d mentioned before that she wanted to cut his hair.
“I want to see the man underneath this, Vek. Let others see him, too. Let yourself see him.”
Was he really hiding behind his hair? Maybe. “I would do anything for you, Mia.”
She knelt on the cushion beside him. “I want you to do it for yourself.” A small smile. “Although I did have some whisker burn on my jaw this morning.”
Their kiss. In all the upheaval after the attack, he hadn’t let himself think of that perfect moment of pleasure.
“I marked your skin?” He reached out and stroked her smooth jaw, finding a small, faint patch of redness on it. Unacceptable. “Cut my hair, Mia.”
She rubbed her hands together. “You won’t regret it.” She twisted some fabric around his shoulders and then started wetting his hair. “I was a barber for a few months, once,” she said. “So, don’t worry. It was one of my many careers.”
She set to work cutting his hair. Snip. Snip. Snip.
“Why did you have so many careers? Couldn’t you find one you liked?” he asked.
“Partly. My family…they are all very smart and very driven. All overachievers. I always felt…inadequate.”
He moved his head slightly to try and look at her. “Mia, you’re very smart.”
She straightened his head again. “Thanks, babe.”
He frowned at her. “I’m full-grown, not a babe.”
She smiled. “It’s an endearment, Vek.”
He frowned. No one had ever called him by an endearment before. A swirl of warmth flickered through his chest. She kept cutting and snipping.
“My family loves me,” she continued, “and I love them all like crazy, but I guess I felt left out. I always sensed this quiet frustration from them, because I wasn’t achieving my potential.”
“You changed your work so much so you would never succeed and never fail.”
She paused. “Damn, I think you’re right. That’s pretty perceptive.”
“I think you are smart, Mia, but you have many other admirable qualities. Kindness, compassion, determination. And the way you sing…the emotion in it. It is extraordinary.”
A beautiful smile broke over her face. “You make me sound kinda special.”
“I did not see those qualities much before I met you. Nor did I ever hear music like yours.”
Her hands stroked through his shortened hair. “Thanks.” Her voice came out husky, then she cleared her throat. “Okay, time for the beard now.”
She stepped right in front of him, trimmed his beard a little, then grabbed a pot filled with a white substance. As she rubbed it between her hands, it started to foam.
“Regan assures me this is what passes for shaving cream on Carthago.” She rubbed it over his face, then started scraping at his beard with the blade.
But his attention was soon diverted, since her breasts were right at his eye level. He swallowed. They were small, but perfectly formed. Just like Mia.
Desire rose in him and he tried to clamp down on it. But she was so close, her sweet scent working into his senses, and something wild in him twisted. It wanted more.
It wasn’t like the rage, it was something else.
Finally, she put the blade down, and gently wiped his jaw with a small towel. “Finished.” Her voice was husky as she stepped back. She stared at his face for a long moment, and then she reached out and ran a hand over his freshly-shaven skin. He liked her touch and turned his face into her hand.
“Wow. I cannot believe what you were hiding under there.” She held the mirror up.
Vek stared at the unfamiliar face.
“You’re handsome, Vek. So damn handsome. Strong jaw, gorgeous lips, a little cleft in your chin.” She shot him a faint smile. “I’m going to have to fight to keep the women off you.”
As she moved to set the mirror down, he grabbed her wrist. “There is only one woman who stirs me.”
She looked up, their gazes locking. Then her eyes drifted down to his mouth. “Vek.” A husky murmur.
He pulled her closer. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing, but he decided to follow his instincts. And right now, they were screaming at him to touch her, claim her. That Mia was his.
He tugged her onto his lap and kissed her.
She moaned, cupping his now-bare cheeks. She rubbed her body against him and the warm center of her pressed against one of his thighs.
Her dress had ridden up. Giving into the urge, he ran a hand up one of her slim legs. “Mia.”
“Do you like touching me?”
He nodded. Her hand covered his, her nails raking up his arm. He shivered.
“Do you like when I touch you?”
He nodded again. “Yes.”
“You’re so hard, and your skin is so hot.” She drew circles on his bicep. “Enjoy the pleasure, Vek.” She sounded breathless. “Whatever you want, take it.”
Following the urge driving him, he spun and pressed her down on the pillows. He covered her, a primitive part of him loving having his big body caging hers. He moved down to press a kiss to one slim ankle. Then he started peppering kisses up her leg. So soft, so beautiful. He took his time, relishing every part of her. He stopped to toy with the smooth skin behind her knee, and she made a husky cry.
