Challenging the Arena

by Lily Thomas

  “What is this man to you?” His onyx eyes searched hers for answers.

  If she didn’t have to think of Connor’s safety she might laugh because this handsome man was worried he might need to be jealous. “He is my co-worker who was helping me write my articles about the arena. I’m the reason he was taken and we have to make sure he makes it out of this alive. It’s my fault he’s here.”

  “I will do my best, but I can’t make any promises. I can’t predict what will happen in the arena.”

  She nodded and let go of his hand. He’d do his best and that was all she asked of him. She pulled her dagger out from her waistband and readied herself for the fight to begin.

  Chapter 9

  Raever didn’t know if he was going to be able to save this other human, Connor. He was all the way across the arena and anything could happen by the time Raever would be able to get them both over there safely, but he would do his best.

  He pulled out his sword and readied himself for the battle to begin.

  “Today we have a full arena filled to the brim with amazing fighters. This is bound to be a good fight for all of you to watch!” The Friren announcer informed the crowd.

  Raever rolled his eyes. The only fighter here worth any praise was himself. He was already done with assessing all the other opponents in here and he wasn’t too worried about any of them.

  “Let the battle begin!” A horn blew and every fighter threw themselves at each other.

  A Dekkarian hurled himself at Raever and he kept himself between the alien and his mate. He didn’t want anything to happen to her. She might want him to save this other human man, but he wouldn’t sacrifice her life to save Connor. She came first.

  The Dekkarian met every strike of his sword with one of his own, and it was beginning to piss him off. He didn’t have time for someone like this. He needed everyone to roll over and die because he had a mate to protect.

  Before the Dekkarian could even blink, Raever threw the full force of his weight into his sword forcing the Dekkarian off balance, then he dropped his sword and tackled the alien to the ground. Using his claws, he scraped them across the alien’s neck ending his life with a spurt of blood as he tore through arteries.

  He heard Evelyn suck in a breath behind him and glanced back to find her averting her gaze. He loved her, but he didn’t have time to be delicate. This was life and death and he planned on them both being alive when this battle ended.

  Rising up he grabbed his sword and took on the next alien nearby. Then the next. He used a mixture of his sword and hand to hand combat to overcome his enemies.

  Slowly, the opposition was widdled away until there were only a few opponents left and Evelyn hadn’t been dragged into any of the fighting which pleased him beyond measure.

  “Connor!” He watched her wave at her co-worker out of the corner of his eye as he met another opponent in battle. She was staying near him, but he was worried she might do something stupid like run towards her co-worker.

  Connor glanced up and looked at her. A smile spread over his face for the briefest of seconds and she waved at him.

  “We’re coming to save you!” She hollered at the top of her lungs. There were several warriors between them and Connor.

  The alien woman beside him was locked in battle with another alien.

  “Come to us!” She hollered, because she knew if she went to Connor, Raever would tie her up and never let her leave his side. Not to mention how pissed he would be with her for being so dimwitted.

  Connor shook his head and held up a couple tied hands that were attached to the alien woman’s waist by rope.

  Wow.

  “Okay, we’ll come for you soon!” She turned her attention back to Raever. He finished off the alien with a sword strike to the man’s stomach. “We have to get over to Connor. Now is our time. I fear for his safety. He’s been tied up and can’t defend himself if someone goes after him.”

  Raever nodded and then froze as he looked over her shoulder.

  “What is it?” She pivoted on her heel just in time to see Connor go down with a spear sticking through him like a kabab. His alien had been defeated and then the winner had turned his attention to Connor.

  “Avert your eyes, Evelyn!”

  She did as she was commanded. Raever strode over to kill the last alien, the same one that had speared Connor through the back. It was brief her glimpse of him, but she’d seen enough. Connor had no hope of living through that.

  Raever stroked her hair, his black claws running over her forehead and down her face in soft caresses as he tried to comfort her.

  “I’m not really in the mood right now.” Evelyn wanted to make sure he was aware that she wouldn’t be in the mood for any love making.

  “That’s fine. I assumed you wouldn’t be. I’m sorry I didn’t succeed in saving your co-worker.” She could hear the anguish in his voice. He thought he’d let her down.

  “I’d be lying if I said I’m disappointed we didn’t get to him in time, but it wasn’t your fault. The odds on him surviving the arena weren’t in his favor.” She placed a hand on his chest, feeling the steady heart beat under there. “Like you said earlier, you aren’t even sure a fighter can have two prizes in the arena. And even if the Frirens let you have two prizes, they might’ve made you choose between us when you won your freedom.”

  “I would choose you.”

  She laughed. “That’s where the show would come in, because I would’ve wanted you to choose Connor.” She turned over in the bed and snuggled her back into his warm blue chest. “Not that it matters anymore. Connor’s dead.”

  “The Frirens love a good show.” Raever growled in frustration. “It might be the reason they put you both in the same arena. They wanted one of you to die in front of the other.”

  “Maybe they were trying to get back at us for writing such a bad article about the arena.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past them.” His fingers ran over her back in fond caresses.

  “Sounds like them to me.” A voice said from across the room.

  “Shut up, Demard and stop listening in to our conversations!” Raever barked over his shoulder.

  Evelyn smiled, it was brief, but for one split second she’d forgotten her misery. Demard had that effect with his playful attitude and child-like grumping.

  “Now I have two reasons to bring the Frirens down. My sister and Connor.”

  He pressed her close to his chest as his chin rested on the top of her head. “I will join you in your endeavor to bring them down.”

  “How will you help?” Evelyn wasn’t one to judge, but she figured he might not be as good with words as she was.

  “I’ll figure out a way to help you with your goal, because I would love to see the Frirens be put out of business once and for all. The arenas are terrible places, and they need to be ended.” He sounded just as passionate as herself when she spoke about bringing down the arena and she smiled some more.

  With an angry Vrak’rir on her side she figured she could actually accomplish her goal.

  Raever pulled her close. He wished her could pull her close enough that they’d become one. A human had never been his ideal in a mate, but he’d found out she had her own strengths. She was determined to bring down the Frirens, so much so that she’d ended up here in the arena. She may not be a fighter, but she was using her words like a sword, and that could be just as deadly to the Frirens. It made him proud to call her his mate.

  What she was doing to try and save others was just as dangerous as being in the arena and he had to give her props for that.

  He closed his eyes and prayed for a good outcome. He was about to win his freedom, yet he wasn’t sure he’d be able to bring his mate with him when he left and it tore his heart into two.

  Raever would think on the matter later. He just hated being so powerless! His hands curled into fists, but he’d make sure she made it out of the arena alive. Without his mate, his life would have no meaning again.<
br />
  “This should be your last battle, friend.” Demard smiled sadly. “Maybe one day I’ll join you out there.” He pointed up at the ceiling.

  “Unless the Frirens have a surprise for me.” Raever growled.

  Demard cocked his head to the side.

  “If they do let me go,” he gulped, “I fear they won’t let me take her with me.” His heart felt like it was going to tear itself out of his chest.

  Demard nodded in understanding. “I’ve overheard some snippets from your conversations with her and I’m afraid you’re right.” He glanced down at his feet then back up at Raever. “What would you rather do? Be stuck in the arena with your mate for life hoping you both aren’t killed or taking your freedom and coming back to save her for good?”

  Raever snorted. “It could take me weeks, maybe months to get a force together that’s large enough to take out the Friren forces. She’d be in here alone.” He shuddered. “Things could happen to her.”

  Demard held an azure hand to his heart. “I will defend her while you’re gone. I promise to give my life for her, if need be.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not sure I feel comfortable leaving my mate’s well-being in anyone else’s hand other than my own.” It would go against everything his instinct was screaming at him.

  “No insult taken but think about it. Maybe you could speak to Evelyn about you leaving and coming back to rescue her and get her take on the subject.”

  Raever shook his head firmly. “No. I know what she’d want.” She’d want him to take his freedom and never look back. She was that kind of person, stupid, foolish, and completely selfless. He was beginning to see her strengths were more than his own. He had brute force and she had an all-encompassing love for people she didn’t know but still fought for because she knew it was the right thing to do.

  He could learn a thing or two from her.

  “Are you two ready?” Evelyn walked around the corner with a new spear she’d picked out, since she’d lost hers to the beast’s leg.

  He took her in and smiled. “I am, but Demard will not be joining us for this fight.” This last fight. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her. He’d told her it was coming and he was close, but he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her.

  “Then let’s get going. The sooner this fight is over the better in my opinion.” She shivered. “If I ever get out of here, I’m going to have a lot to write about and I’m hoping my readers will be enthralled by the fact that I was actually in the arena. It could give me more credit.” She smiled full of confidence that her work would do some good in the universe.

  His heart wrenched in his chest, but he sent her a smile. “I’m sure it will do nothing but help you with your writing.”

  He guided her over to the gate. It would be a normal arena fight with several warriors facing each other. No problem.

  Chapter 10

  Evelyn’s heart thundered in her chest cancelling out the noise of all the cheering of the crowd. All around them dead bodies littered the ground. She and Raever were the last two standing but there’d been a close call during one fight when Raever had been teamed up on and she’d nearly been killed.

  She may have hated him a tad for his warrior abilities, but she’d come to appreciate those abilities, especially when she’d had a sword slicing through the air towards her head and he’d been the one to save her life.

  “Are you doing okay?” Raever stepped into her field of vision and met her eyes.

  She saw the calm there in his onyx depths and let it soothe her racing heart. “Yeah.”

  He wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her into his side and she didn’t cringe away even though he was covered in all sorts of crap that she didn’t want to think too hard about.

  “Well,” the Friren speaker began, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think that was quite an exhilarating fight to watch.”

  The crowd quieted down so they could hear what he had to say.

  “As I’m sure many in the crowd have worked out, this is the Vrak’rir’s last battle and he won!”

  The crowd cheered in excitement over his success.

  “He has now won his freedom and here comes his ship now.” The Friren speaker pointed to the sky.

  Raising a hand to her forehead Evelyn turned to look up at the blue sky above them. The sun caught on the metal plating of the shuttle glinting in the sunlight causing it to look like a falling star, then it entered the shadow of the arena and became dull metal once more.

  The shuttle landed, stirring up any lose material on the ground and Evelyn covered her face with a hand so none of the dust went into her nose or eyes. Once everything settled she took her hand down to see armed Friren guards marching out of the shuttle their weapons trailed on both of them.

  “You are free to leave Vrak’rir.”

  Raever grasped her hand in his, his grip almost painful as he pulled her alongside him. He made a B-line for the shuttle his pace hurried.

  “You are not permitted to take the prize though.” The Friren speaker stated calmly like he wasn’t about to cause a lot of heartache.

  A hush fell over the crowd as the armed guards charged their plasma pistols and pointed them directly at them.

  They both froze.

  He might be a Vrak’rir who could defeat an arena full of warriors, but there was nothing he would be able to do against several plasma pistols aimed at him. He had no armor to protect him.

  Evelyn cleared her throat. “Go on without me. It’s fine.” Her heart lurched. It wasn’t like she needed him to stay alive… yeah right… she was doomed now.

  Raever turned and grasped her head in his hands before planting the best heart wrenching kiss on her lips. Then he turned and boarded the shuttle. The crowd didn’t move or utter a single noise as the ship door shut behind him and the engines roared to life. They too appeared stunned by what they just witnessed.

  She held a hand up to her face as sand particles flew through the air stinging her hands. When it settled she removed her hand to see the shuttle flying away, high in the sky. She couldn’t even describe how she felt. Good because she knew he would be alive but overwhelmed because now she was alone in here.

  “You can return to your barracks.” The Friren speaker spoke coldly and she got the feeling he was basically telling her to get the hell out.

  Her throat felt like it was closing up and everything was falling in around her. Slowly she turned to walk back to the barracks.

  “They let him go?” Demard met her at the gate and guided her into their barracks.

  “Yes, but they obviously didn’t let me go.” Evelyn felt miserable.

  “You’re his mate, he’ll turn the universe up on its head to get you back in his arms.” His hand came up to give her shoulder a small squeeze in reassurance.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” She muttered.

  Demard shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

  “He could get himself killed. I’m already a goner without him here to protect me. There’s no need to get both of us killed by returning for me.” She threw her hands up in the air in frustration. She needed to keep her mind off of crying because this situation was dangerous and her probability of surviving kept getting smaller.

  “I promised to keep you safe before he left for this last arena fight.”

  She smiled over at Demard. “You’re a nice guy, and very good in the arena, but can you guarantee there won’t be a fighter better than you? Even if Raever had remained here with me, there was the chance a better opponent would have come along and killed him.” She shrugged. “There are no guarantees in the arena.” And the sooner she faced that the better.

  “Raever will be back and he won’t die in the process.” Demard reassured her as they made their way back to their room.

  Once there she sat on the bed she’d shared with Raever and ran a hand over the covers and prayed he wouldn’t come back for her. He could still carry out gettin
g her story across.

  She should’ve thought of that before he left!

  She groaned inwardly. She should’ve told him to go to her boss. Then Janet could’ve made this a story, something for people to get behind.

  Her hands curled into fists on her lap. She wanted a non-violent way of ending this, but if the Frirens were going to be stubborn she’d rain hell down on them.

  “They’d better pray I never get out! I’m sick and tired of all this useless killing!”

  Demard raised an eyebrow from where he sat and scooted away from her a little.

  Good. She should start scaring people because there was a slow rage building inside her.

  Nothing but dead ends. Raever was doing his best to reach out to any of his contacts, but they were either too far away or in prison. He’d been in the arena for too long and now the universe was different. His place in the universe was different.

  He wanted to drown his sorrows in some Andorra whiskey, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch it. Boozing himself into a sorry state wouldn’t do anything to help free Evelyn. What he needed was for one of his more powerful friends to reach out to him. He’d lost everything he’d owned while in the arena.

  He slammed a fist down on the console before him. The Frirens had given him a shuttle without weapons, and it was the only thing to his name. It was useless to him. It had nothing that would help him to save Evelyn.

  Oh, sweet Evelyn. He could see her in his mind just as clearly as though she was standing in front of him. Those sea green eyes framed by her soft brunette hair. He had to get her out of the arena. She was a sweet woman with a pure soul and he didn’t want the blood and brutality of the arena to taint her.

  Rising from his seat he made his way into a back room on the shuttle to grab something to eat. He couldn’t think on an empty stomach.

  A console from the cockpit began beeping frantically. Dropping his meal, he darted over to his seat and sat down. A ship was dropping out of sub-space.