by Zara Starr
Mal started punching the dummy he had been working over. After he had completed his strength training, he had started with the dummy and he had punched the poor thing over and over again. It was starting to become loose at the hinges, and the strong material was ripping.
But Mal had a lot of resignation to work out, and it was better than taking it out on another living creature.
The problem with him winning the fight was that Tanya would belong to his Master. She would be right there, within reach, and Mal wouldn’t be able to touch her. That would be torture, he knew. It would be worse than knowing that she belonged to someone else. To know that Slinin was doing to her what they had done in Mal’s room… The thought made him blind with rage.
He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t allow Tanya to go to his Master. He couldn’t win this fight.
Mal would never have thought that he would consider this, he had never thought that losing a fight would be an option. But for the first time, this wasn’t about winning. It was about doing the right thing.
Even if it meant that he would never see Tanya again. Even if it meant that she wouldn’t belong to him, that she would be with another man.
Anything was better than having her belong to his Master. Because even though Slinin had been kind to Mal so far, he didn’t think that his Master would be like that toward the woman he owned.
Mal shivered just thinking about Tanya having to spend a night with his Master. No, he couldn’t allow that. It would be better if she went to the Qai.
Mal didn’t know Gage personally. But from what he had heard of the fighter, he knew that he would be better for Tanya than Slinin would. Because Slinin had a reputation too. Mal had heard of him before he had been acquired by the Saithin Master.
And his reputation has been accurate. The rumors were usually true enough, at least to a point. And if that was the case, then Gage would definitely be better than Slinin.
Mal couldn’t believe he was considering this. Neither of those creatures would be better for Tanya than he would, of course. But that was never going to happen – win or lose, he was never going to have her to himself. So, he had to be the bigger man and take the next step. He had to do what needed to be done.
Normally, Mal would have been glad to get a chance to knock down an arrogant asshole like Gage. But this time, he would have to do things differently. He couldn’t bring himself to beat the warrior. Because the more he thought about it, the more he knew what he had to do.
Mal had to throw the fight so that his Master didn’t win Tanya.
It was absurd, of course. Throwing a fight? That could cost him his life. Losing when his Master had so much riding on the win? That could get him a beating or two. And there was still the possibility that he would be killed in the fight – losing often meant dying anyway.
Still, it was much better than the other option – that his Master would have Tanya to himself. That was the worst-case scenario and Mal couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t. He would do what he had to do.
Finally, Mal was so tired of beating the dummy up that he was panting and heaving. His arms felt like lead, he couldn’t lift them without a grimace. His shoulders were numb and sweat dripped down his bare skin.
He had trained until he had depleted his energy sources completely. It was probably a dumb idea to do it that way – he needed his strength for the fight tomorrow. But maybe it wasn’t a bad thing since he wanted to lose on purpose.
He didn’t want to do so badly that he got killed. There was a chance that he wouldn’t walk out of the arena tomorrow. But at least, if he was tired and weak, it would seem realistic that he didn’t win. Maybe his Master would think it was just too much for him and Mal wouldn’t be punished.
That was a far stretch though. But whatever happened, Mal had made up his mind.
He walked out of the gym and headed toward the communal showers where he turned on the hot water. He was alone yet again. He often was. He felt the hot water run over his skin, washing off the sweat and grime of his training. He wished that the water would wash away the uneasy feeling in his gut, the tension in his shoulders, the nerves at the pit of his stomach that wouldn’t let go, bunched up like a lot.
This was going to take some effort, he knew. It was going to be difficult. He was going to have to plan it right so that he would not be killed in a fight.
There were no two ways about it. Mal was going to throw the fight, and he was going to try to make it look like he had just been outdone. Even though he barely lost. Even though he hated it.
Because there were more important things than winning now.
He had realized during the past couple of days that there were a lot of things that were more important than the shielded life he lived. All that had existed to him was fighting, winning, surviving. It was all he had known. Until Tanya had come along.
Now, he wanted more. He wanted a life that was bigger, fuller. He wanted a life that meant something.
It was all because of that human female.
She didn’t change his mind by telling him about the life he could not have. It was just because he was furious that he would never have her.
If he had been free, he would have been able to take her as his own.
And that was what had changed everything for him.
Being a slave had never bothered him before. It was all that Mal knew. But now? Now it was going to be difficult to carry on as usual. Because now he wanted more. He resented his captivity, he hated the fact that he had a Master and that his life did not belong to himself.
Suddenly, what he had always known, what he had always been proud of, just wasn’t what he wanted anymore.
But he had to live with it. Because what were the alternatives? Escape? Tanya seemed to think that it was a possibility. But Mal knew better. Escape wasn’t possible. The Saithin technology was so advanced, it didn’t matter what you did or where you went. If they wanted to find you, they would.
The punishment for escape was awful. It was a miracle that Tanya hadn’t been hurt until now.
Of course, that was because she was a grand prize.
Mal stood underneath the hot water until it ran cold. Finally, he switched off the water and toweled himself off. He pulled on clothes and dried his hair a little.
Finally, he shuffled back to his room. His body felt heavy. He had pushed far too hard during training.
He collapsed on the cot and stared at the naked ceiling.
God, there were so many memories on the cot. Memories of Tanya’s body, pale and creamy against his blue skin – perfect. So small. Mal could have crushed her with one hand if he wanted to. So delicate.
But she was so strong too. Something about her strength was mesmerizing. She had been so attractive, Mal hadn’t been able to contain himself. And he hadn’t. She had allowed him to let go. She had guided him into doing something he had never done before.
It was then, he realized. When she had been on top of him, riding, curling with pleasure, his cock buried inside of her, that he had realized he wanted more. He wanted to feel that kind of ecstasy again, he wanted to be connected to her like that again.
That was what had made him dissatisfied with the life he lived.
He should never have slept with her.
But Mal didn’t regret it. All he regretted was that he didn’t have the capacity to amount to anything more than he was. He was a captive, a slave. A warrior. In the eyes of the Saithin, he was nothing.
For the first time, that pissed him off.
Chapter Sixteen
Tanya
This was it. When Tanya opened her eyes, she knew that everything would change after the fight. It was the day of the final fight in the tournament, where Mal would fight another warrior.
And she would be the grand prize. She would go to whoever won.
The thought made her feel sick to her stomach. Her head ached dully, and she wished that she could finally wake up from this terrible nightmare. It had dragged on
for too long. Surely, none of this could be true?
It all felt so surreal. She had been taken from her house by aliens that looked like praying mantis and she had been transported to another planet. Not another city or a country. Planet. And here she was being paraded around as if she was a sex object that could be won in a fight – as if she didn’t have a life of her own.
How could they allow something like this? How could this have happened at all?
One of the guards hammered against her door with a fist. At least, she hadn’t had one in her room again. Apparently, the night before she was to belong to someone else, she could get a little privacy. How big of them.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her back and neck were stiff, as if she had been clenching in her sleep.
Maybe she had. After all, she was panicking about what today would hold. If Mal won – which she sincerely hoped he would, otherwise he would die – it would mean that she would belong to that disgusting Saithin creature. The one that had looked at her like she was just an object of pleasure, another trinket to add to his collection.
But if Mal lost, if he was killed in the process, she would go to the other warrior. Whoever that would be. Perhaps the fighter that had come into the prize quarters and hadn’t looked at her at all? Only the two of them had come to see the girls, after all. Maybe it was because they were the contestants in the grand finale.
Well, she would belong to that guy then. He seemed so cold and distant.
But even if he had been the warmest creature on the planet, Tanya would still not have wanted to go to him. She didn’t want to go to anyone. She wasn’t an object, she couldn’t be owned. It was wrong.
The only person she wanted was Mal.
She knew it was bizarre that she felt so strongly about someone she hadn’t spent a lot of time with. But there had been a connection when they had slept together, and that had changed everything for her.
She had never felt so close to any man she had ever dated.
She was given yet another skimpy outfit, and only two minutes to get dressed before the guards came to collect her. She was led to the stage, but no one else was taken with her. None of the other females were there. Because they weren’t the prizes that were up for grabs today.
It was just her.
As she stood in the middle of the stage, her hands on the see-through railing that blocked off the stage, she looked down at the arena. The presenters were talking excitedly and the atmosphere was electric. As the crowd shuffled toward their seats, an excited murmur rose toward Tanya.
Everyone was curious about how this would end, they wanted to know who would take home the prize.
Who would take her home?
Tanya felt a lot of eyes on her. That was how she knew she was the topic of discussion. They all stared at her, and she felt naked.
Might as well have been for how little she was wearing.
The crowd erupted in cheers when Mal and the other warrior stepped out into the arena. It was the fighter that had come to see the females. Gage, he was called. She remembered that now.
She eyed him, trying to compare him to Mal.
This fight seemed almost human. Both of them had humanoid bodies, although they weren’t the same color. They carried themselves like muscular human males, but Tanya knew from experience that they would have other abilities.
The sharp metal insert on Mal’s back was a very sure sign that he was not human.
Tanya couldn’t see anything on Gage that made him seem scary – he just seemed very pale, with milky white skin and white hair. But she was sure that there was something about him that was dangerous too.
The warriors were paraded around the arena for the crowds to look at, and the spectators screamed and cheered.
How was Mal doing? Was he doing okay with all of this? He seemed very composed, sure of himself. It was what had gotten him this far, after all. Because he knew exactly what he was doing, he knew his strengths and limitations and he used them accordingly.
Tanya was sure that he would be the stronger opponent.
But she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to win. She definitely didn’t want him to die, but she didn’t want to belong to his Master.
Being a sex slave to a scary mantis-like creature wasn’t her idea of fun. In fact, it was her idea of a terrible nightmare.
The presenters were talking and Tanya’s bio-enhancer translated the words, but they bounced around the arena with such an echo that she couldn’t hear what was being said anyway.
Not that she cared. The whole thing was ridiculous. Gladiators that didn’t belong to themselves, fighting for prizes they weren’t allowed to keep, prizes who also didn’t belong to themselves. The whole thing was awful.
What was worse, she knew that the fight was broadcasted across the galaxy. How many creatures had tuned in to watch? How many people would see Mal win? And see Tanya go to his Master?
Or if he lost, how many people would see him die?
Tears pricked her eyes and Tanya felt ridiculous that she wanted to cry. But it was all out of her control and she had never felt so helpless in her life.
The fight started. The warriors circled each other. They both crouched, knees bent, hands away from their bodies. This wasn’t a battle with weapons – they were fighting hand to hand. They were about the same size and weight. They didn’t need any extra help. This was all about the warrior with the most skill, the most endurance. This was about who could hold out the longest.
At first, Mal attacked aggressively, dishing out punches and kicks. Gage managed to only deflect half of them, getting a kick on his jaw that looked particularly painful and nearly threw him off balance.
It didn’t seem to faze the warrior. He recovered with lightning speed and attacked Mal, returning the punches, using such speed and strength that Tanya gasped for breath. These fighters were both incredible. If she had watched the fight without being so emotionally invested, without being disgusted about what the fight was based on, she might have been able to appreciate the technique.
But this was so much more personal.
At least Mal was ahead. He seemed on top of things, more controlled than Gage. He just had to keep going like that. He had to keep trying.
Tanya didn’t cry out for him to win. She didn’t chant his name like some of the other spectators did. She didn’t do anything but stand completely still at the barrier to the stage, watching the fight below.
How long would the fight last? How long would she be able to endure this?
Gage attacked again with a quick succession of punches, and this time, Mal didn’t quite dodge one of his shots. He got nicked in the bicep. Despite it only being a punch, Tanya could see that Mal bounced backward, his face twisted in a grimace.
She watched in horror as Gage took the opportunity and landed another shot. This time, right in the face, hitting Mal on the jaw. Mal dropped to the ground, seemingly lifeless for a moment. Despite being so far away, Tanya could see blood spilling out of his mouth.
“Get up!” she shouted, getting involved for the first time. But the roaring crowd swallowed her cries. There was no way that Mal would hear her.
In horror, Tanya watched as Mal tried to get up, but couldn’t. Maybe he was stunned. Had the damage that Gage had inflicted been so much worse than it had looked? Tanya had no idea what kind of strength the two warriors were working with. They may have looked a little human, but they were most definitely alien, and their abilities were. To her.
How long was this going to last? Tanya felt like she stopped breathing. Blood rushed in her ears and she couldn’t hear the roar of the crowd anymore. She tasted her heart in her throat. She gripped the barrier with both hands, so hard that her knuckles turned white.
“Get up, get up, get up,” she muttered to herself, knowing that shouting and calling out wasn’t going to make a difference.
She glanced at his Master on the other side of the arena. He was on his feet, watching the fight with anxious
energy. She couldn’t see an expression on the insect’s face, but she knew that Mal’s Master wasn’t happy.
Mal nearly managed to get back on his feet. But his balance was questionable. Whatever had happened to his arm, it was serious.
He lifted a hand to his mouth, saw the blood on his fingers. Gage waited before he attacked again, almost as if he wanted to give Mal a chance to be a worthy opponent again. It was almost as if he didn’t feel it was a fight unless both of them were on their feet.
Please, Tanya willed, continue to be a good sportsman.
But then, before Mal was on his feet completely, Gage attacked again. He hadn’t waited for Mal to be a worthy opponent again. Tanya realized that he had only given him a false glimmer of hope. Though that, the ending would be that much more dramatic. For the sake of the crowd. It was a point of entertainment.
That was what all of this was, wasn’t it? People getting hurt, dying so that the galaxy could be entertained.
Tanya turned away. She couldn’t look. She couldn’t see how Mal would die. Because she was almost sure that he wouldn’t be spared. Not in the final fight, not when everyone was hanging onto this fight as if their lives depended on it. The crowd was completely hypnotized by the movement in the arena, and to give them what they really wanted, Mal would have to die.
She was sure that the other opponent – Gage – would give the crowd what they wanted. He seemed to be a crowd-pleaser.
The presenter was speaking so fast that she imagined no one could hear what he was saying. Even though she didn’t want to watch, she couldn’t bear not knowing what was happening. So, despite knowing that she was going to relive this nightmare for the rest of her life, she turned back to the fight and watched.
Gage spun around, shooting his foot out and kicking Mal in the face. He kicked him so hard that blood spattered all over the arena and Mal’s body hit the ground with a giant thud.
His eyes were closed and blood poured out of his mouth and nose, creating a pool around his head on the floor. The blood was so dark. His face was so pale, his features expressionless. She let out a cry and pressed her hands to her mouth. No!