Weapons Master: Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone #6

by Hackett, Anna

  Holy hell.

  The structure collapsed and dropped out of sight.

  “Now, it’s over.” Her voice was a whisper. She could hardly believe it.

  “You’re free, Bellamy.”

  She looked at Maxon. The sunlight caught the gold strands in his hair, lighting them up. His face was so serious.

  “Now, you put the Edull behind you.” He touched his fingers to her cheekbone, brushing it like he was memorizing her face. “You can do whatever you want.”

  Her throat tightened. Why did his voice sound like a goodbye?

  “Start afresh,” she said. “Explore my new home.”

  His jaw flexed. “Yes.”

  “Meet new people and make new friends.”

  “Yes.” He sounded like he was chewing glass.

  And he thought that would take her away from him. She crawled to him, and saw his eyes widen.

  “I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.” She nibbled his lips. “I’m going to work with you.”

  “Really?” he said slowly.

  “Yep. You’re going to have to share your workshop, Ace.”

  His hand cupped her face.

  “I’ll drive you crazy every day, and sleep beside you every night,” she said.

  “You have it all planned out.”

  She gave him another kiss, and noticed the others heading their way. “I’m going to make you fall in love with me.”

  He stilled, his brows drawing together. “I don’t know anything about love, Bellamy.”

  “Then hold on for the ride, Ace.”

  * * *

  Maxon cradled Bellamy as they waited for Rillian’s ship to land. He wanted out of Bari Batu and out of the desert as fast as possible.

  Bellamy seemed fine. They were both battered and bruised, but alive.

  And she wanted him.

  A life with him.

  He wanted it more than anything, but drak, his gut was churning. No one had loved him. His family had all walked away from him in the blink of an eye.

  What if Bellamy did too? It would destroy him far worse than his family’s abandonment.

  The cyborgs and gladiators were busy organizing and calming the rescued slaves. So many were children, so many not from Carthago and with nowhere to go.

  “Hey, there.” The gladiator Lore crouched down beside them. “You two need some water?” He held out a water bladder.

  Bellamy smiled. “Thank you.” She took a drink.

  “You both did amazing work,” Lore said. “You saved a lot of lives.”

  “I’m just glad everyone is free and the Edull are gone,” she said.

  Lore grabbed her hand. “Once, I was a slave.”

  Bellamy gasped. “Really?”

  “Yes. I…lost everything.” Sadness moved through Lore’s eyes. “You’ve given these people something precious, I hope you know that.” Lore patted her hand and rose. He nodded at them both, and moved on to offer water to others.

  As Maxon watched, Lore crouched by some shaken-looking kids. He held up a hand, flames flickering over his skin.

  The kids all oohed, smiles sparking on their tired faces.

  “That’s an amazing trick,” Bellamy said.

  “His abilities are common in the males of his species,” Maxon told her. “Although, there aren’t many of them left.”

  Cries went up in the crowd, and Maxon glanced to the west. He saw a group of tarnids moving closer.

  “Who’s that?” Bellamy asked.

  “I believe it’s a group from an enclave close to here. The leader is a former slave who’s created a haven for other escaped slaves. Magnus contacted them to come and offer a place to some of the people rescued here.”

  The group pulled up and Magnus moved forward to greet the tall woman with long black hair on the lead tarnid. She slid down and clasped Magnus’ arm.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cassana,” Magnus said.

  “You too, Imperator.” The woman’s steady gaze moved over the crowd. “You and your people have done good work here today.”

  “We’re happy to see the end of the Edull and the arena destroyed.”

  Another woman, with a scarf covering her brown hair moved up beside Cassana. Maxon could see the scars down one side of the woman’s face and his gut hardened.

  “This is my mate, Lena,” Cassana said.

  Magnus nodded at the woman.

  “What’s wrong?” Bellamy asked. “You went stiff.”

  “Cassana’s mate. Her face is badly scarred. The scars were made from a knife and self-inflicted.”

  “What?” Bellamy breathed.

  “It’s common for sex slaves to cause their own scarring, to make themselves less attractive.”

  “Oh, God.”

  Maxon pulled her closer. “She’s free now.”

  The woman, Lena, looked over the survivors. Then her gaze locked on Lore, who was still showing off to entertain the kids. The woman stiffened.

  Maxon frowned. The woman took several steps toward the gladiator.

  “Lena?” Cassana asked with a frown.

  Lore lifted his head. He looked at the women and his gaze fell on Lena. The flames on his arm winked out, the color draining from his face. “Yelena?”

  “Lore.” Lena pushed her scarf off. Only one side of her face was scarred. The other side bore a striking resemblance to Lore.

  The gladiator ran. He scooped Lena off her feet. “I searched for you. For years.”

  “Brother.” She cupped his face, a tear running down her scarred cheek.

  “You’re alive.” The gladiator buried his face in his sister’s neck and held her tight. “I can’t wait to tell Madeline.”

  “Madeline?” Lena murmured.

  “My gorgeous mate. Wait until you meet her.”

  “Oh, I think I’m going to cry,” Bellamy whispered to Maxon.

  He tugged her closer and kissed the top of her head. “I thought you said you don’t cry.”

  “I’ve decided happy tears are allowed.”

  A ship roared overhead, coming in to land, kicking up sand. Several kids yelped with excitement.

  Maxon rose and lifted Bellamy into his arms. “Time for us to leave.”

  He carried her to the ship. He thought of Lena, what she must have endured. Once aboard, Bellamy wiggled out of his arms.

  “Hey.” She tugged his head down. “I can practically hear your broody thinking. Stop it.”

  He grunted.

  “We won.” She kissed him.

  Then Maxon forgot his worries. Bellamy was soft, warm, and alive. He kissed her back with everything he had, everything he felt.

  “Get a room.” Quinn brushed past them, grinning. She was leading several tired kids onto the shuttle.

  Bellamy went still and Maxon turned to follow her gaze. There was a dark-haired, pale-skinned boy who looked like a slightly larger version of the boy Bellamy had freed at the Alzen Stables. The boy had the same face and coloring as his brother.

  “Hey.” Bellamy touched the boy’s arm lightly. “Are you Zan?”

  The boy frowned. “Yes.”

  “We met your brother, Calrin. He’s waiting for you at the House of Rone.”

  A wave of emotion crossed the boy’s face. “He’s okay?”

  “He’s fine,” she assured him.

  “We’ll get you both home,” Maxon said.

  The boy quivered. “Thank you.”

  They all settled in seats, lots of the kids sitting on the floor, and soon, the shuttle lifted off.

  Bellamy leaned across Maxon, and he watched as she looked down at the ruins of the arena. The crumpled remains were deep in the hole dug beneath the arena.

  “Damn, I know I should be all enlightened, and above this, but revenge feels pretty awesome.”

  He smiled at her and she grinned back.

  “I love that you like my bloodthirsty tendencies.” She lowered her voice. “I’m bummed that we’re surrounded by people, and a bunch of ki
ds, because I want to crawl into your lap and—”

  “Bellamy.” His body was reacting to her words. “After things settle down…you might feel differently.”

  “I might stop wanting that sexy body of yours? I might stop liking making you growl?” She rubbed her thumb across his lips. “I really like seeing you smile. I don’t know much about love either, Maxon. I know I’ve never felt like this about anyone else.” She leaned in. “I’m scared that you’ll break my heart too.”

  He cupped the back of her neck. “I’ve never felt like this, either, and I’ll never hurt you. No one will ever hurt you again.”

  He’d be her protector, and he’d wield all the weapons he made to keep her safe.

  “It’s worth the risk, Ace. I’m going to show you every day that it’s you and me.”

  When she kissed him this time, it was softer, sweeter. Maxon felt it deep in his chest. He’d do that too. Prove to her that he could care for her.

  Magnus and Jax moved through the shuttle, talking with some of the survivors. They reached Bellamy and Maxon, shifting to sit on some of the seats.

  “Well done,” the imperator said.

  Bellamy leaned into Maxon and sighed happily. “We’re a pretty good team.”

  “The battle arena is completely destroyed,” Magnus said. “The remaining Edull leadership have fled Bari Batu.”

  Maxon scowled. He didn’t like the idea of any of those crudspawn getting away. “That leaves a power vacuum.”

  “Galen and his gladiators will ensure new leadership. The battle arena will be buried, and the House of Rone will ensure all prisoners are returned home, or settled wherever they want to go.”

  Bellamy grabbed Magnus’ forearm. “Thank you, Magnus. To all the House of Rone. You’ve fought for all of us taken from Earth, and all of the prisoners. And you never gave up.” She looked at Maxon. “You’re all heroes.”

  Maxon scowled. He didn’t need to be a hero. “We were just doing what was right.” He looked at Magnus. “Rhain?”

  “The overlord is with Galen. He wants to see this through before he returns to his own world, despite the fact that he has ongoing dangers to his planet to deal with.”

  “He helped save us,” Bellamy said.

  “And if he ever needs our help, he has it.” Magnus rose. “We’ll be home soon.”

  “Home.” She snuggled into Maxon. “I’ve never really had a home before.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “You do, now.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Back at the House of Rone, Bellamy just wanted to curl up with Maxon. She wanted him to whisk her away.

  But she needed to help. The rescued kids were tired and traumatized.

  “I need to help get them settled,” she said.

  His gold gaze scanned the ragtag bunch milling in the entry of the House of Rone, and he nodded.

  She ran her hand along his jaw, and gave him a quick kiss. Then he headed up to his workshop.

  Bellamy worked alongside Ever and Avarn. The medical team was busy checking the kids over, and Ever was herding some off for baths and changes of clothes.

  So many were still in shock, almost comatose.

  Bellamy talked, hugged, held trembling hands. She wanted to kill the Edull all over again.

  Suddenly, a couple burst through the front doors of the House of Rone. A little girl leaped up and cried out. The man and woman ran to the girl and engulfed her in their arms. All three were crying.

  Bellamy felt the sting of tears. Damn. These were happy tears. She swiped them away. Even she was a sucker for a happy ending.

  Then she spotted Zan sitting on the floor, hope and fear on his face.

  “Hey.” She dropped down beside him. “How are you doing?”

  “My brother—?”

  “Will be here soon.” She noticed the way that he couldn’t sit still, his eyes shifting around. “You’re safe now.”

  The teenager grunted. God, a Maxon in training. “I mean it. Give yourself some time to adjust. I’m still working on it.”

  Zan cocked his head. “Really?”

  “Yeah. I’ve had nightmares. You can’t expect to snap your fingers and feel normal again instantly.”

  “I guess.”

  “Want a hug?”

  Emotions flitted over the boy’s face. He was at that age where it probably wasn’t cool to get hugs.

  “I won’t tell anyone,” she said.

  He gave her a small nod. She slid an arm across his shoulders and he leaned into her, his body tense.

  “You’re not alone anymore,” she murmured.

  She heard a sharp breath, then he slowly relaxed into her.

  After a while, she looked up. She spotted Calrin standing in a doorway, scanning the room.

  She nudged Zan. “Look.”

  The boy raised his head and saw his brother. He scrambled to his feet.

  Calrin’s gaze locked on his brother. The siblings both ran.

  The boys collided together, each of them trying not to cry.

  Jesus. All kinds of emotions washed through Bellamy’s belly.

  “Feels good,” Ever said.

  “It sure does.”

  Ever slid an arm around Bellamy’s waist, and Bellamy leaned into her. She wasn’t alone anymore, either. She had friends, a new family, and a man she was going to love for the rest of her life.

  Something fluttered in her belly.

  “Go clean up,” Ever said. “Get some rest. You’ve earned it. And I bet your cyborg is getting twitchy, since he hasn’t seen you for a while.”

  “Thanks, Ever.”

  Before she left, Bellamy found Avarn and had him remove her disguise. She rubbed her hand over her short hair as she skipped up the stairs. When she reached Maxon’s workshop, she found it empty, and headed up to the living area.

  There was no sign of Maxon there, either, but she heard running water. She paused in the bathroom doorway.

  Her big cyborg was tipping bath salts into the tub. Candles were dotted around, releasing a woody scent.

  She blinked. “What’s this?”

  He spun, looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

  “It’s for you.” He straightened, his gaze running over her. “You changed back.”

  “I told you I would.” She tilted her head. “You have bath salts?”

  He shrugged a stiff shoulder. “It’s a gift. I thought you’d like them. I had Avarn formulate a scent for you.”

  She stared at him.

  A scowl formed on his rugged face. “Jax assured me that women like gifts. And Toren suggested the bath salts.” It was all said in a bad-tempered tone.

  God, her man. “It’s wonderful, Maxon.” Her voice was thick. “I love it. More than that, I love that you did this for me.”

  He relaxed a little bit. She walked up to him and ran her hands up his chest.

  “This is love, Maxon. It isn’t just the big sacrifices and grand gestures. It’s the small things too. It’s taking care of the person you care about. Love doesn’t need to be flashy and loud. It can be quiet and solid.” She pressed a kiss to his lips, felt the shudder through his big body. “Love is fierce and strong, soft and gentle.” She grinned and nipped his jaw. “And I’m seeing it can also be a little grumpy and bossy.”

  “Get in the bath,” he growled.

  She smiled. “God, I love you, Maxon.”

  His hands tightened on her. “It’s the first time anyone’s ever said that to me.”

  Fierce love welled up inside her. “Then you’d better get used to hearing it. A lot.”

  “I believe I’m in love with you too.” One of his hands stroked over the corner of her eye, then across her hair reverently. “No one’s ever made me feel like you do, Bellamy.”

  She smiled. Love was a warm burst in her heart.

  “I’ve always dreamed of someone who’d be mine. I’ve been waiting for someone like you.”

  His face softened. “Bellamy.”


  “I didn’t know you’d be a cyborg with grumpy, antisocial tendencies, though. Or that you’d live on the other side of the galaxy.”

  With a fierce growl, he lifted her off her feet. “Get in the bath.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. Yes, she was totally in love with her cyborg.

  * * *

  The prototype weapon was not working right.

  Maxon banged his fist on the workbench. Without a word, Bellamy leaned over, took the tool out of his hand, and adjusted something in the innards of the large gun. She shot him an indulgent look, and shoved the tool back in his hand.

  Then she turned back to the vibrablade she was working on.

  He peered at his prototype. Drak, she’d solved the issue.

  He looked at her blonde head. It had been two days since the showdown at Bari Batu. The desert city was under new management. Their allies, the House of Loden, were now monitoring the area.

  The few remaining Edull involved with the arena had scattered, and a few who had not been involved had stayed with the promise to be rule-abiding citizens.

  Bellamy seemed…fine. More than fine. She was smiling, hadn’t had any nightmares, and at night, was always an enthusiastic lover.

  So drakking resilient and tough.

  “You’re staring,” she said.

  “I’m allowed. You’re mine.”

  He loved her colorful tattoos, her sparkling, green eyes. Bellamy always looked like she knew a secret.

  “Yours?” She moved over to him.

  He gripped her waist and boosted her onto the workbench. “Yes, mine.”

  They’d made love on a lot of different surfaces in the room over the last two days. His productivity had seriously decreased. He kissed her forcefully, felt the prick of her nails on his biceps.

  His productivity might be down, but his happiness had increased.

  Bellamy made him happy. Just hearing her mutter as she worked, watching her eat with appreciation, having a bath with her and soaking the bathroom floor as they got busy doing other things, all of it was good.

  She was right. Love was also the little things.

  She broke the kiss. “Don’t get too carried away. We have a party to get to, remember?”

  He growled.

  She grinned and patted his shoulder. “My poor man doesn’t like parties.”