Centurion: Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone #3

by Hackett, Anna

  “I will. Let’s go.”

  She pulled out the knife and held it up, and they weaved unsteadily through the cavern. It was slow going. There were still Edull running around, but they were ignoring them. For now.

  One thought kept Acton going—he wanted Sage out of here. He needed her to be safe.

  “Release the battle bots,” a raspy voice screamed across the space.

  “That does not sound good,” Sage muttered.

  Acton focused only on the tunnel entrances ahead, and tried to move faster. One foot in front of the other.

  But then he heard the clank of metal behind them, and looked back over his shoulder.

  Huge bots—twice his size—rolled off several platforms

  Acton’s gut hardened.

  Sage froze. “Oh, fuck.”

  All the bots had different designs and wielded different weapons. They were enormous creations. The one in the lead had a huge, circular saw at the front that started up, the buzzing noise humming through the cavern. A red light blinked on the front of it.

  Another construct rolled closer, a chain hanging from its hands.

  Acton also noted that several had organic parts as well.

  He grabbed Sage and shoved her behind him. But she pushed forward and stepped in front of him, her chin up.

  “I’m not a victim.” Her voice was confident, fierce. “I’ll fight. For me—” her gaze met Acton’s “—and for you. For us.”

  Sensation—bright, rich, and intense—rocketed through him, and he knew that this was love. It had been missing all his life, but he felt it for Sage.

  One of the bots rolled closer, deadly chain swinging.

  The one with the saw followed.

  Sage ran at the bots, her knife raised.

  “Sage!” Acton’s blood ran cold. She was so small compared to the robots.

  “Come on, you big toasters!” She darted left.

  The chain sailed through the air, smashing into the floor. It had missed her, but only by the smallest amount.

  Acton tried to call up his cybernetic power, but his remaining arm was just too broken. Shifting, he set Toren down.

  Whatever he had left, he’d use it to fight alongside his woman.

  Sage ducked again, moving in close to the bot with the saw. As the chain swung again, she dodged, and came so close to the saw, that strands of her hair were cut off.

  Acton sucked in a breath. He watched her taunt the chain-wielding bot, wiggling her fingers. The bot swung the chain.

  Sage dived out of the way, rolling across the floor. The chain tangled with the saw on the second bot with the harsh grind of metal.

  Bouncing back to her feet, Sage grinned. She looked at Acton and winked.

  His smart woman.

  Acton charged at the tangled battle bots. He punched his arm into the first bot, denting the metal. He punched the second one, once, twice. The lights on the bot flickered and died.

  He left the bots in a crumpled pile and returned to Sage.

  Her face was stained with dirt, but she smiled. He yanked her to his chest with his arm.

  Then they heard a deep rumble and thump of metal.

  They both lifted their heads.

  “Oh, no.” She stiffened and his arm clenched on her.

  A dozen huge battle bots fanned out around them.

  * * *

  Sage tried to pull some air into her lungs. This was bad. So, so bad. She bit down on her lip so hard she tasted blood.

  They couldn’t fight them all. She wrapped her arms around Acton. “I love you, Acton.”

  His gaze fell on her.

  “I always wanted to belong somewhere,” she said. “Have someone look at me like I was enough.”

  He cupped the side of her neck, his gaze intense.

  “You gave me that,” she whispered. “When I’m with you, I’m not afraid. When you touch me, I get tingles. Every time.”

  “I will protect you with my last breath. You are not just enough, Sage McAlister. You’re everything.”

  Her throat tightened. How, in the middle of this horrible situation, could she feel such love?

  A loud boom echoed above them.

  They both swiveled and Sage frowned. It wasn’t another explosion. It sounded deeper, lower. She looked up.

  Boom. Rocks rained down from the ceiling.

  A large slab of rock broke off, rocketing downward. The bots swiveled, agitated. Acton dived on Sage, dragging her to the ground.

  Thud. Thud. Thud.

  The rocks hit and she looked up, peeking around Acton’s arm.

  One bot lay crumpled.

  Thud.

  Something else landed in the center of the bots.

  She sucked in a breath. Magnus was crouched, one palm pressed to the stone floor. He lifted his head, his neon eye glowing.

  Sage looked up. The other House of Rone cyborgs were plummeting down from the ceiling.

  Jax landed beside Magnus with a flap of his cloak, Quinn in his arms.

  Mace landed with a boom. Rillian landed, raising his head, a feral glow in his silver eyes. Light glowed along the casino owner’s spine.

  Mace drew his sword. Magnus’ arm lit up, crackling with electricity.

  Without a word, the House of Rone cyborgs attacked.

  Sage sucked in a breath. Bad. Ass.

  The sounds of fighting were loud. The bots swiveled and swung their weapons, but ruthlessly, the House of Rone cut them down.

  Mace swung his sword, the heated blade cutting through metal. Rillian was a powerful predator, pinning one bot down so Jax could slam his arm into it, his tattoos flaring with power.

  Quinn’s staff was a blur. She worked with Magnus to bring down another huge bot.

  “We’re going to be okay,” she murmured.

  Acton nodded, and together, they crawled toward Toren.

  They rolled him over and she checked his pulse. She frowned. He was alive. Just barely.

  There was more rumbling across the cavern, and ice filled her veins. More bots were pouring into the cavern.

  No. Her belly sank.

  “Screw you, suckers.”

  The young voice cut through the air, as did a number of whizzing pieces of metal. Several razor-sharp throwing stars cut into one of the battle bots.

  Sage spotted Grace standing on a crate, firing some sort of weapon that used throwing stars as ammunition.

  A loud rumble, and a large, spider-like bot landed right beside Grace. The girl lost her balance, her arms pinwheeling. The bot lifted a leg to strike at her.

  Mace growled and leaped, landing between Grace and the bot. His skin gleamed silver where it had turned into a living shield. With a powerful slash, he cut the bot’s leg off.

  Grace’s eyes widened. “Wow, you’re big.”

  Mace’s sword burned red, and he hacked up the bot, leaving it in tiny pieces.

  Another bot rolled into view. It had several large cannons on its shoulders.

  “Uh-oh.” Grace grimaced.

  “Magnus,” Jax roared. “There are too many. We need to go!”

  Sage stared across at the cells. No. They couldn’t leave these people.

  Grace jumped down off the box and held up a device. “I have an idea.”

  The cyborgs all stiffened.

  “What?” Sage asked. “What is it?”

  “A luma bomb,” Acton said. “It disables bots.”

  “And cyborgs,” Grace said grimly. “I found it just now in a crate with some weapons.”

  Crap. It would take the cyborgs down and leave them defenseless.

  Quinn stepped forward and lifted her staff. She met Sage’s gaze and Sage lifted her knife with a nod.

  Rillian moved closer, the muscles in his arms flexing. He nodded as well.

  Magnus took them in, then looked at Grace. “Do it.”

  The girl threw the bomb like a star baseball pitcher.

  It flew into the air and exploded like a mini supernova—flashes of blues, go
ld, and pink ignited.

  A second later, Acton sagged, a dead weight against Sage. She cried out at the suddenness of it. She couldn’t hold him up and lowered him to the floor.

  She turned then, and took in the horrible sight of Magnus, Jax, and Mace crumpling like marionettes who’d had their strings cut.

  Quinn knelt by Jax, her hand on his head. Her staff was clenched hard in her other hand. She leaned over the cyborgs, hyper-alert.

  But as Sage looked around, she saw all the battle bots had been deactivated. Some had simply collapsed into parts, while others sagged. And the last of the Edull were fleeing into the tunnels.

  “The Edull have gone,” Sage said.

  “Cowards,” Quinn spat.

  “My mom,” Grace called. “She’s trapped under some rocks.”

  “I’ll help you,” Rillian said.

  Grace walked off with him. “You’re pretty.”

  “You too,” Rillian replied, all charm.

  Sage hugged Acton to her. “I’m right here, baby. I’ll keep you safe and be here when you wake up.”

  Moments later, Rillian was back, helping a limping, bleeding Simone.

  Silence reigned then, broken only by quiet murmurs from Simone, Grace, and Rillian, and the occasional pop and crackle of small fires still burning.

  It felt like a long time, but Sage guessed it was only minutes later, that the cyborgs started to stir.

  Except Toren.

  Her face pinched with worry, Simone dropped down beside the lifeless cyborg. She reached out and took his hand. Grace plopped herself down immediately beside her mother.

  “Sage?”

  Acton’s voice made her heart thump hard. She cupped his beloved face. It was covered with blood and dirt, and the metal on his cheek was dented. She helped him sit up.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  He slid his nose along hers. “I love you too.”

  “You aren’t sorry that you feel chaotic emotions now?” she asked.

  “Not one bit.” He pulled her closer. “Are you still afraid to let me love you?”

  She blinked. “You’re pretty perceptive for a guy who’s only been feeling a short time.”

  “I don’t want you to be afraid, Sage. I’ll spend all my days showing you how I feel about you.”

  “Then no, I’m not afraid anymore.”

  His cybernetic fingers brushed along her cheekbone. “Thank you for showing me what love is. Thank you for setting it free inside me.”

  She buried her face in his chest. “Any time, cyborg, any time.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The bedraggled group made its way through the tunnels.

  Acton limped along with Sage and Jax on either side of him. Toren was still unconscious, and being carried by Mace. Simone and Grace walked beside him, casting worried glances at the injured cyborg.

  They weren’t alone. They’d freed the hostages locked in the Edull cages—or rather, Magnus, Jax, Quinn, and Mace had. The captives walked quietly behind the cyborgs, helping each other along.

  “How did you find us?” Acton asked Jax.

  “It wasn’t easy,” Jax replied. “We searched the tunnels for you, trying to estimate where that shark bot might have taken you.”

  Sage’s nose wrinkled. “I don’t want to talk about the sharks.”

  “Our scanners weren’t working properly because of the dantane and the tunnels are drakking mazes. That’s why it took us so long to get to you.” Jax glanced at Magnus. “Magnus finally detected heat signatures below us, so we just smashed down through the rock.”

  The tunnel they were in angled upward and a moment later, they stepped out into the desert sunlight.

  Acton narrowed his eyes against the brightness. Behind him, voices cried out in joy.

  “I’m totally going to get sunburned, but I have never been so happy to see the hot sun,” Sage said.

  The sunlight felt pleasant on Acton’s skin. He saw some of the freed captives drop to their knees in the sand, their faces lifted to the sunlight, tears streaming down their cheeks.

  “They’ve been trapped in the dark for so long,” Sage murmured.

  “They’re free now,” Acton said.

  Rillian stepped forward. “I’ll go, get the ship, and return back here. Some of these people are in bad condition, they won’t make the journey back to the ship.” He no longer looked crisp and elegant, and instead, the predator he was bonded with showed through. He scanned the motley group. “It’ll be a tight fit for everyone.”

  “Some won’t come to Kor Magna,” Magnus said. “I’ll talk with them, and see who wants to come with us, and who will return to their desert villages. I’ll ask Corsair to help them.”

  Rillian nodded and took off at a run, moving fast. His alien symbiont gave him a lot of speed and strength.

  Acton sagged, his own energy failing. Sage leaned into him.

  “Sit down before you fall down,” she said with a huff.

  He let her help him to the sand, and nuzzled her hair. “You smell good.”

  She snorted. “I smell like sweat, blood, and smoke.”

  “But under all that is you.”

  Smiling, she rubbed her cheek against his. They sat on the sand, enjoying the sunshine. Magnus crouched beside them.

  “How are you holding up?”

  “Fine,” Acton answered.

  Magnus raised a brow, and Acton knew his imperator wasn’t convinced.

  “There isn’t a part of me that doesn’t hurt,” Acton admitted.

  A faint smile crossed Magnus’ face. “Avarn will get you sorted out.” The imperator’s gaze turned to Sage. “You did well down there.”

  “Thanks. But if I have fight off giant battle bots again, it will be way too soon.”

  “You got the Edull data?” Acton asked.

  Magnus nodded. “I spiked into the Edull systems before we left the cavern. Or what was left of them. The fires had destroyed most of them. I downloaded what I could and we’ll analyze the information back at the House of Rone. Maxon can help pull it apart and deduce exactly what the Edull are doing.”

  Acton grunted. “Maxon doesn’t help. He yells, complains, and insults.”

  “I would like to hear you tell him that.” Magnus patted Acton’s shoulder. “Rest while you can.”

  The imperator moved away, talking to the survivors. Acton drifted in and out of consciousness. He was aware of Sage beside him, playing with his hair.

  Next thing he knew, a ship appeared in the sky, the sunlight gleaming off its silver hull. It kicked up sand around them as it landed.

  Magnus had been right. Some of the captives were from the desert, and didn’t want to go to Kor Magna. A small group from nearby villages set off to return to their families.

  The rest of the desert dwellers would be dropped off at the Corsair Caravan, while the off-worlders snatched from other planets accepted Magnus’ offer of sanctuary at the House of Rone.

  Soon, they were all aboard. It was a tight fit, with people sitting not only on the chairs, but on the floor.

  Sage fussed around Acton, checking his injuries, and finally, he tumbled her into his lap.

  “I could hurt you,” she protested.

  “Hold still. I just want to hold you.”

  She stilled, pressing her cheek to his neck. “So, you love me?”

  “Yes. Completely.”

  Her lip quivered. “God, I love you so much.”

  Acton kissed her, uncaring that people were watching them.

  “So, you guys are in love?”

  Acton lifted his head and saw Grace smiling at them. Someone, probably Simone, had made a valiant attempt to wipe the girl’s grimy face.

  “We sure are,” Sage replied.

  “But, he’s like, part robot.”

  “But all man.” Sage pressed a hand to Acton’s chest. “He has a heart, and feelings, just like you and me.”

  “Although, I sometimes need Sage’s help to learn about th
ose feelings and understand them,” he said.

  The girl turned her head, looking at where Toren was laid out on the floor at the back of the ship. “Does he feel?”

  Acton eyed his injured friend. “Yes, deep down, I think he does.”

  Grace smiled. “Good. And if he needs help, I can help him learn about feelings.”

  Then the young girl headed back to the other cyborg, carefully making her way through the crowded cabin.

  Sage shook her head. “That girl is fierce. I can’t believe how well she’s come through her ordeal.” She snuggled into Acton.

  He was tired and hurting, but with Sage wrapped under his arm, he’d never felt better.

  * * *

  Sage woke, startled. She’d slept like the dead.

  Fighting off fogginess, she shoved at the sheets tangled around her, and pushed her tumbled hair back.

  After stopping at the Corsair Caravan and ensuring the survivors were comfortable with Corsair and his people, they’d gotten back to the House of Rone late in the evening. The healers had gone into overdrive to help the survivors and the injured cyborgs.

  But Avarn hadn’t let Sage stay while he’d worked on Acton. She’d argued with the older man, but he’d ordered her to get some rest.

  Instead, she’d helped Ever and the House of Rone staff sort out the survivors, and get them settled in quarters with clean clothes and food.

  Exhausted, she’d managed a quick shower and had lain down for a quick nap. Clearly, she’d crashed out and slept all night.

  Morning sunlight streamed through the windows, and her tired brain clicked into gear.

  Acton.

  She leaped out of bed and raced out of the room. She sprinted down the hall, ignoring that her hair was a tangled mess and she was clad only in her pajamas. She stopped at Acton’s room and threw the door open.

  No Acton. The bed was untouched.

  Claws gripped her belly.

  Spinning, she ran down the corridor, headed for Medical. What if something had gone wrong? What if—?

  She ran smack into Magnus.

  “Oof.”

  Magnus gripped her arms. “Sage, are you all right?”

  “Sorry. Acton?”

  The imperator cupped her cheek. It was such an un-Magnus-like action, but Sage suspected he’d learned it because of his love for his mate and daughter. Ever and Asha had taught this dangerous cyborg to feel.