“Shh. It’s okay. You’re safe.”
He could feel his fellow cyborgs watching him curiously. Maneuvering her, he quickly studied her wound. It would need the healers, but for now… He grabbed a tube of the new, enhanced med gel that one of the human survivors at the House of Galen had enriched. He squirted a large amount onto her wound, then pressed a bandage over it.
It wasn’t perfect, and it was likely she had some internal bleeding, but it would do until they reached the House of Rone healers. He gently pulled her damaged arm against her chest.
“Mace, contact Magnus. Have Avarn on standby when we land.”
Mace nodded his big head.
“Shall I bring a stretcher for her?” Acton asked.
“No.” Jax tightened his hold on her. “She’s fine where she is.” When Acton just stared at him, Jax lifted his chin. “I don’t want to jostle her more than necessary. She’s still bleeding.”
Acton shot him an odd look before he turned away.
Jax looked down at the woman. She was a survivor and a fighter. She’d helped the other slave escape.
“Mace?”
A grunt in response.
“There was a chandi male who escaped. Can you touch base with Corsair? See if he knows someone close by who can check and ensure the man is safe?”
“On it.”
The leader of the desert caravan knew people all through the desert. Jax shifted her limp form and noticed something sticking out of her robes. He touched it and realized it was some metal wire she’d kept hidden. He frowned and figured whatever it was must have been important to her. Carefully, he tucked it back in the pocket.
He spent the rest of the flight listening to the woman’s pulse and breathing. Her heart beat strongly, although her breathing was labored. Finally, they flew in over the city.
“Magnus has requested we land in the arena,” the pilot called back.
Good. It would be far closer to the House of Rone and Avarn’s healers than the spaceport at the edge of the city.
The ship started to descend, and out the windows, he caught sight of the cream-stone walls of the arena. It was centuries old and drew tourists from all around the quadrant to watch the arena battles.
They touched down.
When Mace opened the door, Jax lifted the woman. Avarn was waiting, the healer standing beside Magnus and Ever. The man was old, with long, white hair, and green eyes that danced with intelligence.
Ever hurried over, her face a mask of concern. “She’s human. And she matches the description that Mina gave.”
Jax nodded, looking at the brown and gold strands of hair lying over his arm. “She’s Quinn Bennett.”
“Let me see her.” Avarn pushed closer, with a rustle of his healer’s robes. He lifted the bandage and made a sound. “You did a terrible job, Jax, but you likely saved her life. Let’s get her back to the House of Rone.”
“Her arm is also broken.”
Ever made a sound and Magnus pulled her close.
“Avarn will heal her,” Magnus said.
Jax carried Quinn across the sand and into the tunnels. It wasn’t long before they strode through the doors of the House of Rone and into Medical.
Like all the good gladiatorial houses, they spent a small fortune on their healers and medical equipment. It paid dividends to ensure the health and well-being of a House’s gladiators.
But the House of Rone had an even larger medical team than most—all specializing in prosthetics and cybernetic enhancements.
Jax laid Quinn down gently on a bunk. Avarn was issuing orders to his healers, and they moved into action. Jax stepped back, but kept his gaze on her face.
He wanted to see the fire inside her again. The way she’d fought, with determination and courage, had been impressive. Fierce. He hated seeing her like this, injured and vulnerable.
Avarn pulled the woman’s dirty robes away to uncover a body that, while thin, still carried muscle tone. Grinding his teeth together, he cursed the drakking scavenger who’d held her captive, and clearly hadn’t given her enough sustenance.
It made Jax very glad he’d left the man dead on the desert sand.
Avarn arched a brow. “Are you going to leave and let us do our job?”
Jax straightened. “No.”
The healer shook his head, more than used to stubborn cyborgs. Calling out for various pieces of equipment, Avarn worked with his team, his white brows drawn together.
After what felt like an eternity, the healer stepped back, sliding his hands under a sonic cleaner. “She’s fine. Her bone is almost healed, and we repaired all the internal damage.”
“She doesn’t need the regen tank?” Jax asked.
Avarn shook his head. The tanks filled with blue healing fluid could heal the worst of injuries.
“It helped that she was clearly in peak fitness before her abduction. I’ve given her a large infusion of nutrients, and we’ll keep that up as she recovers. After some rest, she’ll wake up.”
“Thank you, Avarn,” Magnus said.
Jax blinked. He hadn’t even noticed Magnus and Ever arrive.
“I’d like to…sit with her,” Jax murmured.
He saw the glimmer of something in Magnus’ eyes. The imperator raised a brow.
Jax rounded his shoulders. “She’s in unfamiliar surroundings.”
“I think it’s a great idea, Jax,” Ever said with a smile.
“She’s a fighter.” Jax met Magnus’ gaze.
His friend slid his organic arm across Ever’s shoulders. “All these Earth women are, in their own ways.”
Everyone left, and Jax stepped out only to let two healers clean Quinn’s skin. When he returned, she was dressed in a simple, short gown. The healers busied themselves with other tasks, and Jax pulled a chair up close to Quinn’s bed and sat. He watched the rise and fall of her chest, and listened to her soft breathing. Something tight inside his chest loosened.
“You’re safe now, Quinn Bennett.” He reached out and stroked a strand of her hair.
She’d fought ferociously in the desert. He understood that. He understood the need to fight for your freedom.
“No one will ever enslave you again.”
* * *
Quinn kept her eyes closed as her mind swam back to consciousness. She was lying flat on her back, but there was no familiar rocking movement of the cart. No hot desert sunlight beating down.
Panic hit her. Where the hell was she?
Her mind was sluggish and she couldn’t seem to line up her thoughts. Adrenaline flooded her body, her mouth going dry. Had she been captured? Or worse, sold?
Nearby, she heard the steady beep of a machine. She moved her hand and realized there was a tube sticking out of her arm.
Her gut curdled. She was in a lab. She remembered the Thraxian scientists on the ship had liked to poke, prod, and experiment. She was no one’s fucking guinea pig.
She tore the tube out of her, ignoring the sting. She rolled off the bunk, her bare feet slapping the floor. She wore a long shirt that hit her mid-thigh.
“What are—?” A man’s deep voice.
Quinn attacked without looking. She swung her arm out, hitting the man rising up behind her. She heard a deep curse. She rammed her elbow back and met a rock-hard abdomen. The man cursed again as he hit a chair and toppled over.
She caught a flash of deep red tangled around him before she spun and ran.
She stumbled out the door. A corridor. Her feet smacked on the stone floor as she ran. She needed a way out. Her brain was so foggy, and she couldn’t string her thoughts together.
All she knew was that she wasn’t going to be captured again.
She reached a junction and looked both ways, her heart pounding. Turning left, she kept running.
She sprinted around a corner.
“Hey!”
A woman’s voice echoed down the corridor. Quinn glanced over her shoulder. At the end of the hall, she saw a woman holding a baby. The wo
man waved at her.
Quinn had no idea who the woman was, but a second later, she heard the sound of agitated, deep voices approaching. Shit. She turned and saw a door. She shouldered through, racing into a spacious room.
It was an airy bedroom dominated by a huge bed. Large, arched windows lined the far wall.
Quinn crossed the room and yanked a glass door open. She stepped out onto a wide stone balcony. The wall also consisted of arches, and when she reached the railing, she looked down.
Sand, not far below. It wasn’t a long drop.
“Wait!”
Heart lodging in her throat, she looked back. A tall man was charging through the bedroom.
He was too close. She wouldn’t be taken again. She gripped the railing hard, and launched herself over.
Quinn hit the sand below, landing in a crouch. When she rose to her feet, she froze. A bunch of bare-chested gladiators stood in the center of a training arena, staring at her in surprise.
Two of the men stepped forward, and her blood turned to ice. One had two metallic, cybernetic arms, his face half metal. He watched her with a cold look. Several others also had metal implants. Cyborgs. A whisper of recognition moved through her.
Where was she?
Suddenly, the man with the cybernetic arms started striding toward her.
Quinn backed up a step. Was he familiar? But the cold, hard look on his face showed not a single drop of emotion.
Dangerous. The warning whispered through her head.
“Stop.” The man’s voice was as icy as the rest of him.
“Screw you.”
He grabbed for her, moving impossibly fast. “You’ll injure yourself.”
She dodged, but he kept coming. His cool, metal fingers closed over her arm.
Quinn fought him. Memories of Sleeja’s rough hands stormed through her head. No.
She dropped her weight and kicked at him. She landed a heel in his thigh and he grunted. He leaned over her, trying to get a better grip on her. Quinn swung her other arm up and poked him in the eye that wasn’t surrounded by metal.
He made a hissing sound and released her.
Scrambling, Quinn spun and jumped to her feet. She sprinted across the sand. Nearby, she spotted several racks filled with weapons. She snatched up a sword.
“Quinn.”
Surprise knocked through her. She swiveled…and saw the handsome cyborg gladiator she’d seen at the trading post.
Memories of him were crystal clear in her head now.
She sucked in several breaths and stared at the rich, red cloak that fell from the harness on his muscled chest. Oh, God. It was him that she’d knocked over inside.
He took a step closer and she raised her sword. She’d hit him again, if she had to. Her brain was still slow, her thoughts confused.
“Quinn,” he said again, voice soft.
He held a hand out to her and she looked at the long fingers. Then she looked at his face. He was smiling. He was trying to appear harmless.
A mental snort in her head. She wasn’t that stupid. This man looked far more approachable than the one with the cybernetic arms, but instinct warned her this man was just as dangerous.
As she met his steady gaze, she realized he might be even more deadly.
“You know my name,” she said.
He nodded, his long, brown hair almost brushing his shoulders. “I want to help you.”
“Enslave me.”
“No.” He shook his head violently.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
“I’m Jaxer Rone, second of the House of Rone.”
She scanned around, taking in the stone buildings and the training arena.
“You’re in Kor Magna, the largest city on Carthago. We rescued you from the desert. There are other rescued humans here as well.”
“Others? Humans?” Her damn head felt like it was full of cotton wool. She pressed the heel of her hand to her throbbing temple. Were members of her crew here? Her heart squeezed. “Am I dreaming? I’m going to wake and see Sleeja any second now.”
“No, you’re free. And Sleeja is dead.”
She gasped, then shook her head, wanting it to be true so badly. “You can’t be real.”
Jaxer came forward, his cloak moving around his powerful body. She had the impression of power, and then the rich masculine scent of man hit her.
“I’m very real,” he assured her.
Quinn went still, not certain what was real and what wasn’t. Drawn to him, she stepped forward. One of his hands pushed the sword down by her side, but he didn’t try to take it from her.
She touched her other hand to his bare chest. Warmth pumped off him and he felt very real. For a second, that small touch grounded her.
She met his steady blue eyes. Could she trust this? Could she trust him?
“I think you might just be a hallucination made from my imagination.”
He shook his head. “I promise you, despite the metal parts, I’m flesh and blood like you.”
Her fingers curled into his hard pec. She wanted him to be real, more than anything. Still, it could just be a dream.
Without stopping to think, Quinn went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.
Chapter Six
Sensation rocketed through Jax.
He’d never been kissed before.
Sex, yes. A friendly kiss on the cheek—usually from Ever—yes. But kissing on the lips was something he’d never allowed, never understood, and never wanted.
As Quinn’s lips moved over his, however, heat hit his gut. His hands flashed up, clenching on her arms.
He had to use every ounce of his control not to devour her. His heart rate picked up, and he felt her tongue brush his bottom lip. She tasted like nothing he’d ever sampled before. Tentatively, he followed her movements, kissing her back.
She made a small, shaky sound, then stepped away. She lifted a hand to touch her lips.
“Hell.” She looked at him. “You’re definitely real.”
“Yes.” Jax held out a hand to her. “Let me help you, Quinn.”
She hesitated for a second, then put her hand in his. He closed his fingers around hers, and following his instincts, he squeezed gently.
“Sleeja is really dead?”
“Yes. Trampled by his own tandu beast.”
“Good. I’m only sorry I didn’t get to kill him myself.” She bit her lip. “There was another slave with me, Nebu—”
“He got free. I asked a desert ally of ours to track him. He’s on his way back to his village.”
She shuddered. “Thank God.”
Jax lifted his cloak and pressed the fabric to her arm.
Her brow creased. “What—?”
“You’re bleeding from where you pulled your tube out. Our healer won’t be happy.”
He checked again and saw the bleeding had stopped. He tugged her inside, ignoring the gladiators and cyborgs watching them. When they stepped out of the sun, he saw she was shivering a little. Her long legs were bare, but the temperature wasn’t cold. More shock, probably, than anything else. He pulled her closer, and then led her upstairs and into his quarters.
“Jax?” Magnus’ voice on Jax’s systems.
Give us a few minutes. Until she’s calm. He sent the message with a thought.
“Everything is going to be fine.” Jax led Quinn to the small sitting area by the windows that he rarely used.
She sank into an armchair. “I’ve used that lie a time or two in order to calm people down.” She stroked the fabric cover on the chair. “It’s okay, I’m not going to fall apart. I was just disoriented when I woke.”
Jax pulled a soft blanket off his bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. She made a tiny sound and brushed her cheek against it.
All these tactile movements made him realize that she’d been starved for comfort. He moved over to the small bar at the side of the room and quickly made her a mug of ocla. He’d heard Ever say all the women from Earth enjo
yed it.
He handed her the drink.
She took it and sniffed it suspiciously. “What is this?”
“It’s called ocla. I have it on good authority that it tastes like coffee from Earth.”
Her eyebrows winged up, a smile flashing briefly on her mouth. “God, it has been a long time since I’ve had coffee.”
She sipped it and moaned.
Jax couldn’t stop his smile. “Good?”
She nodded. “Not quite the same. It tastes like chocolate, as well. It’s awesome, thank you.”
As she took another sip, he could actually see her muscles relaxing. Then Magnus stepped in the room.
Instantly, Quinn tensed.
Jax shifted closer. “Quinn, this is Imperator Magnus Rone.”
“The man in charge,” she murmured.
Ever pushed past Magnus. “You’re scaring her.” Ever shoved baby Asha at Magnus. Instantly, he tucked his daughter into the curve of his cybernetic arm.
Jax saw Quinn blink.
“I’m Ever Haynes.” Ever came closer, holding out a slim hand.
“You’re human.” With a bewildered look, Quinn took the other woman’s hand.
Ever nodded. “I’m from Fortuna Space Station.”
Quinn gasped. “Jeez, I saw it get destroyed. I’m so sorry.”
A sad look crossed Ever’s face. “Yes. Prior to its destruction, the Thraxians managed to snatch several of us.” Then she smiled. “You’re safe now, Quinn.”
Jax saw several emotions cross Quinn’s face. “My ship, the Helios…all our crew members…”
“I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through,” Ever whispered.
Quinn bit her lip. “I couldn’t save them.”
“It’s not your fault.”
But watching Quinn’s face, Jax didn’t think the woman believed Ever.
Quinn glanced at Jax, then back to Magnus and Asha. “I’m getting that this cyborg is yours?” Quinn nodded her head at Magnus.
Magnus didn’t react to the words. Jax knew the man was more than happy to be claimed by Ever.
“Yep, he’s all mine,” Ever said. “Magnus and the other gladiators helped rescue me from the Thraxians.”
Sentinel: Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone #1 Page 5