Sentinel: Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone #1

by Hackett, Anna

  Wow, he sure packed a powerful punch. He had a muscled body, with black ink in fascinating tattoos covering most of his chest. There was a dash of silver at his temples.

  But it was the power that radiated off him that made you look twice.

  Then, a woman rose from a nearby chair and strode toward them. She was tall, with a lethally honed body, and blonde-brown hair only a shade darker than Quinn’s that was tamed into a long braid.

  Quinn looked at the woman’s face and the shock of recognition hit her. “Captain Santos.”

  The blonde nodded and held out a hand. “It’s Sam, Security Chief Bennett.”

  Quinn squeezed the woman’s fingers. Another lost person from Earth who’d been found. “Quinn. We met briefly on Fortuna.”

  “Galen and I are very glad that you’re safe.”

  Glancing past the woman, Quinn scanned the room. Her heart thumped against her ribs. She saw other humans. A redhead was chasing a small and very fast toddler around.

  “All of the Fortuna’s abductees…you found them all?”

  “All of them. We’ve made a home here, and everyone is safe.”

  Galen stepped closer, wrapped an arm around Sam, his hand resting on her hip.

  Another woman who’d fallen for an alien gladiator. Quinn felt happy for the woman, and, strangely, a little envious.

  “You don’t know how good it makes me feel to hear that, Sam. But I want to rescue my people, too,” Quinn said.

  “We’ll help,” Sam said.

  Beside her, Galen nodded. “Whatever it takes.”

  “You have intel on the Edull?” Jax asked.

  “On their city,” Galen answered. “Bari Batu.”

  Quinn nodded. “That’s it. A city made of scrap metal, although I wasn’t allowed outside much.”

  “We don’t have the exact coordinates,” Galen continued, “but we’ve learned that it’s rumored to be in an area called the Shattered Sands.”

  Jax frowned. “That’s a long way from Kor Magna.” He paused and, as his eyes flickered, Quinn realized he was accessing data. “And it’s a vast area. Too large to search without more information.”

  “Do you have satellites?” Quinn asked. “Aerial images we can use to pinpoint it?”

  Galen shook his head. “No one on Carthago wants to be spied on by rivals or enemies. Long ago, the imperators agreed to ban their use.” He lifted his head to Jax. “I suggest you get in touch with Corsair. The caravan master knows the desert and its people better than anyone else.”

  “We will.”

  “Stay.” Galen waved a hand. “Meet the others and watch the rest of the fight.”

  As Jax continued to converse with Galen, Sam introduced Quinn to the others. She found herself surrounded by a sea of smiling faces. She met sweet, curvy Regan and the sassy redhead, Rory, who was the mother of the handsome toddler. Then the sleek, dark-haired Madeline who had been the head of Fortuna Station. The smiling woman was night and day to the stern woman Quinn remembered meeting when the Helios had docked at the space station. Then there was pixie-faced Mia and the former doctor, Winter.

  “Harper and Blaine are down in the arena,” Sam said.

  Quinn raised her brows. “Fighting?”

  Sam smiled. “Yes. Both are accomplished gladiators now.”

  “Impressive,” Quinn said.

  “Dayna is shacked up with Rillian who owns the Dark Nebula Casino.” Rory waggled her eyebrows. “God, I love my sexy gladiator, but Rillian is one long, gorgeous drink of water.”

  “And Ryan lives with Zhim, both of them in hacker paradise,” Regan added.

  “Any other survivors?” Quinn asked.

  “Just Neve, Ever’s sister,” Sam said. “She’s mated to Corsair and very happy adventuring through the desert as part of his caravan.”

  Ugh, Quinn had no desire to adventure in the desert ever again.

  “I’m sure you’ll meet her soon,” Sam said. “She keeps a close eye on Ever.”

  Rory snorted. “You mean she keeps a close eye on Magnus to ensure that cyborg is treating her sister right.”

  As the women kept chatting, Quinn moved toward the glass. She looked down at the arena below, watching a big gladiator leap into the air, red cloak flying out behind him. His sword clashed with a rival gladiator, just as a woman whirled into the fight, two swords in hand.

  Quinn sucked in a breath. The woman was human. That had to be Harper.

  “Here.”

  She turned and saw Jax holding out a small cup of something. She sniffed. It smelled like popcorn.

  “Try it. It’s a popular snack in the arena.”

  “Thank you.” She popped a little in her mouth and the salty flavor burst across her tongue. She’d missed this. The small things. A burst of flavor, a touch of kindness, a soft pillow. A wave of emotion threatened to wash over her, and she fought it back. She wasn’t going to cry again.

  Now, she was free. She had to keep reminding herself of that. Now, she was going to rescue the others. She wanted to give them all a chance at life, like the women behind her.

  She glanced up at Jax. He stood so straight and handsome beside her.

  “You need to replenish your energy and restore your health,” he said.

  This baffling cyborg was looking out for her.

  “I haven’t exercised or trained for months. A few push-ups and sit-ups when I could sneak it in.” She looked back at the arena and the amazing display of skill.

  “Tomorrow, if you wish, you can train with me,” Jax said.

  “I’d like that.”

  She looked back at the fight, but most of her attention remained on the man standing beside her. A man who seemed to see straight under her skin.

  Chapter Eight

  Jax swung his sword, slicing through the air as he moved across the training floor. The House of Rone’s gym was large, with high ceilings and a lot of space.

  He whirled the sword above his head, before swiping the blade down beside his body. He stepped through the familiar moves of his routine, his muscles remembering them by rote.

  Then he heard a noise and lifted his head. Quinn stood in the doorway.

  “Don’t stop.”

  Jax continued through the routine, conscious she was watching. When he finally lowered the sword and straightened, she was watching with obvious admiration.

  “That was incredible,” she said. “You move so fast.”

  “Enhanced speed.”

  She walked closer. She looked well rested. Today, her clothes were tight-fitting workout gear that outlined her toned body. She was still a little thin, but he wasn’t surprised to see the curves at her hips. No doubt with a little more nutrition, she’d fill out some more.

  “What else is enhanced?” she asked.

  “Strength, my senses. But each cyborg has tailored abilities depending on our enhancements and the natural abilities of our species.”

  “Incredible. And your tattoo?”

  “That’s fairly new.” He held his arm out. “Avarn’s been testing subdermal enhancements, and this is the latest iteration.”

  “You can channel energy through it.”

  He nodded. “Magnus can do it with his cybernetic arm, so Avarn took that technology and adjusted it to an organic arm.”

  She smiled. “It is amazing.”

  “How did you sleep?”

  She lifted a shoulder, her smile slipping away. “Better than I have done for a while.”

  But Jax could read between the lines. He remembered his first few months of freedom. “Nightmares?”

  She shook her head. “I just kept waking up. I wasn’t sure where I was, and I keep thinking about Jayna and the others.”

  He nodded. “The same happened to me when I first arrived on Carthago. It took time to trust that I was free.” He kept imagining the Orionix Military sweeping in, attempting to recover their prized cyborg and terminating Jax.

  “That’s it.” She tucked some blonde-brown strands beh
ind her ear. “I keep thinking I’ll wake up and be back with Sleeja.”

  “I assure you that the crudspawn cannot hurt you ever again. He is very much dead.”

  An unsteady breath. “I hope Nebu is okay.”

  “I got word that he was reunited with his family.”

  She closed her eyes, pain flashing on her face before it was gone and she smiled. “That’s great news. I’m truly happy for him.”

  But there would be no family reunion for Quinn.

  “You’re close to your family?”

  A quick nod.

  “We can arrange for you to speak with them. Our ally, Zhim, has the technology.”

  She gasped. “I’d like that.”

  “It might take a little time. Zhim will ask the Earth authorities to contact them, then they’ll need to link up for the call.”

  “I want them to know that I’m all right.”

  “I’ll organize it.”

  She walked across the mats. “I know I’ll get used to being here eventually. To the chains being gone.”

  “You will.” Jax had no doubt. “The difference between you and me is that you’ve been free before. You’ll find your way back. I’d never had any freedom, only followed my programming, so I had a steep learning curve.” His gaze lingered on her face. He loved the strong line of her jaw and cheekbones. His body tightened.

  “That must’ve been tough for you,” she said.

  “I had Magnus to help me.”

  She made a face. “He seems so…cold. I have no idea how he and Ever could possibly have fallen in love.”

  Jax smiled. “Oh, there is a man beneath the enhancements. Magnus is just very good at hiding him. Now, let’s get our training started.”

  He stalked over to a weapons wall. Quinn’s gaze ran over the vast array of swords, knives, staffs, axes, crossbows and other weapons. She made a soft, appreciative noise.

  Maxon might be bad-tempered and impatient, but he was a genius at what he did.

  Jax lifted a sword and staff off the rack. “I arranged these for you.”

  Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him, like she was trying to work out something. She kept looking at him until he felt the very unfamiliar need to fidget.

  “Quinn?”

  “Sorry.” She shook herself, her gaze falling to the weapons. “I’ve gotten so used to brutality, to cruelty… I’ve almost forgotten what kindness is like.”

  Jax wanted to go back and kill Sleeja all over again.

  Quinn took the sword, testing its weight. “It’s light. Made for human strength.”

  “I asked our weapons master to create them for you.” Jax handed her the staff, and she lifted it in her other hand. It was made of a very rare, yet very strong wood, reinforced with a light-weight, metal core. It was very expensive, but he wasn’t going to tell her that.

  Nor would he tell her that he now owed Maxon a crate of Trallian ale.

  “I’ve never trained much with a sword.” She set it back on the rack. Then she lifted the staff. She whirled it through the air, lightning fast. It was clear she’d trained with a staff before.

  Jax set his own sword down and lifted another staff made for someone his size. “Would you like to spar?”

  She broke into a wide smile. “Oh, yeah.”

  Together, they made their way down to the center of the mats.

  Jax started off easily. She was still stretching muscles that hadn’t been used for a long time, and working her way back to full health.

  But Quinn had other ideas.

  She swung hard and fast. As her staff whacked against his, he gritted his teeth against the blow.

  She whirled away and then came in faster than before, getting in a few more good hits against his weapon. With a laugh, she danced away.

  He narrowed his eyes. She was fast and nimble, and it was clear she’d use that to her advantage. She shot him a smile. A dangerous one.

  Jax felt his blood fire. They danced across the mats, the gym filling with the sounds of their weapons thwacking together. Quinn met all his hits.

  Drak, he loved the way she moved.

  “You smile more than the other cyborgs,” she said.

  “My emotional dampeners have never functioned as well.” As she dropped lower and swept her staff out, he jumped over it.

  Now, he used a little bit more of his strength. They moved across the mats again in a hard flurry of moves. Then their staffs met, sliding together, until their bodies collided. They turned in a circle.

  “You’re very good,” he said.

  She smiled, her face dampened with a light sheen of perspiration. “Oh, I know.”

  He was hit with the scent of sweat and soap, and his body responded. He saw a flare in her eyes, as well.

  Then she spun away.

  This time, she surprised him with a kick. He deflected her foot, and she hit the mat and bounced back up.

  Then she ducked down low, swinging her staff out fast. This time, Jax wasn’t quick enough. She knocked his legs out from under him.

  Cursing, he went down.

  He managed to turn, landing on his hands and knees. The little fighter was proving to be a tougher challenge than he expected. He smiled. He liked that.

  He started to push himself up, but Quinn leaped onto his back. He felt her staff against his neck, held horizontal.

  “What now, cyborg?” she drawled in his ear. “And no fancy cyborg tricks.”

  He tipped to the side, rolling across the mat.

  For a second, she was pinned, but this time, she cursed. She heaved him over and they kept rolling, jostling for supremacy.

  Jax was bigger, and he ended up on top, his heaving chest pressed against her.

  “You’re an impressive fighter, Quinn.”

  “Thanks.”

  Their gazes locked. The air charged, and Jax felt the tension twist in the air between them.

  He stilled, but in his head, he berated himself. He ran through all the reasons he couldn’t give in to his attraction to this woman.

  She’d just been rescued. He was a damn sandsucker for even thinking about her like this. And he had no room for a woman like her.

  But something about Quinn Bennett appeared to carve through his already shaky emotional dampeners like they were made of paper.

  Quickly, he levered himself off her. “I think you’re ready to run the circuit.”

  “The circuit?” She sat up, then jumped to her feet.

  He moved over to the side wall and touched a control panel. His fingers moved in a blur over the screen.

  Suddenly, the mats in the center of the gym moved. Some were drawn down into the opening floor panels. Other floor plates opened, and equipment and obstacles rose up.

  Quinn’s eyes widened. “An obstacle course.”

  “You need to run the path of the circuit, and evade or fight the obstacles.”

  Light flared in her eyes. Quinn clearly loved a challenge.

  “Be warned, this is designed for cyborgs.”

  “I can do it.” She glanced sideways at him, shooting him a competitive look. “How about a wager?”

  Jax tilted his head. “You’re on.”

  “What do I get if I win?”

  He snorted. “You have to win, first.”

  “Oh, I’ll win.”

  Such confidence and courage. “What would you like your prize to be?”

  “I want to kiss you again.”

  A punch of desire hit Jax. “Quinn…”

  Her smile dimmed a little. “If you don’t want me…”

  “That’s not it.” His fingers curled into his palms.

  She lifted her chin, a glint of determination in her eyes. “That’s what I want.”

  He let out a heavy breath. And she’d had all her choices taken away from her for a long time. He wouldn’t take this away from her as well. “Very well.”

  Smiling, she took her position at the start line.

  “Go,” he yelled.

&n
bsp; She ran. He watched her dodge several obstacles and then leap over some large blocks. Ropes swung down at her and she ducked.

  She scrambled across a narrow beam when an “attacker” rushed up at her. The holographic opponent was holding a sword. Quinn swung her staff, hitting the opponent in the gut.

  The hologram flickered and disappeared.

  Quinn leaped onto a ramp. She ran up it nimbly, then jumped across a widening gap. She landed on a platform and rolled. Another attacker rushed at her, and she swung out with her deadly staff.

  Up ahead, several metal rings dangled from the ceiling. She swung her staff onto her back, sliding it into the small harness she’d put on. Then she jumped, grabbing the first ring easily. Her body swung, and she worked her way across the rings.

  Jax smiled. She was amazing. Brilliant.

  She landed on another platform. There was a length of tiny platforms for her to cross, most no bigger than her foot. They all kept rising and falling, making passage difficult.

  Quinn made it across three before the next one threw her off balance.

  She fell backward, slamming onto the mats.

  “Dammit.” She slapped a palm against the mats and sat up. “Again.”

  Jax nodded and reset the circuit. She moved back to the start, and began again.

  Once again, she moved with an athleticism that took his breath away. A moment later, she passed the spot where she’d fallen. As the final attacker rushed at her, she kicked the target. It flickered and winked out. She reached the finish line and turned, throwing her hands into the air.

  “Yes!”

  “You were amazing,” he said.

  She bent over, putting her hands on her thighs, dragging in some air. But her gaze met his.

  “I’d like my prize now.”

  Jax watched her straighten and walk toward him. Desire stormed inside him and he tried desperately to keep a handle on it. She didn’t stop until her body was pressed against his. Her breasts were a tantalizing, full weight against his chest. She slid her hands up his chest and he leaned forward. Her hands clenched in his hair.

  “You have gorgeous hair,” she murmured.

  Their gazes met again, and he saw her hesitate.

  “You sure you want this?” she asked.

  “You won.”

  She blew out a breath. “But I want you to want this, too.”