by Anna Hackett
There was a gaping hole in the wall.
And the attackers—including the one Blaine had taken down—were gone. And so were the women.
Saff’s muscles locked. The attacker had used some sort of explosive, and blown a hole out into the public corridor outside. She stumbled out the hole, searching the corridor beyond, Blaine’s big, hot body pressed close behind her.
At this time of the day, the arena tunnels were busy with workers and gladiators going about their business. A few had gathered, staring at the hole and the mess around it.
“The people that came through here,” Saff said. “Where did they go?”
A couple of the bystanders pointed down the corridor, but when Saff looked, she didn’t see them.
The attackers were gone. She looked up, her gaze slamming into Blaine’s enraged one.
Dayna, Mia, and Winter were gone.
***
The meeting in the House of Galen living area was tense.
Blaine watched the angry gladiators pacing back and forth across the room. Raiden’s jaw was hard, Thorin kept slamming one of his massive fists into the other, and Lore was tossing a coin up in the air. Every now and then, the coin would burst into flames. Kace leaned against the wall, looking like he was running battle plans through his head, and Nero leaned beside him, deathly still, with the exception of a muscle ticking in the big man’s jaw.
Blaine knew the House of Galen had a secret business of rescuing unsuitable gladiators from the arena. They freed slaves, the injured, the weak.
But this was clearly the first time they’d been attacked in the heart of their own House.
Harper, Regan, Rory, and Madeline were huddled together around the table, all nursing mugs of tea. Harper and Rory looked furious, while Madeline had an arm around Regan, whose eyes were red-rimmed from crying. Rory’s robot dog, Hero, was curled up in Regan’s lap, nuzzling her.
Blaine glanced at Saff. He’d been keeping an eye on her since the attack. She looked fully recovered, but he could tell she was still the tiniest bit shaky. Her balance was a little off. Watching her go down earlier, poison frothing at her mouth, was an image that was going to take him a long time to scrub from his head.
Galen strode into the room, his face looking as though it were made of stone.
Saff stepped forward. “It has to be the Thraxians—”
Galen chopped a hand through the air. “Everybody sit.”
For once, no one spoke. They all obeyed the imperator’s order, and took seats around the long table. Galen stood at the head of the table, pressing his scarred palms to the surface.
“We have two dead Hermia healers, and several injured.” His tone was ruthless and cold. “The ones who are okay have moved what medical equipment survived the blast to temporary quarters. We lost one regen tank.”
“How did the attackers get in?” Raiden asked. “How did they get explosives and poison into the House of Galen?”
Galen’s mouth firmed into a harder line, if that was even possible. “We ordered new medical equipment. One container was filled with explosives, while the other shipment carried the four attackers, who laced the food and drinks in the training arena.” His gaze moved to Madeline. “I need you to work with the Medical team to replace the regen tank and any other damaged equipment as fast as you can.”
The former space station commander nodded. If anyone could create organization out of chaos, and get things done efficiently, it was Madeline.
“We also lost three recruits to the poison, and we have several injured gladiators.” Galen thumped a fist on the table. “This will not stand.” His icy gaze swept the room. “This attack is on me and mine, and we will retaliate until everyone involved is dead.”
Blaine had known some scary men before, and he’d seen some terrifying fighters in the underground fight rings, but even he felt an icy shiver as Galen spoke.
“Someone took three women under my protection.” Galen looked at Nero. “Nero, what did you find?”
“Nero’s from a barbarian world,” Saff murmured to Blaine. “They are hunters and Nero can follow a trail that I can’t even see. Guy’s good, really good.”
Nero gave one vicious shake of his head. “Whoever took the women was organized. I tracked them to outside the arena.”
Lore cursed. “I was with him. It looks like the attackers had a transport waiting. Nero followed it far longer than I thought possible, but we lost them in the middle of the District.”
Galen spun and slammed his fist into the wall. Rock crumbled.
At the table, Regan buried her face in her hands. “Those poor women. They’ve already been through so much, and we promised them a safe place.”
Instantly, Thorin was there, pulling his woman into his arms. She turned and curled into his chest.
Rory stood, rubbing her rounded belly and the child growing there. “The people who took them, were they Thraxian?”
Saff shook her head. “No. There’s no way Thraxians could hide their horns. The attackers were masked, wearing black, but they had no horns. Blaine brought one down.” She shot him a glance. “Beat him up close and personal.”
“Any identifying features?” Raiden asked.
Blaine shook his head. “Nothing. They were big, and in good shape, but that describes most people around here.”
Saff was frowning, her fingers tapping against her arm. “Before they were taken, Winter yelled something. Lemons. Does that mean anything to you?”
Harper straightened. “It’s a fruit on Earth.”
Blaine pushed away from the wall. “Thanks to the Srinar, I can’t smell.” His anger surged like a wave and he forced it down. “Saff, did the attackers have a scent? A citrus smell, tangy and tart?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes! They did.”
Galen moved. “The Hezalon. They have a scent like that.”
“Who are they?” Blaine demanded.
Saff’s nose wrinkled. “They’re mercenaries. They work for whoever pays the most.”
“But they are known to do a lot of work for the Thraxians,” Galen said darkly.
“So if the Thraxians are behind this, it’s retaliation for closing down the fight rings,” Blaine said.
“And for rescuing the other humans,” Harper said.
“And for beating the House of Thrax again and again in the arena,” Raiden added.
“There is no love lost between the House of Galen and the House of Thrax,” Galen said. “But this has crossed the line. I will bring them down. But for now, we focus on rebuilding Medical and finding Dayna, Mia, and Winter.” Galen’s voice held a dark promise. “I’ll meet with our allied imperators, and send out word that we are looking for the women.” He paused. “Someone will need to tell our blue guest that Mia won’t be visiting him.”
The blue alien had been a captive in the fight rings like Blaine. He’d joined forces with them and escaped…but Blaine knew he’d been a prisoner for a very long time. The powerful alien, covered in tattoos, was having a very hard time adjusting and withdrawing from the drugs, and had to be kept caged. Blaine was aware Mia had been going down to sit with him every day. The blue alien was far calmer in the small woman’s presence.
He wasn’t going to deal well with her abduction. “I’ll tell him.”
Galen nodded at Blaine. Then there was a sharp knock at the door, and a house worker entered, head bowed. The man handed a message to Galen before backing out.
The imperator opened the paper. Then he looked up and gave them a sharp smile. “The House of Thrax has issued us a challenge. They want to fight in the arena tomorrow night.”
“It’s a trap,” Thorin’s voice was an unhappy rumble.
“Possibly.” Galen nodded. “They no doubt want to hit us while they think we’re scrambling. But if they want a fight, we’ll give them one.”
“I want in,” Blaine said.
Glances were exchanged, and he curled his hands into fists.
“I owe them. I know t
hey attacked your house, your home, but they destroyed my life.” Hot emotion flooded his throat and he fought it down. “They tortured me, they forced me to kill, they pumped me full of drugs. I. Owe. Them.”
Galen watched him steadily for a long moment, then the imperator nodded. “You’re in.” He looked at Saff. “You have a day to get him ready for the arena.”
Chapter Four
From the edge of the gym, Saff watched Blaine with his friends. He had an arm around Regan and Rory. Harper and Madeline stood across from him, all of them looking down. She didn’t need empathic abilities to sense their pain and sadness.
Saff felt a burst of sympathy. So many people here on Carthago had been torn from their lives, separated from their loved ones, but this little group was so far from home, had suffered so much, but they still kept on going.
She was too far away to hear what Blaine was saying, but whatever he said calmed the women. There were a few smiles, Rory punched a fist playfully into his shoulder, and then they all hugged each other before the women left.
Blaine strode across the gym toward her. Galen spent a lot of money keeping Medical well-outfitted, and he did the same with the House of Galen gym. There were weights for strength training, an indoor fight ring and a large, mat-covered area for sparring practice. Various weapons—swords, nets, daggers, and axes—lined the walls.
“You look better.” Blaine came to a stop in front of her.
She nodded. “A good night’s sleep works wonders. I’ve recovered from the poison.” She shifted her feet and pulled in a deep breath. She’d never been afraid to give credit where credit was due. “Thank you for keeping me alive yesterday.”
His gaze ran over her face, and he nodded. “How’s everyone coping after the attack?”
“As best as can be expected.” It hurt to have their home, their sanctuary, targeted. “Galen has taken mad to a new level, but he’s focused on the rebuilding. They started work this morning.”
“That’s fast.”
“He doesn’t mess around.” Saff straightened. “Well, I asked you to meet me here so we can start our training for the fight tonight.”
He nodded. “I have one thing I need to do first.”
“Oh?”
“Visit the blue beast man. He deserves to know why Mia won’t be visiting him.”
Saff sucked in a breath and fell into step with Blaine. “He isn’t going to be pleased.”
“Pretty sure that’s an understatement.”
They walked through several corridors in the House of Galen before they took stairs down to the basement levels. It was darker there, the only light coming from orange lights set into the walls. Saff stared at the heavy-duty cells ahead. Even from a distance, she sensed the black, chaotic emotions pumping out of the cell.
A tall guard nodded at them and they stopped by a cell with a heavy door with some bars set in the center of it.
Blaine cleared his throat and stepped closer.
Suddenly, the door rattled and Saff had to control the urge to jerk. She saw the huge blue alien staring out at them, gold eyes glowing. His long dark hair fell past his muscled shoulders and faint swirls of tattoos covered his skin. To Saff, he felt like a throbbing mass of rage.
“Hey, Blue,” Blaine said.
As far as Saff knew, the alien hadn’t spoken. Not even to Mia.
“I’ve got some bad news—” Blaine drew in a deep breath “—we were attacked here yesterday, and…damn, there is no easy way to tell you this. Mia was taken. Stolen with the other women, Dayna and Winter.”
The blue alien went very still and Saff could almost swear she felt the temperature drop.
“We are doing everything to find her and get her back,” Blaine added.
The blue alien’s hands curled around the bars. “Mi-a.”
Blaine stepped closer. “We’ll get her back.”
“Mi-a.” The beast man’s voice rose, along with his tumultuous, rage-filled emotions. “Mia!”
The alien exploded into a frenzy, and both Saff and Blaine stepped back. Horrified, she watched the alien tear around his cell, destroying his bunk in a whirl of fists. He slammed kicks and blows against the walls, pulverizing rock into dust.
“Jesus.” Blaine just stared.
“Best just to leave him,” the guard said. “Poor guy takes a while to come down when he rages.” The tall man’s eyes were solemn. “Sorry to hear about the women. Mia is really nice. Spends hours sitting outside Blue’s cell and even sings to him.” The guard shook his head. “Only time the guy sleeps.”
Sorrow dragging on her, Saff left with Blaine. As they walked, she felt the tension in him. “This isn’t your fault, Blaine.”
His jaw tightened. “I don’t want to talk, I want to train.”
“I’m happy to oblige, Earth man.” She wouldn’t mind pounding something right now, herself. She led him back to the gym.
He took in the equipment and the mats, and the fighting ring in the corner. “Why not outside, in the training arena?”
“Oh, we’ll get there.” She walked over to the wall and found what she wanted. The fighting sticks were crafted on the planet Kaan-Tie from mewa wood. She held a set out to him. “For now, we’ll start with these.” She headed out onto the mats.
With one stick, she pointed out the edges of a single mat. “You need to stay in the confines of the mat. You’ll need to be aware of your position, and exert some control to keep your body inside the boundaries during the fight.”
A muscle ticked in Blaine’s jaw. “Control isn’t my…strong suit right now.”
She tilted her head. “That’s okay, Earth man. There are lots of wild gladiators out there in the arena. You’ve seen Thorin fight. You need to learn to use that lack of control to your advantage. Don’t let it use you.”
Blaine’s hands flexed on the fighting sticks. She watched as his knuckles turned white.
“You don’t understand. Before…I was always controlled. I like control.”
And that was eating him up inside. She lowered her voice, aiming to offer reassurance, but drak, Saff had never been the soft and soothing sort. “You might never be like you were before, Blaine. And you already know that you can never go home.”
He strode a few steps across the mat, turning his back to her. He set his hands on his hips, his body tense.
“Use it, Blaine,” she urged him. If he didn’t learn to embrace it, he’d never find a place in the arena.
After a deep breath, he turned back and lifted the fighting sticks. “Let’s fight.”
Okay, so apparently she wasn’t very good at this comforting stuff. But she could sure as hell help him hone his fighting skills, and give him a way to exorcize the demons.
After showing him some basic moves, they faced each other across the mat. They started slowly at first, the sound of wood whacking on wood echoing around the room.
Soon, their moves started to speed up, the strength of their hits increasing. Saff narrowed her gaze. Something told her Blaine Strong was never happy unless he was pushing himself, fighting for the win.
She felt perspiration bead on her forehead. She was using all her strength to block his moves. He was strong and fast.
Finally, Blaine stepped back, sticks by his side. “Enough with the training. Let’s fight. Best of three.”
Saff smiled grimly. Maybe this was the distraction they both needed. “You’re on.”
He attacked first, rushing in with vicious strength. Whack. She lifted her sticks, spinning and dodging. He might be fast and strong, but she was more experienced.
A second later, she tangled his sticks with hers, wrapped her legs around his hips from the side, and brought them crashing to the mats. He lunged up to knock her off him, but she shifted, pressing one of her sticks down into his neck.
“Yield.”
He smacked his palms against the mat. “Dammit.”
Saff bounded back to her feet. “That’s one to me.”
Blaine snatche
d up his fighting sticks and turned. She saw him pushing back his fury, and he crouched in a fighting stance, raising the sticks.
They went again, the two of them dancing across the mat, sticks thwacking against sticks. Saff kept part of her attention on the boundaries. If she stepped out, it was an automatic win for him. She dodged, turned, and then dived in a somersault across the mat. With a growl, he came after her, sticks whirling.
His next charge was so fast, she felt a stick whack against her ribs. With a grunt, she stepped back, and a vicious smile of satisfaction crossed his face.
For a second, Saff didn’t care about the fact that she’d stepped outside the ring and the fight went to him. That smile… Pure heat curled in her belly. That smile turned him from hard and dangerous, to something insanely attractive.
“Okay, one point each,” she said. “This final match is for the win.”
He nodded, then reached behind himself, and grabbed the neck of his shirt in his fist. He jerked it over his head, leaving him clad only in simple fighting trousers.
Saff’s mouth went dry. She let her gaze drift over him. She’d known he was solid, but the guy had a heavily-muscled chest and abs honed so hard they didn’t look real. Her gaze snagged on every scar that marred his skin—each one with a story to tell of grit and survival. Confusion rocked her over her reaction. She spent all her days training and fighting with half-dressed gladiators. She’d seen lots of sexy male bodies, and she was sure she’d seen men much more gorgeous than Blaine Strong.
But right now, she couldn’t for the life of her remember who. She moved her head from side to side and shook her shoulders, trying to work out the tension. She didn’t need to be distracted by a man’s chest.
Once again, he came at her fast and hard, but this time Saff was ready. She dodged, she blocked, and got in some hits of her own.
Thwack. Thwack. The sounds of the hits were punctuated with their harsh breathing.
Suddenly, Blaine lunged in close. She slammed her stick against his, but his second one hit across her chest. She sucked in a breath and he slid an arm behind her back, bending her backward over his arm. Their chests were pressed together, their sticks caught between them. They stayed there for a long moment, frozen in that embrace.