by Anna Hackett
Harper and the other recruits followed. They moved into a large room where narrow benches lined the far wall.
Several people moved around the benches, arranging small bottles of oil. They were all taller than Harper but shorter than the gladiators. They were all very slender, wore simple robes the color of the arena sand, and all looked the same. They had rounded heads with no hair and large green eyes. Harper couldn’t tell if they were male or female.
“They’re part of the health team,” Saff said from behind Harper. “They are the Hermia healers, and have the ability to manipulate biological energy. They have magic fingers, and can sense where your muscles need the most massaging.”
“Which are male and which are female?”
Saff smiled. “They are neither. Their species is genderless.”
“Genderless?” Harper tried to wrap her head around that. “How do they…?”
“Procreate. Well, they are capable of impregnating themselves when they want to create a child.”
Harper watched as the gladiators moved to a room off to the side. Steam was billowing out of it. She stepped inside and watched, a little shocked, as Thorin dropped his leather trousers. He stood there for a second, completely naked, before he stepped under one of the showerheads lining the wall. The floor was a lovely cream tile and on the wall, red and gray tiles formed the helmeted gladiator logo of the House of Galen.
Other naked bodies stepped under the spray. Beside her, Saff started to strip off. Harper’s gaze flew straight to Raiden. He reached up and unclipped the straps across his chest. His harness and red cloak fell to the floor.
His hands moved to the fastening of his leather trousers.
Look away, Harper. But she didn’t. Her gaze was glued to the gladiator. He was side-on to her, and as he pushed his trousers down, he bared one glorious, hard male flank.
Heaven have mercy. The man was pure muscle, not an inch of fat on him. His tattoos continued down his muscled back and down one leg. And his ass…the man had a perfect ass.
Okay, so maybe her mouth was watering. He stepped under the spray and lifted his face up to the water. She watched as the water cascaded over his body.
Harper heard the sound of a throat clearing, and looked up. Saff was watching her, amusement dancing in her dark eyes.
“You look like you need a cold shower, Harper.” Saff finished pulling off her clothes, standing naked and completely unconcerned about it.
Harper was glad everyone else was already in the showers. She slipped her clothes off and moved under the water. God, it felt good. She hadn’t had a decent shower for such a long time. It made her long for a pool as well. She’d kill to work out her muscles in a nice, cold pool. But she guessed desert planets didn’t have swimming pools.
She used the soap provided and once everyone else had left and climbed onto the benches in the next room, she moved to the final bench.
As the Hermia healer started to massage her back, Harper swallowed a moan. Saff was right, the healers had magic fingers.
“Mistress, my colleague will run a scanner over you as part of your medical check.” The healer had a soft voice.
She tried not to tense up. “Okay.”
She heard some faint beeps.
“You are in excellent health. We are required to inoculate you against some common diseases. It will only sting a little.”
Harper felt a faint sting on the top of her left buttock. She raised her head. “What was that?”
“A small implant,” the healer murmured, large eyes patient. “It protects you against many diseases and prevents procreation.”
Her gut cramped. “Permanently?”
“No, only until it is removed again.”
She relaxed. “Okay.”
“Please, allow me to continue your rub down.”
She did and once again those firm fingers dug into her sore muscles, easing the ache away.
Instantly, the image of a naked Raiden burned into her brain. She pressed her cheek against the padded bench, willing herself to find some control.
An attraction to a huge, alpha gladiator was hardly something she needed. She had no idea what she was going to do next, but she wasn’t staying. She didn’t need a bossy male getting in her way.
Still—she thought of hard, tattooed muscles—that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate what he looked like.
And it didn’t mean that she couldn’t admit that she was desperately excited to watch him fight tonight.
***
Raiden sliced his sword through the air. As he moved his body through the warmup, the crowd was already cheering.
This was a smaller, private fight, and he knew the corporate sponsors were up in their swanky boxes watching from above. But he barely spared them a glance. They always invited him up for post-fight drinks and other…delights, but he mostly refused. He much preferred an ale with his friends back in their living quarters.
“The House of Zhan-Shi should be an easy fight tonight.”
He turned to look at Thorin, who was also going through his warmup exercises. Across the arena, the helmeted Zhan-Shi gladiators were doing the same.
Zhan-Shi were a small, new house who were still building their reputation. But it never paid to underestimate anyone in the arena.
At least they picked good fighters. Raiden’s mouth tightened. They had honor, unlike the Thraxians who enjoyed throwing weaker fighters in the ring. Seeing fighters get pummeled pleased the bloodthirsty crowds. Very few died in the arena, but a lot of people got seriously wounded. The Thraxians understood that the more blood and gore that was spilled, the more the crowd paid.
Raiden’s jaw tightened. He wouldn’t let that stand. He glanced over toward the House of Galen’s seats, which were close to the arena floor, and he had no trouble spotting Harper. She was standing, gripping the railing, as she watched the fight preparations.
“You can’t take your eyes off our newest female fighter.”
Raiden swung his sword again, ignoring Thorin.
“She is intriguing,” his friend continued. “So many contradictions. Small and soft. Looks delicate, but is a strong, skilled fighter.”
Raiden still didn’t respond. He knew from past experience that if you gave Thorin even the smallest gap, he’d burrow right in and extract all your secrets. Instead, Raiden checked the straps crossing his chest, touched the medallion there, then checked the gauntlet covering his sword arm.
“You can admit to liking her—”
“Her name is Harper, and I do not like women.” Raiden spun and glared at his friend. “I fuck them. End of story.”
Thorin raised a brow. “So, you’re going to fuck her, then?”
“No.” Harper equaled distraction. Raiden never fucked gladiators from his own house. He didn’t get attached. Ever.
“So you won’t mind if I sample the pretty woman from Earth—”
Raiden landed one hard punch to Thorin’s jaw.
The big man fell back a step, and bit off a curse. He rubbed his chin. “Guess you do mind.” He turned his head and spat out some blood. When he looked back, he grinned at Raiden.
Drak. He’d fallen right into Thorin’s trap. “Eat sand, Thorin.”
Thorin slung his axe over his shoulder. “I’m just here to get you to pull your head out of your ass.”
“Drop it.”
Thorin opened his mouth, proving that he was an idiot, but Saff and Kace appeared.
“You’re supposed to fight the rival gladiators, not each other,” Kace said dryly.
“Lucky for us, Thorin’s jaw is made of stone,” Saff said with a smile.
“What he’s got is a big mouth,” Raiden said.
“I have something else that’s big.” Thorin grinned. “And Raiden, here, has a big hard-on for our newest female gladiator.”
Raiden sent his friend a scathing glare. “Big. Mouth.”
Kace held up a hand. He was holding helmets topped with red truska fur. “The sponsors
requested helmets at the last minute. As always, we aim to please those who shower us in money. Galen said to make it look good.”
Raiden scowled. He hated helmets. They hampered his vision and added weight. He took it and pulled it on, adjusting to his hampered vision. “We always do.”
He saw Lore and Nero striding toward them. With their helmets, fighting leathers and bare chests, they looked imposing. Lore paused and waved to the crowd. Then he lifted a palm and blew what looked like dust off his hand. The dust streamed into the air, twisting and writhing, until it made a shape like the flying dracos beasts of the Dagon System. The spectators screamed their pleasure.
Thorin pulled his helmet on and all his teasing ended. Through the slit in the helmet, Raiden could see his friend’s eyes were hard and focused. Raiden glanced over at Saff and Kace.
“Ready to fight?” Raiden asked.
“For freedom and honor,” Saff called out.
“For freedom and honor,” Thorin, Kace, Lore and Nero said together.
Thorin swung his axe and the six of them moved in a line toward the opposing gladiators.
Raiden felt his blood fire even as his mind cleared, ready for the fight. The crowd cheered, and he knew many were locals, but more came in especially for the fights from all parts of the galaxy. Lured by the thrill of watching man pitted against man, for the chance to see blood spray across the sand.
Then they stayed for all the temptations and vices the Kor Magna District offered them.
A moment later, the fight siren blasted—a long, mournful sound that echoed across the arena.
As the Zhan-Shi gladiators advanced, Raiden turned his head and caught sight of Harper. She was watching him.
He took a breath, then he turned his attention to the approaching gladiators. Time to focus on the fight. But the image of blue-gray eyes stayed in his head, inspiring him to fight harder.
“For the House of Galen,” he yelled, charging forward.
Beside him, his team moved with him.
Swords clashed. The distinctive Zhan-Shi battle cry echoed around them. Soon, Raiden lost himself in the fight. For so many years, this had been his haven, his escape. In the middle of the fight, there was no past or future. There was no lost planet and no dead family. There was no pain or sorrow.
There was only the here and now, and a fight for survival.
Raiden spun and slammed his weapon against the shield of one of the Zhan-Shi gladiators. Raiden didn’t recognize the guy, and while he had some skill, it wasn’t enough. A second later, the gladiator lost his balance and fell on the sand. Raiden sliced his sword across the man’s sword arm and left him bleeding.
He turned and saw a gladiator coming in from Thorin’s side.
“Thorin,” he yelled at his partner.
The big gladiator spun, roaring as he swung his axe. He took down two gladiators.
Raiden fought another gladiator, this one a little better with his sword. Raiden jumped, bringing his weapon down, and sending his opponent to the sand with a spray of blood.
He turned to face the remaining Zhan-Shi gladiator. The young man was practically shaking, his face terrified.
Drak. Raiden switched his grip and slammed the hilt of his sword against the young man’s temple. He collapsed without a sound.
Sweat dripping off him, his chest heaving, Raiden looked across the arena. The only gladiators still standing were his friends. Victory for the House of Galen.
He strode across the sand. Thorin fell in beside him, as did the rest of the House of Galen warriors. As they did their lap, the cheering of the crowd got even louder.
As Raiden passed the House of Thrax seats, he saw the stony face of the bastards who ran the house. Raiden raised his sword at the imperator.
His blood was pumping with adrenaline. He always felt like this after winning a fight in the arena. High on the sensations and the mix of essences that battered him from the crowd. He yanked off his helmet.
He stopped below the House of Galen seats.
“Nice work, boys.” Saff bumped her shoulders against Raiden and Thorin.
Beside her, Kace nodded. Lore was grinning and Nero was almost smiling. Thorin slapped Raiden on the back.
Raiden glanced over and saw Harper watching him. She was grinning. Without thinking, Raiden stalked toward her. He leaped up, holding the top of the railing, his face level with hers.
“Nice fight, gladiator,” she said. “You might want to know that two opposing gladiators just got back up. They’re headed this way. That means you aren’t done yet, right?”
Raiden didn’t even bother glancing back. “Won’t take me long to take care of them.”
“Arrogant.”
“Confident. Wish me luck?”
“You don’t need it.”
But when she reached out, Raiden went still. She touched the tip of her thumb to his lips, dragging it across.
“You have some blood there.” Her voice was husky. “It’s gone now.” Her eyes met his. “Good luck.”
Raiden nipped the soft pad of her thumb, and saw something flare in her eyes. “You’re right, I don’t need it, but I’ll take it from you.”
He leaned forward and kissed her.
Drak. Her flavor exploded through him, igniting his blood. Desire was a solid slam into his gut and his kiss turned hard, hungry. She kissed him back—exploring his mouth with eager thrusts of her tongue.
Following the tiniest thread of self-preservation that was drumming through his head, he pulled back. They stared at each other. The crowd was roaring around them, but Raiden didn’t pay them any attention.
Then he turned away and leaped back into the arena. He raised his fist to the crowd, and they cheered. He glanced once more at Harper before he moved back to his gladiators.
With Thorin, Saff, and the others flanking him, they strode across the arena to take care of the last of the Zhan-Shi gladiators.
Chapter Eight
“Let’s go through them one more time,” Saff said.
Harper nodded, trying to quell her nervousness. She stared at the projected images of all the beasts that they might face in the arena tonight.
They’d had a lighter day of training today, to rest up, and Harper had spent most of the day looking at each of the beasts with Saff, Thorin, and Raiden. Her head was ringing with all the strengths and weaknesses they’d drummed into her. Raiden wouldn’t let up. He wanted her to remember every little detail and he was being a hard taskmaster.
For the last two hours, they’d been in this large living area that belonged to the high-level gladiators. It was a comfortable space with exposed stone walls. Saff was operating a small computer, projecting images on the wall.
They weren’t sure what beasts the Thraxians would throw into the arena, but some of the images were truly horrifying. Some were like nothing she’d ever seen before. One flashed up on the screen. That one looked similar to the big cats on Earth. The next one that flashed up, with green, bumpy skin and standing on two huge feet, that made her think of a troll from some fantasy story.
“This one has very sharp teeth,” Saff said.
“And poison,” Thorin added cheerfully. “Don’t let it bite or drool on you.”
Right. Harper had spent the morning practicing with the nets that Saff had told her were good in a beast fight. The nets were great for trapping and slowing down most beasts. But the damn things were tricky. They exploded out of a small egg-shaped device, but you had to have impeccable aim. By the end of the day, she’d gotten better, but she didn’t think the net was ever going to be her weapon of choice.
She glanced at the door she knew led down to the gladiators’ bedrooms. They all had their own rooms, while she’d been moved into a dormitory with a group of other newer gladiators. She was just damn glad to be out of the cell.
She was waiting for Raiden to return. He’d gone to prepare for the fight.
Images of the fight the night before rushed into her head. His powerful bo
dy as he’d fought with deadly power and precision. He’d been unstoppable in the arena and she hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him.
And that kiss. A shot of heat arrowed between her legs and she shifted in her seat.
Raiden was rapidly becoming an obsession and Harper had never, ever been obsessed by a man.
“Okay, this is a raksha.” Saff pointed to the next image. The giant creature looked like a huge gorilla with matted black fur. “Go for the back of the neck. That’s their weak point.”
“The neck, right.”
“This is a gallu. If they get close enough to spit at you, they have a poison that will paralyze you in about twenty seconds. Go for the knees on this one.”
“Gallu. Don’t get in spitting range.” Harper had a good memory, but she was never going to remember all of this. “Knees. You know, a few of these resemble animals on Earth. It’s funny that so many sentient species I’ve seen all look similar.” She held out her arms. “Two arms, two legs, head, heart—”
Thorin grinned. “Cocks.”
Saff slapped the big gladiator in the back of the head. “It’s because of the Creators.”
Harper blinked. “The Creators?”
Kace leaned forward. “You don’t know about the Creators?”
“They were an ancient species who created life in the galaxy,” Saff said. “They traveled the galaxy, seeding life on habitable planets. Creating beings in their own likeness.”
Wow. That sounded like a lot of myths and legends on Earth. “Where are they now?”
Saff shrugged. “No one knows. They left nothing behind but the species they created. This was millennia ago. People are always peddling Creator artifacts but ninety-nine percent of them are fake.”
Fascinating. Behind her, Harper heard a door open. She looked over her shoulder and saw Raiden stride in, his red cloak flaring out behind him. He’d rubbed some sort of oil into his chest, which made his tattoos gleam in the light. Right now, he looked like the prince they said he’d been. His rugged jaw was set, his green eyes on her.
Damn the man for being so good looking.