Gladiator: A Scifi Alien Romance (Galactic Gladiators Book 1)

by Anna Hackett

  As he moved up beside her, a starship roared overhead. Harper arched her neck, following the ship as it left Carthago’s atmosphere.

  “You fought well tonight,” he said.

  She glanced his way. “Thanks.”

  “You are now officially a gladiator of the House of Galen.”

  He saw something flash in her eyes. “I…guess I am.” Then she raised a brow. “I thought you were busy.” She glanced back toward the door, her face pinched. “Your…company seemed reluctant to let you go.”

  “There’s always some woman willing to spend a night with a gladiator.” He leaned against the railing beside her.

  Harper made a noise. “So what are you doing out here?”

  “The woman I want is out here.”

  Harper froze and wouldn’t look at him.

  “You’re gutsier than this,” he said quietly, caging her against the railing. “You can’t just ignore what’s between us.”

  She gave a violent shiver. “I’m attracted to you—”

  He laughed. “This is well beyond attraction, Harper, and we both know it.” He savored the feel of her. He forgot how small she was because she was such a skilled fighter. He pressed his mouth to her ear, nipping at it. “I don’t like it.”

  She pushed against him. “So stay away.”

  He knew he should stay away from her. But it was time to admit he couldn’t and he really didn’t want to.

  He was going to take her. Maybe once he’d gorged himself on her, sated his raging need, then this strange obsession would finally fade. “I can’t.”

  She moaned, pressing back against him. “You can have your pick of women.” Her voice had turned husky. “I won’t just be your flavor of the week.”

  “I want you.” More than he’d ever wanted a woman. He wanted to possess her, own her, and mark her. “And I think you have more than enough flavors for me to handle. Sweet.” He kissed her skin. “Sharp. Strong. Hot.”

  “Raiden…it’s been a long time since I’ve been close to anyone.”

  “Trust me to take care of you, Harper.” He set his teeth against the side of her neck, tasting her salty skin.

  She tilted her head to give him better access and he slid a hand down her side, where leather molded her toned curves.

  “People can see us here.”

  “I’ll take care of you.” He wouldn’t let anyone see her. Harper’s secret places and her pleasure were his alone.

  He flicked open the button on her trousers. She still smelled of sweat and faintly of blood, and it only ratcheted up the primal desire storming through him.

  He slid his hand inside her trousers, running his fingers through the damp curls at the juncture of her thighs. He heard her breath hitch. She shifted against him, rubbing against his body.

  Raiden groaned, desire rampaging through him. He pushed against her, the hard bulge of his cock rubbing against her ass.

  “Are women from Earth different?” he murmured in her ear.

  “I have no idea.” Her words ended on a gasp and she clamped her hands on the railing.

  His finger rubbed through her slick folds. He couldn’t wait to strip her bare and explore every inch of her. “Already wet for me, Harper. I want you so badly. I want to sink my cock inside you, or see your lips wrapped around it.”

  She moaned, looking blindly down at the arena.

  Then he felt her go stiff. He frowned. “What is it?”

  “It can’t be…” She leaned over the railing, staring intently at the fight.

  Raiden heard the urgency in her tone. He pulled his hand back and pressed it against her flat belly. He fought to find some control over his throbbing desire.

  He glanced back down. The fighters were all shapes and sizes, clearly uncertain about the weapons they were wielding. Most were running around the arena in an attempt to escape any confrontation. He reached over and grabbed some small binocs from a small shelf. They were kept there for the sponsors to use. “Here.”

  She shot him a grateful glance and snatched the binocs. She held them to her eyes, swiveling until she found what she was looking for.

  Then she sucked in a sharp breath. “No.”

  Raiden grabbed her shoulder. “What? Tell me.”

  She lowered the binocs, and he could see her face was pale. “The slim fighter on the far right-hand side of the arena. With the pale skin. She’s female.”

  Raiden looked down. He didn’t need the binocs to see the small woman. The poor thing was scrambling on her hands and knees, trying to get away from a large opponent sloppily wielding an axe.

  “I see her.”

  Harper turned terrified blue-gray eyes up to him. “That’s my friend, Regan. She’s from Earth.” Harper pressed her hands to Raiden’s chest, her nails digging into his skin. “My friend is in the arena.”

  Chapter Ten

  Harper gripped the railing and tried to leap over it.

  Strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her back. “You can’t go down there.”

  She struggled against his hold, watching Regan. Her friend was frightened, stumbling as she tried to get away from the swinging sword of a big alien. Even from this distance, Harper could tell that Regan’s clothes were filthy, and that she’d lost weight.

  Harper shoved an elbow back against Raiden, but it was like striking rock. As she struggled against his strength, her gaze swung wildly to the House of Thrax’s seats. The imperator was watching them. Smiling. The bastard knew that Regan was from Earth, and was taunting her.

  She put more energy into her struggles.

  Raiden held her tight. “Be smart,” he growled into her ear.

  Worn out, she sagged in his arms. “How do I get her back?”

  She felt Raiden’s chest rise as he took a deep breath. “There are ways to help her.”

  Harper spun to face him. Her face was inches from his tattooed chest. “How?”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw, his intense gaze on her face.

  He might be a prince with no planet, but he was a powerful man with connections. Harper closed her eyes. She’d always hated asking for help, but Regan needed her.

  “Will you help me?” she whispered.

  Raiden lifted a hand and ran it over his short hair. “Yes, I’ll help you.”

  Her hands flexed against his chest. Against her will, her palm slid over his hard muscles. “What will it cost me?”

  His face darkened, and he stepped away. “I don’t need to bribe a woman into my bed. That woman inside will come willingly, and do everything I ask.”

  Harper lifted her chin, hated the images that splashed in her mind of Raiden and that woman tangled up together. “Raiden—”

  He shook his head. “Once we’re back at the House of Galen, we’ll discuss your friend.”

  Impatience skidded through her. She turned back, saw Regan sprinting across the arena, trying to escape the gladiators after her. Her friend needed her now, not later. Harper gripped the railing so hard, she thought her fingers would crush it to dust.

  “She might not have that long.”

  A hand curled around her shoulder. “Come. I’ll talk to Galen. Maybe we can leave this party early.”

  Raiden was as good as his word. Soon, she found herself being led through a tunnel, squeezed between Raiden and Thorin. Galen was striding in front of them. They passed through the doors of the House of Galen, and she was reluctantly hustled off to shower and change.

  Her hair was still wet when she stepped into the gladiators’ living area. She was wearing loose-fitting trousers and a tunic top in dark blue.

  “Anyone need a drink?” Thorin grabbed a bottle from a shelf of various glass bottles in different shapes and colors.

  Kace and Saff were already there, sitting at the long table. Lore and the near-silent Nero were seated on couches. Galen and Raiden stood nearby, talking quietly.

  It was then Harper spotted a wall filled with screens and taped images. She frowned at the rolled-up wall hangi
ng. It had concealed all this when she’d been in there today learning her beasts.

  She strode over. All the sheets on the wall had pictures of people and information written in some language she couldn’t decipher. She saw person after person. Pictures of various fighters down in the arena. Most looked small, far too thin, and not very skilled at fighting.

  She turned. “Will someone explain this to me?”

  Saff froze with a piece of bread to her mouth. Her gaze sliced across to Kace. Thorin snorted and lifted his feet onto the couch. Raiden’s green eyes bored into her.

  “What would you like to know?” he asked.

  She looked between him and Galen. The imperator had moved over to the bar and mixed an amber-colored drink for himself.

  “Back here, you don’t look much like slaves and slave master.”

  Thorin snorted again.

  But Harper stared at Raiden. “You aren’t a slave.”

  “No.”

  “Galen isn’t your master.”

  “No.”

  He’d warned her. Told her nothing was what it seemed in the arena. She looked back at the images, and spied the slender, winged Pax who’d been sold along with her. She kept looking and also found gentle Ram’s image.

  “What is this?” She stabbed a finger at the wall.

  “They were all people sold to the arena who…shouldn’t have been.”

  Thorin straightened. “What our champion isn’t saying is that we help get the weak, the sick, the kidnapped, and struggling out of the arena.”

  Galen sipped his drink, leaning back against the bar. “We challenge other Houses for them.”

  “Then G smuggles them out of the arena and off-world,” Saff added.

  Harper couldn’t believe this. She pressed her fingers against her forehead before she forced herself to meet Raiden’s gaze. “You’re the good guys.”

  A smile touched Raiden’s mouth. “Hardly. I promise you, we aren’t good.”

  “You rescue innocent people.”

  A slow nod.

  She looked at Galen. “You don’t enslave people.”

  Galen lifted his drink. “Correct.”

  “My friends? Ram and Pax?”

  “Safely off-world.”

  Harper’s arms dropped to her sides and she squeezed her eyes closed for a second. Raiden had said he’d found a purpose here but she hadn’t understood. “I said some nasty things—”

  “Good,” Raiden said. “We want everyone outside this room to believe we are what we appear to be.”

  Thorin snatched up a piece of bright yellow fruit from a bowl filled with them on a low table. He took a large bite. “We want everyone to believe we’re big, tough gladiators out for glory. Strong, but not very smart.”

  Harper pulled in a breath and looked at Raiden. “You can save Regan.”

  “We can try.”

  Galen crossed his feet at the ankles, his drink dangling from one hand. “We have an intense…rivalry with the House of Thrax. I suspect their imperator is playing a game, here.”

  “Word is he’s furious he sold you, when you turned out to be a very good fighter,” Raiden said.

  “Thraxians very much dislike being made fools of,” Galen said.

  “He knows I’ll want Regan,” Harper said, dropping into a chair. “He’ll make it hard.”

  “And he saw you and Raiden perform in the ring tonight. Every single person in there saw your…connection. If there is one thing the Thraxian imperator hates more than being fooled, it’s Raiden.”

  Harper ignored the “connection” thing. “Why does he hate you?”

  “Because I hate him. I hate every Thraxian.” Raiden spun away, his voice gritty. “Because they destroyed my world.”

  Harper’s chest went tight. She stared at the hard lines of his back. The Thraxians had annihilated his entire world. God.

  “For many years, I’ve dreamed of annihilating the House of Thrax. Of running my sword through the black-hearted commander who ordered my parents slaughtered and my sister violated.”

  “Instead,” Thorin said. “Raiden makes their life hell. Beats them in the arena, steals their gladiators.”

  A muscle ticked in Raiden’s jaw. “We’ll get your friend back, Harper. I promise.”

  She heard the grim promise in his voice, and she nodded.

  But Harper didn’t feel a sense of relief. Instead, she felt a sense of dread. Because she realized she and Regan had just landed in the middle of a deadly fight Harper didn’t quite understand.

  And she didn’t think Raiden was going to help simply to free an innocent woman. No, she was worried Raiden had his own dangerous agenda.

  ***

  Raiden strode across the training arena. Ahead, his friends and a few of the new recruits were moving through training exercises. His gaze was drawn to Harper and the way her leather trousers molded over her body.

  She was working with a long staff today. She hit at the sand-filled bags that were strung up, took a wrong step, and overbalanced. She cursed under her breath.

  He knew she was nervous, waiting for news about her friend. Right now, Galen was off discussing future bouts with the House of Thrax.

  Raiden stalked up to her. “Focus.”

  She turned, her face gleaming with perspiration. “I’m trying.”

  He leaned close. “Try harder. You enter the arena without complete focus and you’ll get hurt. Or worse.”

  “I’m not a robot.” She dropped the staff in the sand and shoved her hands against his chest. “My friend is in danger. I can’t just switch off my concern.”

  He leaned down until his nose brushed hers. “Feeling gets you nothing.”

  “It gets you friends. I haven’t always been the best at it, and I know it’s easy to cut yourself off, but that’s the coward’s way.”

  Raiden tilted his head, emotions churning through his gut. He lowered his voice. “Are you calling me a coward?”

  “Yes.”

  He felt something electric go through him. “For that, I challenge you.”

  A wary look crossed her face. “Challenge me?”

  He held his hands out by his side. “No weapons. Whoever pins the other wins.”

  “You can’t be serious—”

  “The rules of the arena say you cannot refuse a challenge.”

  Her eyes sparked. “Okay, gladiator. You’re on.”

  They moved apart and circled each other. She moved lightly on her feet, her gaze glued to him, watching and waiting.

  He rushed in—a full-frontal attack. She dodged and he felt nothing more than a brush of air against him. He spun.

  Just in time to see her foot slam into his belly.

  With an oomf, he staggered backward. She grinned at him, and it had a mean edge.

  They traded more strikes and blows. She was fast, never letting him land anything with his full strength. She got in close, again and again, getting small jabs in under his ribs and onto his lower back.

  Each time her body brushed his, it scattered his focus. She was really testing him. Raiden circled around yet again and watched her mimic his moves. She darted in with a quick thrust of her hand. She caught him in the side, and as he moved to block, she shifted and slammed a fist into his gut.

  Damn, she was fast. He’d been holding back, but it was time to end this. He reached out for her, but she was waiting. She wrapped her hands around his wrist and dropped her body weight back.

  The move pulled him off balance. A small foot slammed into his knee, and he went sailing over her head.

  Raiden slammed into the sand, winded for a second. He bounced up, rolled, and got back to his feet. He saw her grinning at him.

  He didn’t make a sound. He ran right at her, saw her eyes widen, but she didn’t have time to get away. He bent down and scooped her up, tossing her over his shoulder.

  “Hey, that wasn’t in the rules.” She thumped a fist against his back. “Put me down.”

  As he stalked out of th
e training arena, he saw the others watching them. The new recruits were all wide-eyed. His friends were all grinning. Raiden ignored them, storming into the tunnel.

  Harper was wriggling, trying to get free. He didn’t go far before he lowered her and pinned her up against the wall. Then he slammed his mouth down on hers.

  She struggled for another second, making an enraged sound against his mouth. Then she caught fire.

  Her hands slid over his hair, gripping his skull, and she kissed him back. Their tongues tangled, and Raiden groaned against her mouth, kissed her deeper.

  “More.” She pulled back, nipping at his lips.

  So hungry. He did as she asked. Taking more, pulling the taste of her inside him.

  When they finally broke apart, her face was flushed and Raiden felt the fast drum of his heart in his chest. They stared at each other.

  “We’ll get your friend back,” he said.

  Harper’s lips trembled before she firmed them. That brief show of vulnerability touched something inside him. “Thank you.”

  “You aren’t alone anymore.” He slid his hand along her jaw.

  Something flickered in her eyes and she pushed her cheek into his hand. “I know.”

  There was the sound of a clearing throat. They both turned their heads.

  Galen was standing beside them, looking highly amused. “I see training is going well.”

  Harper pushed at Raiden and he stepped back.

  “What did the Thraxians say?” she demanded.

  Galen’s scarred face turned serious. “He said his new acquisition needs time to recover from her first fight.”

  Harper swallowed. “Is he hurting her?”

  “No. She was holding up okay.” Now Galen looked at Raiden. “If we want the chance to win Harper’s friend, the imperator has demanded two special fights with the House of Galen. If we agree, then he’ll let Harper’s friend into the arena to be offered up as a prize.”

  “Two fights.” Raiden nodded. That didn’t sound too bad.

  “One will be tonight. The second one in a few days.” Galen crossed his arms. “The imperator demanded that Harper is in the final fight, or all deals are off. If we lose the fight, he wins Harper as the prize.”