by Anna Hackett
Bren heard giggles near the doorway. He quickly jerked the sheet over his and Mersi’s naked bodies, just before two heads peeked in.
“Corsair said you two need to come up for air sometime,” Aura called out with a smile. She glanced at her brother. “There’s air in here, so I’m not sure what he means.”
Danan grinned at his sister. “I’ll tell you one day, sister mine.” The boy looked at Bren and Mersi. “Corsair says you’ve been in here long enough. It’s time to join the party, especially since it’s to celebrate your joining.”
Under his breath, Bren muttered about bossy caravan masters and interfering friends. Mersi laughed softly.
Aura bobbed her head. “Yes, and there’s all kinds of food. And dancing. Don’t miss out!”
As Bren scowled at them, the pair left with more of Aura’s giggles. Mersi laughed out loud now.
“I guess we’d better get dressed,” she said.
Bren slid a hand into her dark hair. His Mersi. That afternoon, they’d been joined by Corsair, standing on a dune outside the city, on the desert sands they loved.
Mersi had worn a vibrant, aquamarine dress that left her shoulders bare and matched her eyes. And now she was officially his.
“I should be able to spend some time alone with my woman,” Bren complained.
She leaned down and nipped at his jaw. “Later, big guy.” She shot him a secret smile. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Promise?”
She smiled. “Absolutely.”
Together, they dressed, although it took longer than normal. Bren couldn’t help but touch her. Stroke the smooth skin of her belly, kiss the sweet curve of her neck, play with those pretty pink nipples before she’d smacked his hand away. Holding her hand, they joined the party outside.
Before he knew it, Bren found himself standing with an ale, watching Mersi talking with the rescued Earth women from the House of Galen. They were talking about the Creator ruins. Apparently, Galen had authorized a trip back to examine them and the Earth women were all planning to go.
Bren sipped his drink, wondering where the hell all the people at the party had come from. He barely knew any of them. There were people from other caravans, as well as gladiators, and other travelers.
Everyone was having a good time.
“Have you confirmed the rumor yet?” Corsair asked from beside Bren.
He was talking to Galen. The imperator stood across from them with his woman, Sam, tucked under his powerful arm.
Galen shook his head. “No. We’ve been busy chasing leads, but nothing solid, yet.”
Sam turned. “Magnus’ cyborgs are heading the investigation. If there are more abducted humans out there, we will find them.”
Bren didn’t doubt it for a second. The glint in Sam’s eye said she wouldn’t give up. Ever. He’d seen what these people from Earth were capable of, and he knew if there were more of their brethren out there, somewhere, they’d find them.
He looked over and spotted Fiend stealing food off one of the tables. He shook his head and gave a soft chuckle. Mersi had bathed the dog a few times, but no matter how much she washed him, Fiend remained a dirty, brown color.
At the same time, Bren spotted the tiny girl pressed into the dog’s side.
They’d learned that her name was Saskia, and Vark had killed her family. The healers had treated her, and she’d survived her transition. She still had some ways to go to get full control of the Taint, but Bren was helping her. She was getting stronger with every hour, and was now a member of the Corsair Caravan.
Mersi rarely let the girl out of her sight, and if she did, it was because Saskia was with Bren. He wasn’t afraid to admit he had a soft spot for the sweet girl. He and Mersi hoped to adopt her and officially make her theirs.
A teenaged girl was standing beside Saskia. Duna was one of Varus’ desert guides. The teen crouched down and spoke to the little girl. Whatever she said, it made Saskia give one of her rare smiles. Then she looked up and when she saw Bren, her smile widened.
Bren waved. He knew in his heart that the girl would be okay. One day, she’d find happiness. Just as Bren had found it. He and Mersi would make sure of it.
Mersi appeared and caught where he was looking. She smiled and leaned into him. “She’s having fun.”
He nodded.
“But you aren’t.” Mersi shook her head and lowered her voice. “A few more minutes, then I think we can sneak away.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I am a skilled desert hunter. I can get us out of here without anyone noticing right now.”
Her smile widened, and she brushed against him. His cock stirred.
“You are a very skilled hunter,” she agreed. “I don’t doubt your abilities for a second.”
Bren cupped her face. “But you are the better hunter of the two of us.”
Confusion creased her brow.
“You didn’t give up on me,” he said. “You hunted me down until you caught me.”
Her face softened. “Because I love you, big guy.”
“And I love you, too. I’m never letting you go.”
“Good.”
All of a sudden, Fiend slammed into Mersi’s legs. The canine knocked her into Bren’s arms. He scooped her up against his chest.
Mersi grinned. “I think that’s Fiend’s way of claiming some credit for us being together.”
Bren smiled. “I’ll feed the drakking furball fresh meat for the rest of his life.”
She threw her head back and laughed. And there it was. The most beautiful sound Bren had ever heard.
A sound he wanted to hear every day for the rest of his life.
I hope you enjoyed Mersi and Bren’s story!
Read on for the short story, A Galactic Gladiators Christmas.
A Galactic Gladiators Christmas
A Galactic Gladiators Christmas
Imperator Magnus Rone stood in the center of the rooftop garden at the House of Galen and wondered what the drak he’d stepped into.
The trees and greenery in the garden were all festooned with strands of red, gold, and silver decorations. The shrub beside him was covered in large balls of mostly red and green. Several trees had stars on top of them.
He shook his head. This Earth tradition of Christmas made no sense.
His gaze moved over the stone walls. He saw the imposing Kor Magna Arena rising up toward the blue sky, and beyond it, the spires of the city. Kor Magna—capital of the lawless desert world of Carthago—was a mix of old tradition and glitzy luxury.
But everything on the planet revolved around the gladiatorial arena and the spectacular fights that went on within its ancient stone walls. Magnus understood fighting and killing. They had been instilled in him by the cyborg program that had created him. When he’d escaped and come to Carthago, he’d fought hard to create the House of Rone. He provided for his gladiators, but fighting had still been at the heart of his life.
Until one woman had changed everything.
Across the top of the garden, strings of lights blinked merrily, long tables were laden with strange food he didn’t recognize, and there were several large, bare-chested gladiators standing around. Magnus guessed their bemused expressions matched the look on his own face.
His woman, Ever, had been excited all week for this party. She’d talked nonstop about decorations, gifts, trees, and carols. He’d been happy to see her happy. Whatever his woman wanted, Magnus would go out of his way to get it for her.
He strode across the space toward a tall, broad-shouldered man standing in the middle of the party wearing a black cloak. “Galen.”
The imperator turned, inclining his head. A glossy black eye-patch covered one eye on his rugged face. “Magnus. Glad you could make it.”
They clasped arms in a traditional warrior’s hold.
“Glad I’m here to be moral support?” Magnus asked.
A small smile tipped the corners of Galen’s mouth. “I’m surviving t
he festivities…so far. The women have been begging me for several weeks to hold this Christmas party.”
The two imperators turned, hands clasped behind their backs, and watched the women and House servers bustling around. The women were all survivors stolen from the planet Earth—situated on the other side of the galaxy—by alien slavers. They’d all been rescued by the gladiators of the House of Galen and their allies. And all had captured the hearts of the gladiators.
That included the love of Magnus’ life, Ever. A woman who’d made a cold cyborg feel.
Working with the survivors from Earth, they’d defeated the Thraxian slavers. Then the women had changed the lives of the House of Galen gladiators irrevocably.
Several children ran past. Magnus guessed they were the children of workers at the House of Galen. Nearby, Raiden—champion of the Kor Magna Arena—was handing out what looked like candy with his woman, Harper, by his side. Raiden’s red cloak flapped in the breeze and Harper’s smile was wide as the kids danced around them.
Next to the couple was Raiden’s best friend and fellow gladiator, Thorin. The big man was hovering over his Earth woman, Regan. She was giggling at him, and when he smoothed a hand over her stomach, her face softened. So did Thorin’s. Magnus would never have expected a wild, hardened gladiator like Thorin to be entranced and tamed by one small woman. A woman who was now carrying his child.
Suddenly Regan went pale and clamped her hand over her mouth. Thorin’s face turned panicked, and as Regan turned and ran off, Thorin was right on her heels.
“Regan’s pregnancy is resulting in morning sickness,” Galen said. “I’m told it’s normal.” The man’s icy-blue gaze stared at the doorway where the couple had disappeared.
“Ever had some of the symptoms as well,” Magnus said. “It’s unpleasant but normal.”
Galen grunted. Like Magnus, he was a man used to getting his own way and having his orders followed. It was unsettling when a situation was outside his control.
All of a sudden, another of Galen’s gladiators appeared in front of them. Kace’s hair was mussed, his leather harness askew, and a slight look of panic was on his face.
Magnus raised his eyebrows. Usually, the military-trained gladiator was neat, orderly, and in control.
“Kace?” Galen said.
“Finley got away. Have you seen him?”
Galen and Magnus shook their heads. Magnus hadn’t seen Kace and Rory’s offspring anywhere. They scanned around, and that’s when he spotted the bright red of Rory’s hair across the rooftop.
“You come down now, you little monster,” Rory said in a sing-song voice.
The Earth engineer had her arms held up and was calling to the tiny child clinging to the uppermost branches of a tree. The child couldn’t even walk yet, but apparently, he could climb. His mix of human and alien genetics meant he was growing at a rapid rate. A mechanical bark sounded and that’s when Magnus noticed the robot dog perched on the branch beside the young child.
Kace made a strangled sound. “Wherever Finley goes, so does Hero. Always in drakking trouble.” The gladiator strode over to help his woman rescue their son from the tree.
Galen let out a low laugh. “That’ll be you before you know it.”
Drak. Magnus stopped. His daughter was still tiny and not crawling around yet…the thought of her climbing things made him feel ill.
The sound of a man’s low laugh reached them. Magnus’ gaze fell on a couple standing away from the main party. Lore had swept his woman, Madeline, up in one brawny arm and was holding his other arm above their heads. He appeared to be clutching a bunch of leaves.
“What is Lore doing?” Magnus asked.
“Apparently that’s mistletoe, or at least the Carthagoan version,” Galen said. “It’s a Christmas tradition to kiss beneath it.”
Magnus frowned. He just kissed Ever whenever he wanted, he didn’t need a bunch of leaves. From what he could tell, Lore was always kissing his woman as well. Although, as Madeline leaned into her gladiator, love shining on her face, she didn’t appear to mind this strange tradition.
Like his thoughts had summoned her, Ever appeared beside him. “Hey, babe.” She thrust their infant daughter into Magnus’ arms. “I need you to take care of Asha while I help Sam and the others with some party stuff.”
Magnus was always happy to spend time with his daughter. He snuggled baby Asha into the curve of his arm. “Ever, this Christmas tradition seems very odd. Red balls, bunches of leaves…”
“Christmas is packed full of fun things, Magnus.” She reached up and cupped his jaw. “Give it time. And this is Asha’s first Christmas, so I want to a make a big deal of it. Don’t be a Grinch.”
Magnus had no idea what a Grinch was. He glanced down at the sleepy-looking baby in his arms. He knew Asha wouldn’t remember her first Christmas, but he decided not to tell Ever that.
Ever and his child were the lights of his life. They’d made him the man he was.
He leaned down and pressed his mouth to Ever’s. “Whatever you want, my love.”
She shot him a saucy wink. “I’ve got to go and help with the eggnog.”
His brows drew together. “Eggnog?”
But Ever was gone.
“It’s best not to ask,” Galen said. “Sam has been peppering me with questions about this party, and my opinion on things, for the last three days. I just nod and agree.”
Magnus fought back a rare smile. No one would believe that the Imperator of the House of Galen would let anyone, especially a woman, run over him.
Although as Galen’s eyes tracked the tall, athletic Samantha across the rooftop, Magnus knew that like him, Galen would do anything for his woman. He’d already risked his life and freedom to save Sam from the Thraxians. He’d used all his resources and skills to bring down the Thraxians and get justice for the survivors of Earth.
Magnus rubbed his metal fingers against Asha’s cheek, his baby nuzzling into his touch. Love filled his heart to bursting. Some days, he almost wanted to thank the drakking Thraxians.
“You look incredibly cute, Nero,” a feminine voice said. “And remember what I promised you.”
“I look ridiculous, Winter.” Nero’s voice was a deep, grumpy rumble.
The couple swept into view. The barbarian gladiator towered over the dark-haired doctor. Winter was laughing while Nero looked suitably bad-tempered. The gladiator was wearing his usual fighting leathers and harness, trimmed with gray fur, but today he was also sporting what looked like—Magnus peered closer at the top of Nero’s head—a set of antlers.
Winter smacked a kiss on her lover’s cheek, then rushed off in a whirl of skirts. Nero crossed his muscled arms over his chest, while Magnus and Galen stared at the antlers.
Nero’s scowl deepened. “Don’t ask.”
“I believe that’s impossible at this point, Nero.” Galen was smiling.
Magnus bit his tongue. This Christmas thing was completely mystifying.
“Winter said something about reindeers, then promised me sexual favors if I wore these,” Nero grumbled.
Magnus tilted his head, considering. Drak, if Ever had made him the same offer, he’d probably have done it as well.
Another wave of kids rushed in through the doorway. They were shouting and laughing. Right behind them came a man with bandoliers crisscrossed over his loose desert shirt and the swagger of a man used to both taking risks and being in charge. He spied Magnus and Galen and raised a hand. Corsair, the master of the Corsair Desert Caravan, had his other hand tucked into the belt loops of the woman by his side—his Earth woman, Neve. A smile broke out on Neve’s face and she cut a straight path to Ever.
The sisters hugged—both tall, with dark, curly hair. Neve was still slowly warming to Magnus. She was a sharper-edged version of her sister and very protective. Corsair threw an arm around Neve’s shoulders and bent down to kiss Ever’s cheek.
Ever watched the couple, beaming happily. Magnus knew how pleased Ever was t
hat her sister was happy and in love. When a young girl in desert clothing patted Corsair’s leg, he smiled down at her, then tugged on her pigtail. He was as dedicated to his caravan and his people—and now Neve—as any imperator.
The kids from the Corsair Caravan mixed with those from the House of Galen, giggles filling the air. Then yet another wave of children came through the door. This time they were being herded by a tall cyborg gladiator. Magnus hid his smile. These children belonged to the workers from the House of Rone, and he’d tasked his second, Jaxer, with bringing them.
Behind them were two of Magnus’ elite cyborg guards, Acton and Toren. The men were looking around the decorated rooftop, their faces carefully blank. All their enhancements and filters dampened their emotions, but Magnus knew all the cyborgs that he’d rescued felt far more than they showed. Right now, he guessed they were hiding a wealth of confusion and bemusement.
Jax waved the children in. That’s when Magnus noticed Jax had a small boy clamped to his leg. The boy had a synthetic arm—a child the House of Rone had rescued and helped heal after he’d lost his arm in an accident. As Jax leaned down and smiled at the boy, his long, brown hair swung forward. He ruffled the boy’s hair and then led the Rone children over to where Raiden and Harper were giving out candy.
A tinkling, musical laugh cut through the noise. A small, blonde woman rushed into the garden, glancing back over her shoulder. Mia was a former pilot and right behind her was her alien gladiator mate, Vek. The blue-skinned male followed along behind his woman and had a red hat on his head. Mia called out greetings to several of the Earth women, then hurried over to a small stage set up in one corner. Vek stood close by, looking like he was waiting for an alien beast to leap out so he could tear it apart before it threatened his mate. Mia moved over to a microphone and with no instrument, started singing.
Magnus listened to Mia and decided she needed no music to accompany her. She had a voice worthy of being the star attraction in Kor Magna’s best casinos. In fact, she often sang at the Dark Nebula Casino to sell-out crowds. He listened to the lyrics, something about jingle bells, a sleigh, snow, and laughing all the way. He found himself smiling.