Rival

by Tatum Throne

  Yorn rolled out his shoulders as he looked across the arena at his competitor who was barely hanging on for this fight. The crowd was on their feet, chanting for his death. There was already bloodlust within the air, but Yorn wasn’t going to give it to them tonight. Aristocrats from all over the universe came to see the games. This was a game of show—not that the debauchery ended within the arena. The partying would continue long into the night. Had Yorn been interested, he could have had any of the females in the crowd. He wasn’t interested, and some saw that as a problem.

  Dust flew across the arena as nighttime air blew inside. The drunk called out from the crowd for him to end it. Sweat dripped from his skin as he tried to make sense of the feeling of eyes watching him. The gladiator lifted his sword, coming at Yorn full throttle. Yorn pushed him aside, spinning the gladiator out. He struggled to right his body, flipping his weapon across Yorn’s temple as he ducked the blow. The swords clashed together with a powerful clang of steel.

  The gladiator rolled onto the ground, sliding his free hand through the sand as he moved to his feet. He flung his hand, throwing sand into Yorn’s face, momentarily blinding him. Yorn wiped away the sand as he swung his sword at the gladiator’s head. The tip of his steel caught the edge of his ear, slicing it open. The brute screamed in rage. He didn’t play smart. He was exhausted. It was time to put an end to the match that had gone way too long. The crowd erupted when Yorn rushed the gladiator, pinning him to the ground with his body. Blood seeped from the wound on the gladiator’s head. Yorn wasn’t going to kill him this round. He liked fighting him. He struck him in the side of the head, knocking him out cold.

  Yorn stood up, stretching his body out wide as he screamed his victory. He raised his sword up to the chanting crowd. They loved him. But for how long before a new competitor came into the arena to challenge him? The crowd was fickle. They would love to see his blood spilled as much as they loved to watch him defeat his opponent.

  Blood seeped from the wounds on his chest and the one on his temple. Despite the long hours put in at the arena, Yorn was excited to get back to see his male. For years, he questioned why he’d never been attracted to the females of his world. He knew now that he had always needed a male as his mate. Again, Yorn had the feeling of being watched closely as he crossed the arena. His eyes narrowed on the stands where Kelin stood with his male. Yorn made his way through the stands, causing the crowd to part.

  “You brought my male?”

  “He was eager to see you in action,” Kelin said.

  A thrill of anticipation moved through Yorn as he locked eyes with Gage. There was no longer fear in his eyes but quiet curiosity.

  * * * *

  Gage stared at the arena as a chill raced through his skin. He watched the Elite come down from their seats in the stands and strut into the arena. They were like gods among mortal aliens. Slaves were taking hold of the other gladiator, stripping him of his armor and exposing his cock. The leader of the Elite came in close, stroking the male’s dick, making him hard. Fascination and fear had Gage unable to pull his gaze away from the scene unfolding before him.

  There was an entourage of four other men with the leader. Two of the slaves held up the gladiator by the arms while two others held up his legs, spreading his thighs wide to expose his rim. Despite Gage’s fear for the gladiator, there was a look of smug satisfaction on the gladiator’s face as his dick got stroked. One of the slaves slathered oil into the male’s rim. His ass glistened with sweat and oil.

  Without disrobing, the male in charge pulled his dick out from his pants and advanced on the male. He pushed his large cock into the gladiator’s ass in one powerful stroke that made a low guttural moan escape Gage’s parted lips as he recalled the sweet feel of cock entering his ass and bumping up against his prostate. He loved it when a top took control of him.

  Yorn was suddenly watching him very closely. Gage couldn’t pull his gaze away from the way the leader fucked this gladiator.

  “Has that ever happened to you?” Gage asked.

  “No. I’ve never lost.”

  A shiver raced through Gage’s body. “Will it if you lose?”

  “Yes.” Yorn came in close, putting his lips along the curve of his ear. “The leader is afraid of me though. He knows that he’ll die if he gets stung by me.”

  “Isn’t there a cure for your venom?” Gage asked.

  “No.”

  The thought of Yorn being taken so roughly and against his will wasn’t something Gage could handle. Ever. He didn’t want to look, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the gang bang. There was something highly erotic about the ritualistic quality of the sex. The gladiator did like being fucked. Gage turned away his face into Yorn’s shoulder, but Yorn moved so that they both could watch.

  “We can’t leave until it is over. It would be a sign of disrespect not to watch,” Yorn said.

  Understanding raced through Gage’s mind. This gang bang was the gladiator’s humiliation. The other Elite had whipped out their pricks and were rubbing them off as they waited their turn to have a piece of the gladiator’s ass or mouth. Defiance moved through the gladiator’s eyes as he held his head up, watching the leader take him roughly. The men were eager to make the warrior submit. One of the men grabbed him by the hair, pulling back his mouth and forcing his swollen dick into his mouth. A strangled moan of pleasure hung on the air as the dick slipped all the way down his throat.

  Yorn came in close. “When you lose all the time you grow accustomed to like being taken against your will. It’s a high you can’t get away from.”

  “You sound like you speak from experience.”

  “I’ve lost men I’ve considered friends to the need to be taken against their will.”

  Gage wasn’t so sure about that, but he could see how hard the fighter’s dick was. A line of liquid ran from the tip of the warrior’s cock. Pre-cum soaked the dirt beneath him. Concern for Yorn had Gage turning to look at the man who was now his owner. “Are you in need of me?”

  A pain seemed to crease Yorn’s forehead. “Yes. When we return home.”

  A chill raced through Gage’s body as he watched the men shifting positions as another took him in the ass. As much as he wanted to turn away, Gage couldn’t draw his eyes away from the scene unfolding before him. It was the most intensely erotic thing he’d ever seen—or hell, even been a part of. The nighttime air felt energized with lust and sex. As Yorn moved closer, Gage could feel the possessive way he was guarding him—daring anyone to even try to have a piece of him. As the crowd looked their way, Gage found himself drawing closer to Yorn’s protective arm.

  For the first time in twenty-four hours, Gage was thinking about the world and life he left behind. Earth was post-apocalyptic. Everything was rationed and processed by the governments of the four quads. There were no longer states with families but ghost towns. The last census of their quad was three million and quickly dying off. This world was thriving. How could he leave it? At one time, he’d been obsessed with the modern age of his world before everything fell apart. Could he really walk away from everything and everyone he was in charge of trying to save? He wasn’t so sure about that when he was close to Yorn. Gage bit his lip and moaned softly when he saw one of the men come hard.

  “Watching them turns you on,” Yorn said.

  A jolt of awareness coursed through Gage as Yorn’s words were whispered along his ear. His words were like an accusation Gage didn’t want to face. It was true. The animalistic quality of the sex in the arena was turning him the fuck on, but he didn’t want Yorn to know that. How could he tell? How did he know? Gage’s cock was already standing on end, begging to be touched.

  “How?”

  “I can smell your arousal.”

  Uncomfortable that others around them could too, Gage moved closer to Yorn. “Can others?”

  “Perhaps. But not the way I can. I know your scent. I could spot it among thousands if I had to.”

  The truth s
ent an electric shock crashing through Gage’s body as he thought about what exactly Yorn was saying. Gage felt branded by his words. No other man had ever made him feel so complete.

  A shiver raced through Gage’s body when he realized that it was true. He was aroused. He wanted to experience alien sex. Every one of the Elite were different. Each had anatomical differences. Gage wanted to know more about what Yorn had hidden beneath his clothing. Yorn slid the tip of his fingers up over his hand.

  Need rushed through his body but instead of stepping away, he stepped closer. He wanted to feel this alien’s heat. He breathed deeply, loving the scent of the alien’s warm skin on the air. He wanted to lick his tongue over his stinger and suck him hard. It turned him on. It made him feel different. Stronger. More alert.

  It made him want to have sex with this alien. It made him want to experience more with him. Gage wondered how long he could keep it a secret. He wondered how long it would be before Yorn would figure out that the venom was having some type of effect on him.

  “You want me,” Yorn said.

  “Yes.”

  He wasn’t going to lie to Yorn. He would be as truthful as he always could be. Yorn had a way of stalking him with his eyes. It was the most delicious feeling in the entire world. The gladiator put Gage on edge. It just wasn’t the gladiator thing. It was something more. He was troubled. It was as though Yorn didn’t have anyone he could lean on and be that person for him. Gage was shocked that he was the one who wanted to be that person for him. How long would it be before Yorn figured this out? How was he going to survive in a world that could destroy him?

  All Gage could think about was the fact that he left home, and there was no way of returning. Lighting flashed across the sky. Gage wondered if there was a way to return. What if they could harness the power on this side so that he could get home? Was there a chance? He wasn’t sure. Perhaps if he could find a way, he could make it happen. The last thing Gage should have been thinking about was a way home. Despite being away for a mere twenty-four hours, it felt like a lifetime ago. It was starting to feel like a life he could never return to. He couldn’t believe he was so twisted up about Yorn after just catching ex Matt with another man, and here he was fighting for his life.

  As they headed out of the arena, Gage looked across the lot where he had been sold in the marketplace. As he walked with Yorn, Kelin walked over to the alien who had sold him. Hope moved through Gage’s body when he thought about the possibility of another male from Earth coming through the wormhole. Hope was quickly dashed as Kelin turned away, shaking his head ‘no.’

  “We need to know where you came from,” Yorn said.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I’m from a planet far away.”

  Their eyes locked, and something sexual passed between them. Gage realized he was excited about the possibility of being alone with Yorn again. He couldn’t wait to be with him. He wanted to feel his touch against his body. He loved sucking his venom and bringing his body back to life. He loved the way Yorn ran his hand through his hair as he sucked his venom. He wanted to feel his touch as they were together. He wanted more with the alien.

  The truth of it hit him hard. He wanted to have sex with this alien. He wanted to be claimed by him. It didn’t matter that he was trapped here on this world, sold into slavery and wouldn’t ever see his home world again. All he wanted was this alien. This newfound obsession was making him crazy. How could he be with this alien? There wouldn’t be any happily ever after for him. He was a gladiator.

  Eventually, he would lose, be forced into sex with the Elite in the arena, and then what? Where would that leave him? He was foolish for thinking they could be something more than they ever could be. As Kelin came back, Yorn seemed to drop the subject about where he was from.

  “Anything?” Yorn asked.

  Kelin shook his head. “Nothing. He’s not sure when he’ll find another one.”

  Overhead, lightning flashed across the sky. Gage had a pretty good idea when they would find another one. As long as the storms synced up, they would have another human male from Earth step through, if they were brave enough. A chill raced through Gage’s body as he slid onto the ship. He wasn’t the one in control of his fate and never would be. Yorn would be the man would always have his fate in his hands.

  Kelin powered up the ship, and they took off. It wasn’t long before the compound came into view. Gage’s heart raced as his eyes locked with Yorn’s. It was time to go to work for the alien who bought him. Gage wondered if tonight would be the moment that they had sex. If felt fast, but something told him that things in this world tended to move quickly.

  Yorn looked uncomfortable as he led the way inside the complex. Kelin took off for the night, leaving both of them alone. Gage wasn’t afraid of the alien. He was attracted, and that scared the hell out of him. Yorn undressed and waited for his order. But it never came. There was something wrong with the alien. There was something troubling him. For the first time in Gage’s life, he was truly scared. He needed this alien. If something happened to him, he would surely die in this world.

  Chapter Five

  Yorn was injured from the fight, but he knew he’d be okay as long as his male was prepared to extract the venom from his body. He shucked off his armor, giving it to Kelin to stow in the ship. Gage was in the back—unchained. Their eyes locked.

  “You looked dangerous out there,” Gage said.

  Yorn sat down. “

  His eyes scanned his chest, looking at the cuts and bruises there. “They can heal, but the crowd prefers gladiators with scars.”

  Gage nodded, licking his lips nervously. Yorn could feel the scale covering his stinger starting to retract. But he wasn’t ready to have his male yet. He wanted to have him in the privacy of his room. Before long, they were landing behind the complex. Kelin was still powering down the ship as Yorn got up and headed for the door.

  “Come with me.”

  Gage fell into step behind Yorn as they went inside. Yorn went to the bath, stripping out of his soiled clothes and dropping them to the floor. He turned on the water, stepping under the hot spray. He washed away all the blood and dirt from the fight, watching as the male undressed from his tunic. He now wore only the shirt and pants the broker had given him.

  “Undress.”

  Without hesitation, the male undressed. His cock sprang free from his pants, jutting up high toward his chest. Gage licked his lips nervously, biting the lower one. Yorn knew he was ready to suck his venom from his stinger.

  He kissed him hard, pushing his forked tongue deep within his mouth. He moaned, stealing Gage’s breath. On a curse, Yorn broke his lips away. His lust for this male was distracting him from what he should have been doing—finding out who killed his brother and why. Yorn was quite certain that if he didn’t find out, he could be next.

  “You’re supposed to be my slave. I bought you.”

  “Then let me be your slave. Let me please you.”

  Torn between what he should have been doing and the male before him who wanted everything, Yorn knew he had to make a choice. One he couldn’t go back on. Once he opened his heart to this male, he wouldn’t be able to take it back.

  Yorn didn’t play around with sex at all. He took a lover and conquered them in every way imaginable. No one had ever stood the test of time with him. Every male lover he’d taken on hadn’t been able to fully please him.

  After a fight, Yorn was always wired for hours on end. Lately, it didn’t help that he didn’t have anyone to release his pent up frustration and energy out on. Now, the human male was standing before him. He was a mystery. He wouldn’t say where he was from or how he had been discovered by the trafficker. Either way, Yorn knew it was only a matter of time before he discovered the truth of where this male came from. Yorn stared at him openly, wondering why he was so timid around him. There was something really hot about the way he would look at Yorn
as though he were his everything. That pleased Yorn. No male had ever looked at him that way before.

  It stroked his ego and made him want to possess the male in every way possible. But could he? Would he be frightened of what happened when they had sex together? Something told Yorn that he probably wouldn’t be at all. The male was eager. After the first time he milked him, the male had been surprisingly energized. Up until now, no one had survived the milking. And Yorn had refused to use one of the females of his world.

  He just wasn’t attracted to any of them. It didn’t help that most of the females didn’t want sex from him. Yorn had a high sex drive. He needed one who could match him in the bedroom. So far, no one had been able to satisfy his every urge and need—that was until he met Gage.

  Still, there was something different about Gage. Even now, he looked nervously around his room. Fruit and food had been left by Kelin before they had gone to the arena. Kelin was a hard worker and knew how to keep him sustained, but that wasn’t enough for Yorn. He needed a companion, not a nanny.

  “Are you hungry?” Yorn asked.

  The male had drifted over to the table, looking down at the food. He picked up several pieces of cut fruit as though he’d never seen them in his lifetime before. Perhaps he hadn’t. There were some on the outer edges of the galaxy that hadn’t experienced life on Gelvek.

  “They’re sweet. You’ll like them.” Yorn studied him closely. “Is there fruit like this where you’re from?”

  “We have nothing like this on Earth. There was at one time but not anymore.”

  “Why is that?”

  Sadness turned down Gage’s lips. “My world is almost uninhabitable.”

  Gage smiled, picking up a piece of kenik. He brought it to his lips. Yorn’s heart started to race as he watched his tongue snake out and lick the edge of the fruit before taking it fully into his mouth. Yorn’s heart was hammering as the memory of that tongue locked down upon his stinger came back fast and hard. He longed to feel his tongue on him for other reasons. Still, he didn’t want to scare the male off. What would he do if he found out what sex was like with him? Would he be frightened? Perhaps. There was no telling how the male would react. There were many in his world that crossbred. So, it wasn’t as uncommon as most thought.