by Lily Thomas
He’d been without a woman for quite some time, and she was definitely pleasing to the eye. If the Frirens let her live, he might pursue he to be his bedmate.
Arrogant bastard. He was waving his dagger at them like he was the king of the universe. Ridiculous. Maybe his arrogance would be his downfall.
Anara couldn’t wait to bury her dagger deep into his chest. Just the thought made her smile in joy. Then she could watch that smirk on his face fade away with his lost blood. She could just imagine his expression when he discovered a human had defeated him.
As she strode forward, she rolled her shoulders, limbering up for the fight.
Then he charged forward.
Damn! He was a lot faster than she’d first supposed. With all those muscles weighing him down, she’d never have guessed he’d be so lightening quick.
Anara ducked to the right, and turned on her heel in enough time to watch him turn on a dime.
Where was the lumbering brute she would’ve expected from this Vrak’rir?
The Vrak’rir charged her, and when she feigned right and went left, his arm shot out and the blade of his dagger swiped a hair’s breath away from her nose.
Tiera was right. They were all screwed, and Anara was going to need luck to make it out of this fight alive.
Anara spun around and back peddled, as quickly as she could. When he came at her again, she ducked under his arm and smiled when she felt the tip of one of her swords meet flesh.
Breathing hard she back away, as she watched him look down at his chest. His fingers came up to brush his chest. He glanced at the blood, and then up at her. If it was possible, his black eyes got even darker with rage.
Anara’s eyes widened. Maybe she shouldn’t toy with the beast after all.
The Vrak’rir charged her, but this time he seemed to be putting in all of his skill. There was no more dancing around and making a show for the audience. He now had something to prove to them.
Anara couldn’t let him within arm’s reach. That much she knew.
She feigned an attack, only to back off and quickly circle around him. Finally! She had an opening, and she was going to take it.
Lifting a sword, she dashed forward and aimed for his spine. If she crippled him, she could easily slit his throat.
Right as she was about to meet flesh, he swiftly turned, knocked her sword from her hand, and wrapped an arm around her waist trapping her arms against her sides.
This Vrak’rir was underestimating her, if he thought he’d won.
Switching her hold on her last sword, she used it to stab his leg. When he roared in pain, and his arm loosened around her, she leapt away. His arm shot out though, and he pulled her back by her long hair.
“Ouch!” Anara screamed, as she felt like her scalp was being pulled off.
The Vrak’rir pulled her up against his chest, but Anara kept struggling, until she felt cool metal press against her throat.
Oh no! No! This wasn’t how she planned on going down, not that she ever planned on going down. It seemed impossible, and her entire life flashed through her mind. It only took a few seconds, and she felt misery seep into her heart.
All she had seen was a young girl going from family to family, until she was old enough to live on the streets. And then she saw herself in the Friren arena. She hadn’t done anything special with her life, nothing noteworthy. No one would miss her. The audience wouldn’t care. They were fickle and easily moved on to the next entertainment.
But then she felt the Vrak’rir go ridged behind her. It was like he’d been shot with ice and frozen in place.
“Aren’t you going to slice my neck?” Anara asked, as she tried to turn her head, but his grip on her hair prevented that. What was he waiting for? He didn’t need to draw it out for her!
“Is the big bad Vrak’rir finding it hard to slit a woman’s throat?” She taunted. Why wasn’t he doing anything? He was driving her insane.
She glanced at the crowds around them. All of them were frozen in place, and their eyes were riveted behind her.
Chapter 2
Rauhq knew he had to slit her throat, but his hand was frozen in place. No matter how hard he thought about moving, he still couldn’t. He’d never been in this position before and didn’t know what to make of it.
He wanted to take the championship of this arena and please the Frirens, but his hand wasn’t listening to his mind.
Her brunette hair was gripped tightly in his hand, and he loved the silky feel of it against his rough skin. Her scent would waft up to his nose, every time she struggled against his hold.
Everyone seemed just as surprised as he was. The speaker and the audience hadn’t made a sound, ever since he’d froze. They probably wondered what he was planning, but he had nothing planned. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
“Come on, bastard, just do it already!”
The human woman kept taunting him into slicing her neck. Was she desperate to die? Or was she just tired of waiting for her death?
He usually gave women quick deaths. Rauhq might be thought of as a brute with no soul, but he had some morals when it came to the arena. There were some lines, even he wouldn’t cross. So why was he drawing out her death?
She was strong willed, Rauhq would give her that. Instead of begging for him to save her life, she was taunting him into ending it.
His heart gave a stutter, as he thought about her blood littering the ground. The very image repulsed him. Rauhq felt his head descend to the crevice where her neck and shoulder met. He took in a deep whiff of her scent, and something stirred in his chest. Images flashed through his mind. There was one where she was round with his child, and his heart gave a pinch.
She had to be his… mate? Why else would these images flash through his mind. He’d never daydreamed about a woman staying in his life. All these feelings running through him were the same ones his father had told him about when he was younger.
There would be a pull stronger than anything he could resist, and he wouldn’t be able to harm her. She’d be his reason for living.
He was floored by this. He never thought he’d get another chance at a family. After losing everyone he loved, he figured the galaxy was out to make his life horrible. But now it was presenting him with his mate.
She’d be the mother of his children. He’d have the opportunity for children!
A sense of possession over took him. She was his, and he wasn’t about to kill her. Screw the Frirens. He’d defy anyone to have her, not that he had a choice. A part deep inside him was rising, and it was demanding that he take her right now.
She was his, it screamed at him in full volume.
He had to claim her and fill her full of his seed.
Rauhq let go of her hair and withdrew the dagger. The human woman whipped around to glare at him, but he didn’t pay her any mind.
Instead his hand jerked out and slammed into her chest, throwing her down to the ground.
Anara clutched her chest, as she tried to suck in air. What the hell was his problem? She wheezed, as she looked up at him standing over her.
Was he going to draw out her death by beating her with his fists?
Then the Vrak’rir did something completely strange. His hands went to his waist, and he started to undo his belt.
Anara’s eyes widened, as she realized what was going on. “What the hell are you doing?” She barked up at him.
“You are my mate!” He roared back, as his hands did swift work of his belt. He threw it to the ground. “I will claim you as such.”
Anara grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at his face. “Hell no! I’m nobody’s!”
The audience took that moment to stand and cheer at his declaration. Fools! Being the mate of a Vrak’rir, especially if you were a human? She wasn’t about to let him between her thighs. It was one thing to think about sleeping with such an impressive alien, but being its mate?
No. Just no.
Anara had to draw the l
ine somewhere.
The audience was rooting for him to take her in front of them. She wasn’t about to have sex with an audience watching. That was way kinkier than she personally enjoyed.
“You aren’t touching me again.” Anara promised. Before the Vrak’rir could blink, she grabbed her sword and dashed back towards her gate.
Maybe the speaker would take pity on her and open her gate so she could seek safety. The speaker might see the logic in drawing this show out. The audience would definitely be back to see more, now that their interest was piqued, and it would buy her time to think of a plan. Time to think about how to kill the Vrak’rir.
There was no way she was letting him get her with child, because if she was his mate, that’s what he’d want to do. Anara couldn’t even imagine being pregnant and living in the arena. How could she fight, if she couldn’t see her toes?
As she reached her gate, she banged on it with both of her fists. “Let me in! Please, let me in!” Anara begged. She needed to get out of the arena right now, if she didn’t want to be taken in front of the audience.
She knew how the males of these “mate for life” species worked. Finding a mate was like the holy grail for them.
The gate started to creak open, and she felt relief flow through her. The moment there was enough space under the gate, she slipped under, and then turned to see the gate go back down.
“Thank you.” She whispered to which ever Friren had taken pity on her. Or wanted this to last longer for the audience.
Glancing up she saw Rauhq barreling towards the gate, and then he rammed into it full force, and she heard the metal bars groan as they bent.
“Oh my…” Anara took a step back from the gate.
But other than the slight bend he’d put in the gate it held up, even with him hammering on it with all he had.
“If you aren’t careful, the Frirens will drug you.” She warned him in a sing song voice, and then turned her back on him, as she walked away.
“Come back here! You are mine, female! Come now!” He kept hollering at her, but she kept her feet moving.
“Hello?” Tiera’s voice called out from out in the corridor.
Anara was laying on her bed. She’d holed up in her room to think and process what had happened in the arena.
The door knob was tested from the other side.
“Don’t bother. It’s locked.” Anara grumped.
“Come out, Anara. You can’t keep hiding in your room. The Frirens will lose patience with you, at some point.”
“Have they called my name for a battle yet?”
“No…” Tiera admitted from the other side of the door.
“Then they don’t know what to do yet either.” Anara turned over on her bed. She was still trying to process what had happened in the arena, but she was having trouble figuring out what to do.
“Open the door. I’m getting tired of talking to you through a door.” Tiera pleaded with her.
“Fine.” It was about time she talked about this with someone. Maybe she’d get somewhere, if she had someone to bounce ideas off of.
Rising from the bed she made her way to the door and unlocked it. Tiera came in and sat down on a chair.
“Thank you for letting me in. Now it’s time you give me all the details about what happened in the arena. I’ve had to rely on gossip in the mess hall.”
Anara sat down on the edge of her bed. “What details are there to tell? The new Vrak’rir thinks I’m his mate. It’s pretty self-explanatory.”
“Do you believe it’s true? Or do you think he’s just playing with the audience and the speaker?” Tiera’s pointed ears twitched a little at the tips.
“I have no idea.” Anara shook her head. “But the way he said it, he appeared to believe every word. You should’ve seen the look in his dark eyes. It was like he’d discovered the best prize in the universe.”
“You feel slightly flattered, don’t you?” Tiera wiggled her eyebrows at Anara.
“What?! No.” Anara shook her head, as her eyebrows drew together. “No way.”
“That’s a lot of denial going on over there.”
“Are you sure those cat eyes of yours don’t give you the ability to read people’s emotions?” Anara asked.
“So you admit I’m reading you correctly.”
“No. If anything, I’m scared what the Frirens will decide to do with this knowledge.”
Tiera nodded her head. “It is a terrifying thought.” Then Tiera smiled. “You’ll probably have to share your “champion of the arena” title with him.”
Anara scowled at her. “Don’t try to be funny. I earned that title fair and square. He doesn’t get to touch it. I need to figure out how to get rid of him and quickly.”
They sat in silence for a moment.
“He should’ve slit my throat, when he had the chance.”
She hadn’t realized she’d spoken out loud, until Tiera spoke up.
“Maybe this is a good thing that he spared your life. You can make this work in your favor. Just think about it for a second.”
Anara rolled her eyes, but thought about it. What could be good about her having a brutish Vrak’rir mate? “I’m coming up blank.”
“Think about it. Slowly.”
“Just tell me what you’re thinking. I have no idea where you’re going with this.”
Anara’s patience was wearing thin, but she thought it was understandable. Every time she thought about his upper body, her stomach gave a weird dip, which wasn’t good. She shouldn’t be thinking about starting any more relationships.
She’d seen what happened when fighters got involved. At some point, the Frirens would pit them against each other, and then they would have to fight and kill each other. Some would refuse, and the Frirens would just shoot both of them down.
Anara might be the champion of the arena, but she knew who held ultimate power.
“Think about all that muscle and strength. You can control him and use him to kill off harder opponents. He can be like a safety net for you. And if you really are his mate, he will always be in range to save you, should you need it.” Tiera smiled, her cat eyes dancing with hope.
Anara felt a smile spread across her face. “You’re right. I can use him as a weapon or shield.”
She loved the idea. Maybe this wasn’t such a curse after all. Although she would have to keep him at arm’s distance, in case he decided to jump her.
“Just be careful how you play this. If you are his mate, he’ll want to settle the deal between the both of you sooner rather than later.”
“You’re right, and I will be.” Anara was done talking about this for now. She’d deal with the situation, when she had to, now that she could see a bright side to the situation. A heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “Let’s go see if we have any battles today.”
“Good idea! Some fighting will help keep your mind from this Vrak’rir problem.”
Tiera leapt up, grabbed Anara’s arm, and dragged her through the barracks, until they reached the panel that listed the battles.
The names flickered over the panel.
“There’s my name for an afternoon battle.”
“You don’t sound thrilled.” Tiera’s ear tips twitched again, as she caught the emotions in Anara’s voice.
“Good ears. Suppose I’m just afraid of any trick the Frirens might throw at me.”
“You can handle it. And look! My name is listed for an evening battle.”
Anara felt some relief flow through her. That was one good point in today, at least she wouldn’t be battling her best friend in the arena.
“Would hate to lose you.”
“Lose me?!” Tiera scoffed.
Anara made her way to the mess hall with Tiera following beside her.
“Who says I wouldn’t kill you?” Tiera folded her arms in front of her chest.
A slow smile spread across Anara’s lips. “I only said it to get a rise out of you.”
�
�Hmmm…”
Anara glanced around, as they entered the mess hall. “Is it just me or are people staring?”
“Can you blame them? You just got claimed by a Vrak’rir. You now hold ultimate power among the fighters in the arena. Now all you have to do, is get the Vrak’rir under your control.”
Anara grabbed a plate of food and glared people down. “Their bothering me.”
“Ignore it. Their just jealous of you good luck. I know for certain that most of them had been betting on your death.”
As they sat down with their food, Anara shuffled the grey stuff around her plate. The only down side to the free room and board at the arena was the horrific food. It was always the same nutritional grey goo.
What she wouldn’t do for a cheeseburger and fries. It may not be healthy, but at least it tasted delicious.
“I wonder if the Frirens know what they are doing to me.”
“Imagine the Vrak’rir’s point of view. The poor guy is probably pent up waiting for his one true mate.” Tiera said over a mouthful of goo. “He’s got an itch only you can scratch, and yet you ran from him.”
Anara rolled her eyes. “I think you forget what side you’re supposed to be on here. I don’t need to go around sleeping with a Vrak’rir.”
“I don’t know. It could be fun.” Tiera wiggled her eyebrows at Anara, as she leaned over the table and made kissing sounds.
“Pfft… I bet the Frirens knew about this.”
Tiera choked on her goo. “Excuse me? How would they know that? The first time you met the Vrak’rir he didn’t even know.”
“I know it seems out there. But it just seems weird that the one person they bring in to cleanse the arena just happens to be my mate. Doesn’t it just seem a tad strange?”
Tiera shrugged. “At least he’s a strong male who was a champion at his own arena. That means he won’t drag you down. Just remember you two could make good teammates. You’d rule every single match.”
“And what happens if the Frirens pit us against each other someday?”