“Oh, will you just relax. I’ve never lied to you and I won’t start now.”
That shut her right up.
Fifteen minutes later he turned her down a dark alley and they went right to the dead end where a closed door awaited beneath an ominous light. Oliver pounded a fist against it and a slit opened. A woman’s hazel eyes peered out and she said “You’re not on the list.”
“You’ll make an exception.” He replied and brought his right hand forward. Renee let go and withheld a gasp as the top began to glow gold just below the skin.
“Hope you won’t be offended if I don’t authenticate it first?”
“Be my guest.”
He held his hand out as the door opened up to reveal a woman with a knockout figure, thin and curvy with long brown hair with red highlights. A glittery red dress made it seem she was poured in it. In her hand was a pen-like scanner she wove over his fist and both watched her eyes lose focus. “My apologies, High Elder Void. You are now registered with us and my boss will accommodate you inside. You and your guest.”
“Thank you.” He held his arm out and Renee took it, more so she didn’t fall.
They entered and walked down a dim and unassuming hallway. When she was sure to not be overheard she hissed “Elder! They made you a damn elder?”
“What, you think they would keep me as a common Hunter? Not even they could get in here.” He smirked.
“Where is here anyway…” her head cocked as she looked ahead to realize they were heading down. “Is that a cheering crowd on gold spoon fed street? Oliver, where the hell are we?”
He said not a word till reaching the end, the cheering and jeering crowd growing louder with each step. They made it to a set of thick, wooden double doors guarded by a pair of muscular and bodybuilding bouncers who showed uncertainty when seeing Oliver’s enormity and outfit coming their way.
Then the doors opened to reveal a tall, lanky man in a pinstripe business suit who bowed as soon as spotting Oliver. “Welcome, Elder Void. I’m Marcus, owner and legal proprietor of The Pits. You are in luck. I’ve one private ringside box left open for you and your lovely lady. Tonight’s lesser matches have begun already I’m afraid.”
“So long as Samuel Mourningspike and Fredric Monsoon’s main event match hasn’t begun, my night will have not been wasted.”
Marcus grinned brightly “I see you are well informed. Please follow me to your private accommodations.” He turned and the bouncers opened the doors.
Renee’s jaw dropped as the roar of a large crowd yelled in a frenzy as she came into the most exclusive fighting arena in all of Verard. Two men were shirtless and fighting in a pit of sand, electrical energy crackling around their fists as they threw punch after punch, trying to break through their opponent’s defenses and land a kinetic blast. The sand was red from years of blood soaking into it. She even saw knocked out teeth sprinkled among the sand.
Her grin grew so much it hurt.
Oliver nearly had to pry her from the railing and follow the man. Marcus gestured for one of the pretty serving girls to come forth and spoke in her ear over the roar of the crowd. She nodded and left. They walked down a flight of steps to the bottom where the ring hid the combatants. A building was below the stands and Marcus opened the door to gesture for them to enter. Inside was a private viewing room right at the fighter’s level and so close one could almost be hit with sweat and blood. A single intimate loveseat sat in the empty room. Marcus said “Enjoy the show, Elder. Ma’am.”
Once the door shut Renee rounded on Oliver after finding the fight over. The loser lay unconscious, being tended to as the winner walked around, arms raised to the love of the crowd. She shook from head to toe. “Oliver, you know what you’ve done?”
“I believe I’ve won.”
She grinned, grabbed the collar of his armor and brought him down. “Damn right you did.” She pulled him close and kissed him. He was caught off guard as his arms snaked their way around her, but what really did it was his kiss. It stole her breath away. His tongue parted her lips and hers went on the attack. She tasted him and swooned.
Renee took a breath after finding he sat her beside himself on the loveseat. “Wow… who taught you to kiss like that?”
“No one.” He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. “It felt right doing it.”
“Lean back.” He complied and so caught up in the excitement she sat right between his legs. “If I sober up and don’t fuck you senseless tonight, I’ll made damn sure I’m comfortable sitting like this.”
He smiled. “Not fuck, make love. Haven’t I told you that? If you didn’t know already, that woman who let us in was nearly as powerful as you, is unmated, but still her scent is still not right. You will be my woman.”
“We’ll find out later, won’t we.” She grinned mischievously. “How did you learn of this place?” she asked as the next combatants were minutes away.
“In my studies during the time I needed to rest training in gravities. I figured you eat good food all the time and you’re too brusque to enjoy some fancy meal. You’re a woman of action, passion, emotion and excitement. Don’t worry about the little details, but know that after the main event, I have one last surprise for you.”
“Can I get a hint?”
“Nope! Just know that neither of us will have sexual tension after tonight.”
“You’ve never had real sex before. How do you know you are any good?”
“Rather you should ask yourself if you’re the only woman I’ve kissed and I make you go weak kneed, imagine what else I can do.”
“Good point.” She glossed her lips with her tongue. “Guess I really should have worn panties.”
Their conversation cut short as the door opened and the woman the owner talked to came in with a tray holding two glasses and a chilled green bottle. “Pardon me, but Marcus sends his compliments with a bottle of three hundred year old wine from Earth. Can I get you anything else? Something to eat?”
“Get me a big, juicy piece of steak on the bloodied raw side, strong steak sauce, green beans, garlic potatoes and we’ll split chocolate ice cream for dessert.”
“Excellent choices, Ma’am. If you need anything else just flip this switch and I’ll tend to any needs for the remainder of your stay.” She sat down the drinks and left.
Renee was giddy as she got up and poured the drinks. She then kicked Oliver’s foot, making it clear she would sit nowhere else except framed between his legs.
Outside the one way screen of their booth, it looked like no one was down in The Pit’s ring except two women circling one another. The private booths could not be seen inside. To all onlookers it seemed the women were surrounded by a concrete wall five meters tall. It was necessary because Verard’s gravity was twenty five percent less than standard Earth. They jumped higher and used the ring to pummel one another senseless.
The primal part of the brain that enjoys the pugilistic arts excited Renee like nothing Oliver had seen in her before. She yelled right along with the crowd outside, cheering from one blow to the next. Fighters didn’t get paired up by weight class, but by psionic. The one to four class were allowed nonlethal swords, knives, shields and clubs. Five and up could use their kinetic attributes in conjunction with a psionic shield. These were men and women who live to fight, many being Hunters looking to blow off steam and enjoy the attention. These were all experienced fighters and Oliver learned much as he cheered in excitement along with Renee.
By the end of the second match the waitress returned with Renee’s order and left after being told ‘thanks’. “Oh, Oliver, you do know my tastes.” She said once she ate between fights. “Watching people kick each other’s asses is one of my favorite things. What else do you know about me?”
“That someone hurt you is why you do not like to be grabbed. I pieced it together after Stephanie warned me to never grab you. It’s also why you were despised me at first. I think it’s also why you kicked me in the balls when I was learnin
g about modesty. It’s like you did it to hurt another in your memory.”
Renee choked and grabbed a glass of wine to wash the clog down. She recovered and couldn’t meet his gaze. “When did you figure it out?”
“When I read about psychological trauma and how to profile someone when I let you do a brain scan the next morning after the Stingray attack.”
She looked at him, ashamed to be found out. “Why? Why do you want me so bad, knowing this? Do you pity me or something? If you say it’s because you want to heal what that asshole did then this date is over.”
“I’m going to touch your cheek.” He warned as his large warm hand did just that and cradled her. She couldn’t help closing her eyes and nuzzling in the human contact or his warmth. “My feelings have nothing to do with wanting to heal you. I want you to stay just the way you are, but not be so hostile to me. I want the woman called Hellcat. I do not want a timid female. You are the only one not disgusted I eat Beast brains. I want you and you know it. If you want to feel my affection and devotion, look into my mind. I won’t stop you anymore.”
“I’m grateful, but I’ll wait. Before the next fight I should tell you why I was so angry at you… or more aptly, at him.” She turned and pulled her dress up to wrap her legs around Oliver as he still sat. “It happened after becoming Sparky’s rider. You need to know that with a Drake, my first need is to be with him. It’s more intimate than a marriage. He and I are always together no matter the distance.
“Before I went to Drakken Prime I was mated to a man who is a dead ringer for you, but he was my height and certainly no Hunter with your muscle mass. We met in Phantom training and I thought we’d be more than mates, but after I returned with Sparky and Rose… we began to drift as I started spending more time with Sparky, deepening our bond.
“He started drinking more than his legal limit in alcohol and became obsessive, making ultimatums to keep me from being with my Drake. I loved him, but Sparky’s need for me always won out… until he started getting drunk and grabbing me, throwing me to the ground and…”
“He raped you.” She nodded, looking at Oliver and seeing the amber of his eyes darken and the white start engorging with blood to show his anger. “Where is he?”
“Dead. Sparky got to him first, but Papa was right behind and so mad he vaporized him after making sure I saw nothing.”
“So every time you see my face you remember how he violated you, but yet I smell your arousal all the time you look at me. That is confusing.”
Renee laughed dryly. “Me too. You make me cream my panties twice a day… or more and masturbation barely scratches the itch. Hell I even broke one of my dildos picturing you fucking my brains out. I hate him, but I can’t stop seeing his face on you, but with a body that’s every woman’s throbbing desire. And I hate it, but I won’t alter your face. It’s too yummy.” She leaned forward and stole his lips. She moaned as he gently ran a hand up her smooth satin dress. “Oliver…”
“Shhh.” He kissed her softly. Tenderly. “I don’t need reassurance. As I said before. I will have you and only you. It does not need to be more complicated does it?”
“I guess not.” She smiled affectionately. “Just know I’ve not been with anyone for ten years… nor have I taken a cock half as large as yours. Maybe with you I’ll feel like a real woman.”
“I will make you be whatever you need.” He promised. “If you want comfort. I’ll be it. If you want to fight, I’ll spar. I’ll be what you need.”
“Oliver?” She said in the softest voice he ever heard pass through those luscious lips.
“Yes, Red?”
“You don’t need permission or need to tell me you are going to touch me anymore.” She grabbed his hands and place them on her firm waist. “You’ve said and done all the right things and blown my expectations out of the water. Stars, you’ve done was few men have tried and completely failed to do to get me into bed. Can you just do one thing?”
“Anything.”
“Don’t ever grab me when we fight… which we will. I’m an opinioned woman who hates to lose so expect it. Don’t grab me out of anger… now that I’m known as the Hellcat after what he did… Sparky and Papa won’t get a chance to kill you before I do.”
He framed both sides of her face. “If I ever hurt you with intent I would end my own story… permanently.”
“I’m glad.” She came closer an pressed her full bust against his chest and kissed him with wild abandon. She was surprised by the perfect mix of passion and tenderness in his physical reply.
A knock on the door was the waitress bringing dessert, chocolate ice cream drizzled in caramel. They shared the dessert in a comfortable environment.
“Ladies and Gentlemen!” the Pit announcer called and Renee turned around, hiking a led to resume her place between his thick thighs. “We’ve come to tonight’s main event at long last. The event of the decade between two bitter combatants with as long a grudge. Two eleven class Phantoms will be the treat we all will love to see settled in the ring. Place your bets on the holo-screens to your right on who will win.” The crowd was already throwing around copious amounts of credits. “First in the ring is the hero of the flagship Pantheon who successfully repelled the major Keptl advance of 3113. Give it up for Samuel MourningSPIKE!” the crowd went ballistic as a blonde haired man with blue eyes covered in lean, speed type muscle entered from one side of the ring wearing pair of baggy shorts and nothing more.
“On the other side is a man we all remember who slew a Class twelve assassin during the emperor’s visit to Verard. Give it up for Fredric MonSOON!!!” they were just as loud for him too. A man of coppery skin and black hair. Thick muscle covered him.
“You boys know the rules. There is only one. No fatal strikes. If I see any… the match is over and you’ll be blacklisted from every validated fighting ring everywhere. Is that clear?” the men accepted the rule of the announcer. “BEGIN!!!”
In no time at all Renee was on her feet pounding on the wall that they watched out of. She’d lost her shoes three matches ago and was bouncing up and down going nuts over the awe inspiring deadly dance the two men put on.
Fredric’s powerful blows were slower than Samuel’s who used less force. One fought by chipping way and the other crashed chunks. Electricity boomed with every exchange and the fight was real, not drawn out for the crowd’s enjoyment. It made for a shorter match, but that is what made it great. There were no time limits for recovery. Fight till you are left standing. The exchanges went back and forth, but skinny Samuel made the perfect feint and Fredric took the bait. Samuel’s hand ignited like blue fire as it came under for an undercut of immense proportions. The blow made contact with the barrier Fredric surrounded himself with and the connection made a momentary flash and ‘BOOM’ that shook everything around. When eyes refocused it showed Fredric falling off the ceiling unconscious and with a busted lip that bled greatly.
To the surprise of the crowd Samuel jumped two meters and caught the opponent in his arms and laid him down for the medics to come. The crowd loved the show of sportsmanship as well as bloody brutality.
“THAT WAS AMAZING!!!” Renee yelled and jumped into Oliver’s arms to laugh uninhibited. “Did you feel that blow! Samuel threw in enough power to buckle the barrier without blowing Fredric’s head clean off. The precision… the timing. That was beautiful and frightening together. Oliver, we’re skipping the after-date.”
“But…”
She fixed him with a hard stare. “You can take me to it tomorrow. No one other than me can tell you to do anything. Can we please do it tomorrow after we renew the travel visa?”
“It’ll only work this night. But I think I can make it work.”
“Wait… tonight’s the meteor shower… why didn’t I see it… you wanted to watch a meteor shower alone with me weren’t you?”
“In the penthouse of the Luxoreene hotel that has a reservation for me and you.”
Renee stilled. “You’re kidding ri
ght? Please tell me you’re lying.”
“Sorry. We got the Sky Room all to ourselves for as long as we wish. Since we both love stargazing I thought it would be ideal for the shower followed by making love.”
She ran to the couch and grabbed her heels to put them on in record time. “Having an Elder Hunter for a boyfriend does have perks. What are we waiting for, Idiot? Let’s go to our hotel and get frisky.”
“Laying naked under the stars together?”
“Uh, isn’t that a given? Hurry up before I change my mind and puss out.” She grabbed her clutch and his arm
Exiting the room, Oliver thanked the owner for a lovely time and would return again one day. The owner was pleased and bid farewell.
Renee was riding the adrenalin high and used it in her step to near skip in the lower gravity as he led them two kilometers away to the most lavish hotel chain on the planet. Luxoreene, the newest one grown, was a towering sapphire blue building far above others.
The receptionist was prepared for them as he called ahead just after exiting FTL to make sure a room was available. They got the introductory access palm scan and rode the elevator all the way up to the three hundred and fifty third floor, to the very top. Oliver especially chose it as the planets nighttime light pollution didn’t obscure anything after the three hundredth floor. They moved away from the elevator, to their room number and entered by using their palm on the reader.
The deep, dark blue door slid open.
“Pretty…” she whispered as her eyes went straight up into the clear ceiling sparkling vibrantly with billions of distant sparkling sun. In the room, off to the left was a bar lined with every kind of beverage. To the right frothed a large hot tub bubbling in a corner. A massive bed lined with no less than a thousand thread count lay near the middle of the room beneath the clear ceiling. Over a ways in the back was a grand balcony shielded from intense wind and it had a swimming pool in it as well. “It’s perfect.”
“I’m glad I was right.” He said, staring up at the stars and the highways of light people flew on. “The shower will begin in an hour and ten minutes. They’ll stop space flights for the duration just incase someone’s shields aren’t up to the bombardment.”
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