Enslaved Book III: The Gladiators

by Kaitlyn O'Connor

  Discomfort twisted in Kael’s gut when Lau-ren stopped abruptly and he saw that she had meant to rush to him. “Done what?” he said after a moment.

  Loren dismissed her discomfort and grinned at the men happily. “I feel like a total idiot that I didn’t think of it before—and I should have. I mean, I despised that lizard-bastard myself. I should’ve considered that he might not be especially welcome to anybody else! Anyway, Karen and I were talking about the food situation and I finally thought to ask the computer if there was some place that we could get food and water without the possibility that they would shoot at us—and the computer plotted a course to this new place!”

  Kael felt far more pleasure in Lau-ren’s excitement than her announcement, but he felt a surge of wary hopefulness, as well. “The machine believes that there is food in this place?”

  Some of her excitement waned. “To hunt. You can hunt, right?”

  Kael glanced at the others ruefully. “She does not have much faith in us, does she?”

  Balen glared at him. “You are surprised when we have given her no reason to have faith?” He switched to the language she understood. “Yes. We hunt. Dere is food, we kill it an’ feed our shimone. No be bones no more.”

  Loren chuckled, hesitated and then surged toward him. Balen felt his heart swell with thankfulness as he gathered her against him, trying to ignore her frailty and the fact that she felt more insubstantial than before.

  “I’m sorry. I should have thought of it before,” she muttered. “But at least we have some hope now, right?”

  He squeezed her more tightly. “It was not your place to provide, shimone. It is our place.”

  Loren pushed away enough to look at him questioningly when he reverted to his native language. “I guess … you don’t like me skinny, huh?”

  Balen felt his chest tighten. “No like Lau-ren ….” He paused, searching for the word. “Be hungry,” he finished when he couldn’t think of the word he wanted, “an’ me no can help.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Disgust twisted in Daeman’s gut when he discovered that the Hirachis’ new search of the ship was a desperate hunt for courting gifts—disgust and anger aimed at himself. It had felt too much like a betrayal of Kael, though, to pursue the hunger he felt for Lau-ren when he had had the chance and now he regretted that he had allowed that sense of guilt to sway him. Now he saw that it would not have been the betrayal he had thought—not in their eyes.

  Truthfully, their customs baffled him. When he had realized that they were knowingly and willingly sharing their lover, he had thought that they were far stranger than he had before. It was one thing to suspect your lover had another, and something else entirely to know it and still count them as friends.

  He supposed he could see it in a way. Actually, when he had emerged from his fascination in her enough to actually notice, it had been painfully clear that the circumstances prevented anything else unless they were all willing to stand back and watch only three with lovers or they spent the majority of their time trying to beat the competition senseless. And it was certainly far better to have a drink at the trough than only to thirst for a drink. It was the fact that it was not practicality that inspired them that thoroughly baffled him. Clearly, it was their way, for he had never seen more than passing resentment between Lau-ren’s lovers when they had been struggling to establish which of them she held in highest regard. That seemed the only competition that they were willing to pursue, each of them trying to prove they were more worthy of her regard rather than trying to eliminate competition altogether.

  He would have understood it better, he thought, if he could not see that they did not see her merely as a handy receptacle for their lust, if they had had no interest in her beyond having a woman to fuck. That he could understand completely. He had been in that position himself many times, but that was not an affair of the heart. It was an affair of the dick, and an interest in nothing more than slaking his needs.

  They all thought of her as their woman, though, in the way a man only felt about a mate—except that they did not call her mate or even seem intent upon forming a mate bond.

  Wryly, he admitted that it was not altogether his loyalty to Kael for saving him that had held him back. She was afraid of him. He was damned if he could figure out why. He did not see that he was any uglier than the others. The women on his world had not seemed to think he was ugly, at any rate.

  But there was no ignoring the wide eyed, frozen look of fear that entered her eyes when she discovered that he was close by or that he was watching her.

  If he had not been certain that she would scream and run if he tried to woo her, he thought he would have tried—and the hell with the guilt. He would have been willing to live with the burden if he could have coaxed her into his bed.

  He would have been willing to ignore the fact that she had the babe of one of the Hirachi in her belly, even though that realization alone had angered him so much when he had first realized it that he had wanted to challenge her Hirachi lovers and beat them unconscious. What the stupid bastards had been thinking to breed on her when they must know it would only make her more vulnerable was beyond him! He would certainly not have risked her life to breed upon her!

  He thought about the gift that he had found and hidden with some notion that he might try to woo her with it, and then had discarded the idea as unlikely and treacherous to Kael besides.

  He did not see why he could not give it to her, he thought in sudden anger. Mayhap she would still not allow him to court her, but he would not know unless he tried and, at the very least, it would make her happy.

  Abandoning the Hirachi to their search, he strode purposefully back to the lift and up to the level where he had hidden the thing that he had found for Lau-ren, trying to decide if there was any chance that he might separate her from the other women so that he could give it to her and mayhap coax her into talking to him at least. If it was his appearance that frightened her, he reasoned, then she was not going to grow accustomed to it if he could not find the balls to try to draw her out.

  He thought it must be his appearance and not him in particular. He had certainly not done anything to frighten her.

  He frowned at the thought, feeling uneasiness flicker through him.

  He had not been able to resist going to her cell to stare at her and he had hungered for her. He had a very bad feeling that she would’ve noticed that—if she had noticed him at all—but he had not said anything to frighten her. He had not tried to grab her. He had not taken liberties he should not have whenever he had seen the opportunity.

  Shaking his unaccustomed doubts, he retrieved the gift that he’d found to try to pique Lau-ren’s interest and went in search of her. He was not surprised to find her in the control room with the other two women, but he was vastly disappointed. She was not as shy and nervous when they were with her, but he thought it less likely that she would give him any encouragement.

  Dismissing his pique over it, he carried the strange container to her. “Found dis, Lau-ren. Tought it de ting you want.”

  Loren stared in disbelief at the suitcase for a moment before it sank in that it really was her missing suitcase. Uttering a shriek of excitement, she bounded out of her chair and raced to Daeman to look at it more closely. “My suitcase! You found my suitcase!” She’d flung herself against him to hug him impulsively before she even thought about it. Self-consciousness sank in almost the instant she felt the pressure of the embrace, felt his arms close around her instinctively.

  Embarrassed, she pulled away, throwing an uncomfortable glance at his face. “Sorry!” She grinned down at the bag. “I’m just so excited!”

  Karen and Shara had surged forward, she discovered, looking as excited as she was. “Open it!” Karen exclaimed, clapping her hands in impatience. “Let us see! Let us see!”

  Laughing at their enthusiasm, Loren dropped to her knees and opened the bag. Karen gasped ecstatically. “Clothes,” she said reverently
. “Real clothes!”

  Possessiveness seized Loren for a handful of moments. She struggled with it, wrestled it down. It was hers, but the only reason she had it was because the bastards that had betrayed both of them had let her pack to allow her the illusion that she had a choice. As much as she wanted to grab everything and growl and refuse to share, none of them would have survived as long as they had if they hadn’t willingly shared the little they had. “It’s almost like Christmas,” she said happily. “It’s been so long I hardly even remember what I packed.”

  She glanced from her treasure trove to Daeman. It warmed her to see that he was grinning as happily as they were, warmed her to know that he’d been looking for it. Tamping her uneasiness as she had her possessiveness, she got up and moved to him. “Thank you so much! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to see it.”

  He chuckled huskily. “No need. See.”

  She felt her face heat, but she smiled at him. “That obvious, huh?”

  He lifted a hand and lightly traced her smile. “Like dis,” he said gruffly.

  Loren swallowed with an effort. Try though she might to dismiss it, she felt his attraction to her and an echo of it within herself. “I’m so happy I could kiss you!”

  His eyes gleamed. “Could. I let you.”

  Loren chuckled and went up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Alarm flickered through her when she felt his arms close around her tightly, jerking her closer, felt his fingers tangle in her hair to entrap her even as he turned his head to thwart her attempt at a tame kiss on his cheek. There was so much hunger in the feel of his mouth as it covered hers that she was torn for several moments between alarm and intrigue. There was no denying the pleasurable heat that scorched her as her senses captured his essence, though.

  Her heart was thundering in her chest frantically when he lifted his head and met her gaze. For several moments, he held her and then, almost reluctantly, he let her go. Loren licked her lips, tasting him on them, struggling with the heat he’d brought to life and complete confusion at feeling it.

  “Panties and bras!” Karen shrieked excitedly.

  Relieved at the distraction, Loren glanced down at her and chuckled with embarrassment. “Stop waving them around!”

  Karen grinned. “It doesn’t bother Daeman, does it?” she asked, meeting his gaze.

  He lifted his brows at the articles she was waving at him. “What dis?”

  Karen sent Loren a wicked look and held the bra and panties up to herself.

  Daeman studied them for a moment and looked at Loren. “Like better dis way,” he said, gesturing to the ragged toga. “No cober pretty tings.”

  Loren felt her face turn redder. “Well! Maybe I prefer to have my ‘pretty things’ covered up?” She returned her attention to Shara and Karen. “OK! I get first dibs! It’s my suitcase.”

  Karen looked up at her hopefully. “You’re going to share?”

  “Of course I am—I just want to grab my favorites.”

  Karen watched Loren sort the contents into three piles with a mixture of excitement and envy every time something went into someone else’s pile. She spied something in the bottom, however, that broke her efforts to resist grabbing and snatched it up. “Birth control pills,” she gasped in awe.

  Loren looked at the package wryly. “Great! I could’ve used those a while back,” she muttered.

  Karen met her gaze. “You aren’t happy?”

  Loren swallowed with an effort. “It’s hard to be happy about it when they clearly aren’t,” she said unevenly. Her chin wobbled. “They don’t like me anymore. If I’d had the birth control then, they still would.”

  Discomfort wafted through Daeman and anger along with it both because her feelings toward the Hirachi were obvious and because the stupid bastards had made her feel as if she and the baby were unwanted. He wrestled for several moments between the urge to try to sooth her hurt and a reluctance to weaken his own chances with her by doing so. Finally, her need for reassurance trumped his selfishness, however. “Dem dumbasses tear ship apart. Look for courting gifts. Want baby. Worry ‘bout Lau-ren.”

  Lau-ren sniffed, looking at him so hopefully that he felt his heart sink, realized that he’d lied to himself. He wanted far more than a chance to get her in his bed. He wanted her … and he did not have a hope in hell of having her, never had. She loved the Hirachi.

  “Really?” she asked doubtfully.

  He forced a smile he didn’t feel. “Truth, Lau-ren. No cry. Dem dumbasses figure dis out. You see.”

  She smiled at him a little tremulously. “They aren’t dumbasses.”

  He sent her a skeptical look. “Are. Lau-ren mine, I no miss chance to touch and kiss for stupid ting.”

  Loren discovered that Karen was staring at her wide eyed when Daeman left. “He’s sweet on you!”

  Loren felt her face redden. “No, he isn’t! He’s just … sweet.”

  Karen grinned at her. “Maybe, but I got the definite impression he was letting you know he wouldn’t let grass grow under his feet if the others were too stupid to appreciate you.”

  Loren cleared her throat. “Don’t make something romantic out of it,” she said irritably. “The poor man’s just horny. He’d light out like a flash if there was an unattached female around here.”

  “Well, I’m not going to argue about the first part. I haven’t seen a boner like that in a while!”

  “Me neider,” Shara said unhappily.

  “Karen!” Loren gasped, horrified. “Did he really?”

  Karen laughed heartily. “You are interested! I knew it!”

  Loren swallowed convulsively. “I’m horny, damn it!” She shrugged. “And he’s a really good kisser.”

  “Me also,” Shara said glumly.

  “I guess nobody’s getting it,” Karen muttered, her amusement vanishing.

  * * * *

  Kael was so focused on kicking himself for his blindness that it was sheer dumb luck that he found the very thing that would bring a smile to Lau-ren’s face. He froze, staring at it hard for a moment to be certain it was what he’d thought and then lifted his gaze to survey the others. None of them had noticed his discovery and after a few moments, they wandered from view.

  Bending, he retrieved the strange looking hair comb and examined it carefully for flaws. It was certainly not new, but it did not look worn and it was the most unique grooming comb that he had ever seen. It would’ve been far better to make something especially for her, and he would, but she would be pleased with this to groom her beautiful hair.

  Turning away, he headed back to the lift and took it up to the control room, eager to give his shimone the gift he had found for her. To his consternation, she was not in the room—none of the women were.

  After considering it a moment, he decided to check to see if the women had gone to the gathering room for some reason and headed back to the lift. That room was also empty, however, and uneasiness began to gather inside of him. He debated whether to begin to search for her in earnest, but decided that he would check the cabin where she had sleeping first and the bathing room.

  He was disappointed that she was not in the bathing room. He had begun to have some very pleasant thoughts about finding her there. Leaving again, he headed to the cabin to see if she had gone to take a nap.

  He jolted to a halt, however, when he reached the cabin and went in. Lau-ren was there, but she was not sleeping. She whirled with a gasp of surprise when he entered, clutching something to her chest.

  “Oh! You startled me!” She paused studying him. “Did you need to talk to me about something?”

  He was studying the brown box on the bed, trying to recall why it seemed familiar when he knew he had not seen it before. At the question, he looked at her, though.

  She stared at him guiltily. He knew that look. He just could not decide why she would feel guilty.

  Loren smiled at Kael uneasily. “Daeman found my bag.”

  Kael felt as if someone had abruptly punche
d him in the stomach. “Daeman?” he repeated, glancing from Lau-ren to the ‘bag’ that did not look like a bag to him, and then back again.

  “The … uh … I don’t know what race they are. The red skinned gladiator?”

  Fury surged through him like a tidal wave. “Know Daeman. Why …?” He broke off. He knew why Daeman had brought her the bag.

  And she had accepted the gift.

  “I will kill that bastard!” he growled. Throwing down the paltry gift that he had found that he had thought would be a very good gift until he had seen what Daeman had given her, he turned on his heel to stalk from the room, intent upon finding Daeman. Lau-ren flew at him from behind, throwing her arms around his waist. He halted, stared down at her arms, and then peeled them lose.

  “Kael! Wait!” Loren said, dancing in front of him when he set her aside.

  He halted when she blocked his path, glaring down at her furiously. “Move!” he growled.

  She jumped all over when he bellowed at her, but she didn’t move. “Why are you angry?” she demanded plaintively. “Just tell me that!”

  He grasped her waist and lifted her up, intending to set her aside. The moment he lifted her up, however, the lifted her legs and dug her heels into his waist and grasped his shoulders. “Don’t! Don’t ruin it, Kael! Please?”

  He hesitated. “Take him, shimone?”

  “Oh Kael! I want you. Don’t leave. At least don’t leave angry.”

  Anger and confusion collided in his expression. “Why take his gift?”

  Loren released a huff of irritation. “Because it was my damned bag! I had it when I was taken! Daeman found it and brought it to me. I don’t understand why you’d be angry about it!”

  Kael swallowed convulsively, recalling abruptly that he had slung the gift he had brought her down in anger instead of giving it to her. He pulled her tightly against his chest, shifting one hand to cup her head. “Make me crazy, Lau-ren,” he muttered, nuzzling her face in search of her lips.

  A thrill went through Loren. “Good! You make me crazy, too,” she murmured, tilting her face to meet his lips. A harder thrill went through her when he captured her lips beneath his and his essence invaded her, sent a rolling wave of heated delight along every nerve ending. She’d missed his kisses more than anything she thought, and it took no more that the feel of his mouth on hers, the taste of him, his touch, to resurrect the desire she’d felt for him the first time he’d kissed her, the heady excitement and anticipation. Her heart began to race with the building exhilaration. Heat blossomed between them as he made love to her mouth with his tongue, creating a cloud of their mingled scents and sending Loren into a dizzying lethargy.