by T. S. Ryder
Gylden increased his pace, grunting as his face twisted in concentration. Bianca's back arched, cries bursting from her mouth in time with her lover's thrusts, heat coiling tighter and tighter inside her until she couldn’t breathe.
Fireworks exploded in her brain, turning it to mush. Every coiled muscle in her body went slack, a feeling of warmth shooting up and down her spine. She gasped for breath, the only thing anchoring her in place the feeling of her lover's body twined around hers. Gylden also went limp, just barely supporting himself so he didn't crush her.
Bianca smiled. "Amazing."
"Yeah." Gylden kissed her. "And it's ours. All ours. Just for you and me."
She could hear the grin in his voice and nodded. "Ours," she agreed. "Ours."
***
There was no getting to the Sanctuary on the little fuel they had left, so Bianca plotted a course to the nearest planet. There was no talk about what might find them there, no talk about the manhunt that the Rayne Five Network still had after them. They only discussed how they would steal a new ship that would take them all the way to the Sanctuary.
Until they actually landed. Then Gylden grasped Bianca's hand and looked her deep in the eye. "If we are attacked, save yourself first."
Bianca shook her head.
"Yes. Save yourself, and our child."
"Gylden, I don't think I—"
The sound of an explosion rocked the ship. Smoke billowed out from the gangplank. Gylden jumped to his feet, reaching for his traluthian blade. He pushed Bianca behind him as three T'shav emerged from the smoke. They grinned.
The one at the front stepped forward. "Looks like the bounty is ours, boys."
Chapter Eleven – Gylden
The T'shav that he had faced in the arena had never been this big.
Gylden couldn't help but stare in awe. He has always considered himself well-sized, with thick muscles and a tall build. These three, however, were easily three feet wider and two feet taller each. They were sheer masses of muscle, and though none of them reached for the broadswords strapped to their backs, he couldn't help but shiver in both fear and wonder.
"This doesn't have to get violent," the middle T'shav said. He had a scar cut diagonally across his face. "The reward to bring you back alive is higher than the one to bring you back dead. Put that weapon down and we'll be civilized about it."
"Except as soon as the network gets their hands on us we're dead," Bianca spat from behind him.
A second T'shav, this one with a dark tattoo the shape of a sun on his chest, chuckled. "She has a point there."
Scarface gave Tattoo an annoyed look. "Will you let me handle this?"
"If you'll allow Bianca to go free, I'll go with you without a fuss," Gylden blurted.
The third bounty hunter, a man with shaggy hair, shook his head. "Bounty for you both dead is more than the bounty for you alone but alive. So either you both come with us alive, or we take this outside and we kill you. We'll let the girl live, as long as she doesn't put up a fuss."
"Outside it is," Gylden snarled. He wasn't going to let them get their filthy hands on his mate!
Scar-face shrugged. "Come along then. You can't fly anywhere with a giant hole in your ship, anyway."
The three turned their backs and strode back down the gangplank. Bianca gripped Gylden's arm. He kissed her fiercely.
"While I have them distracted, run. Find a new ship and get out of here."
"But—"
"Please." Gylden stroked her hair from her face. "For the baby."
Bianca's eyes filled with tears. The T'shav gave her one last kiss, then marched down to face the bounty hunters. They have spread in a loose triangle formation some distance from the ship. Gylden stopped just off the gangplank to observe them. All three had their swords drawn and were loosening their muscles.
It was clear looking at them that they had experience doing this. In the arena, Gylden had had to fight over T'shav, of course, but none this tall or this strong. His only advantage would be speed. And even that wasn't much of an advantage against the three of them. If they got him surrounded, it was over.
"Let's see how real the Gladiator fighting really is," Tattoo crowed, swinging his sword in a circle. "Let me take at the famed Gylden first."
The other two laughed and nodded. Gylden didn't allow himself to feel relief. Yes, it would be easier to fight off one than all three at a time, but that didn't mean that it was going to be easy. Or that they would, in fact, face off against him only one at a time. At least this was still private–there were no drones filming his every action.
Tattoo charged. Gylden waited for the last moment to pivot out of the other T'shav's way, swinging his sword low across Tattoo's belly. The bounty hunter brought his own sword down, clashing against Gylden's. The shock reverberated up his arms, jolting his shoulders. Gylden grunted as he was forced back a step to regain his footing.
His enemy's sword swung at his head. Gylden bent backward, ducking under the blow, and kicked into Tattoo's stomach. The other T'shav stumbled backward, gasping for breath. Gylden pressed his advantage, driving in for a killing stab. Tattoo knocked the blow aside, twisting in closer to Gylden as he did so.
Gylden was used to this tactic. He dropped his sword and wrapped his arms around Tattoo's head. His enemy released a small gasp, knowing what was about to happen. As Gylden twisted sharply, he felt a pain blossom in his abdomen. He dropped the other T'shav to find a wicked-looking dagger sunk deep into his abdomen.
The gladiator yanked out the weapon and ripped off his sleeve, packing the fabric into his wound to slow the bleeding. The other two T'shav glanced at their fallen comrade and nodded, looking impressed.
"You do have skills," Scarface said. "Well, that and he was a real hothead. But you got yourself injured. Sloppy. Still, good job. If it wasn't for the bounty on your head, I'd offer you a place with my crew."
Gylden rose his sword again, blinking sweat from his eyes. The two bounty hunters left circled him, splitting to flank him. He backed away towards the ship. And his heart sank as he realized that Bianca hadn't done as he had said. They wouldn't have been so distracted by his fight as to miss her running away.
Which meant she was still inside.
"Bianca!" he shouted as the two bounty hunters moved closer, both with feral grins on their faces. "Run! Get out of there!"
"What's the matter?" Scarface mocked, stopping at a distance that was just too far to Gylden to act on. "Your little slave-of-a-salve not doing as you told her to? It's a shame that you put the life of your child before hers. If you had kept your head and not killed Taskus Draw, the two of you could be living a life of comfort and happiness, together with the universe adoring you. Wouldn't that have been better than dying today?"
"Stuff it!" Bianca's clear voice rang from the top of the gangplank.
A small silver orb flew through the air. It hit the ground at Scarface's feet, and bars of blue energy shot up all around him. He cried out, surprised. A second orb hit the ground at Shaggy's feet, and a second energy cage blossomed around him. The expressions of both bounty hunters twisted in fury, and both struck at the cages–only to be blown backward into the opposite sides. Both shouted in pain.
Gylden twisted to see Bianca running down the gangplank. She had an armful of the cage anchors. They tumbled from her arms as she ran to him. The T'shav wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her how smart she was, but there wasn't time.
"These aren't anchored," Scarface shouted after them as the two fugitives joined hands and ran. "We'll be free before you know it!"
"This way," Bianca said, tugging Gylden's hand.
She headed for a nearby ship. The gangplank was open, unlike the ships around them, and he could only hope that this was the bounty hunter's ship and that nobody else would be aboard. There were a few people around the docks, some hiding behind crates, others with personal recording devices pointed at them.
He was being filmed in the end after all. Gyl
den wished he could go destroy each and every one of them.
Just as they reached the gangplank of the ship, Gylden stumbled. Blood was soaked through his robe, and the fabric he'd packed into his wound was working its way free. His head spun quite suddenly, and he nearly collapsed. He heard shouts behind him as the bounty hunters freed themselves. But Bianca was there, with him, supporting him as they ran into the ship. She ordered the gangplank to rise as she ran towards the cockpit.
Gylden let himself drop, breathing deeply through the pain. The wound, while bad, was not fatal as long as the ship had a regenerator. He felt the ship's engines start up. Gravity tugged at his naval as they took to the air. When that tug was gone, he knew that they were safe in the reaches of space once more.
Bianca joined him soon after. Her hands were tender as she looked after his wound, and he watched her silently. Without her, he never would have had the strength to fight back against the horrors of his life. He owed her far more than he would ever know.
"We'll be at the Sanctuary soon," she said, her voice trembling. "This ship is fully fueled. We won't have to stop until we're there. And then these bounty hunters will stop. Zon will protect us, and you'll never have to kill again. We can be a proper family."
Gylden suppressed a shiver. He had been avoiding thinking about that since they left the network station. He had been a gladiator his whole life… He was good at it, as he had just proved.
If he wasn't going to be a killer, what was he?
His hand drifted to Bianca's stomach, and he was bolstered once again. He was going to be a good mate to his mate, and a father to his child. He managed a small smile. There was no reason to be afraid… he was going to figure out who he was, and it would be glorious.
Chapter Twelve – Bianca
Would the warlord welcome them, or would he turn them away since they had the Rayne Five bounty on their heads? Bianca docked the ship, nerves churning in her stomach. Although maybe that was the morning sickness. Did it hit this quickly?
"Regretting the decision to give up fame and public adoration for this?" Gylden asked, the stress in his voice making his joke fall flat.
Bianca still smiled at his attempt. "Never. Well, it's time to face the music."
Gylden nodded. He held his hand to her, and she gratefully took it. Her hands trembled as they lowered the gangplank. The gladiator's sword was strapped to his back, a sign that he didn't want a fight. But the sight that greeted them as they exited the ship had them freezing. Half a dozen T'shav stood in a circle on the docks, all holding broadswords.
"Surrender your weapon and submit to a body search," one of them demanded, eyes narrowed.
Bianca's own T'shav pushed her behind himself, drawing his weapon quickly. He planted his feet firmly. "Not a chance."
"Gylden, please. They're our only chance." Bianca put her hand on his shoulder.
He gave her a tortured glance, then reluctantly lowered his sword. As soon as the first T'shav on the dock started up the gangplank, however, the sword was back in an attack stance. Their 'welcoming' party all tensed. Bianca twisted her hands. This was heading towards yet another battle. And if they didn't find Sanctuary here?
"Gylden," Bianca started again, but before she could plead for him to lower his weapon again, a seventh T'shav strode between those already there. He was tall and strong, with a few grays in his black hair. Bianca stared, but not at him.
What surprised her was the human woman that accompanied him. The woman stopped at the foot of the gangplank, and the new T'shav turned to the guards. "Put away your weapons. These two are welcome here."
To Bianca's surprise, the other T'shav sheathed their swords at once. The human smiled up at her and Gylden, taking a small step forward and raising her hands.
"You don't have to be afraid of us. I'm Lisa, and this is my mate Zon. Welcome to the Sanctuary."
Bianca moved past Gylden. He tensed, but she put a reassuring hand on his arm before continuing. She stopped just in front of Lisa. This was the first human to have been woken up as a human in this strange world. The first human to take an alien mate and have an alien child. Bianca swallowed, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed.
"Hi," she said. "I, uh… I mean we, we're looking for… sanctuary."
Lisa smiled and put an arm around her. "We know. We've been following the events that the Rayne Five has been presenting. We were actually preparing our son and a few of his friends to go pick the two of you up."
Gylden joined the two of them. He held his sword pointed downwards. When Zon stepped up beside Lisa, his hand held out, the gladiator reluctantly passed the sword to him.
"This will be returned to you after your assessment," Zon assured him.
"Why were you going to look for us?" Gylden snapped back, eyes narrowed in distrust.
Zon's black eyes glittered with a look Bianca couldn't decipher. "It has been Lisa's personal project to stop the gladiator games for almost a decade now. I have a lot on my plate keeping this Sanctuary safe, but we both believe you could be useful in ending the games for good."
"But only as far as you are comfortable with," Lisa added. She gave Zon a half-glare. "You are here first for your safety and peace of mind, not for my projects. You will be given time to adjust to life here before I present my proposal. And should you decide that you would rather not–which I would not blame you for–then we will find other ways for you to contribute to the Sanctuary."
"I don't want to fight," Gylden said. "I'm not going to kill anybody again."
"I'm glad to hear you say that," Zon said. "Because there is no fighting or killing permitted within the Sanctuary. If you do end up fighting, then you'll be exiled. It's as simple as that. But there will be time for you to learn all our rules. Right now, we need to get you both to our medical facilities and checked over."
"And there are all the legalities we're going to have to deal with, considering they're technically slaves." Lisa looked disgusted when she said the word. "Not that we're going to hand you back over to them. But it is going to take some finagling to get the Rayne Five Network to back off without the threat of a warship or two going to sort it out."
Zon smiled at Lisa as though she was the sun to him. It was the same sort of smile that Gylden always gave her. She leaned against him, turning to give her mate a smile. He squeezed her, and when Zon started away, Lisa at his side, they followed.
***
The medical checkup showed that both of them were in good health and that the baby was strong and developing nicely. When the doctors showed her and Gylden the vague blob that the scanners picked up and told them it was their child, Bianca had nearly burst into tears.
She had never really considered having children. There had been boyfriends in her past when she was certain that she did not want to have children with, but she had never thought about when she would actually have children. Now that she was pregnant, she was over the moon with happiness. And when she saw how happy Gylden was, well, that made it all better.
"These quarters are just temporary," Lisa told them as she showed them to a tiny room with a bunk bed and nothing much else. "These are usually reserved for troops, but unfortunately we just don't have any other rooms available right now. But your assessments ought to be processed within a standard week, and various occupations will be suggested for you. And you always have the option of going back to school, if that's what you want. By that time, we should find a permanent place for you to live."
Bianca smiled at her. "Thank you. For everything."
Lisa nodded at her and slipped from the room. Gylden glanced around, looking a little wary, but when his gaze landed back on Bianca, a grin lit his face. In an instant he had her in his arms, kissing her deeply as he pressed her against the wall. Bianca giggled, kissing him back.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what's brought this up?"
"It just hit me. We're here. We made it. The network won't get their hands on us again, and we're free from being in the pub
lic eye. My life is mine. Forever and for good. It's mine. And I have a family. You and me and the baby. I have a family. And I'm not going to lose you again."
His tongue breached her mouth and Bianca laughed, pushing herself harder against him. For the first time in a long time, she was utterly at peace.
*****
THE END
Bought by the Barbarian
Description
His broadsword is his only love. Until he sees her curves.
T’Shav mercenary Ronan doesn’t want love. He wants a woman to take care of his ‘condition’, meaning raging hormones. And the bridal service is going to get him one. So where is the sweet, submissive wife he ordered?
Paramedic Erica Chase is bored to death on her spaceship. Until she and her cousin Bethy are sold to a bridal service. There’s no way she’s going to submit to her new owner. But why does he have to be so mouthwateringly hot?
What’s a gal to do? Just devour the sexy alien? Hell no. He says he’s not touching her until she’s on her knees begging for it. He must be joking.
But Erica needs the hunky alien to find back Bethy. And Ronan has his own mission to complete. Space is a crowded place with enemies at every corner. It’s a good thing Ronan enjoys a bloody fight.
Stuck on the same spaceship, Ronan knows one thing for sure. Anybody who thinks they can lay a finger on his mate and his unborn child will find another thing coming.
What Ronan wants, Ronan gets.
Chapter One: Erica
The medical bay of the USC Battleship Sidhe was probably the most impressive one in the United Species fleet. It was full of the most up-to-date medical equipment, including DNA scanners that could tell a person what diseases they were genetically predisposed to in under a minute. It was also connected with real-time updates on scientific breakthroughs on various species: Dibat, Aphrosian, Suesue and many more.