by Anna Hackett
As she turned and walked away, Kace couldn’t drag his eyes away from the gentle sway of her slim hips and the bare skin of her back.
***
Rory found her seat beside Regan and settled in. Tonight, Harper was fighting, and Rory was excited to watch her friend.
“They all set?” Regan asked.
Rory nodded. “They’re fearless.” Kace had looked so strong and sure, waiting to head into the arena.
She saw the chariots roar in, to the appreciation of a noisy crowd, doing a circle around the arena floor. The vehicles were amazing, and she couldn’t wait to learn more about how their propulsion systems worked. Jarno knew every inch of them. He’d been less than enthusiastic when Galen had first introduced them, but after she’d asked about a thousand questions, and clearly been interested in the inner workings of the chariots, he’d warmed up. She’d even gotten a laugh or two out of him.
The crowd started chanting the gladiators’ names. She glanced up at the tiers of seats and the thousands of spectators. They were completely spellbound.
The shouting got louder. She glanced back at the floor and saw the chariots of the opposing gladiators enter from a tunnel on the opposite side of the arena.
She leaned forward. “Who are they fighting tonight?”
“The House of Felis,” Regan said. “The furry ones.”
Like most of the gladiator houses, the fighters weren’t all of one species, but she easily spotted the tall gladiators in the lead chariot. Their bodies were covered in a tan-colored fur. They had elongated snouts, and sharp-pointed ears, that gave them a vaguely feline look. One had small, high, fur-covered breasts, so Rory guessed she was female, even though she was the same size as her fighting partner.
The fight siren sounded, wailing out across the arena.
Harper and Raiden’s chariot veered across the arena, drawing in close to the lead Felis chariot. Harper was driving. The two chariots sped along and Rory watched as they bumped into each other. Harper pulled back a little and Raiden leaned out, his sword glinting in the lights of the arena.
Next, Kace and Saff raced past. She watched Kace swinging his staff. Then he jumped up, standing on the side wall of his chariot.
Damn. Rory’s mouth dried. What the hell was he doing? He reached across the gap, striking at the opposing gladiators.
His balance was perfect, that handsome face focused and disciplined. She admired that about him, even when it drove her crazy.
Stop thinking about him. He’d made it clear that while he was attracted to her, he didn’t want to be.
The next chariot sped by, containing Thorin and a tall, reptilian gladiator, who was tossing a net at a Felis chariot. Last, Lore and Nero roared past. Lore was driving with flair, zigzagging over the sand and cutting off the rival chariot beside them. Nero was fighting with hard, unforgiving blows of his sword.
As they circled around again, Rory watched as Raiden knocked one of his opponents out of his chariot. The Felis gladiator tumbled out onto the sand with the cry. The crowd roared.
Regan cheered and bumped her hip against Rory.
“You know, I never thought this would be your kind of thing,” Rory said.
“I never thought I’d like watching fights, either.” Regan tucked some blonde hair back behind her ear. “But there’s just something about it…”
“Something wild? Primal? Gets the blood pumping?”
Regan nodded, a flash of color on her cheeks. “It’s electrifying. Especially when I watch Thorin fighting.”
Rory had done some amateur MMA bouts back on Earth. She understood the appeal of this kind of event. She’d been there, pitting herself against someone, fighting to win.
As Saff and Kace came close again, Kace was still balanced on the chariot’s edge. He shouted something to Saff and the female gladiator grinned and moved their chariot closer to their opponents.
Kace bent his knees. What was he doing? He leaped into the air, flying across the gap.
Rory’s heart lodged in her throat and, almost as one, the crowd gasped.
He landed in the other chariot, slamming into the passenger. It was too tight for him to use his staff, so instead, he landed solid hits and punches. The Felis gladiator fought back hard.
Kace dodged some blows, the two of them twisting and turning in the tight space. Then Kace gripped the gladiator’s furred chest, spun again and tossed the male out into the sand.
As the crowd cheered, so did Rory.
She watched as Kace turned to the driver. This gladiator was female and she wasn’t Felis. She had copper-colored skin, and a thick, dark braid that reached her waist. Lots of beaten metal bracelets banded her arms and neck.
She looked up at Kace, trembling. He lowered his arms and held a hand out to her.
She looked at it for a second, then took it. Kace tugged her to his side and took over driving the chariot.
The woman had conceded.
Rory glanced at the other chariots, and saw the House of Galen had taken down all the Felis gladiators.
The fight was over.
She watched the House of Galen gladiators move their chariots into a victory lap of the ring. As the train of vehicles passed the House of Galen seats, Rory saw the female gladiator gazing up at Kace adoringly, pressing into his side. Rory dimly heard the announcers declaring the House of Galen the winners.
Rory swallowed, even as sparks flared in her blood. She hated seeing another woman touching Kace. She really wasn’t known for her even temper.
She’d always fought for what she wanted. With three older brothers, she’d had to. Especially when she’d wanted to study engineering and complete her MMA training. She was not a quitter.
Kace looked up at her, and she felt the electric connection between them.
She wasn’t going to let him ignore whatever arced between them. The fight is on, gladiator. She winked at him.
“Ready for the party?” Regan said.
Rory looked at her friend. “Party?”
“The sponsors always invite the gladiators up to the corporate box. Usually, they don’t go, and just prefer a few drinks back in the living quarters. But tonight, Galen has said everyone needs to make an appearance. From what I hear, this sponsor’s parties can get a bit…wild.”
Wild was good. It suited her mood tonight. Rory nodded. “Sounds like fun.”
“Great. We’ll head up. Harper, Raiden, Thorin, and the others will shower and meet us there.”
When they entered the party, it took Rory’s eyes a second to adjust. The lights were low, the room was packed with people, and the throb of music was loud. She saw a feast of food and drinks laid out.
Then her gaze widened. Servers moved through the room, their long, sinuous bodies naked except for a covering of glittery silver and red paint. Several dancers painted in the same colors writhed on poles on a small stage.
“Wow,” Rory murmured.
“Let’s get a drink.”
Soon they were seated at the bar watching the bartender pour elaborate, layered drinks into long glasses. The partygoers erupted into cheers and applause.
Rory looked over and saw the gladiators had arrived.
There was a small group of lower-ranked gladiators who eagerly joined the party. Harper and Raiden came in behind them. They both had wet hair, and Rory could guess what they’d been up to. Raiden pulled Harper into his arms, pressing a hard kiss to her lips.
God, it made Rory’s belly tight just watching them. The way that man worshipped everything about Harper made Rory insanely envious. She saw Kace step in behind them. He was watching the couple as well.
His hair was damp and his shirt didn’t cover much, leaving his arms and most of his chest bare. Damn him for looking so delicious.
Thorin barged in and cut a straight path to Regan. He dropped onto a stool beside them and tugged Regan onto his lap. He nuzzled his face into the side of her neck while she stroked his short hair.
Another pang of envy
hit Rory.
“Nice moves, military man.” Saff’s voice carried as she bumped her shoulder against Kace’s.
“Hell yeah.” Thorin reached out and slapped Kace on the back.
Kace nodded. “It was a good fight.”
“Let’s celebrate.” Lore strode closer with a pretty blonde woman hanging on his arm. She shot the gladiator a sultry smile. “Thought we were going to need the healers to remove that female gladiator from you, Kace.”
Rory tasted a sour taste in her mouth and snatched up her colored drink.
Kace’s gaze flicked her way. “Yes, she was…persistent.”
Rory took a large swig of the multi-colored liquid. Was he talking about her or that darn Felis gladiator?
Lore shoved a drink into Kace’s hand and the gladiators all started to relax. Rory realized it must take a while for them to come down from the high of the fight. Rory sipped her drink again, letting the burn of the alcohol and the beat of the unfamiliar music lull her. It was nice to be a part of this group and remember that she was no longer alone.
“You were amazing tonight.”
The purred words made her look over. A curvy woman with a painted face was running her hands up Kace’s chest.
Regan had called these women arena flutterers. They made no pretenses about the fact they enjoyed sex with gladiators. Rory got the impression most of the gladiators were only too happy to take them up on their offers. Across the room, Lore had his arms full with two women. There were also plenty of lower-ranked gladiators making the most of the party.
Rory sipped her drink again. She actually sort of admired the flutterers. They knew what they wanted and they went after it.
She wanted to look away, but she made herself watch Kace and the woman. He gently grabbed her wrists and pushed her away.
“Thanks.” He turned her and pointed to where Nero was leaning against the bar nursing an ale. “You might have more luck with him.”
The woman cocked her head, her gaze running over Nero’s big body. “Okay. Thanks.”
As she sauntered off, Kace turned his head. His gaze locked with Rory’s and she felt the hairs on her arms rise.
He stalked toward her.
Chapter Seven
As Kace leaned against the bar beside Rory, she breathed in the clean, freshly-showered scent of him. “I enjoyed the chariot fight tonight.”
He nodded, his big body taut. She wished she knew what he was thinking. She just wanted to see him relax and enjoy himself.
She looked past him to where four painted dancers—two men and two women—were grinding against each other on the small stage. “This is pretty wild.”
“It’ll get a lot wilder as the night wears on,” he said.
Silence fell again and Rory desperately wanted to reach out and touch him.
Galen appeared. “Make sure you do a few rounds. Talk with the sponsors.”
Kace scowled. “Sure.”
The imperator’s gaze fell on Rory. “They are pretty interested in you too, Rory.”
“Me?” Her eyebrows rose.
“You’re from an unknown planet, and your small stature and red hair are unique.”
Kace’s hand curled around the bar. “You want to parade her around.”
Galen’s gaze turned icy. “No. I want her to talk to a few people, smile, and have a good time. The people here pay a lot of money to the House of Galen. That feeds and clothes us all.” With that, the imperator strode off.
“He seems tense,” Rory noted.
Kace shrugged. “Out of everyone, Galen hates these parties the most. He just knows they are a necessary evil.”
A group of well-dressed ladies wearing gold half-masks moved past, whispering and giggling. Rory stared at them. “What’s with the masks?”
“They are wealthy women who come to…sample the gladiators.”
Rory choked on her drink. “What?”
“Some of the gladiator houses take money so wealthy patrons can have sex with gladiators. The women prefer to keep their identities secret.”
“Does Galen…?”
Kace smiled. “No, even Galen draws the line at whoring out his gladiators.”
Rory stirred a straw in her drink. “I see now you get lots of…offers from women.”
Kace stayed quiet, his gaze on her.
She shrugged a shoulder. “I guess I realize now that my attraction to you is just another offer in a long line. I’m sorry if—”
He grabbed her chin and she squeaked. He lifted her face until her gaze met his.
“You will not compare us to anything that goes on in this room.”
Her mouth parted. His gaze was so intense, she felt stripped bare. “Kace…”
He muttered a curse and released her. His face tensed, and she could read the battle in every line of his body.
He gave her a stiff nod. “Enjoy the rest of the party.”
Suddenly, even in a party full of people, Rory felt very alone.
***
The music changed, the wild sounds of strings filling the room.
Kace tried to relax. He’d found himself the quietest, darkest part of the room and stood there, carefully sipping his drink. And fighting to keep from looking at Rory.
When he’d first joined the House of Galen, he’d avoided the after-fight celebrations. He’d always gone back to his room and forced himself to go over military texts. He’d told himself not to get used to the excesses of the arena.
But slowly, over time, he’d realized that bonding with his fellow gladiators was just as important as actually fighting in the arena. The more time they spent together, the better their rapport on the sand. And, he had finally come to admit that he liked spending time with his friends.
Rory was still at the bar and he was sorry that where before she’d looked happy and relaxed, she now looked as tense as he did.
Why was he so drawn to her? He knew he couldn’t claim her the way he wanted, so he had to stay away from her.
All around them, people were having fun. The guests were fawning over all the gladiators present, drinking, and dancing.
He watched a well-dressed man approach Rory. He was tall and slender, dressed in royal blue trousers and a tunic edged in gold. Kace was too far away to hear their conversation, but Rory smiled and nodded. The man slid onto the stool beside her.
Kace scowled and wished he could hear what the man was saying. From the way he was dressed, Kace guessed he was a sponsor, and Kace didn’t like that at all. Most of the sponsors he knew were wealthy and believed they should get everything—and anyone—they wanted.
Rory and the man were in an animated conversation. Whatever they were discussing, it lit up her face. The man was fiddling with something and Rory asked to see it. Kace frowned. A coin, maybe.
Kace slammed his glass down on a side table. If the guy got any closer to her, he was going to go over there and…
Regan appeared beside Rory, dragging a clearly reluctant Harper with her. As the two women tugged Rory toward the dance floor, Kace relaxed a little.
Then he found himself flanked by Raiden and Thorin.
“Regan wanted to dance,” Thorin said. “Something about being alive and celebrating.”
“Harper did not want to dance.” Raiden sipped his drink. “She said something about preferring to be thrown out an airlock.”
“She appears to be enjoying herself now,” Kace noted.
He watched the three Earth women swaying their hips. Their dancing was completely different to the gyrations of the painted dancers. Rory laughed, raising her arms above her head and shimmying against Regan.
Harper warmed up and soon the three women were moving to the beat, completely unaware that every male in the room was watching them.
“Drakking hell.” Raiden tossed back his drink. “I didn’t know Harper could move like that.”
“I’m making Regan do a private dance for me later.” Thorin’s gaze was glued to the small woman.
&nbs
p; Kace couldn’t take his eyes off Rory. She slid down in a crouch before sliding back up, her back arched. She pulsed with life and he wanted to grab her and never let go. Absorb that light and energy, bask in it.
Regan bopped over to the musicians and after a lot of talking and hand waving, she crossed back to her friends. The music changed to a jaunty beat that sounded completely different to the Enkan music playing earlier.
The Earth women let out screams and threw their arms in the air, hips swinging. All three of them were singing and smiling.
Thorin frowned. “They’re singing something about being afraid and petrified, but growing strong.” He smiled. “They’re singing about surviving. That as long as they have love—” The big man shook his head.
“To the remarkable women of Earth.” Raiden lifted his drink.
The song ended, but the women kept dancing. A moment later, both Raiden and Thorin stiffened.
“No,” Raiden growled, stalking toward the dance floor, Thorin right behind him.
Kace saw that three big off-worlders had converged on the women. The men had glossy, oiled chests and flowing hair. They pressed in close to Rory and the others.
Raiden pulled Harper off the dance floor while Thorin allowed himself to be talked into a dance. The big gladiator scowled at the off-worlders, while Regan pressed herself against him, dancing as he mostly stayed still.
Two of the off-worlders pushed up against Rory. She was grinning, shimmying with them. Letting them run their hands over her. She looked tiny sandwiched between the men.
No. Kace strode over and clamped a hand on the closest man’s shoulder. He jerked him away from Rory.
“Go,” Kace told the man. “Or I’ll break your arm.”
“Kace!” Rory cried.
“Are you his?” the second man asked her.
She stared at Kace and swallowed. “No. No, I’m not.”
The off-worlder stepped closer to her. “You have no—”
Kace yanked Rory to his side. “Go now, or I will hurt you.”
Something in his tone got through. With unhappy scowls, the men moved away. Kace swung Rory around. “What did you think you were doing?”
“Dancing.”