by Anna Adler
Avalanche’s memories caused a gleam of lust in his eyes. But as he continued his story, Chase noticed the look in his eyes changed to one of emotional respect.
That’s more than lust…could he be in love with her?
“And then they put me on display and a woman came,” Avalanche said, staring into distance. “She was the most beautiful being I ever laid eyes on. She bought me and took me to her home. Her place was classy. Spacious, clean, warm…better than any heaven I ever dreamed about. I got to share her home with her and all I had to do was amuse her. I had a lot of energy, so she suggested I train in wrestling. I fucking love this sport. Now, I’m the champion. I’ve got my picture plastered all over the city. Hell, all over every city on Silenia. I’ve got an arena full of people cheering for me whenever I fight. People take pictures of me when my Mistress takes me out. I’m a fucking celebrity.”
“And your Mistress has sex with you?”
A grin spread on Avalanche’s face. He leaned forward. “You saw my Mistress, right? Gorgeous woman. And she doesn’t want any man but me. She’s all mine. Especially when she sees me fight…she goes wild. She can’t wait to have me out of the ring and in her bed.”
Chase nodded. “You got lucky with her.” I got lucky with Holly, too.
“So I’m not interested in leaving Silenia. Why the hell would I? They treat me like a king here and my Mistress is my queen. My homeworld is a war-ridden, plague-ridden, backwater planet where people sell their children for food. I’m never going back there.”
“I get why you don’t want to leave. Both my parents abandoned me, so I didn’t exactly have a jolly childhood either. But not everyone is like us. The other aliens here, they might have families out there. They might have loved ones who they’ll never see again because they’re stuck here.”
Avalanche shrugged. “Life ain’t fair.”
“You can say that again.”
“The way I see it, you just have to make the best of the available circumstances.”
“Exactly. And speaking of circumstances, you’re in a position to make a difference. You could change Silenia for the better.”
“For the better? How exactly?”
“That’s the favor I wanted to ask you. I want you to use your popularity and ask Silenians to free their pets.”
“Free their pets?” Avalanche barked a laugh. “Are you nuts?”
“You know it’s the right thing to do. You and I might like it here, but the others need to have the right to go home. This is slavery and it has to end.”
Avalanche scoffed. “Honestly? I don’t give a shit about the other aliens here. They’re allegedly intelligent, so they’re fine on their own. No one ever gave a shit about me except for my Mistress. She loves me, and I’m not going to betray her by making some idiot statement about freeing pets.”
“Look—”
“I have an idea though.” Avalanche gave him a look up and down. “I’m going to challenge you to a fight.”
“What?”
“I’m the champion and I can challenge anybody I want, even outside the Tournament. So I’m going to beat you up in the ring.”
Chase put his hands up. “Whoa. I don’t know the rules you use for wrestling.”
“Who cares? I demand you fight me and I always get what I want. You’re getting a golden opportunity. If you defeat me, you’ll be the champion and it’ll be your face on the billboards all across the planet. All the cameras will be pointed at you. Then, if you want, you can make a stupid-ass statement about freeing pets.”
“I don’t think wrestling is a good idea.”
“That’s all I have to say. Fight me or go bother someone else. Now, I want to see my Mistress or I’m gonna get really fucking angry.”
Chase rose and strode back to the foyer where he had left Holly and Ms. Reed. Talking to Avalanche hadn’t exactly gone as planned, but perhaps Holly had better luck persuading the owner. He entered the room and found Holly still clutching Ms. Reed like a hostage. No. It didn’t look good here, either. Ms. Reed’s brown eyes were livid and she struggled fiercely against Holly’s grip.
“Avalanche wants to see her,” he said to Holly. “He wants to know she’s okay.”
Holly released Ms. Reed, who flashed them both a furious look before dashing for Avalanche’s cage. “Avi?” she yelled. “Are you okay?”
“Mistress!” Avalanche replied.
Holly huffed out a breath and looked at Chase. “Any luck?”
Chase rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, that depends on whether or not Avalanche wants to kill me because you manhandled his owner.”
Holly’s face paled and she strode after Ms. Reed. Chase followed. Ms. Reed was in Avalanche’s cage, and they were embracing.
“Are you all right?” the Crasnian demanded of his owner, cupping her face in his big hands.
“I’m all right,” she replied. “You?”
They had a rapid conversation in low voices. Holly interrupted them, “We never meant either one of you any harm. I’m so sorry for startling you, Ms. Reed, but this was the only way to get to speak with you. Please don’t hurt Chase. I’m his trainer and I’m responsible for everything.”
Ms. Reed gave Holly a hard stare. Then she and Avalanche talked again in quick, murmuring voices. They seemed to reach an understanding. Ms. Reed remained under Avalanche’s protective arm when she turned to face Holly.
“Avalanche is challenging your pet to a wrestling match.”
Holly gave Chase a startled glance. “That’s not—”
“Not what you want, I know. Consider it a punishment for your intrusion. I could have you arrested and your pet terminated for what you did, and I’m sorely tempted. Your pet was without supervision and he could have hurt the champion, who was confined in his cage and defenseless. But Avalanche thinks a wrestling match is the appropriate way to solve this, and I agree. If Chase wins, well, you get the audience you want. If you lose, you’ll take your business elsewhere.”
Holly turned to him, an unspoken question on her face.
“I’ll do it,” Chase promised.
What choice do we have, anyway?
Chapter 22
The enormous Crasnian slammed into Chase like a freight train, knocking the wind out of him and pinning him to the mats. The audience burst into mad cheers. Chase’s body felt like a piece of battered steak and the match had been running only for a minute and a half. He was getting his ass handed to him in record time.
Avalanche withdrew to his side of the ring while Chase gasped for breath and fought to get back up. His legs felt like jelly. He was a big man, strong, full of muscle, but the Crasnian made him feel like a featherweight—a fucking floor mop.
After he had accepted the challenge up in Avalanche’s suite, it took only an hour to set up the stage. Silenians took their pet wrestling seriously. Apparently, the news spread like wildfire that the champion was fighting in a challenge match. Despite the fact it was in the middle of the night, fresh spectators poured into the arena. When Holly led Chase out of the dressing room, they were met by the thundering cheers of tens of thousands. It was insane. He had never been the center of attention like that, or had crowds cheering at him. Chase would have enjoyed it, if he wasn’t certain he was going to get beaten to a pulp. Holly faced the cameras, her head held high, but Chase noticed that despite her proud stance, she was pale and tight-lipped.
“Get up!” Avalanche barked, pacing the wrestling ring. “We’ve got fighting to do.”
The Silenian pet wrestling had simple rules. No stepping out of the ring, no biting, punching or kicking. The goal was to trip the opponent off their feet repeatedly until either party forfeited by not getting up anymore. Theoretically, the matches could stretch on for hours, but Chase understood now why they rarely lasted for more than ten minutes. The sport was deemed non-violent, but, as Avalanche told him with a broad grin, broken bones were commonplace.
“Our magnificent champion is clearly dominating t
his match!” the referee announced to the audience from outside the ring, his words greeted by cheers.
“Yes!” Jacinda Reed screamed from the edge of the ring as Avalanche threw Chase down once more. “Yes! Take him down, Avalanche!”
“Hear how she’s screaming for me?” Avalanche taunted him while Chase struggled back to his feet. “She’s going to be all over me tonight.”
He tackled Chase again, slamming him into the mats so hard his vision spun. The surrounding expanse of live audience was nothing but a blur of colorful dots in his eyes.
“My woman turns into a wildcat when she sees me win.”
Chase got to his feet and tried to tackle his massive opponent, but Avalanche threw him back down.
“And not just her.” Avalanche posed for the audience and beat his chest, prompting excited screams from the women. “Half the population of the planet will be dreaming about me tonight. The female half.”
“Good for you,” Chase coughed.
“Your Mistress will be dreaming about me too,” Avalanche said, his mouth curling into a nasty grin. “She might take you to bed, but it’s me she really wants.”
Chase’s vision went red. Holly wants Avalanche instead of me? Never.
He roared and charged, but Avalanche slammed him to the mats again. And each time he did, it was easier for the Crasnian, and Chase took ever longer to stand up. He glanced at Holly on the side of the ring, her expression hard and her face pale with concern.
Fuck. This is pitiful. I’m losing my ass.
“Yeah, it’ll be my cock she wants,” Avalanche chuckled, following his gaze.
The thought of losing Holly was too much. He could take any other loss or failure, but not this. Desperate rage made him spring on his feet, and before Avalanche could react, Chase rammed his shoulder into the Crasnian’s midriff, causing him to crash into the mats like a falling tree. A wave of cheers broke out of the audience. Chase backed up, panting. Avalanche staggered up from the mats.
“Oh, you have some fighting spirit after all,” the Crasnian chuckled. “You think you have a chance against me?”
Avalanche charged at him. Chase met his attack and grappled. He imagined Avalanche’s hands on Holly. Rage poured into his veins. In the end, the Crasnian threw him down, but for a minute, Chase had fought back. The audience was screaming from the thrill.
Avalanche backed to his side of the ring. Chase scrambled up and did the same. The Crasnian glanced at the cheering audience, a flicker of annoyance on his face.
Chase panted and looked from Avalanche to the audience. They’re cheering for me?
He knew everyone expected the champion to win, but they apparently relished in the fact that Chase didn’t give in too easily. To test his theory, he paced his side of the ring and let out a roar. The spectators responded with cheers and applause, which made Avalanche snarl. The Crasnian beat his chest and bellowed. He got a wave of cheers too, but his need to show off made gears turn in Chase’s mind. Avalanche didn’t appreciate Chase stealing his spotlight…
My chance to level the playing field.
“Bring it on,” Chase yelled, as much to the audience as to his opponent. “I can take you down!”
A wave of applause followed.
“The underdog is all fired up!” the referee announced excitedly.
Chase flexed his muscles at the audience and pounded his chest with his fists. He turned back to Avalanche. “I’m not afraid of you,” he threw out in a challenge. “I’m not afraid of anyone. I fight for the honor of my Mistress!”
The women in the audience screamed with excitement.
“What a fearless, devoted pet!” the referee exclaimed. “Wouldn’t we all like to have one such as him?”
The audience was going wild. They wanted a good show and they were getting it. Avalanche looked too furious to respond.
“You want to play tough, huh?” he growled. “I’ll give you tough.”
The Crasnian launched himself at Chase. Chase threw himself forward and stopped his opponent in a grapple. They were locked in a stance, both of them pushing against the other with all their strength. Avalanche was bigger and heavier. Chase found himself sliding backward on the mats.
“I’m gonna win,” Avalanche barked. “I’m stronger. You think you can turn them against me?”
“They seem to like me just as well as they like you,” Chase growled back.
“They’re mine! They’re all mine!”
“Not for long. Hear how they’re cheering for me now?”
Avalanche pressed on harder. “That’ll change once I beat you up. I may not get to fuck your Mistress, but I’m getting inside her pretty little head!”
Chase roared, sidestepped, and flung the Crasnian out of the ring. Avalanche crawled back up, snarling, his red eyes blazing.
“You’ll pay for that.”
Chase’s body hurt and his lungs burned, and he wondered if Avalanche even felt any pain. But the towering alien was angry, and that’s what he needed. He needed him to fight stupid.
“Maybe it’s your Mistress who wants me after this,” he taunted. “She’ll be dreaming about my cock instead.”
Come on, come at me.
Avalanche roared and charged. Chase moved to meet his attack, but sidestepped a split second before the impact, hurling Avalanche down and landing on top of him with force. Avalanche coughed, out of breath. He squirmed, trying to get up, but winced.
“Fuck.”
Chase bounced back on his feet, staring at his opponent. “Yield.”
“Fuck you.”
Avalanche rolled to his feet, but he stood up unsteadily, clutching his side. His eyes narrowed with fury. “I’ll make your Mistress my bitch!”
Avalanche dropped to a stance and charged. Chase felt as if he transformed. He no longer felt like a rational creature. He was a growling, snarling beast. The man facing him was the enemy, trying to get to Holly, his Mistress. Over his dead body. He charged at Avalanche, aiming not at his shoulders but at his waist and slamming into him with all the force and rage he could muster. Avalanche flew backward and landed heavily on his back while Chase landed on top. Chase pulled back and stood, shaking with rage, but Avalanche didn’t get up. The Crasnian was holding his side again, grimacing.
“Get up!” Ms. Reed yelled from the side of the ring. “Oh no. Are you hurt?”
Chase stepped closer to Avalanche. “Yield.”
“Damn ribs…” Avalanche muttered. “Think I broke something…”
Ms. Reed looked horrified. She sprung into the ring and knelt beside Avalanche. The audience burst into gasps and incredulous cheers.
“The winner is Chase!” the referee announced as he also rushed into the ring, an enormous, sparkling microphone in hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is unbelievable; I’m as shocked as you are. What a show! Thank you for joining us tonight for what’s definitely the most exciting match of the year. This is one for the history books. The unknown newcomer defeated the mighty Avalanche, which means that we have a new champion. Put your hands together for Chase! Our new wrestling champion!”
The audience erupted into massive cheers, and the arena filled with hologram confetti and fireworks. Chase stood in the middle of the ring, his chest heaving, barely grasping what had happened before suddenly Holly stood before him, grabbed the ring on his collar and pulled him to a fierce kiss. That kiss alone made everything worthwhile. That, and the look in Holly’s eyes when she broke away.
“You’re incredible,” she breathed, her eyes shining with victory. “Do you have any idea what this means?”
People poured into the wrestling ring, pointing cameras at them, cheering and congratulating. Ms. Reed had helped Avalanche to his feet, and the Crasnian pushed through the crowd surrounding Chase and Holly. Chase stepped in front of Holly, his shoulders hunched and his fists clenched, but the Crasnian merely slapped his enormous hand on Chase’s shoulder.
“Good fight.”
Chase shot him a suspi
cious look. “Yeah?”
“You’ve got spirit. I like that.” He clasped Chase’s hand and gave a menacing pose to the surrounding cameras. Then he leaned closer to growl into Chase’s ear. “Beginner’s luck. I want a rematch. I want my fucking title back.”
Chase scoffed. “You’ll get your title back when I’m done with it.”
Avalanche grinned, slapped his arm and stepped back.
Chapter 23
Holly smiled at the cameras, her arm around Chase’s waist and his arm protectively over her shoulders. The press was clamoring for a speech and the referee helpfully pinned a tiny microphone to her jacket. The audience was cheering and every eye was on them. She could even hear a chant in the background. “Chase-Chase-Chase”.
Her pet was the hero of the nation. He was her hero, too. He was the one who made this moment possible. This was their chance to make history.
“My fellow citizens,” she said, her voice echoing loud over the noise of the crowd. The audience settled down somewhat, eager to hear what she had to say. Holly swallowed and licked her lips. Shit. She wasn’t exceptional or brilliant, and giving public speeches definitely wasn’t her strong suit. She wasn’t prepared for this, because the plan had been to turn Avalanche or his owner to their side. They were used to fame and confident in front of the cameras.
Her breathing sounded loud to her ears. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest. She turned to look at Chase standing beside her, his upper body bare, the metal collar gleaming around his neck. He grinned, a glint of pride in his dark, golden eyes, and her heart swelled.