by Anna Hackett
Well, Ryan had done some laughing at Zhim’s expense.
“Have you called home to Earth?” Rory asked.
Ryan nodded. Zhim had created tech that allowed them to use micro-wormholes to contact Earth. The technology was incredible. She’d had a brief, teary call with her parents. “I spoke with my mom and dad.”
“What about your sort-of fiancé?” Rory raised a brow.
God, Ryan regretted mentioning Charlie at all. “Not yet. Soon.” There was no way back to Earth, so she knew she needed to make their break official.
“In the meantime, you should make a list of all the things you want to try. You need to embrace your new life.”
Ryan nodded. Rory was right. She tapped the screen and opened up a list. “That’s an excellent idea. I want to hold a sword.” Her fingers tapped. “I want to watch every kind of fight in the Kor Magna Arena.” Everything on Carthago centered around the ancient Arena. The gladiators fought spectacular fights, and spectators came from all over this corner of the galaxy to watch. “I want to go to one of the casinos in the District.” The District was filled with tall, glittering skyscrapers, casinos, and you name the vice, you could find it there. It was Carthago’s answer to Las Vegas.
“Good.” Rory leaned a hip against the desk. “You have anything to eat down here?”
Ryan shook her head. The woman was always eating.
Rory waved her hand. “What else are you adding to your list?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
The redhead’s eyes gleamed. “What about if you make a second list?”
Ryan frowned. “For what?”
“For things you’d like to try in the future. Things that I bet you’ve never done with your sort-of fiancé.”
Heat made Ryan’s cheeks glow. “A sex list?”
“Yep. Trust me. There is nothing like amazing sex with a gorgeous man, and lots of orgasms, to help you feel better.” Rory winked. “I’m talking from experience.”
“I can’t—” Ryan broke off.
She and Charlie had sort-of fallen into their relationship. The sex had been, well, lackluster was the word that came to mind. They’d both had busy jobs, and sex hadn’t been often, and that was before Ryan had left for a stint in space. It had always been a dinner date, followed by sex in the same position at Charlie’s place. He’d even always put the same music on.
A sex list. Just because she wrote a few things down, didn’t mean she had to rush into anything. She saw the gleam in Rory’s eye, and a cheeky sort of excitement filled her.
“Hot sex with a hot alien.” Ryan typed the words.
“There you go.”
“Sex outside.”
Rory let out a laugh. “I like your way of thinking.”
Ryan let her mind go wild, tapping into some of her most secret fantasies.
Spanking.
Role play (maybe the stern professor and naïve college student?)
Sex in a position called the Butter Churner.
She’d read about that in a magazine and had been intrigued. She laughed, half out of embarrassment, and half out of amused freedom.
“Good.” Rory gave a nod, her hand rubbing her belly. “Now, it’s time for that sunshine and fresh air.”
Ryan saved her new lists, storing them securely with the online journals she’d been writing. It was another suggestion from the Hermia healers, for helping her get over her abduction.
The knot of data appeared on the screen and her gut cramped. She felt guilty taking the time to make a stupid sex list when Dayna and Neve were out there, somewhere, suffering and maybe even in pain. “I can’t leave. There’s more work—”
“No excuses.” Rory grabbed her hand and yanked her out of her seat.
Reluctantly, Ryan let Rory lead her out of the systems room, and they moved through the stone corridors of the House of Galen. She loved the cream stone and the ancient feel of the place. While there was amazing tech here, the Kor Magna Arena had this old-world feel to it that made her think of ancient Rome. She looked up at the huge, red-and-gray wall hangings they passed. They all depicted scenes of gladiators fighting in the arena, holding swords, axes, and nets.
They passed several house workers, and then a few gladiator recruits, all wearing leather harnesses and fighting leathers.
Soon, Rory dragged Ryan outside to the training arena. The small oval of sand was ringed by arched corridors.
“Behold.” Rory grinned. “This isn’t bad compensation for having no way back to Earth.”
She had a point. Ryan took in the bare, muscled chests of the gladiators fighting on the sand. They were slicked with sweat, muscles bulging as they swung their weapons.
She heard a sharp clash of swords, followed by some distinctly feminine grunts. Her gaze fell on two women close by, fighting fiercely. Saff was a gorgeous alien gladiator, with dark, glossy skin, and black hair in a mass of braids. She lunged, tossing an egg-shaped device. It flew through the air toward her opponent, exploding outward into a net. The other woman dived, rolling across the sand, and came up on her feet. She swung her twin swords at Saff.
Although she looked every inch the gladiator, Harper was human. A former member of the security team on the Fortuna Space Station, she’d been the first human to be rescued by the House of Galen.
And the first woman from Earth to tumble headfirst in love with an alien gladiator.
Two men came into view, moving swiftly across the sand. One held a sword, while the other carried a metallic staff. Raiden was Harper’s man, and with his big body, intricate tattoos covering his skin, and his red cloak flaring behind him, he was an impressive sight. His fight partner, Kace, on the other hand, was tall, with a straight bearing and clean-cut face, set in lines of concentration.
“Go, baby,” Rory yelled out.
Kace was Rory’s lover, and the father of her unborn child.
A flash of blue captured Ryan’s attention. A blue-skinned alien was fighting in the center of the arena. Vek had been rescued from the terrible, underground fight rings. He’d been forced to compete in fights to the death for years.
His muscular body was covered in dark tattoo-like markings and he was fighting with two wicked-looking forks. He let out a roar and launched at his attacker. But as he fought, Ryan could see he was in full control, and there was no sign of the terrible rages he’d suffered after he’d first been freed. That was largely due to the fact that he’d recently mated with Mia, another human survivor. She’d helped heal and save him.
Ryan exhaled a deep breath. She definitely wasn’t on Earth anymore. She held her arms out, enjoying the feel of the sunlight on her skin. Maybe Rory was right. Ryan needed to get out more. She’d been locked in a back room at Zaabha for far too long. Not to mention the beatings, and the days without food.
Her pulse tripping, she forced the ugly memories away. The last thing she needed right now was a panic attack. She looked up at the two hot suns, hanging in the pale-blue sky. The light was brighter here. She gazed at the horizon, and spotted the glittering glass spires of the District, beyond the ancient stone walls of the massive Kor Magna Arena.
“Good morning.”
The deep voice made her turn, and the man in charge came into view. Galen’s rugged face was dominated by a heavy scar and black eye patch over his left eye. He wore a skintight black shirt that clung to the tight abs beneath, and a black cloak fell down from his shoulders. As always, he cut an imposing figure, and made her want to salute.
“Morning,” she replied.
“How’s the data coming along?”
Rory threw out an arm. “She’s taking a break, G.”
“It’s okay,” Ryan said. “It’s slow going. I hit some encryption that’s unlike anything I’ve seen before.”
Galen gave a small nod, his single, icy eye narrowing. There was something so aloof about the man, like he held himself separate from everything around him.
Suddenly, a door at the end of the corridor banged op
en and Ryan jumped.
She turned her head and saw Zhim storming in.
Uh-oh.
The information merchant was dressed all in black, and his black hair was loose today, brushing his shoulders. With his hawkish face, he looked like a space-pirate marauder, striding across the cockpit of his ship.
Galen sighed. “What did you do to rile him this time?”
Ryan crossed her arms over her chest. “He deserved it. He tried to steal data from the House of Galen system.”
“Data you originally stole from him, I assume.”
She cleared her throat. “That’s beside the point. Anyway, it was only kitten pictures.”
“Galen, this woman is a menace.” Zhim’s voice was a low drawl. He came to a stop in front of them, his unique nebula eyes sparking as he glared at Ryan. They were a stunning blue-green, sprinkled on black.
Man, the guy had gorgeous eyes. And a long, lean swimmer’s body that she’d noticed once or twice. Ryan stiffened, and forcefully shoved those thoughts away. It didn’t matter what he looked like, because it was a real shame about his personality.
“It was only a few funny pics, info-boy,” Ryan said. “Take a chill pill.”
His brow creased. “Take a what?”
Rory grinned. “She means relax.”
Then, all of a sudden, he did relax. His tense shoulders loosened, and a wide smile turned his face from edgy to handsome. A warning bell rang in Ryan’s head. She didn’t trust that smile.
Zhim lowered his voice, his gaze zeroed in on her. “I warned you that I’d get my revenge.”
Her eyes widened. “What did you do?”
He shrugged.
Damn the man. She spun, and raced off toward her computer.
Chapter Two
Zhim followed Ryan through the corridors of the House of Galen. She was an infuriating woman. Always finding ways to poke and prod at him.
But as they entered her small computer space down in the maintenance area, he shook his head. He stared at the system she’d put together. Drak, she was something with electronics. Especially since most of it had been foreign to her until a few months ago.
He watched her head over to her screens. It was clear Galen had purchased some good tech for her. She leaned over to swipe one of the screens, and Zhim’s gaze fell to her trim ass under her trousers.
He scowled and looked away. He had no desire to stare at this small Earth woman’s ass.
“Everything looks okay.” Her tone was suspicious.
Zhim lifted his hand and buffed his nails on his shirt. “Does it?”
Ryan scowled at him. She tapped on the screen to log in to her system.
“Access denied,” a modulated voice intoned.
She tried again.
“Access denied.”
Lines creased her brow. “I don’t know what you did, but I can bypass it.”
He just raised a brow.
Ryan started tapping and muttering to herself. Zhim smiled, feeling very pleased with himself. He hadn’t felt this amused in a long time. He wasn’t going to admit to her that he’d spent several hours hacking her system and working to lock her out.
He listened to her mutter, enjoying the drawl in her voice. From his research, he’d learned the drawl was because she came from a place on Earth called Atlanta, Georgia.
With a sharp hiss, Ryan dropped into her chair and huffed out a breath. “Damn you, I can break this, but it’ll take me hours. What’s the password?”
“Why should I tell you that?”
“Zhim!”
“No more pictures of those odd fluffy creatures.”
“Fine.”
He nodded. “The password is Zhim is amazing.”
She shot daggers at him, and reluctantly typed it in. The screen cleared and he saw the Srinar data on the screen—a glowing, knotted ball.
He frowned. “Any luck cracking the data?”
She shook her head. “You?”
“Not yet. It is far more complex than I would have expected of the Srinar.” It was proving a big challenge.
“It’s like a damn onion,” Ryan said. “Layers on layers. And every time I peel one bit back, I find it’s interlocked with another, and I want to scream.”
Zhim had no idea what an onion was, but he couldn’t argue with her analogy.
She held her hands out like a ball. “I can make it through a few layers, but just as I think I get one off—” she lifted a hand “—it snaps back into place.” She jammed her hands back together.
“Exactly,” he said. “That’s a perfect description of it. I haven’t had any luck breaking through the interlocking threads either.” It was nice to have someone understand what he was talking about, for a change. Usually, the gladiators wanted him to talk in very simple terms. They understood swords and axes, not comp systems.
“I need to find Dayna,” Ryan said. “She deserves to be free. She’s suffered enough.”
Silently, Zhim agreed with her. All these women of Earth had suffered enough. He saw the shadows shift through Ryan’s dark eyes, and felt his own shadows stir.
“Who knows what she’s suffering? Beatings, no food, injuries—” Ryan’s voice broke off, her breaths sawing in and out of her lungs. She pressed a shaky hand to her chest and he saw her face go pale.
Drak. Her distress hit him right in the center of memories he’d prefer to forget.
“Take it easy.” Hesitantly, he reached out, and touched her shoulder. She jerked. Drak, he had no idea how to calm her attack. “Slow your breathing, or you’ll faint.”
She dropped her head forward and pulled in a shaky breath.
He studied the slim nape of her neck and, unable to stop himself, stroked her skin. “That’s it. In and out. Slow and easy.”
A few minutes passed, and when she lifted her head, her color was back. He pulled his hand away and cleared his throat. She looked embarrassed. Zhim preferred her driving him crazy over this vulnerability.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m sure that’s just what you wanted. A hysterical woman.”
“You were hardly hysterical.” He paused. “Does this happen a lot?”
“Not as much anymore.” Her chin lifted. “The panic attacks will pass.”
He nodded. But knowing the other human women were out there, suffering, didn’t help. “I have a proposition for you. Let’s combine forces, and see if we can crack this data together.”
“Work together?” Her tone was skeptical.
“I promise I don’t bite.”
She snorted and nudged a chair toward him.
Zhim sat and pulled up beside her. “I have a new program I’ve been working on. It burrows through data layers to find a way in. I call it a data borer. I named it after the death borers the gladiators encountered in the desert badlands.”
Ryan grimaced. “I heard the stories about the death borers popping up through the sand, and would prefer never to see one in person.” She nodded to the comp. “Show me this data borer.”
They started working together, both tapping and swiping. He called up his data borer program, and she tossed some ideas at him as he set it to work. Good ideas, too. Ryan Amaya Nagano had a quick mind.
Zhim paused to push up his sleeves. “We could try a modulating luma codebreaker.”
“Show me.”
He talked her through it, and watched her pick it up fast. They set it to work on the data, but hit wall after wall. The encryption on the Srinar data was tough.
“Dammit.” Ryan slapped a palm against the desk.
“We need to give the data borer time to work.” He turned his head and she did the same. He found himself with his nose a whisper away from hers. The fresh, citrusy scent of her filled his senses.
She blinked and pulled back.
Zhim cleared his throat, but kept his gaze on her. He realized how much more relaxed she looked now. Those shadows in her eyes had receded for the moment.
She tucked a strand of hair back behind
her ear. “Ah, thanks for the help, Zhim. But just so you know, I’m changing my password back.”
He smiled and rose. “I never expected anything else. Let me know if the borer has any success.” He turned to leave.
“Zhim?”
He glanced back. She was standing, fiddling with her shirt.
“I’d like to make a call to Earth.”
He’d improved the wormhole technology tenfold, and could now place live audio calls to Earth, not just send messages. “Very well,” he said. “I’ll arrange it. Who are you calling?”
“My fiancé.”
Fiancé? Zhim stiffened. He knew the word from the other Earth women. It was the man Ryan had planned to marry. The man she was in love with.
“Send me the details and I’ll arrange it for later today. Come to my apartment.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
Ryan was in love with someone. As Zhim strode out, he pushed back the unsettling feeling in his gut. She was nothing to him, and he had learned very young that love and caring were far-too-risky emotions.
Besides, he had things to do, information to uncover, and no time to spare on a small, annoying woman from Earth.
Ryan skirted some massive aliens on the sidewalk. “Thanks for escorting me.”
Blaine Strong smiled down at her, his teeth white against his dark-bronze skin. “My pleasure, Ryan. It’s good we have a way to call back to Earth. I check in with my sister when I can.”
Blaine had, like Harper, also been security on the space station. He was the only human male to have survived the Thraxian attack. After enduring the Srinar’s vicious underground fight rings, he’d been rescued by the House of Galen.
“Do you miss your family?” she asked.
“Yes, but I have a new home now.” His smile widened.
With Saff. Ryan couldn’t argue that the two made an exceptional couple, and Ryan was happy for him.
She missed her parents—her Southern belle mother and her Japanese-American businessman father. She sighed. At least she could talk with them.
They entered the District. Buildings speared up into the sky, and lights and billboards blinked from every surface. The sidewalk was packed with people of all different species. She loved the District—the glitz, the glamor, and the action. There was so much to see, and so many different people to watch. And she was dying for a night out at one of the casinos.