Eva didn’t wait. Her fingers closed around the doorknob as Vanquish slammed into her back, his palm smacking the door closed on the few inches she’d managed to open.
Cupping her elbows, he turned her around. “You can’t leave. It’s too dangerous and Mannid would love to get his hands back on you.”
“But I’m free,” she snorted in his face, yanking he arms from his hold.
His grip tightened for a fraction then with a shake of his head, he released her and stepped back. “You are. After the fight.”
Straightening her shoulders, Eva marched back to the table. “I’ll stay, but if you step out of line again, I’m leaving.”
She didn’t care if she had to walk the streets and take her chances. Mannid had taken away enough of her pride. Vanquish didn’t get to do the same after making her believe in him.
“I wouldn’t advise it, but you don’t have to worry.” He smirked. “The offer stands if you change your mind.”
Eva hated the way her heart kicked at the statement. “Bastard.”
Chapter 8
Light wisps of air stirred the hair at Eva’s temple. She opened her eyes and blinked at the wall of gold under her cheek. Cursing under her breath, Eva wondered why she bothered sleeping on the lounger if this was where she inevitably ended up.
Today marked her second day in Vanquish’s company and she didn’t understand him any more than she had the first night when he’d dragged her here. Yesterday he’d been particularly closed mouth, coming and going without explanation after their fight and leaving her with nothing to do besides worry. A lot.
His answers to any questions she asked were short and succinct. But he’d proven to be far better than Mannid. Not that it took much.
Sleeping for example wasn’t the fear driven experience she’d grown accustomed to. As evident by her current position. Vanquish was on his back, his left arm bent beneath his tousled blond head and the right was curled about her waist, keeping her clasped close to his side.
For Eva’s part, she had a thigh thrust between his parted legs and a hand precariously placed on his hip. Butter soft skin shifted under her fingertips along with the slight rasp from the edge of the leather pants he wore. As a little girl, Eva tossed around in her sleep. She had the bad tendency to cuddle with anyone who shared a bed with her as her friends who stayed the night often learned.
The habit should have been a remnant of her childhood long outgrown, but Eva had no doubt she’d been the one who moved toward Vanquish during the night after he’d moved her to his bed. Again.
Face flushing, she contemplated how to extricate herself without waking him. Yesterday she’d awakened and jumped from the bed as if shot. This time, she hoped to avoid having him see that she’d climbed all over him again.
Eva slid her leg back, pausing every few seconds to check his closed lids. They remained that way, giving her hope as she leaned back, easing her torso away ever so carefully. Her stomach chose that moment to growl.
“I can make you something to eat.”
Dark and growly, the low mutter slid against Eva’s senses. Chill bumps exploded all over her body. She jerked upright and Vanquish’s arm dropped from about her waist.
Eva bunched the covers in her hands, holding them chest high, but he rolled toward the other side of the bed and stood all in one motion.
When he stretched his arms above his head and torqued his hips, the muscles in his back flexed from shoulders to waist. Her breath caught at the perfection of his body in the early light of day. He was a sensual treat to the visual senses. Her gaze roved over the form she’d been up and personal with. Heady pleasure made her lightheaded. Adding insult to injury, his masculine scent teased her from the bundled sheets.
In a smooth glide, he turned and faced her, one brow hiked. So far anger at his taunts the day before had kept desire at bay, but this morning it began an insidious crawl through her veins, heating her blood and sending tingles between her thighs. The look in his two-toned eyes hinted he felt the same. The brief spurt of mutual attraction lingered like a tiny flame waiting to be fanned into a full blaze by one of them.
“Eva?”
She realized he awaited her answer. Food. “Ah...um. I’m fine.”
Her stomach growled again, proving the lie. Vanquish smirked. “There’s not time for much, but I think it will be enough for now.”
He strode across the room, feet bare and punched in buttons on the black box resting on the counter. Against her will, Eva’s gaze landed on the leather pants clinging to the pronounced roundness of his very fine ass. The cooking device buzzed and he pulled out a small container of food, the smell reaching Eva. She pressed a hand to her belly, hoping to offset another grumble.
With his loose hip gait, Vanquish came back and offered her the food. “Eat. I’m going to get cleaned up.”
Ignoring her hunger would be foolish. Eva accepted the warm dish with a mumbled thanks. Vanquish nodded and grabbed the pack she recognized from the first night and went to the door. He looked back over his shoulder at her and delivered a message she could repeat word for word from the prior times he’d left her alone.
“Don’t leave. I won’t be long, Eva,” he added with a pointed look
Combined with his look, she knew it was a reference to her thwarted attempt at leaving the other day. Without waiting for her response or agreement, Vanquish ducked out the door and closed it firmly behind him. Eva tossed the covers to the side and sat cross-legged as she dived into the meal. It didn’t matter what it was. She’d eaten more than her share of alien fare and learned early on not to investigate or question closely. This however was indeed tasty compared to some of the other stuff he’d given her. Some sort of sugary sweet hot cereal made of grain.
She finished it quickly, scraping the sides of the bowl. Then she patted the pillow she’d slept on and lifted it to confirm sure enough, Vanquish had moved the laser with her. On a huff, Eva shoved it back. Not knowing how to use the weapon made her as scared as the thought of attempting to use it to threaten Vanquish again.
Unlike yesterday, she decided to take advantage of his absence and hurried around the living space looking for anything that would tell her more about him. Her search was quick and easy. There was no place to actually hide anything. As a last resort, Eva dropped to her knees and went as far as to lift the single mattress from the bed frame.
“Looking for anything in particular?”
Eva jumped to her feet and spun to face the door. Vanquish stood inside, one rakish eyebrow up in inquiry. Heat flooded her cheeks, but Eva didn’t bother trying to lie. She flopped her hands in the air. “I was looking for a clue to help me decide how bad off I am.”
Vanquish entered with confident grace, his every stride one of lethal power. The door slammed behind him from a well placed kick. As he drew closer, she could see the wet slick of his hair, turning it a deep shade of gold. Gone was the defiant spikes and sexy faux hawk of the last two evenings.
He wore another see through shirt, this one of blue mesh with electric blue pants that tapered at the ankles. The fit at the crotch area caught her curious gaze and held it. For the first time in her presence, he was extremely aroused. The print of his erection pressed visibly against the material.
“Did you find out?”
Her gaze jerked upward. “What?”
His expression didn’t change, but she felt as if she were under scrutiny, riding a knife’s edge of danger. “How bad off are you, Eva?”
He said her name in a silken whisper and Eva wondered if she’d been looking for her happy ending in the wrong place. Maybe she should have sorted her list by scary looking bad boy fighters with pretty, yet freaky eyes. Clearing her throat, she folded her arms over her chest for lack of anything to do with them. “That’s still in the air.”
She expected him to say something to that but once more he proved as enigmatic as ever by not answering directly. “It’s your turn to use the cleansing room downstairs. I hav
e to head back to The Pit today. I can’t miss another practice session and you’re coming with me.”
Concern about the danger Vanquish represented paled in comparison to her fear of going where Mannid might be. “What if we see Mannid there?”
“Doesn’t matter. You don’t belong to him anymore, Eva.” Though he didn’t betray any emotion by the flicker of an eyelid, the atmosphere in the room changed.
Thick and filled with dark undercurrents, his rage was a palpable thing. For her. He was angry on her behalf. Still a part of Eva stalled, “I’m not sure.”
The corner of his mouth hitched up. “Come, chupaja. You’ve been strong up to this point. Don’t back down now.”
Chupaja. Pride kept her from asking why her translator didn’t give the meaning for the strange word. Huffing a laugh, Eva acquiesced. “What the hell. Why not?”
***
Vee kept a close eye on Eva as she sat on the padded floor in the practice room he used at The Pit. Stale sweat mixed with the odor of those with poor hygiene. Vee found it particularly intense and worked not to inhale too deeply. He couldn’t afford to miss another day of working out though. There had been constant meetings with the team yesterday then he’d pulled Bane aside privately and they’d come up with a way to make sure Eva was covered during tonight’s fight.
Activity bustled all around him. Some used the machinery with its outdated tech, another group worked out against flickering holo trainers badly in need of repair.
Others like Vee stuck with katas in their style preference. Not that any one thing really helped in a fight for your life. Sometimes it was just survival of the hungriest and Vee planned to be hungrier than any other for his rematch.
Today, he’d selected a quieter section of the room for his work out because of Eva. There were only a handful of fighters nearby, but Vee didn’t trust any of them. In fact, if Bentir The Destroyer didn’t stop staring at her, Vee was going to knock his overhanging fangs loose.
Eva was oblivious to it all. When she wasn’t watching Vee, she leaned against the wall at her back and dozed. Occasionally she’d twitch and jerk then awaken and watch him some more.
After she’d showered, she came out wearing the same provocative outfit. He’d already requested Bane find her additional clothing and anything else he thought females needed.
Currently, the skirt inched higher up her thighs due to the way she’d folded her legs beneath her hips. She’d put her hair up in a braid. He missed seeing the length down about her shoulders and back.
Each time someone looked like they wanted to approach her, Vee shot them a deadly look and they backed off immediately. He had Vanquish’s reputation to thank for that. The Serpine had his ways, but sharing wasn’t one of them.
Sex sharing was something the real Vanquish did in abundance and without discrimination. Now thanks to Eva, he fit in more than ever with Vanquish’s persona. He’d already heard several grumbled comments about how lucky he was to have a sex slave to do his bidding.
Eva tilted her head, the angle putting her profile to Vee. Exhaustion etched tiny lines at the sides of her downturned mouth. He wasn’t sure how well she’d slept under Mannid’s control, but he was fully aware of how she slept since being with him. Each night she made a big deal about sleeping on the lounger and each night when she became restless, Vee moved her to the bed.
This resulted in Eva rolling toward his side of the bed both times and wrapping her leg and arm about him. The sense of completion was unexpected and had him trilling under his breath in memory. It was exquisite torture to have her resting on him. The trust implied by the very telling action tugged at every one of his senses. The smell of her hair directly beneath his jaw, the plush feel of her breasts cushioned on his chest and her snuffles as she occasionally snored wrapped him in rapture.
Vee could have lain there indefinitely, holding the same position as long as he knew she was content. When she awakened and moved, he had to suppress a groan of disappointment. Despite their rough patch yesterday morning, she’d eventually relaxed and hit him with question after question about his role at The Pit and his past. He’d managed to avoid answering for the most part.
It would have been easier to walk away and leave her in the unit alone while he stayed with his team across the hall. Vee had ruled that out immediately. He wanted to be around Eva. The more he was in her presence, the more he grew attached. The continued intimacy increased his nesting instinct and he constantly battled the urge to give in to it.
Seeing her after his cleansing this morning was a perfect example. He’d thought his arousal under control. Then her gaze dropped to the ill-fitting pants he was forced to wear. To his shame, his shaft rose, leaving an obvious impression.
“Vanquish, I was hoping to find you here.”
Loud and obnoxious, the voice interrupted his reflections, but victory pulsed within as Vee turned to face the one who’d spoken. He pushed thoughts of Eva out of his mind and slid into his role to greet the man he was coming to hate unlike any other. “Mannid.”
The owner of The Pit grinned and rubbed his palms together. The metallic blue jacket and pants he wore glinted in the artificial lighting from above. “The last fight proved quite lucrative. More than I expected.”
Since Mannid had bet on Vanquish, he had to have taken a big loss. It also meant he’d made a tremendous profit on the back end as the owner of the facility. Vee didn’t stop the pace of his push ups, but made sure Mannid saw his nod of acceptance. “I’m glad it worked out for you.”
Mannid squatted to put him almost eye level with Vee and braced his elbows on his knees. “Tonight will be an even bigger payout when you have your comeback win.”
Especially for Mannid as he’d likely bet on Vanquish again already knowing the outcome. Vee grunted and added a hop and clap sequence to his push ups. Sweat rolled down his back and his muscles quivered.
“I have it on good authority that Jolox expects to defeat you again. I’m confident you won’t let that happen.” Mannid laughed. “Enough about work. Tell me, how was our lovely Eva for you.”
Vee paused, hands braced on the floor and hair flopped forward. Hardening his expression, he lifted his head to make eye contact with Mannid. He let a sliver of ice edge into his tone. “She is fine.”
Mannid waited, but Vee didn’t add anything more. After a moment, he cleared his throat. “Well. Sad loss as I’d yet to fully try her. I assume she didn’t survive.”
His voice rose on the end turning the statement into a question. Vee would love to answer with brute force but couldn’t. The mission took precedence over his feelings. With that in mind, Vee finished his last push up and rolled to his back to start his sit-ups. Abs pulling on the upswing, he repeated, “Eva is fine.”
Confusion flashed, then anger which Mannid quickly masked. He glanced around and Vee knew the moment he spotted Eva off to the side in her own world, watching two fighters spar.
“I—I. Um...she appears in good health.”
Vee kept his fingers laced behind his head, jaw bunched as he curled up and down in rhythm. “Yes.”
Questions danced in Mannid’s gaze, a vicious curiosity mingled with frustration. “Perhaps I can interest you in another bar—”
“No!” Vee paused in an upright position and glared. Sweat pooled at the waist of his pants. “There will be no more bargains concerning her.”
A muscle ticked in his right cheek, the moment stretching thin until Mannid’s mouth twisted into a fake smile. He shrugged. “Of course. I’m no longer interested in her anyway.”
Vee swiped a hand over his face and stood, not liking Mannid hovering by him in close proximity. The height difference was reemphasized as Mannid followed suit with pinched lips.
“As I was saying, I’d hoped I could interest you in a new venture I’m growing.”
This was it. The lead the Jutaks hoped to achieve. He’d worried they would miss their window since Torkel wanted to end the mission soon. New information
from their contacts watching over the real Vanquish implied he was growing bored and wanted to return to his fighting glory.
Vee leaned over and grabbed a drying cloth to run over his sweaty hair. He infused his tone with nonchalance. “Really?”
Excitement gleamed. “Yes! It’s big. Nothing new except I’m eliminating the middle which means more riches for anyone interested in being a part.”
Vee stared hard at Mannid and lowered his voice. “Slave trade?”
“No, not at all.” Mannid waved his hands in denial. “I’d never challenge the Marenians for the hold they have on that business.”
Mannid glanced around as if assuring himself no one was close enough to hear. He leaned forward and whispered, “Bliss.”
Perfect. Exactly what Torkel and the Unit wanted Vee to discover. “Drugs are one thing but bliss is known for being deadly. Not a lot of repeat customers if your clients die after the initial purchase.”
Mannid puffed up his chest. “Only if you think low level. I’m talking manufacturing and distribution. A hub. Not the short term gain of personal sales. I’m talking mass scale. What they do with it after is not my concern. Think of the credits to be made.”
Not to mention the lives who would be lost. Vee pretended to ponder Mannid’s words. From the corner of his eyes Eva shifted to her knees. She watched a fighter finish a holo session and cheer loudly at his own success. A few gathered to celebrate and clap his back in recognition.
Bentir was also making his way toward her from the opposite direction, an eager gleam in his silver eyes. Eva didn’t notice. The former champion had an eye for females of all races, but wasn’t known for treating them kindly in the bedroom. The last partner he sex shared with had ended up with irrevocable damage despite medical intervention.
Bentir stalked closer. She turned her head in the same moment and saw Vee.
At first her eyes brightened, relief curving her lips upward then she saw who he spoke with and her entire frame froze, the color leeching from her face in an instant.
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