by Anna Hackett
Acton’s gaze moved to Sage, and she tilted her head and smiled. He moved over, standing behind her. She felt a faint brush of fingers on the back of her neck, the sensation sending goose bumps over her body.
Magnus sat on the other side of Ever and took Asha from his mate. The baby grinned at him and smacked his face. The imperator smiled, before turning his gaze to the fight.
A female cyborg brought up the rear of the group. Sage had seen Seren before, and she’d never, ever seen a woman who looked so dark and dangerous. The female cyborg’s black hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and her sharp face was dominated by purple-blue eyes and black markings that winged out from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She also had small, horn-like metal implants on her forehead.
“Hi, Seren,” Ever said.
The female cyborg inclined her head in greeting, and then turned to stand at the railing.
Sage got the sense that the woman wished she could be in the fight. But Seren had several enhancements—a mix of silver and black metal—which meant she was excluded from the arena. Sage wondered idly what abilities her enhancements gave her.
Suddenly, the crowd booed. Sage arched her neck and looked down to see Xias cornered by a huge, fur-covered beast and a Loden gladiator.
She leaned forward, her belly tightening.
“He’s fine.”
Acton’s breath puffed on the back of her neck. She shivered.
“He’ll use the beast to appear beaten, then go in for the kill,” Acton said.
Sure enough, Xias engaged the beast. It roared and slashed out with sharp claws. It looked like a tough fight, with the gladiator swinging his sword hard and fast. Claws caught his chest, leaving bloody grooves.
The crowd gasped.
Finally, Xias slashed his sword across the beast’s belly and it collapsed on the ground.
The Rone gladiator rose, his upper body marred with scratches, and blood dripping down his dark skin.
His rival from the House of Loden sensed weakness and rushed in for the kill. He swung a wicked, metal staff with spikes on the end of it.
The staff smacked into Xias’ gut and he staggered. The crowd gasped again.
The Loden gladiator smiled and strode forward.
Then Xias spun, grinned, and charged. He surprised the unprepared gladiator, and skewered the man through the shoulder with his sword.
The Loden gladiator fell to his knees, and Xias moved his sword, pressing it to the man’s throat. The crowd erupted in screams. He pumped a fist at them.
“He’s too cocky,” Seren said, disapproval in her voice.
“It’s part of the fight,” Jax countered. “Fighting in the arena is part fight, part showmanship.”
Seren sniffed, clearly unimpressed.
Xias turned slowly, yelling at the crowd.
His fans yelled back, and nearby, a group of women hung over the railing. They were shouting some rather interesting propositions to Xias and throwing—Sage squinted—their underwear at the gladiator.
Sage blushed and laughed.
Xias grinned, pointing at the women. They broke into giggles, and his smile widened against his sweat-sheened skin.
Then the gladiator turned to look at Magnus. The imperator nodded and Xias bowed his head.
When the champion raised his head, his gaze clashed with Seren’s.
Sage’s gaze went to the female cyborg and she saw the woman scowl. Then Xias’ smile took on a sharp edge. He tipped a mocking salute at the cyborg.
Sage was so focused on the interaction between the two that it took her a second to realize that the screams of the crowd behind her had changed.
They’d turned from jubilant to terrified.
She swiveled her head. Around her, the cyborgs leaped to their feet. Sage rose, but she couldn’t see around the broad shoulders.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“Drak.” Jax drew his sword.
“Ever,” Magnus said. “Get Asha out of here.”
The crowd surged, panicking. People were trying to rush to the exits, but they were trampling others in the process.
“It’s too dangerous for the women to move,” Jax said.
A muscle ticked in the imperator’s jaw. “Form up.”
Sage, Jayna, Calla, and Ever found themselves surrounded by a wall of muscle and metal. Sage watched the remaining cyborgs draw their weapons.
Acton was right in front of her, and Sage touched his back, leaning around him to see.
Robots were bounding through the stands.
She sucked in a breath. People were running and screaming.
Those shithead Edull.
These bots were lizard-like, with heavy tails covered in spikes. One jumped onto a row of stone seats and swung its tail. It hit a man, and he flew backward with a scream.
Suddenly, Seren charged past. The female cyborg took two steps and she disappeared.
Sage blinked, her pulse jumping. Then the woman reappeared right near the lizard bot, with what looked like black smoke shimmering behind her.
Teleportation. Holy cow.
Seren drew two huge combat forks from the sheaths on her thighs. She rammed one into the lizard and sparks erupted.
Quinn, Jax, and Mace ran into the fight, weapons swinging. From nearby, laser fire whined, and Sage knew it was Toren.
She watched a glowing blue bolt arrow toward one bot. Just before it reached the robot, it split into several small, glowing pieces. The lasers slammed into the bot, tearing fist-sized holes through the metal.
Three bots rose into the air. Zaden strode forward, his arm raised. He moved his arm and the bots flew out over the central arena and crashed into a wall.
Magnus and Acton stayed back, forming a shield in front of Ever, Sage, and the others.
Then Sage heard more noises and turned. Oh, God. There were robots down on the arena floor. Xias, the House of Rone gladiators, and the House of Loden gladiators were fighting them.
But some bots broke away, bounding toward the wall right below her. When they reached the wall, the lizards started climbing up the stone.
“Acton!” she yelled. “Magnus!”
The cyborgs swiveled and both cursed.
Acton leaned over and threw his arms out. She felt the beat of his energy as he pushed the lizards off the wall.
But as soon as they hit the sand, they righted themselves and started climbing again.
There were too many.
“I need a weapon,” Sage said.
Acton turned his head and hesitated. Then he pulled a knife from his belt. She grabbed it, her fingers squeezing the hilt.
Magnus pushed closer to Ever, who was clutching a panicked Asha to her chest. He nudged them away from the railing.
“Here they come,” Acton said.
The first wave of lizard bots climbed over the railing. Sage jabbed out with her knife, hitting one.
Its tail swung and she dodged the spikes. When it swung again, she ducked underneath, and rammed her knife into it. The lizard fell backward, crashing down to the arena floor.
Magnus reached past her, touching several lizards, and electrocuting them with his cybernetic arm.
Acton had his sword in hand, swinging at the robots each time they got near the railing.
Sage turned and saw more bots were bounding down the stands. Damn, they were surrounded. The bots seemed to be converging right on the House of Rone group.
The cyborgs were all focused, fighting hard.
Then Sage saw one sneaky lizard dart low, aiming for Ever.
Oh, no, you don’t. Sage jumped in front of Ever and Asha let out a cry. Sage kicked the lizard. It flipped onto its back and she dropped on it, stabbing it with her knife.
Its mouth opened and it struggled to get free.
Dammit, it was strong. She gritted her teeth and stabbed again.
Then Acton was there. He grabbed the bot’s tail and tore it off. Then he scooped up the bot’s body and tossed it over th
e railing. Without pausing, he lifted his sword and rushed at the other bots that came at them.
She watched him fight, swiveling and kicking. He was hit several times by the bots’ tails, but it didn’t slow him down. He just kept fighting.
More movement. She saw people tripping over themselves, scrambling in all directions, and spotted another wave of bots pouring down the stairs above them. Soon, they’d be overrun.
She straightened and lifted her knife, her belly clenching.
“For honor and freedom,” a deep voice roared from nearby.
“For honor and freedom!” came the shouts of several answering voices.
Sage swiveled. A muscled man with a black eye patch and a cloak of the darkest black was sprinting toward them.
A flash of relief flooded her.
Galen’s gladiators were right behind him. Sage took a second to take them all in. Raiden—with his tattoos and blood-red cloak. Harper from Earth, wearing scarred fighting leathers and holding twin swords. The huge Thorin, swinging a giant axe. The tall Saff with dark hair in braids and her net in hand. Right beside her was her muscled, dark-skinned human mate, Blaine. Behind them came serious, focused Kace, and the handsome Lore, whose arm was coated in flames. Tough, muscled Nero brought up the rear, holding a giant sword in his hands, and beside him was the blue-skinned, tattooed warrior, Vek.
The House of Galen.
The gladiators crashed into the bots, weapons swinging.
Sage backed up, smiling darkly. The Edull’s ugly robots were going down.
A flash of movement.
Something crashed into her chest.
She fell back, landing hard on the stone. A lizard bot gripped her shirt, staring down at her.
Damn, it was so heavy. She saw its tail swing, aimed right at her face. She threw her hands up. Shit.
It never connected.
Acton gripped the bot with his cybernetic arms. He crunched the construct between his hands, then tossed the remnants aside.
He yanked her into his arms.
“Oh, God.” She clung to him.
“You’re okay,” Acton murmured.
She raised her head and sucked in a breath. The bots were all destroyed, remnants littering the arena. She watched Galen skewer the last one with his sword, then wrench the blade back out.
“Are you all right?” Acton asked.
She nodded, then she looked at him. He had bruises forming all over him, from where the heavy tails of the bots had struck.
“Oh, Acton.” She gently touched one black mark.
“It’s nothing.”
It wasn’t nothing to her. She pulled him closer and pressed her face to his chest. She held him tight.
“We have to stop the Edull,” she whispered.
“We will.”
“Sage, I do not take baths.”
Acton watched Sage fiddle with the faucet in his bathroom. Water flowed into the tub.
“You do today.” She paused. “Will soaking in water damage your implants?”
“No. But I don’t lie around in water. Ever.”
Ignoring him, she shifted closer, fingering the fading bruises on his abdomen. “Avarn said it would be good for your bruising. Then I can put more med gel on you.”
Acton frowned. The healer had almost been gleeful while he’d been giving Sage orders on how to care for Acton.
“I don’t take baths,” he tried again.
“Clothes off, cyborg,” she ordered. “In you go.”
He figured this was her paramedic voice. He didn’t move. Then her fingers grabbed the waistband of his leathers and started opening them.
Her jaw was set in a hard line. He remembered how she’d looked when she’d been helping the injured at the Corsair Caravan. It had calmed her. Looking after others helped steady her.
With a sigh, he started to undress. He shucked his trousers and pulled his harness off. Then he climbed into the large stone tub that he’d never used.
He turned, and saw that Sage’s gaze was glued to his buttocks, her cheeks pink.
“Sage?”
“Huh?” She shook herself and sat on the edge of the tub. “Sorry, got a bit distracted.”
Acton scowled and sank into the water.
She lifted a cloth, dipped it in the water, then wrung it out. She started washing his shoulders. “How is it?”
“Wet.”
She giggled. It was the first time he’d heard such a sound of pure joy from her. He let his gaze drift over her. She looked fine after the attack. The House of Galen and the House of Rone, along with several of their allies, were working to clean up the arena and help the injured.
To say that the imperators were angry at the Edull incursion in the arena was an understatement. The Edull would regret their actions.
But right now, Sage’s smile took all his attention. For the first time, it looked real, not forced. He reached up and gripped her chin. “You aren’t cold inside anymore.”
She shook her head. “That’s thanks to you.”
“No. You are finding your place here, and searching for your crew members gives you purpose.”
“True, but you’re a part of it as well.” She tilted her chin. “You aren’t cold inside anymore, either.”
No, Acton could no longer deny that this woman had broken down so many barriers inside him. He was definitely relearning how to feel.
“I believe I had a quick temper as a young man,” he said.
Sadness flitted across her face. “I’m sorry you don’t remember much of that time, or your family.”
“I recall fields and crops. I remember running through them, with people who must have been my siblings.”
“It was wrong that you were taken.” Her fingers stroked down his arm.
“We can’t change our pasts. The Metathim were harsh.” Memories of all his missions cascaded through him. All the fights, the battles he’d been forced into, the pain, the people he’d killed. He released a breath. “But I’m free now. I have been for a long time.”
“How did you get free?”
“We were on our way back from a mission. Our starship crashed here on Carthago, and many of my fellow cyborgs were killed or injured.” He remembered the pained moans. A distress call had been sent, but before the recovery ship arrived, Magnus appeared. “Magnus found us.”
Sage let her fingers brush the water. “And he was mad?”
Acton nodded. “He was once part of a military cyborg program similar to mine. We had enhancements forced on us, and were sent on mission after endless mission. He offered us sanctuary.”
“You took it.”
“I was damaged, but I saw the chance to finally escape. Some stayed, others left.”
“And the Metathim?”
“They came.” His lips moved. “They were not happy about losing any of their investments. They were met with resistance from the House of Rone. They left.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad.”
She rubbed against him. Her thin shirt was wet, it was clinging to the outlines of her breasts.
When she noticed the direction of his gaze, she smiled. That smile was real, too, and all for him.
Suddenly, he needed her closer. He tugged her into the bath, and, with a squeak, she landed with a splash.
“Acton!”
He reached down and dragged the wet fabric over her head.
Then he lowered his head. She was the one who closed the last whisper of space between them, her mouth on his. She kissed him deeply, moving to straddle his body. He clamped his hands on her hips and heard her sweet moan.
He lifted her and slid his mouth over one breast. He’d discovered he really loved her breasts.
Her hand slid into his hair. “Oh, that’s so good.”
Soon, she was rubbing herself against him, and his cock was throbbing. It wasn’t quite as overwhelming as before, but it was still mind-blowing.
“Acton.” A breathy cry.
He
brought his hand down and then tore her trousers off.
“You can’t keep destroying my clothes,” she complained.
He slid his hand between her legs, water splashing around them. As he stroked her, her head fell back.
“Okay, maybe you can.” Then her gaze met his and it was full of fire. “Do you want to make love to me, Acton?”
“Yes.” His voice was guttural.
Her hands reached between their bodies and circled his cock. He was as hard as stone.
She stroked him. “Do you want to be inside me?”
The voice of a temptress. His body jerked. “Yes.”
She kissed him again, biting his bottom lip. He sucked in a harsh breath.
“I want you inside me, Acton. So, so much.”
He let out a shaky breath, blood roaring in his ears.
Her hands moved up his chest. “You okay? It’s not too much?”
He managed a nod.
“I love the feel of you,” she whispered. “Hard, soft, warm, cool. All the contrasts.”
“I love your body, Sage. Small, pretty, soft.”
He slid his hands around her, gripping the curves of her buttocks. He rubbed her against him, and then he groaned, the sensation so raw and powerful.
Sage gripped his cock, nestling the head of it between her folds.
It felt like time paused. The air rushed out of him. “Sage.”
“Just feel, Acton. Feel me sinking down on you, taking you inside me.” She moved her body down and moaned, biting her lip. “I can feel my body stretching to take you.”
He felt it all. He felt the sweet clutch of her warmth, felt the way her body accommodated his. Then there was only the slick heat and tightness of her.
She moved down until they were joined. There was no Acton or Sage, just them, together.
She swung her hips in a circle and rose up.
He groaned. “So tight.”
“Feel good?”
His fingers dug into her ass. “Yes.”
Then she started riding him, rocking hard. Distantly, he heard the splash of water, but he didn’t give a drak about it.