by Zara Starr
Maybe this female’s story would prevent Tanya from doing anything drastic, after all. Maybe there was still hope for both of them.
Amelia had wanted to ask before if any of the females had ever escaped or tried to escape. But that didn’t fit in with her weak act. She hadn’t wanted to make it sound like she was considering it at all. Not even when she was alone with the other females. Who knew what cameras were around and how closely they were being watched?
What she had told Tanya about the technology was true. The Saithin were famous, according to the other females, for developing the most advanced technology. Because of that, they ruled most of the galaxy. Of course, they were heartless and ruthless too. But the technology really helped, Amelia had heard.
She didn’t want any of the guards overhearing conversations with the other females when they thought they were alone. She just didn’t trust it.
The problem was that she didn’t find all the answers she needed. She had to learn more through conversation with the other females.
Amelia had been a scientist for a couple of years, and studying insects had become a fascination. It was amazing to consider that creatures could live without subconscious thoughts, without anything more than the basic functions that kept them alive.
But the more Amelia observed these Saithin guards – the mantis-like creatures – the more she realized that they were nothing like the insects she had studied.
These creatures were highly intelligent. They were as clever as human beings. Perhaps even more so.
This meant that even though they looked like bugs, Amelia couldn’t for one minute underestimate them.
Unfortunately, she also couldn’t use any of her knowledge on them. It was a shame – she would have liked to have some kind of upper hand because of her studies.
Thankfully, Tanya wasn’t as reserved with her questions, and she was asking things that Amelia would never dare. She was now learning a lot that she hadn’t known before. Like the existence of the communication room, like the fact that the chips in their neck could be altered, made to be more strict, or only keep an eye on their vitals.
It was important information to have. On the one hand, Amelia wished that Tanya would stop trying to make her escape attempts so clear – so that the Saithin guards wouldn’t stop her from trying. On the other hand, Amelia wished that she would stop, so that she wouldn’t get hurt.
Amelia may not know Tanya, but she was another human, and Amelia didn’t want anything to happen to her. Nothing worse than they had already gone through, nothing worse than they were meant to go through at least.
Even though none of them had been harmed, Amelia wasn’t under any illusions. She was sure that the Saithin would do what they could to punish the females if any of them stepped out of line. Perhaps not with pain, no abuse or beating. But she was sure that they would do something.
She just didn’t trust these strange creatures.
Tanya tried to ask the female more questions, and Amelia listened but didn’t contribute to the conversation. She dipped deeper into the water, keeping her ears above to listen but feigning disinterest. She wouldn’t voice her wishes to escape, not when they could be overheard.
No, she had a plan. A plan that she hoped she could get Tanya in on.
To lay low until the time came to take action.
Until then, she would just keep taking everything in and work on her plan. Amelia hadn’t had a lot of time to process that they were prizes in the gladiator fight. She had told Tanya the facts as if she had known them all along, but it was only that morning that she had put all the loose ends together and figured out what was going on.
All the alien females were prizes for the ultimate winner of the gladiator fights during which they were brought onto the stage. The alien who had been in her room – Gage – was one of the front-runners.
Amelia still couldn’t figure out why he had been in her room though. Was he considering choosing her as one of his prizes? What would it mean to belong to some violent and strange alien as a sex slave?
The thought terrified her. She couldn’t let that happen. Which was why she had to escape, no matter what.
Because what was the alternative? Remaining at the gladiator dome in the prison quarters? Like the children in Hansel and Gretel, being fattened up so that they could be eaten by the wicked witch? It felt like it was the same thing. She was only being pampered because they wanted her to be delicious for someone to ravage her.
Suddenly, Amelia didn’t know which was worse – going with the violent gladiator or staying at the prison quarters. Being owned by a creature like that was horrifying. But staying here…
Unless she used the opportunity to get out of the gladiator dome to escape. Being pampered here was nice and all, but she was still trapped. If she was chosen by the season’s winner, then she would be taken out of the gladiator dome.
Even if it ended up being someone else, not the gladiator who had come to see her, she would be out of the dome and perhaps her chances would be better.
The security in the dome, the number of Saithin guards, the lack of windows because they were probably underground, all of these factors would make it impossible to get away from the prize quarters she was being kept in.
As soon as she reached the surface, she could try to make a break for it.
She would make it happen one way or another, she would figure out a way to escape. And it would be completely out of the blue. She was playing this game, pretending to act vulnerable. And when they least expected it, she would run.
She knew that she had to get out of there, no matter what. She wasn’t going to cause a scene the way Tanya was doing, but she would still do a lot to make her escape happen.
In fact, she would do anything to make it happen.
Chapter Eight
Gage
Some of the opponents they allowed in the tournaments were a joke. Gage stood in the ring, bouncing on the balls of his feet, flexing his hands open and closed. He was ready for battle – a machine, perfectly tuned and ready to fight.
His opponent didn’t look confident at all. In fact, the Oru that stood on the other side of the ring looked terrified.
Gage almost felt sorry for the creature. It was only half his size, with orange skin that glowed a little, six black eyes that were arranged in two vertical lines, and feelers everywhere. The Oru was not a fighter. It was never meant to be – they were peaceful creatures that existed in harmony with each other and with other species.
Gage wondered what it was that had driven this creature to fight. Did it have a Master? Was it a slave and so didn’t have a choice? Gage glanced toward the VIP booth where the Masters gathered when their gladiators fought.
He didn’t notice anyone, didn’t recognize any of the Masters that he usually did.
But that didn’t mean that one of the few aliens that sat in the seats – different kinds of VIP guests – didn’t own this Oru.
Or, perhaps, it was fighting for itself. Maybe it had chosen to be a gladiator without being forced to do it. In that case, it could be about money. Perhaps it had a family that it couldn’t support, and it was putting its own life on the line.
Whatever the case, Gage felt almost sorry for his opponent. He knew the Oru well enough, knew what they could and couldn’t do. He was going to win the fight without a struggle.
Of course, Gage was very aware of his own limitations too. They weren’t many, if he had to be honest, but there were a few. Arrogant? Perhaps. But in these tournaments, he couldn’t afford to be anything else.
He was a very good gladiator, and he knew it. He was going to make it through to the finals again – he always did.
The presenter announced the opponents and Gage stepped out, working the crowd up again as he always did. He liked it when they cheered for him, when they clapped along with him. When they treated him like some kind of celebrity and not just a gladiator who kept winning. He wanted to be a fan favorite. Not just interest
ing because he fought well, but entertaining because they liked who he was as a person.
When the Oru was announced, the crowd barely reacted. Again, Gage felt sorry for the poor creature, but there was no place for sympathy in the arena. If Gage felt anything for his opponents, he was going to lose. He couldn’t do that. He needed to win so that he could choose a prize. So that his undefeated name could remain.
For a moment, his mind traveled to the human female.
He immediately shook it off. Why was he thinking about her again? He didn’t want to know anything about her, he didn’t want her on his mind as a distraction. Because that was all it would be.
He had already glanced up at the stage, where the women were being paraded.
He had been irritated with himself for even looking. When he hadn’t seen her right away – maybe she had been somewhere at the back – he had been glad. If he knew she was watching, if he had locked eyes with her, he might have become distracted and he couldn’t afford that.
The fight started. Immediately, Gage had the upper hand. The Oru was incredibly easy to predict. It tried a couple of different approaches, attacking from different angles, going for different parts of Gage’s body. Gage easily warded the creature off, deflecting the blows, ducking when it was necessary.
The only thing the Oru had in its favor was a very poisonous venom that could kill anyone. But the venom was injected through a barb that shot out toward the back of the creature’s body, and as long as Gage stayed away, staying toward the creature’s front, he would be safe.
It didn’t take very long before the Oru tried to reach for Gage’s weapon. Gage predicted it and used the chance to grab the gladiator, pushing it to the arena floor. With a quick blow, Gage hit the creature in the head and knocked it out.
He wasn’t going to do any more, even though some people in the crowd were crying out for death. Gage didn’t believe that it was necessary. He didn’t want to kill this Oru. There had been no sympathy during the battle, Gage hadn’t wanted to be distracted, but now that the creature was knocked out, Gage allowed himself to feel sorry for it. He wouldn’t kill the creature.
Gage turned around, lifted his arms, and allowed the crowd to cheer him on. Some were disappointed that he hadn’t taken the final blow, but he didn’t care. He reveled in the attention of the spectators.
His eyes slid to the stage, even though he hadn’t wanted to look.
He saw her on the stage. The human female. But this time, she didn’t look as calculated as she had before. She didn’t look scared or anything else either. Nothing that he had expected.
Instead, as soon as they made eye contact, she lifted her arm and waved at him. And she was smiling.
What the hell? Her reaction was completely unexpected. And very out of place. Why was she so happy to see him? Had she not disliked him when they had first talked?
He had been under the impression that she had been scared of him, that she had been trying to get away from him. Although, Gage still didn’t know what exactly she had felt, because he hadn’t been able to predict any of her emotions and actions. It still bothered him.
Now, she clearly wanted his attention and she was happy to have it.
It scared Gage that he couldn’t predict anything about this female. The fact that a woman had the ability to scare him was something that irritated him too, but he was caught up in the way she looked at him. It felt like something passed between them when their eyes were connected, something that he had never felt before. He couldn’t ignore it.
He had told himself that he hadn’t felt anything the first time he had looked at her, that it had been nothing more than the high of winning.
This time though, her smile, her positive reaction, made the feelings that stirred inside him when he looked at her that much more intense.
Immediately, he thought about the second ticket that he had for the prize dinner he had won during the last battle. He had told himself that he wouldn’t invite her. It could only mean trouble.
Now though, he was contemplating it again. He wondered if having her in his company would be so bad. After all, how would he know if he wanted her as a prize when he won the finals if he didn’t know her at all?
He ignored the fact that he had never known any of the females before, that the women he had won as prizes in the past had all been creatures he had passed on as soon as possible.
Why was this any different? It shouldn’t have been.
But he couldn’t help that it was. Even though a voice screamed at him from the back of his mind that he was making a big mistake, he decided that maybe he was going to take that chance.
After all, he was curious about the female. This would be a good way to find out more about her and her world, even before winning her. And if it didn’t go well, if he didn’t like the dinner or enjoy her company, he could just send her back to the arena.
And then, he could start thinking about the other females to choose from.
Yes, that was how he was going to do it.
It would be better if he did it that way, so that he could get her out of his head and get it over with. She was just another female. The sooner he realized it, the better. He would spend time with her, invite her to the dinner, so that he could realize that she wasn’t anything special.
Gage left the arena, feeling positive about his decision. By the time he headed toward the locker room, the creature he had fought had already gained consciousness and was in good condition. Gage was glad about that. He always tried to make sure that his opponents were at least still breathing by the time he was done with them.
Gage collected all his things and left the gladiator dome, climbing into his spacecraft to go back home. He wanted to leave the dome earlier than usual. In fact, he was eager to get away.
Why? Was it because he was trying to put distance between him and the female that was confusing him? Or was it because he wanted to get home as soon as possible to relax and get ready for the dinner?
He didn’t know. And that annoyed him. Everything about this female was driving him crazy. From the fact that he couldn’t predict her actions, to the idea that everything he thought and felt about her was irritating and annoying. It was already too much of a distraction.
Any more, and she was going to cost him a fight or two.
He couldn’t afford that. He needed to win. He was a champion gladiator and the finals were his destination. He wasn’t going to let that slip through his fingers. He had a winning streak going and there was no way he was going to break it.
When he arrived home, Gage put away all his weapons before walking to the bathroom in his house. He turned on the shower and stepped underneath it, washing off all the sweat and dirt from the battle.
He was very careful not to think about the female, not to get worked up about her.
But it didn’t work.
When he stood under the hot spray, his hands sliding over his body with soap, he became aroused and started to think of her, of what it would be like to be with her.
His cock became hard, and he groaned.
No, he wasn’t going to do this. He wasn’t going to put himself in a position where he needed her. That would only cause trouble.
So, instead of relieving himself, thinking of her in compromising positions, he rinsed the soap from his body and he stepped out of the shower.
Gage dressed in his white linen clothing and walked outside. When he sat down, it felt like he connected with the earth, the aggression seeping out of his body and into the ground. He closed his eyes, turned his palms up on his knees, and focused on absolutely nothing.
Peace and relaxation, that was what he needed. He wanted to get rid of the toxic feeling of fighting, he needed to shake off the violence that came with every battle.
Again, the female’s face appeared before him. As Gage meditated, he couldn’t think of anything but the way she had smiled at him, the way her eyes managed to capture all his attention.
“Dammit!
” he cried out and then jumped up.
This was the second time his meditation was interrupted by thoughts of the female, and the exact opposite of peace and relaxation took place. Gage marched inside, walked to a liquor cabinet, grabbed the bottle, and took a swig.
This was very unlike him. He didn’t usually drink. But if he was going to spend time with this female, he had to get himself together first. He had to know how he was going to act around her so that nothing would go wrong. So that he wouldn’t do something that compromised him.
Was it a mistake to invite her? Probably.
But now that he had already decided, he didn’t want to go against it. Contemplating taking someone else, or no one at all, was much more boring than taking her.
The excitement. That was what it was about. If he told himself that often enough, maybe he would believe it.
Gage took another swig from the bottle, and then another, before he put it back in the cabinet. The alcohol rushed through his veins and helped him find the relaxation that the meditation had failed to bring.
Adrenaline still pumped through his veins from the fight, and he would not be able to shake it off. Not now that he wasn’t going to sit on the grass and clear his mind enough for images of her to pop up.
That was all right. As long as he had cleared himself of the negative energy that came with violence and aggression, he could manage. He would hold out until the next fight and perhaps, after that, he would be able to meditate without problems.
Especially after spending time with the female.
All he needed was to know that she was no different from any other female. Then, he could put her out of his mind once and for all.
As he thought that, the alcohol still burning in his veins, Gage felt much better. It wasn’t the approach that he usually took, but it was good enough.
That was all he needed for now. He just needed to prepare, and everything else would fall in place. He just needed to keep his mind in the right place and nothing could go wrong.