by Zara Starr
Chapter Nine
Amelia
It was working. Amelia was sure of it. The moment she had decided that Gage was her way out, she had started putting her plan together. All she had needed to do was consider what it would take for the gladiator to choose her as his grand prize.
Of course, that meant that he would have to win the entire tournament, not just the preliminary rounds which he seemed to be dominating.
Still, she was sure that he would make it far, if not all the way.
She had carefully watched his fights and compared them to the other fights that she had been forced to watch. The females were taken to the stage and made to watch every battle. After all, they wanted the gladiators to see as much of the women as possible, to encourage them to participate, to fight to win.
Even though Amelia hated being paraded around like an animal up for auction, she was glad that she could observe the fights. She had the opportunity to compare the other gladiators to Gage. Even though she wasn’t an expert in the art of fighting, it wasn’t difficult to see that he knew what he was doing.
There was something spectacular about the way he moved, about the way he carried himself and how he fought against his opponents. It was almost as if he knew what was coming – he was that good.
Amelia figured that it was safe to assume that he would be the gladiator who would end up winning. And it was because of that concept that she had put her plan together. Because if he won, he would select one of the females. And that female would get out of the arena.
She just had to convince the gladiator that she was the female he wanted.
That he wanted to win her.
This reminded her of the second part of her plan, and she shuddered a bit. Because if he won her, she had no illusions about what would happen.
She would be a sex slave.
What else would they want her for? Definitely not for her cleaning skills, or anything else.
The thought that she would be used for sex terrified her. But it also gave her a way out. It gave her something she could use to her advantage: her feminine power.
All she had to do was to convince Gage that she was the only one he wanted.
It was as simple as that. And as complicated.
As soon as she had figured out her plan, Amelia had put it into action. At the next fight, she had decided to make her move, to show Gage that she was interested in him. Of course, she wasn’t. Who could be interested in an alien who would end up owning her?
There was no denying that he was very attractive. It would be easy to flirt with him, to make him believe that she wanted him. Because on some level…
No. She wasn’t going to think about it. All she had to focus on was being won, so that she could plan an escape that would actually work.
It was working. Amelia was sure of it.
She didn’t know much about different alien races, or what turned them on. But it hadn’t been difficult to know that there had been an effect on Gage when she had smiled at him. When she had locked eyes with him. When she had let him believe that she was interested.
She had felt it too. A connection between them that she hadn’t expected.
Amelia wasn’t going to analyze it too closely. All she wanted was for him to want her, because that was what would get her out of there. And once she got out of here, she had better chances of escaping for good.
Amelia mulled over the connection she had felt when she had looked at Gage. It was strange – on Earth, she had never really drawn much attention. Men often found her degree intimidating. Or just uninteresting. And she could be so awkward.
Sure, she was relatively pretty, she has been asked out a couple of times. But as soon as they found out what she did for a living, or tried to have a conversation with her, they usually lost interest.
Since they were pretty boring too, it had never really bothered Amelia too much. But it had made her a little awkward on dates.
She hadn’t bothered much with dating as a result.
Now, everything was different. She had to rely on charms that she wasn’t sure she would be able to follow through on.
Still, she had to do whatever it took to win back her freedom.
The moment she thought it, she laughed to herself. It was ironic that she had to be won as the grand prize in order to win back her freedom. Everything was a damn competition, wasn’t it?
Amelia hoped that it would be as easy to keep Gage’s attention as it had been to draw it in the first place. If it would be that easy, maybe it would work.
After the fight, Amelia watched Gage until he left the arena before she focused on her surroundings again. The crowd filtered out of the arena, the seat emptying, but only after the other opponent had left did the females have the right to leave the stage.
It was the last fight for the day. Amelia was glad. She wanted to get back to her room, to think about what was happening and how to handle it.
The females all shuffled into the transport pod and it moved toward the prize quarters. When the pod came to a standstill, the women filtered out one by one. When Amelia wanted to step off, the guards stopped her before she could.
“What’s going on?” Amelia asked, forgetting for a moment to seem terrified.
It wasn’t too hard to be freaked out, because this wasn’t how it usually worked and it immediately made her suspicions. The last time they had taken her away from everyone, it had been to implant the chip in her neck. She didn’t want anything like that to happen again. Especially not now that she had a plan in place.
What if they stopped her from getting away somehow? What if they had figured out her plan? Was it wrong to wave at the opponents? She hadn’t thought that could be against the rules.
“That way,” the guard barked, ordering her around without saying anything else.
Amelia wanted to ask more questions, but she decided not to go there. It was better just to wait and see what was happening.
Even though it terrified her.
She was escorted down a small passage, down a small staircase, between empty rows in the stand and onto the arena floor.
What was going on? She had never been taken to the arena before. She had never stood on the ground where the gladiators fought each other, where blood was spilled more often than not.
Amelia became terrified, her legs trembling, her palms sweaty. What if they made her fight? It sounded absurd, but she couldn’t imagine why she would be brought down to the arena. Why else would it be happening at all?
Was this her punishment? What had she done wrong? She wanted to ask, but this time she didn’t have to keep up the act of being terrified. It was real. Her voice had caught in her throat, her breathing was shallow, she could barely think straight.
She had frozen up again.
Dammit, why couldn’t she have a flight or fight response at least once?
But that would only mean she would have to fight, didn’t it? And she couldn’t do that.
Movement caught her eye and when she spun around, she saw someone appear from the shadows.
It only took a moment to recognize him.
Gage.
What the hell was he doing there? This was the second time she was seeing him. Alone.
What was his agenda?
You asked for this, Amelia told herself. You wanted him to notice you, and now he has. Take a deep breath. Be calm.
It was easier said than done, but Amelia sucked in air through her nose and blew it out through her mouth again, trying to gain composure. She was still terrified, but at least she had a little more control. She was getting better at this. For what it was worth.
“Thank you,” Gage said to the guard, who nodded and turned around, walking away. Leaving her alone in the arena with Gage.
Her heart hammered against her ribs and Amelia had to focus on taking enough oxygen into her lungs.
“What’s going on?” Amelia asked. Her voice sounded small and she hated that it was so obvious that she was te
rrified. She wished that this man was as intimidated by her as the men on Earth.
But she was a long, long way from home.
“I requested that they bring you down here,” Gage said.
It was strange looking at his mouth, his very human mouth, and seeing his lips move differently than the words that were translated by her bio-enhancer.
With the Saithin guards and the other females, it didn’t seem that strange. Because they looked very different too. Sometimes, Amelia couldn’t even see their mouths moving at all.
But Gage looked almost human. This was different.
“Why?” Amelia asked. Good, she had found her voice.
“Because I want you to go to dinner with me,” Gage said.
Amelia blinked at him. “What?” she asked. How was it possible? Was this alien asking her out on a date?
“I want to take you to Gari. Have you heard of it?”
Amelia could just shake her head. The alien words were also strange.
“It is a Saithin restaurant, one of the best restaurants on the planet. It has a very long waiting list, and for good reason. The food is excellent.”
Amelia frowned. She tried to figure out what was happening. She had meant to get Gage’s attention, but it was very different from what she had expected.
“I won two meals at Gari as a prize and I want you to go with me.”
Amelia kept blinking at Gage. This was the first real conversation they were having. The other time she had seen him, it had been very quick and he had muttered things she didn’t understand.
Now though, she was catching a glimpse of who he was and she was starting to think that he was as arrogant as he seemed in the ring. Of course, he was the best. He kept winning. Maybe his arrogance wasn’t misplaced.
It was a little annoying, nevertheless.
Besides, he had requested her, as if she didn’t have a choice.
Amelia shook off the thought. She couldn’t focus on that now. It was a good turn of events. She had to focus on the end game. This gave her more of a chance to study her surroundings, to get onto the surface and see where she was. If she could impress this guy while they were at dinner together – the thought of which was absolutely bizarre – she could make sure she was chosen if he was the champion of the season.
“I would like to go to dinner with you,” Amelia finally said with a smile.
Gage didn’t even look surprised. He only nodded, approving of her answer. As if he hadn’t expected anything else.
Bastard.
“But,” she added. “I would like to change out of this outfit.”
The thought of being out in the world with the skimpy, nearly see-through dress made Amelia really uncomfortable. Even though she had been broadcasted all across the galaxy in the outfit. This was different. This was personal.
Gage shook his head.
“Don’t. I like you in that outfit.”
Amelia wasn’t fearful anymore. In fact, her annoyance grew. Of course, he liked her in that outfit. He was going to own her for that reason too. It only irritated her more.
But she couldn’t show her annoyance. She had to deal with it. She had to grin and bear it.
So, she did exactly that. She forced a bright smile and nodded.
“If it makes you happy,” she said. “Thank you.” As if it was a compliment. She would act as if it was.
A Saithin guard appeared again and she walked with Gage, the guard flanking her so that there was no way she would be able to escape.
It was a pity because she would have considered trying. To escape and not be won as a slave first? It sounded amazing.
Although that wasn’t a possibility, for now, Amelia would take the opportunity to study her surroundings. She would also try to impress Gage. That was her plan of action.
She was escorted out of the dome for the first time, and Amelia looked around, trying to take it all in. The city around them was large, overwhelmingly so. The buildings around them were tall and entirely made of glass, it seemed.
Black vehicles moved through streets that seemed to be made of a strange metal rather than concrete, and the population was mostly Saithin, walking around them casually. Civilians. There were other species too, but not as many of them.
A sleek, black craft came down in front of them and the doors hissed open, lifting as a modern sports car’s doors would.
Gage climbed in first and held out his hand to Amelia.
She hesitated. She wasn’t sure she wanted to touch him. But she had to – she had to impress him and he was being a gentleman. She couldn’t deny that.
When she took his hand, electricity ran up her arm and her heart skipped a beat. She looked at Gage and he looked at her, their eyes meeting. It was as if a shock traveled through her.
It was not at all unpleasant. In fact, there was something about it…
“Are we ready?” the chauffeur asked, breaking the spell.
Amelia climbed in, sitting down next to Gage, and he gave the order.
The craft lifted into the air and Amelia looked out the windows at the city that shrunk below them. She was aware of Gage, how close he was, and her mind reeled. What had that been? What had she just felt when he had touched her?
It didn’t make sense. She saw him as her captor, the person who would end up owning her even though he hadn’t been the one to abduct her. How could she have felt something so electric? So magnetic?
The craft hovered over the tall buildings, moving toward the city center. The buildings became denser, the road below filled with more and more with vehicles that moved as if they were on automated tracks.
When the craft lowered again, it was onto the roof of a tall building in the middle of the city. A bright neon sign lit up the side of the building and through the tall, clear windows, Amelia could see many different people sitting at tables inside.
For a moment, Amelia almost forgot the situation she was in. She was in awe of the view and how everything was decorated. An elevator shaft lifted from the roof they were standing on and Gage, Amelia, and the guard stepped in. When they were taken to the restaurant itself, Amelia gaped at what she saw.
It was clear that this was a very expensive restaurant. Gage had been right. It was decorated with light wood touches, finishes of what Amelia assumed was pure gold, and chandeliers of crystal that scattered light throughout the dining room and the bar area beyond.
Each table had a small fire burning in the center, and strange foods roasted over the flames. The smells were absolutely amazing. Despite being well-fed, Amelia’s stomach growled.
Mostly Saithin crowded the tables, but there was a smattering of other races just as there had been on the streets below.
In the background, through the full-height windows, Saitha’s red sun was beginning to set. The city glittered in crimson colors all around them.
Chapter Ten
Gage
Gage was in trouble. He had devised the plan to take Amelia out to dinner so that he could prove that there was nothing special about her and move on with his life – forget about her. He wanted to stop seeing her when he tried to meditate – to regain his focus.
But from the moment she had been brought to the arena, he had known that this was it. It was official. He knew that he wanted her when he won the finals.
When he had touched her to help her into the spacecraft, it had only sealed the deal. He had never felt anything as intense as what he had felt when they had touched. He knew that he wanted more of it. As much as possible. Even though he didn’t know exactly what ‘it’ was.
All he knew was that he couldn’t allow this female to slip through his fingers.
When she had been brought to the arena, he had been worried that he didn’t know how she would react toward him. His powers of prediction didn’t work on her, and it was frustrating to be left in the dark as if he was any other alien race.
But he had learned that her facial expressions conveyed much of what she felt. When he st
arted paying attention to that, he found she communicated a lot with him without realizing it.
And that helped. If he could figure out what she wanted and how she was responding to him, then it didn’t matter so much that he couldn’t tell for himself, by using his gift.
After all, he didn’t have to fight her and survive like in the gladiator dome. All he had to do was win her over. And it seemed like it was working. She didn’t duck away from him as she had the first time. She didn’t seem terrified of him.
In fact, she had waved eagerly at him from the stage. And when she had met him in the arena, he had noticed that she was trying to be brave.
It had to be hard in a world where she was a slave. He understood that.
But he liked that she was trying. In fact, he liked many things about her, and he didn’t even know why.
At first, when they sat down and one of the chefs came to the table to start cooking what they had selected, Amelia was very quiet. They watched the chef go to work, roasting the food, setting it up so that he wouldn’t be needed all the time before he left.
Then it was just the two of them and the drinks he had ordered for them. The Saithin guard was somewhere in the room, but Gage pretty much forgot about him. She sipped her drink, glancing around the dining room and toward the view beyond.
Gage hoped that she liked what she saw. He wanted to impress her. He wanted her to enjoy the night too.
“Do they treat you well at the dome?” Gage asked, breaking the silence.
Amelia nodded. “Very well. Better than you would expect a slave to be treated.”
Gage winced on the inside when she referred to herself as a slave. But it was what she was. It just seemed so wrong to have such a beautiful creature stripped of her freedom. Who had she been before she had come to Saitha? He wanted to know more about her, but he didn’t want to seem overbearing.
“Can I ask you a question?” Amelia asked and Gage nodded eagerly.
He wanted her to speak so that he could find out more about her. And if it started with questions for him, that was fine.