Page 4 of Pyne

“They’re sought-after gemstones on my planet.”

My compliment stopped her cold. She takes a deep breath, clearly trying to regain her composure. “Look, if we’re going to be stuck together, we need some ground rules.”

I nod, my expression turning serious. “Agreed. Rule number one: no hogging the covers.”

She blinks at me, momentarily thrown off balance. “What? No. I said you couldn’t—”

“Rule number two,” I interrupt, holding up two fingers. “No snoring. I need my beauty sleep. After all, Arisha said I’d be a fan favorite because of myassets.” I slash her a smile designed to calm her down. Since she keeps a straight face, I turn my back to her and move my hips as I twitch my tail. When I turn back around, she looks even angrier.

Becca stares at me for a moment, then shakes her head. “You’re not taking this seriously.”

Sighing, I drop the playful act. “I am, Becca. I know this isn’t easy for you. But we’re in this together, whether we like it or not. So we might as well make the best of it.”

She studies me, her expression softening. “Fine. But I have some actual rules. No touching me without my permission. And no peeking while I’m in the bathroom.”

I hold up my hands. “On my honor, I’ll be a perfect gentlemale.”

She snorts. “Somehow, I doubt that.”

I grin, my tail swishing behind me. “You wound me again, Becca. I’m not just a pretty face, you know. I have hidden depths.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Hidden depths? Like what, the ability to bake a cake?”

I shrug. “Hey, you never know. Under your guidance, I might become a culinary genius.”

Becca laughs, shaking her head. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

As we continue to banter, I can’t help but feel a spark of attraction toward this fiery human. She’s beautiful, yes, but it’s her spirit that draws me in. The way she refuses to back down, holding her own with a male who could throw her halfway across a regulation-size arena.

I’m stuck on this planet until my comrades fix the problem on Sanctuary and return to this sector. Although I came for a cestus match, I’m okay earning money in the kitchen. I snort at that idea. I don’t even know how to turn on a hotbox. Before I was abducted and forced into slavery, I had servants who cooked. As a slave, I ate whatever slop was put before me.

I’m fine playing along with this competition as long as I get my pay in the end. And Becca? She said no touching without permission. Who knows, maybe she might enjoy sharing a bed with me. She wouldn’t be the first human to fall for a gladiator.

Chapter Four

Becca

I step into the largest convention room in the Grand Starlight Hotel, still thinking about how odd it was to wake up in one of the fancy hotel rooms after having spent the past four months living in the slave barracks underneath the parking garage.

Weirder still was waking up next to another person. Not just any other person, but a huge, green, muscled gladiator whose massive body was puffing out heat like a furnace. Because he weighs so much, the mattress dipped, and I rolled against him during the night. I woke up with my head on his chest.

I smile to myself as I recall how Pyne ended up in bed with me last night. After our initial argument about sleeping arrangements, he'd challenged me to a game of "CosmicConstellations"—a popular card game I’ve played in the slave barracks.

"If I win, I get the bed," he'd declared with a mischievous glint in his eye. "If you win, I'll sleep on the floor without complaint."

I'd agreed, confident in my skills. But as we played, I found myself distracted by his gentle humor and the way his face lit up when he made a particularly clever move. Before I knew it, he'd won fair and square.

True to his word, Pyne had claimed his spot on the bed. But instead of gloating, he'd simply patted the space beside him and said softly, "There's plenty of room for both of us, Becca. I promise to be a perfect gentlemale."

Something in his tone, kind without a hint of sarcasm, made me relent. And now, after waking up beside him, I'm surprised to find I don't regret my decision one bit.

This morning, we kept our boundaries as we showered. Now he’s at my side, the picture of a solicitous partner, his hand on my back. The sparks arcing from the point of contact to my sex must be from lack of sleep.

I try not to blame myself for being horny. Slaves aren’t given the luxury of sex unless you want to have furtive couplings in dark corners with males as desperate as you. Since that’s not my style, I’ve been celibate for well over a year. It makes sense that my traitorous body would respond to a handsome muscle man who smells better than he has a right to.

After we were done fighting for territory last night, and I agreed to let him sleep in my bed, we got along well. He was actually kind, which is a first since my abduction.

I wonder about the scars Pyne bears beneath his tough exterior, the aspirations he might have had before the cruelty of the universe made him a gladiator. I want to know the male behind the bravado. It seems we both might be more than what we appear at first glance.

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