Page 66 of Aria's Ascension

Reeling in her astonishment at seeing another human, she frowned. “Sure you do. Unless you want to stay down here?” she added challengingly. At the distaste that flickered across his features, she nodded once. “Didn’t think so. If I let you up, will you behave? I’m inclined to forgive the whole claws to the neck thing, but one more dick move like that and they’ll kill you,” she warned, tipping her head back to indicate her men.

His deep purple eyes didn’t so much as flick to the men now hovering over them with weapons drawn, as though the threat of death didn’t faze him. Or maybe he was more focused on the present threat seeing as she was the one holding a knife to his throat.

“Back up, guys. I think he’s going to play nice.”

When she heard the reluctant scuff of their steps giving her some room, Aria launched herself into a backflip instead of just standing, in case he changed his mind and decided to attack, landing a few feet away.

He got to his feet cautiously, keeping a wary eye on the three of them, but didn’t make any more threatening moves.

They stood tense for a long couple of seconds, checking each other out.

Aria both was and wasn’t surprised to find that, under the scowl, suspicion, and myriad of battle scars, he was handsome. She was beginning to pick up on a trend with the gladiators. Zhrovni obviously chose them for their natural ability to fight, which he then enhanced, but she was coming to understand that wasn’t the only trait he looked for when picking slaves. Everyone she’d come across was either attractive or hideous. There was no in between.

Gotta make sure we’re appealing to the viewers, she thought with a sneer.

He stood at roughly six foot, maybe six one, and was built like a linebacker, but, now that there was a bit of distance between them, she realized he didn’t look quite as human as she’d thought.

He had long, shaggy, honey-brown hair in dire need of a cut. And a hairbrush. But, oddly, he wasn’t sporting a beard. In fact, he didn’t have any body hair that she could see other than what was on his head, brows, and lashes. Even his groin was hairless. His skin was pale, for the most part, but over his shoulders, arms, and chest it changed to a beautiful, but definitely not human, vibrant, mottled orange.

Aside from the obvious color changes on his skin, he had more subtle differences. His fingertips were thicker, and tipped with slits instead of nails. Just the tips of the claws he’d had at her throat were peeking out from those slits.

What the fuck? Retractable claws?

His eyes, instead of being a normal color, were a deep purple and shimmered in the light of Kix’s glow. Squinting, she realized his neck was different, as well. He had a vertical seam going from the hollow of his throat to under his jaw, and now that she was looking, she spotted subtle differences to his musculature and bone structure.

Cocking her head, she met his gaze and asked, “Areyou human?”

A muscle in his jaw ticked. “At one point, I was. Now? I don’t know what the fuck I am.”

Zhrovni and his fuckingenhancements.

“What happened?”

“That sick motherfucker up there did something to me. Added some shit into my DNA. Now, I’m this,” he sneered, waving at his body.

Aria followed the motion, again taking in the differences.

“What’s your name?”

He gave her a twisted smirk. “Hard to tell some days. It’s either Braxton Sage or Ti’vek, depending on which one of us is driving.”

“Wait, what?”

He sighed and waved for them to sit. “Might as well get comfortable.”

Neither of her men moved an inch. Seeing that, Braxton or Ti’vek, whatever his name was, grimaced.

“I’m sorry about,” he motioned to his neck, making eye contact with her, then each of her men, extending the apology to all of them. “I won’t hurt you now that we—Iknow you’re not here to fight.”

“It’s alright. We’ve all lived through some shit here. Makes it hard to know who to trust.”

“Understatement of the fucking year,” he grunted.

Kix finally relaxed, a little, and patted Tirox on the shoulder. “Come, brother. He is genuine in his remorse.”

“I know. I still want to kill him,” her barbarian grumbled, but followed Kix’s lead and sat down with her.

“Red,” she chastised mildly, but Kix, the devil, just chuckled and nodded in agreement.

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