Page 33 of Fighting Gravity
I raised my chin, narrowing my eyes with consideration. “I’ll give you a good show, but I want her untouched until then.”
Ket whined childishly, slumping against the back of the sofa. “Very well.”
My mind wasn’t right with Quinn. That much I could recognize. But none of it mattered. I was going to win the fight, take my earnings, and leave. Did I think it was going to be that easy? No. Ket was a snake, but I was no stranger to a good brawl. He had to have some horrendous creatures in his possession though if our negotiation was so short. He thought I was going to die in his pits and he’d get Quinn and possibly even the ship back.
When I turned to leave and prepare for my challenges, Quinn leaned toward me.
“You fucking asshole,” she hissed.
I smirked at her fire, glad it was still in there. “Still biting, even with a collar on your neck.”
“What happened to needing me?”
“You’re a bit of a handful. I’m reevaluating your usefulness.”
“I hate you. Why are you back here?”
“I just have a bit more business to take care of.” I stepped in, lifting her chin with my knuckles and taking in her tender scent. “Hang tight. I’m taking you back.”
She yanked from my grip and snapped her blunt teeth at me. The thrill I felt when I heard her jaw snap sent a ripple of heat through me that I didn’t expect.
Wild thing. She needed taming, but not the kind a slave collar could give. If she was going to have anything around her neck, it was going to be my hand.
I had to focus.
I shook the image from my mind and marched out of the room, following two guards back through the noisy, seedy club.
Quinn would have to wait.
Ket did not allow much preparation for the fight. He was overly excited and had made an announcement almost immediately, telling the whole asteroid about the games. No doubt he also notified any ships in the quadrant to gather on Tao for the event. He needed the riches.
How sweet it would have been to see the pirate ship that got us in the mess in the first place parked on that drekking rock. But that was wishful thinking.
In less than one cycle, he’d gathered the whole of the port’s population at his famous fighting pit as well as surrounding vessels full of bored patrons. And, as I predicted, when Ket announced that the newest challenger was a gek’tal urok, the numbers doubled.
Gek’tal were one of the few races who still practiced public fights to the death. Free men killing each other was something our culture enjoyed immensely. The excitement of the crowds fueled us. The rewards tempted us. Ket’s arena was just another place to shed blood and my hands had been clean of it for too long.
In the time I had to prepare, I was given a small room, basic food, and hydration. Quinn was kept somewhere separate from me. It was to be expected. Until I won the game, she wasn’t mine, according to Ket. Instead, I was given the company of other females wearing the same, silver collars.
Gathea had many slaves. It was not uncommon for gek to collar their property, but never with a collar meant for punishment. Punishment was meant to be done with your own hands, not a button on a remote. It was disgraceful. Not only that, but the thought of mating with a species not my own made my nose wrinkle.
Which made what was happening in my body all the more puzzling because it was always around Quinn.
Something was clearly wrong, but I’d figure that out later.
I was part of a noble clan and my line was pure, so when the female slaves were delivered to me, I herded them into their own corners to squirm and mewl for attention. I ignored them. My focus had to be sharp. I needed to concentrate on my challenge and get back what was mine.
Mine.
The word sounded toxic and yet the whole reason I returned was to get Quinn back.
I didn’t like others toying with my things. I snatched her off that shuttle of hers. I owned the human. Her fate was mine to decide.
Drek, the thought made my cock pulse. It felt shameful and yet I couldn’t stop it. It had to be the thrill of a coming fight. It made more sense to me than having any sort of twisted attraction toward the pale, annoying human.
Outside my room, I could see the arena itself. The stage was large and ovular with layers and layers of metal benches set into the carved rock surrounding it. Overall, it was just a pit of sand, flattened and raked. There were a few obstacles and props to make things interesting from metal cylinders to giant stones and dilapidated walls. Chains hung at different lengths from the ceiling and I counted which ones appeared to be attached to stable mounts. And in the middle of the arena were metal doors that slid open from the ground and I was certain some kind of creature would be emerging from there.
The crowds in the arena were already going wild with anticipation. They wanted to see me bleed. Why? Because gek seldom did. Ket was going to throw everything he had at me to make sure the show wasn’t boring.
