Page 44 of Gladiator's Captive
Sayk’s eyes were like daggers made of ice as he stared down at me.
“Scan her, Doc.” Sayk turned his head slightly sideways, his entire face so devoid of emotion, he looked made of stone. “I need to know there’s no tracer on her.”
Doc stepped forward, but stopped when Rager pursed his lips at her, exposing his fangs like an animal. Sayk’s reaction was immediate and then, too fast for my eyes to focus on, he moved. Spikes shot from his skin like a metallic porcupine and Sayk moved to place himself between Doc and Rager. Rager did the same, moving to obscure my view as he shielded me with his body as a vicious snarl ripped his chest.
Panic bloomed in my mind, blinding and sharp.
“Will you two testosterone junkies stop this nonsense!” Doc’s voice rose, her anger clear and loud in the small room. She’d shocked them enough to draw their attention and I watched with incredulous awe as she slipped her small form between the two towering males.
“Serena is no spy.” Doc pointed to me in an impatient gesture. “And I scanned her as soon as she came in. There’s no traceronorinsideher. She’s clean.” Doc shot a quick glare to Sayk. “Which you’d have known if you bothered to ask.”
Sayk blinked, his brows almost touching as he frowned. He obviously wasn’t a fan of Doc’s abrupt manners, but he must have believed her, because he nodded once. There was still a world of reprisal in his face as he looked away from the small, fiery woman, but there was no more hostility in his gaze when he looked at Rager.
“Doc will keep a close eye on Serena until she’s well again. I can give you up to a week in my men’s quarters; after this, you will have to find ways to earn your keep. Tartarus is not a soft city. Charity has no meaning here, and you won’t find many people ready to give a helping hand for free.”
Cold words, spoken from a cold man. I watched as Rager and Sayk stared each other up and down. Strong men, equally matched, but too proud to come together.
“We found you. You and Doc,” I offered. “You were kind to us.”
Sayk’s broad shoulders tensed, then he shook his head.
“I am commander of Tartarus security. I made you no favors, and neither did Doc. She’s my prisoner here, under my command. She must obey my every order. Never forget this, Muharib and you, too, Serena. Tartarus is a place of violence and chaos. Only the strong survive here and the price for survival will be your souls.”
The soft, warm feeling I felt when I realized Rager was there for me left. All I could feel was the damp cold of the air on my skin and fear that trickled in my blood like poison.
Chapter Twenty-Two
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Rager
“Your mate is safe, Muharib.” Sayk spoke over his shoulder as I reluctantly stepped out of the small clinic. Doc, as Sayk called her, told me rather tersely to vacate the premises once Serena had fallen back asleep, her gaze never even brushing the large Huugwor warrior. Her pointed dismissal had seemed to cast a dark gloom on the man’s mood.
“She is your prisoner, then? Doc?”
Sayk paused, turning back to me in the darkened hallways. His face was set in hard lines and his eyes were dark and broody. Whoever the female was to him, she had quite an effect.
