Page 2 of Bound to the Alien Gladiator
“True.” He reached behind him and unsheathed a knife from his lower back, and the crowd went wild. “But none have felled me.”
He strode towards me, confident in his position on the field. Days with not enough food and sleep had weakened my stamina, but he didn’t seem tired at all.
I let him into my space and bent as if in pain, fingers reaching behind me for the blade. I hoped he saw a weak human, one easy to destroy.
I saw my opening, and just as his hand swung around to deliver the killing blow, I struck. Hard. His arm sagged, and I kicked the knife out of his grasp. Growling, he reached for me and met only air. I ducked and shoved my blade between the scales of his back, into the ribbon of bioluminescence that I hoped was a weak point. He roared and fell to his knees as I twisted the knife deeper.
“Female,” he grunted. “I do not want to kill you.”
“My name is Rena. Fucking. Vale.”
He fell forward onto one arm, and the crowd roared.
“And I very much want you dead.”
Another twist of my blade and he twitched. The Champion groaned but would not submit.
Releasing the handle, I flung my other arm around his neck and pulled it tight to cut off his airway. He must be feeling it now. What kind of alien super steel was he made of?
His silky-smooth tentacles, which had stayed out of the way of my grip, now encircled my arms and shoulders and rubbed distractingly against my skin. Pressed against his back, I shivered as heat streaked down to my core. I yanked a tentacle between my teeth when my wrist pulsed against his scales. The subtle haptic signal was a reminder that my beacon was still functioning, but the timing was terrible.
He stilled. “What’s that, female?”
No one suspected that the tiny, almost imperceptible bump under my skin held a subdermal implant. It was a secret so dangerous that revealing it would mean certain death, and I wanted to live. I tightened my grip, wedged a knee between his shoulder blades, and gave it all my strength, but he barely seemed affected. He wasn’t weakening, but he wasn’t attacking either.
“You cannot win,” he whispered as his tentacles resumed their caressing. “Believe me when I say that I am your only hope.”
“I’ll never submit. Not to you. Not to anyone.” I hadn’t come this far and fought this hard to give up now. If I beat the Champion, it would mean better food, a better cell, and a marginally easier life in this hellhole while I waited for my rescue.
“Have it your way, then.”
I was unprepared when he grabbed my waist and slammed me into the ground. Unable to breathe, I knew this was the end.
His body hovered over mine, and I braced for the killing blow. His tentacles, like heavy, dark curtains, closed around our heads; his scent—rich, dark earth and something ancient—was suffocating me. My traitorous body responded in ways it shouldn’t. I needed to get away from him before I succumbed to desires.
“I do not want to hurt you, female.” He reached behind his back and slid my knife from his side.
I froze as he slid one finger down my neck and under the collar of my shirt. Yellow bloomed from deep beneath his black scales, and he ripped off my shirt and staked it above my head.
I gasped, my nipples tightening against the hard band of my bra. The crowd, a distant roar, pulsed in waves in the background. I struggled to get out from underneath him, but his heaviness pressed me into the rough dirt. Warmth flooded my core. I still hadn’t caught my breath and now a flush was creeping into my face. My desires battled against my survival instincts. Life versus sex with the possibility of death. I ground my teeth as my body betrayed me.
He pinned my arms above my head and wedged his hips between my thighs. I gasped as electricity tingled down my spine.
“If you submit, I can protect you.” He leaned closer, his tentacles weaving into my hair. “We might even have some fun together.”
I could only shake my head back and forth. My legs spread, and I dug my heels into the ground. I arched and forced my groin against his. Two could play this game. He barelymoved, except for the lengthening behind his loincloth. My fingers brushed the edge of my knife buried in the sand, and I froze.
“I can sense you want me. Do not deny it.”
He transferred my hands to one of his and cupped my bra covered breast in his hand. His finger swirled slowly around the nipple. Unbidden, I arched into his touch.
“I cannot.” I met his bright green eyes. “How can you protect me?”
He leaned close, and his pupils dilated. Something in them had me releasing the edge of the knife handle and relaxing my stiff muscles. I wouldn’t verbalize my agreement, but I would give him a chance.
His bioluminescence brightened, and a deep chuckle rumbled in his chest.
“I believe I have my answer.” He pulled the knife from the ground and slammed the hilt into my temple. Pain exploded, and everything went dark.
