Page 9 of Bound to the Alien Gladiator
Fuck that.
My hand clenched the pole as I scanned the arena. We were getting out of here even if I lost a limb doing so. Metal flashed. Hope sparked deep within. Was there another weapon nearby? A second flash and I zeroed in on the object.
My semi-buoyant knife floated a few feet away. The shoddy weapon was close enough I could grab it in a few steps, if I didn’t eat sand first. Fear spiked. I shifted my weight to my good leg and raised the spear just as the monster struck. Salty water surged as it lunged. I jabbed my spear at the beast. Its bloody teeth snapped inches from my flesh as I slammed the pole into its neck. Purple blood sprayed out, coating me in its bitter taste. That seemed only fair seeing as it was coated in mine. My hand slipped from the pole, and I spit out the vile taste as the reptilian beast crawled back into the reservoir.
Movement drew me back to the sand, and I lost my balance. In a blur of black, Tezakk caught me, softening my fall. His tentacles touched me everywhere they could.
“I’m okay.” I ran my palm down his chest as he set me on my back. The grains of sand were cold and rough against my skin. “I’m going to be fine.”
“You lie.” His tentacles brushed my cheek. “Humans lack the skill to heal quickly.”
Chuckling, I winced at the throbbing pain in my leg. “You got me there.”
His fingers flickered around the wound. “I must stem the bleeding.”
He sat up, and I immediately wished he was closer. He was so warm.
“Did you kill the lion?” I swung my head to the left. “I don’t see it. Please tell me it’s not in the water too.”
“Parts of it are.”
My shirt tightened across my back. Tezakk had fisted the material and lifted me off the sand. Threads parted, the tearing fabric loud to my ears, before he tore my shirt from me, again.
The crowd cheered.
“Hey!” I struggled up to my elbows, the tattered remains of my bra barely keeping my boobs contained. “That’s the second time you’ve done that.”
He gave me a cocky smile, one that despite this situation made me still want to lick it from his lips. His biceps flexed as he tore the shirt into strips. He winked. “Always put on a good show.”
He tied the pieces together into one long piece and wound the strap around my thigh in a rough tourniquet. I cinched the knot tight two inches above the highest wound, pinching the sensitive flesh with a pressure that was likely too tight, but I would not complain if I got to keep the leg after this.
I kept expecting the blaring note indicating the end of the match to ring through the stadium; however, this call never came. I searched the pit for more adversaries but couldn’t see much past Tezakk’s bulky body or the mound of sand behind us. “Help me stand.”
He took my hand and pulled me to my feet. My flesh below the tourniquet felt dead and heavy, and the white strips of my shirt had turned red with blood. Spots of the lizard’s purple blood turned the band into a colorful accessory. Not that I cared, but I lifted my chin and wore it with pride. We were both alive and kicking, despite what Atroba had thrown at us.
My vision blurred. I wobbled.
Tezakk wrapped his arm around my waist and drew me closer to his side. “Is the water beast still alive?”
Blinking repeatedly, I struggled to clear my vision. “Yes, with my knife in its eye and that pole shoved in its jugular.”
His tentacles wove like fingers through my hair as he leaned down and kissed me. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
When our lips separated, we stayed within the cocoon of his ‘hair.’ “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Nothing important.” His eyes brightened as his gaze searched mine. The yellow bioluminescence on his body pulsed. “You care for me?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “You know I do, or else I would not have agreed last night.”
“Others have—”
Static spiked, and my brain latched on to that word: others. I repeated it over and over in an ever-increasing tone until I realized it was coming from outside of my head.
Tezakk had pulled back and now faced the enormous set of double doors towering over the far end of the pit. They creaked open, and the crowd’s screams obliterated everything else.
Adrenaline spiked. The bow of a wooden ship crept through the opening. “What fresh hell is this?”
He growled. The deep earthy scent of Tezakk flooded the very air I breathed, the dark velvety undertone overwhelming everything else. “Khit.”
