Page 26 of Champion
Charick watched me for a moment, his fingers absently rubbing the section of his chest where I knew his heart lay. “The valakana. It is the ritual where our hearts join together in beating. A blessing from the goddess to seal our union.”
My palm pressed to the space between my breasts, feeling the deep, steady thrum of my heart. It was a more excited beat than I would have expected since I sat up to my neck in lavender-scented hot water. My muscles felt so relaxed I stood a good chance of actually melting. Perhaps it wasn’t my heartbeat at all.
“Is that why my heart feels so weird around you… because it’s copying your beat?”
“Yes.” His golden eyes met mine and held. My body tingled like the water held an electric current.
“Did Emmy… did my other friends go through this valakana thing?”
“Emmy was the only one whose mating I witnessed, but I am told the others did, yes.”
“And they’re happy?” I pressed, although I was beginning to understand how they might be. The man skipped dinner to draw me a bath. Sweet… just sweet!
Another sexy thump of his fist against his chest, and my heartbeat skittered.
“I give you my vow that your friends are happily mated.”
“If their guys are as sweet as you, Champion, I know why they’re happy.” I used the nickname Adtovar gave him, hopingto lessen the intensity of the moment. Yet, from the flash of discomfort that crossed his face, it wasn’t successful.
“You don’t like to be called Champion. Why?”
Charick went back to staring at his hands, hesitant, with something akin to shame crossing his handsome features.
“It references a time in my past I had rather forget.”
Part of me wanted to let it go. Yet another part… a part angered by anything that would put such an expression of contrition on his handsome face pressed forward.
“Can I give you some mating advice, Charick?”
His gaze jerked to me, eyes wide, whatever dark emotion that had gripped him replaced by expectation.
“Of course.”
I took a deep breath, knowing my next words might not be well received. “One thing about us Earth women… we don’t go for our mates’ keeping secrets.”
I wasn’t trying to blackmail him for the information. It was the truth. If whatever this strange thing between us had any sort of chance, we needed to be honest with each other.
Charick’s eyes returned to his clasped hands, and a deep, heavy breath whooshed from his lungs, followed by the faintest growl.
“As I told you, I was groomed for diplomacy from an early age, but I wanted to be a warrior, like my father and brother. When I finished the training standard for a Vaktaire, I thought I would have the choice to continue the warrior’s path. When I found that way closed to me, I rebelled, choosing to leave my home world and find training elsewhere. The best place to learn to fight—so I thought—were gladiator pits not unlike this one.”
“You were a gladiator?” The water surrounding me suddenly felt chilled.
“Yes,” Charick admitted, but wouldn’t lift his gaze to mine, ashamed of the admission. “They called me Champion. I never lost.”
“Did you ever meet Adtovar in the arena?” Watching them spar was an astounding exhibition of strength and skill. I could only imagine if they went at it for real.
“No, thank the goddess.” He gave a low laugh without much humor. “But there were so many others. Too many. The fight promoter who held my contract wasn’t a good male. I began noticing that my opponents possessed little fighting skill. I told myself that it was because he wanted me rested for the bigger matches. I lied to myself a lot that way.”
“What happened?” Dread grew in the pit of my stomach.
“I found out most of the beings pitted against me weren’t warriors. They were innocent. Innocents sent to their death at my hand by evil males.”
Charick’s hands wrestled together to the point I wondered if he might actually pull off a finger. My heart jumped and skittered. I pressed a hand against my chest, willing my heart to be calm, to be forgiving, and prayed that if all this mate shit was true, somehow Charick would feel it as well.
“When I learned the truth, I walked away from the arena. By that time, the Romvesian-Vaktaire skirmish had started and despite my inclination for diplomacy, everyone with warrior training was needed to fight. While my father and older brother acted as strategists and avoided most of the actual fighting, my younger brother followed me into battle... and died from it. After his death, I walked away from violence and devoted myself to peace and diplomacy. I’ve spent years trying to make up for my time in the pits, but I can never escape the shame that I wasn’t a Champion. I was nothing more than an assassin and because of it, ultimately, I lost my brother.”
I felt hot wetness prick my eyes, yet the threatening tears didn’t dim my vision. Charick might have been young and stupid, but he wasn’t a bad man. Not then. Not now.
