Page 55 of Tribute
“I’m your . . . trainee.”
“That too.” He leaned in even closer and licked a slow line across Price’s tightly closed lips. “You’ll want it now. You’ll want that pleasure again. You’ll beg for it.” He kissed Price and unclipped the leash from his collar. “Good night, soldier boy.”
CHAPTER
THREE
“Fucking Palk.”
Kai watched his and Rehz Akran’s least favorite person in the universe strut into the training center as if he owned the place. Palk wasn’t a particularly big or striking man, but he sure knew how to inspire fear in his subordinates. He reminded Kai of thehrelsnake, an innocuous brown reptile that bit you so fast you didn’t feel the fangs, only the agony of the venom pumping through your veins. Two days later you keeled over and died, because the poison had turned your cells to gel from the inside out.
The seven remaining trainees were being put through their paces while Palk and his team watched and made notes. The trainees would only graduate to stage two of the program if Palk deemed them worthy.
And Palk was not only incredibly difficult to impress, but an unrepentant sadist who had made Rehz’s life hell and almost killed Anna Lee. Now that Palk’s favorite was no longer running the program, Kai had to worry about whom Palk would choose to share his quarters for the next couple of days.
Kai paused beside Price, who was beating the shit out of Graif. After the bout was officially declared over, he hauled Price to his feet.
“There’s no need to show off.”
“I wasn’t.” Price fixed him with a puzzled glare. “You told me I have to win at everything.”
“Not today.”
Price’s expression hardened. “Why? Because you don’t want me to impress General Palk?”
“Something like that.”
“Because he’s military and can affect my future career?”
“You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.” Kai looked over at Palk, who was coming toward them, and lowered his voice. “I’m trying to help you here.”
Price got in his face. “Like you’d ever do that. You’ve had it in for me since the day I got here. Any advice from you is worth pig shit.”
Kai smiled, took a step back, and punched his trainee hard enough to send him to his knees. “Fine. Enjoy.”
“Is everything all right here, Kai Mexr?” Palk inquired, his gaze on the blood now streaming out of Price’s lip.
“My trainee just needs to learn some manners.”
Palk’s smile was chilling. “Indeed?” He glanced over at his sycophants. “Perhaps he should show me what he can do. You are relieved of duty, Kai.”
Kai saluted and walked away, his temper still growling. For the first time ever, he’d tried to give a trainee a warning about Palk, and he’d been treated like shit. Fuck. That actually hurt. His steps slowed as he avoided two battling trainees. Was he going soft? Had he come to like the fiery redhead’s ballsy attitude too much?
It was too late to worry about that. He slammed out of the arena and headed for the mess hall to get drunk. If Price thoughtKai was a big meanie, wait until he tried talking back to Palk. Price was in for something of an attitude readjustment.
Hopefully one he would survive . . .
Aled wiped the sweat from his eyes and took up his fighting stance again, aware of the cold eyes of General Palk watching his every move. He reacted too slowly and came crashing down on his ass for the third time. Palk stood over Aled, his gaze considering.
“Get up.”
He rose slowly, wiping at his still-bloody mouth.
“Follow me.”
He looked around the deserted arena, but there was no sign of Kai. Straightening his back, he fell in behind Palk and was taken down another set of passageways, past the trainer quarters, and into what he assumed were the senior officer suites. His jaw throbbed from where Kai had punched him, and the rest of his body ached as it always did at the end of every hellish day at the training center.
Palk’s second-in-command unlocked the security door and stood to attention. “Do you wish me to stay, General?”
