Page 21 of Adtovar (The Alliance Rescue #1)

I descended into the shadowy embrace of the underground, the thrill of victory still coursing through my veins, despite it not being much of a victory.

The emgath, a bug looking creature, dropped with my first punch.

Sureeta frolicked gleefully at my heels, her movements light and jubilant, celebrating the fact that with my choice, she was now a free female.

“Thank you again, Adtovar,” she crooned, skipping off toward the dining hall, no doubt to celebrate her newly won freedom with the other females. I didn’t follow. There was only one female I wanted to see, and I knew she would be waiting for me.

I glanced down at my forearm, wiping away the trickle of blood from my only wound.

If one could even call it a wound. The emgath had caught me with the edge of a pincer as he fell.

If Maddie saw the blood, it would upset her.

Of course, it would also set off a whirlwind of attention, as Maddie tended my wound.

I didn’t mind feeling her gentle hands on me, regardless of the reason.

“Maddie.” I called out her name, taking the curve in the corridor that led toward our cells.

Silence.

Odd. Normally she waited for me, eager to hear about my fight and bandage even the smallest blemish.

Today, however, my cell stood eerily empty, as did hers.

I took a deep, deliberate breath. Thanks to my augmentation, my olfactory senses were sharper than most, allowing me to detect even the faintest traces of scent.

Her distinctive sweetness lingered in the air but had dissipated within the confines of the cells.

She hadn’t been here for quite some time.

I stepped into the corridor, the air heavy and still, taking a deep, deliberate inhale, attempting to pinpoint her whereabouts.

Her scent lingered, a subtle whisper in the damp, musty air…

but there was something else intertwined with it.

The sharp tang of fear sliced through the atmosphere, mingling with an unmistakable sense of looming danger that prickled my skin and set my senses on high alert.

“Maddie.” Her name escaped me like a prayer as I took off at a run.

I sprinted through the dimly lit tunnels, the musty air swirling around me as I followed her scent past the dining hall and into a dingier corridor that led to the gladiator quarters.

Her scent became increasingly distinct, growing more intense and laced with the acridness of fear.

I caught his scent too, lustful, hateful… deadly.

I burst into the small, shadowy cell, my eyes immediately narrowing on the scene.

Melakor loomed over Maddie, pinning her down on the cot with his hand on her throat.

His other hand clumsily fumbled with the fastening of his breeches, arrogant lust etched on his snarling face.

Maddie struggled against him, her movements feeble and sluggish, both terror and defiance flickering in her eyes as she struggled for breath.

A seething fury, hotter and more intense than anything I’d ever felt, boiled within my gut.

It was as if a wildfire had ignited in my soul, burning through my veins and consuming every rational thought with a singular, instinctive urge.

My vision blurred with red as a murderous desire clawed at my insides, my only intent to destroy the male who dared lay his hands on my mate.

With a primal roar, I surrendered completely to the fury, launching myself at Melakor.

He turned abruptly, just as I reached him, and we collided with a force that reverberated through the air, echoing the sounds of battle from overhead.

Maddie’s panting, raspy breath filled the tense silence, serving as a haunting backdrop as Melakor and I circled each other like predators assessing their prey.

In the arena, under different circumstances, he might be a formidable opponent. But not today.

I glanced at Maddie, taking in her tear-streaked face and the darkening bruise blossoming on her cheek.

Her tunic hung in tatters, barely clinging to her shoulders, with her beautiful, full breasts exposed.

The dark skin bore the unmistakable marks of rough handling, reddened and marred.

Melakor laid his hands on her, inflicting both physical and emotional harm, and for that unforgivable act, he would die.

Noticing my attention fixed on Maddie for the moment, Melakor lunged bellowing a ferocious roar.

His long, thick claws sliced through the air, aiming for my throat.

Though a part of me longed to draw out the battle, to rip him apart slowly, piece by piece, to make him scream in agony for daring to touch my mate…

Maddie needed me. I deftly sidestepped his attack, pivoting on my heel, and slipped behind him.

My hands clamped down on either side of his head, fingers digging into his flesh with an unyielding grip.

With a powerful twist, the crack of his neck breaking screamed through the small, dimly lit cell.

Melakor gave a small, soft sound of surprise, then crumbled at my feet.

Maddie’s sob echoed sharply in my ears, pulling my attention back to her.

She sat shivering on the cot, her dark eyes wide and filled with fear.

In the blink of an eye, I’d wrapped her in my arms..

. safe. I clutched her tightly against my chest, feeling the trembling of her shoulders as she cried.

My fingers gently threaded through her soft, tangled curls, offering soft murmurs of comfort as her sobs gradually subsided.

“You came for me,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around my waist and holding tight.

“I will always come for you,” I promised, letting my cheek rest atop her head, reassured by the feel of her steady heartbeat throbbing against my chest.

“He was going to....” She shuddered as though speaking the words were even too much to bear.

“I know.” I brushed my lips over her forehead. “You’re safe now. He’s dead.”

“Oh shit!” Maddie stiffened in my arms, pulling back to look at me with wide, worried eyes. “He’s dead.”

I glanced at where Melakor lay slumped on the floor. “Pretty much.”

“Won’t you get in trouble with Bozzo for killing him?”

“I didn’t even think about that,” I admitted, letting my fingers soothe away the tracks of her tears. I hadn’t thought of anything other than Maddie, keeping her safe and killing whoever dared to hurt her.

She glanced at Melakor and stiffened. “We need to hide the body.”

I didn’t stop the smile from curving my lips. Melakor was nearly eight feet tall, a massive male. I knew of no spot in the underground or the arena where a body of his size could be successfully hidden.

“What?” Maddie frowned at me, her forehead creasing slightly, but the deep pinched expression of a victim had vanished from her features. In its place was the woman I recognized and adored—her eyes sparkled with intelligence and her posture radiated a quiet courage. Brillant and brave.

“I think it will be difficult to find somewhere big enough to hide Melakor.” I conceded.

“Well, we have to do something,” Maddie insisted, scrambling to her knees, making the cot bounce slightly. “If Bozzo realizes you killed him, he might try to renege on the whole deal.”

Maddie had a point.

I lifted my head and drew a deep breath through my nostrils.

The only scents nearby were those of the females.

Tilting my head slightly to one side, I attuned my ears to the distant sounds of the arena, the clash of steel and the roar of the crowd echoing faintly in the background.

The vibrations carried on the wind told that the day’s last battle still unfolded.

No one had witnessed the incident, and we still had time before possible discovery.

I rose to my feet, lifting Maddie along with me. “We need to get Melakor onto the cot and rid the cell of all evidence of your presence.”

Maddie nodded and set about picking up snippets of torn cloth and scattered pale yellow stones stuffing everything in her bag.

With a slight grunt, I hoisted Melakor into my arms, feeling the dense, unyielding heaviness that only a lifeless body possessed.

Carefully, I laid him on the cot, repositioning his neck to a natural angle before I pulled the blanket over him.

“You think Bozzo will believe Melakor died in his sleep?” Maddie asked incredulously.

“Hopefully,” I told her, as I moved to the door, sussing out our escape route. “Melakor fought Ronco today and while he ultimately won, Ronco got a few good hits in. It wouldn’t be the first time a gladiator returned to his bunk only to die of an unknown internal injury.

“You don’t think Isceilite will know better?” Maddie challenged.

I simply raised my eyebrows in answer. Isceilite, the healer, lay passed out drunk in the staging area when I returned from the arena.

“Point taken,” she mumbled.

Gripping Maddie’s hand firmly in mine, we left Melakor to whatever hell awaited his soul and proceeded down the dimly lit corridor.

The air was thick with an uneasy silence, broken only by echoes of fighting from the arena overhead and the muted cheers of those thirsty for blood.

Moving at a brisk pace, it took only a few minutes to reach Maddie’s cell.

Maddie closed the door behind me, frowning at the flimsy wooden latch that served as a lock.

Her eyes scanned the room until settling on a large stone nestled in the corner.

With a look of determination that I didn’t dare interrupt, she hefted the stone, wedging it against the door as extra security.