Page 28 of Bound (Gladiators of the Gryn #3)

RYCH

My sweet mate still sleeps as I return from finding out about transport. I disliked leaving her on her own, but the locks on the doors and the security systems appeared solid, and as a former indentured gladiator, I know about locks.

Mostly I know how to bypass them.

The transport situation is worse than I thought. Even with a fully loaded credit chip (at least Fenek did one thing right and I had no need to worry after all), there’s nothing direct to Tatatunga. Kal appears to want very little to do with the supposed capital of Trefa. Not that I blame it.

“Hey.” A pair of bright eyes are on me.

“Good nova-morning, eregri .” I leap onto the bed.

Chrissie squirms comfortably under the soft blankets. “What time is it?”

“Time for us to go,” I respond, “when you’re ready.”

“To Tatatunga?”

“No, we can’t get there, not today. There’s no direct route. It seems not everyone is as keen on Tatatunga as those who live there.”

“ I’m not that keen on Tatatunga and I live there,” she responds. “Did you get hold of Fenek?”

“I think it’s best no one knows where we are, or if we survived the crash.” I give her a lingering kiss, enjoying her taste. “Until we can be sure Fenek remains alive.”

Once I release her, she swings her legs out of the bed and gets to her feet, smiling over her shoulder at me before walking into the sanitary facility.

I made sure she was thoroughly mated again last night, and the thought makes my cocks hard again. I have a feeling they will always be hard around her.

Chrissie sings as she cleans herself in the facility where water falls like rain from the ceiling. Her beautiful voice is enhanced with an echo, sweet and perfect. There are words, there are simple notes, but all of it has me bound to the spot, unable to move until she comes out, cloth wound around her form and her hair.

I have her in my arms in nova-seconds.

“I thought we had to leave,” she protests.

“We do, but if I don’t kiss you now, I will explode.”

“Explode? Well then, you’d better kiss me. I can’t have my gladiator exploding.” Mirth dances in her eyes, her cheeks pink from the hot water.

I kiss her.

My heart pulls against my chest. I don’t want to leave this place. The place where she feels she can sing whenever she wants. The place I can mate her over and over until she screams my name and buries her tiny hands in my feathers.

“Explosion averted?” she asks.

“For now,” I rasp. “May have to have further treatment later.”

She spins away from me with a laugh and pulls on the fresh clothing I obtained from the Zarvu, who seems to have an ability to procure anything.

We leave the accommodation behind and following the instructions I was given, we walk through the pleasant wide thoroughfares of Kal towards the transport hub.

“The water in the baths must have some excellent properties,” Chrissie says as we walk. “Usually my joints ache for half the day, but this morning I have hardly any pain.”

“Perhaps getting away from Tatatunga and crashing a space ship is what you needed,” I suggest.

Chrissie puts her hands on her hips. “I didn’t crash the ship, you did.”

“Let’s say it was a joint effort.” I grin and hold out my hand to her.

“I like the idea of being a bit destructive,” she says thoughtfully as we leave the room. “Makes a change from being sick.”

“Maybe you’re getting better?” I suggest, bringing her to a halt next to a stall selling hot joh and baked goods. I purchase both and put them in her hands. “Eat.”

Chrissie has a defiance flashing in her eyes, but just as I think I’m going to have to threaten a punishment, she takes a bite of the large bread twist and chews at me.

“Happy?”

“Always.”

“I don’t think I can get better,” she says as we continue walking. “Fenek had a medic look at me once, and he said the virus was permanently in my system.”

Something about her phrasing sets my feathers on edge.

“When we get back to Tatatunga, I’ll take you to the medics in the dome. They’re the best there is. They can tell us whether you still have the virus or not.”

“Okay,” Chrissie says, finishing up the food and licking her fingers.

An action which goes straight to my cocks, again. Something I’m sure she is well aware of, my naughty mate.

It’s early enough on a non-market day our presence is not causing the same level of interest as last night. I can’t imagine my sword, displayed between my wings helped much as the society here in Kal appears to eschew visible weaponry.

However, with fewer residents around, it means when I see the collection of armed Oykig, they stick out like a pikrat at a banquet. I grab hold of Chrissie and pull her into a nearby alley.

“What the…?” she exclaims, attempting to keep hold of her cup of joh without spilling it.

“I recognize those Oykig from the crash site. Although they don’t have any bots with them.” I keep my voice down, hoping she will follow suit.

“You do?” she says, quietly, peering around the corner at where I’ve indicated. “Are you sure? We saw Oykigs yesterday.”

“These ones are from Tatatunga. They have too much in the way of plasma weapons on them to be from Kal,” I respond. “And I can smell the dirt of the city on them.” I snort.

“Not just a pretty face then.” Chrissie smiles up at me.

My abdomen is flooded with relief she is not frightened by this turn of events.

“I need you to do exactly what I say.”

“If it involves you going to hack them to pieces while I wait here, I’m not going to do that,” Chrissie says in a hoarse whisper.

I open my mouth. She holds up a finger.

“Or if it means we separate, I’m not doing that either.” Chrissie puts her free hand on her hip in defiance.

Fierce little mate.

“I was going to suggest we take a different route to the transport and avoid drawing attention to ourselves,” I say, unable to hide my smile.

“Then we’d better do it now because I think they’ve spotted us,” Chrissie replies urgently.