Page 6 of Bound (Gladiators of the Gryn #3)

RYCH

“My dwelling has never purged itself,” Fenek growls. “Never.”

“Maybe it was about time it did,” I reply, watching Chrissie's slow progress back to the door, one leg dragging slightly.

I want to rush over and scoop her up, make sure she never has to walk again if it causes her pain. Anything as long as she is comfortable.

“I employed you for security, not to chase around after my songstress.” Fenek’s voice grates into my thoughts. “I’m well aware how you were treated in the dome, but it doesn’t mean you get to mate with the first female you come across. Chrissie is mine.”

If I had a sword in my hand, he’d have lost his head.

“She belongs to me,” he repeats at a slightly lower volume. “And she is proving extremely valuable. You will not touch her,” Fenek adds with an air of someone who actually thinks he can tell me what to do.

“I just saved her,” I growl.

“And I am grateful, but if you’re planning anything else”—he narrows his small eyes at me—“think again.” He turns away, stops, and turns back. “And you can check out the dwelling programming, find out why it did the purge. You’ll find the control center in the lower floor.”

I’m cursing my lack of weaponry as he walks away. I would very much like to teach him a lesson about what belongs to him. Because it’s certainly not Chrissie.

Except I let out a long breath and allow my wings to relax. He’s my employer, and I have zero other options available to me. The dome won’t have me back, and my fellow free gladiators have all gone to ground. This is all I have.

A female I can’t touch and a boss who I’d like to murder, providing his alleged assassin doesn’t get there first. Although it’s going to be my job to put myself in harm’s way for him.

And for my little spark of light. The female who has eyes which burn like fire and who I didn’t think I could let go, even when she asked me.

A female who is completely off limits.

I growl under my breath and stomp off back to the dwelling, making my way down to the control center. Just because I was a gladiator doesn’t mean I don’t understand tech. Just because I don’t like bots doesn’t mean I don’t understand them.

We had a lot of downtime at the dome. As I didn’t want to go roving the undercroft like some of my compatriots or off on various missions for other free species like some Gryn I could mention, I filled my nova-days with different pastimes.

The control center checks out. There’s nothing unusual about the purge. It was unscheduled, admittedly, but it doesn’t look like anyone has been in the place for a long time. I make a few security upgrades on the spot and then go looking for a console to order the rest of the items I need to install.

I want my Chrissie to be safe. I’d also rather Fenek didn’t get killed on my watch. If I want other work in the future, having my first employer assassinated isn’t going to go down well.

As much as the dome was death, it didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy its vicious simplicity. I growl under my breath as I stomp back through the dwelling, booting the cleaning bots out of the way. Fenek’s reliance on tech is severely overdone.

I reach the door as the delivery drone drops off my order. I take the delivery with a snort, and the drone zips away.

It makes me flex my claws with the thought of chasing it down. I feel like I haven’t stretched my wings in forever.

I also haven’t had an opportunity to visit some violence on anyone since this morning, and it’s troubling me.

The rest of the day is spent avoiding going inside and installing the security measures I agreed with Fenek along with a few additional ones I feel are worth including, regardless of whether I’ve run them past my employer.

It’s dark by the time I finish. I could do with a bath, but I want to be sure the systems work, and given the assassin was only here two nights ago, I can’t be sure he won’t try again so soon. If it was me, I’d be back to check the new security arrangements and to see what I need to do in order to fulfill my contract.

Fenek has made some powerful enemies if they’re attempting to get to him or Chrissie in this way. Not for the first time today, I question exactly what it is my new employer does.

But then, I have no choice. As the lights go out inside the house, I pull my wings around me and settle down in the shadows.

No one will hurt my little spark while I’m on watch.