Page 12 of Champion (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #6)

The next few days followed the same pattern: wake up early, eat, train, eat, and sleep, with Adtovar and Charick not letting anyone within a hundred feet of me. Every night, Charick bedded down on his pallet by the door, and we talked of reminiscences and dreams until sleep claimed us.

Every day, while Adtovar and I trained in the arena, Charick snuck around, trying to discover a way out of the pit.

So far, no luck. A heavily guarded entrance was the only way in or out.

I thought perhaps, if we couldn’t find a way through the escarpment that made up the better portion of the arena’s barricade, we might go over it.

Charick poo-poohed the idea immediately.

Not only was the rock face slick with few handholds, but there was no way to attempt a climb during the day without being noticed and traversing it at night would prove much too dangerous.

One thing Charick learned through his scouting was that exactly thirty-four Aljani guards patrolled the pit.

Thirty-four guards standing between us and freedom.

While my two favorite warriors held a rather apathetic opinion of Aljani fighting skills, they deemed the disparity in numbers too great a risk.

Charick and Adtovar sat at my table late into the night strategizing, running the statistics of a full-on assault against the guards.

Even with the other gladiators fighting at our side, the risk of casualties was just too great.

Malakal, while always lingering nearby, had gleaned no further information, either on the Zarpazian or Nansar’s plan.

Adtovar suggested asking him for help with our escape.

But without knowing just how much we could trust the guard, the idea was quickly abandoned.

Charick would not sanction any action that might put me in danger.

My protection always came first, and despite a few sparse moments of feeling smothered by the attention, I rather liked it.

While I didn’t think I’d ever believe all this fated mate shit, I had to admit, Charick was growing on me.

I couldn’t blame it all on that kiss, either. Although it had been a hell of a kiss. I still tingled in all sorts of places when I remembered the feel of his lips against mine, the way it felt held tightly against all those rippling muscles.

Honestly, I wasn’t opposed to another kiss, but of course, my gorgeous, muscled alien proved the master of restraint. He’d touched me a few times since that night, but mostly to issue comfort or direction when I was about to walk into a wall because his nearness had me so discombobulated.

I’d considered the idea that perhaps he didn’t enjoy the kiss as much as I did.

Yet every time I caught him gazing at me, I knew that assumption to be untrue.

I could feel the touch of those golden eyes roam over my skin.

Adoration, appreciation, and lust encapsulated in a single glance.

And, of course, my body erupted into flames in response.

Seriously, what the hell was wrong with me?

Granted, I hadn’t had sex since Mark died, and this twenty-something body was making me crazy with overactive hormones. I found it nearly impossible to keep my eyes off Charick. And I didn’t even want to think about what I’d like my hands to be doing.

My stomach rumbled, bringing my attention to another part of my body, and I pulled myself off the cot, grimacing at the soreness when weight hit my left leg.

Despite the pain, I couldn’t help but smile, wondering how Charick would respond to this injury.

He wouldn’t be happy. He never was. Any little cut or bruise I suffered, he tended immediately, often getting Zahavi’s opinion to make sure I suffered no lingering damage.

Sweet.

I’d been training hard, using the physical exertion to curb my worry over the Zarpazian and my raging libido… although nothing seemed to lessen the lava in my blood when Charick was around.

Reaching under the mattress, I palmed the small knife Adtovar managed to obtain and hid it in my boot. Charick usually escorted me to the dining hall, but he hadn’t returned, and my gnawing stomach precluded waiting any longer.

“Lady Willa!” A chorus of greetings met my limping entrance into the dining hall, and I raised my hand in response.

While I wouldn’t consider us besties, the gladiators and I were on good terms now, making my time in the dining hall a more enjoyable event.

My eyes darted around the room, a huff of aggravation escaping my lips when I didn’t find Charick.

I knew he was likely still scouting, taking advantage of the time when most of the guards were distracted by the evening meal.

Adtovar was here, sitting at the end of the gladiator’s table.

I moved through the serving line, getting my portion of mystery meat and protein porridge dumped onto a metal plate. God, I missed my friend Pearl’s cooking.

“You’re limping,” Adtovar issued me a side eye as I approached the table.

“And whose fault is that?” I shot back.

“Yours for letting yourself get distracted.” Adtovar waggled his brows, daring me to refute his claim.

I couldn’t. We’d been sparring when I’d noticed Charick headed toward the escarpment.

As always, mesmerized by his muscular frame, it gave Adtovar the perfect opportunity to sweep my feet out from under me.

“You better be glad Charick wasn’t around when it happened. He’d kick your butt,” I grumbled. Probably not since I wasn’t really hurt, only sore, but I threatened anyway.

“He could try,” Adtovar snorted. “Are we beginning to enjoy having a Vaktaire mate?”

“Don’t be a smartass,” I snapped, yet in the next breath, asked, “Where is he anyway? It’s not like Charick to miss a meal.”

“I have not seen him since earlier.” Adtovar’s broad shoulders rolled in a shrug.

“I hope he’s okay,” I murmured, eyes flickering toward the gathering of guards near the serving line. As always, their fare looked more like actual meat and veggies and didn’t hold the scent of rancid turnips.

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Adtovar’s pale eyes glinted, and his lips ticked into a grin. “And I’m also sure that whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it to protect you.”

“You like him, don’t you?” I asked, taking a bite of the protein porridge. Once you got past the smell, it wasn’t that bad, tasting faintly of bacon.

“Vaktaire are honorable warriors, and Charick is one of their best,” Adtovar grunted, shoveling a slice of mystery meat between his teeth.

I slid my portion of meat onto his plate, preferring to stick with the porridge. There was a decided lack of rodents around for me to hazard a bite.

“I bet you believe all this mating shit, too, don’t you? I accused

“If it is true, would it be the worst thing?” he asked. His piercing gaze flickered from me for a second to take note of Cristox rushing into the dining hall.

I opened my mouth, but the words hesitated on my tongue.

Would it be the worst thing? I didn’t want to answer that, not yet.

Charick was certainly growing on me. I liked him…

I liked him a lot. But fated mates brought together by some alien goddess.

That was a little too much for me. Love wasn’t supposed to be that easy…

at least not in my experience. Love and devotion were the gifts one got from putting in time and attention to create a lasting relationship.

At least, that’s how it had been with my husband.

.. and even then, our marriage had been far from perfect.

“You know I was married… mated on Earth?” I reminded Adtovar, although I doubted he’d forgotten.

“Your husband is gone, is he not?” His voice held a reminder of its own.

“That doesn’t mean I can just forget about him.” I knew some women found it easy to move on. Not me. I’d never really looked at another man after Mark died. Until now.

“It is impossible to forget,” Adtovar agreed, his face contorted with a flicker of sadness. “But I cannot believe that any male who loved you would begrudge your happiness. It’s what I would have wished for my wife and daughter had I been the one to die in their stead.”

I reached across the table and laid my hand on his forearm. “You loved them very much, didn’t you?” I knew Adtovar had lost his family, but not the details. It was something he didn’t talk about.

Pale blue eyes focused on where I touched him, followed by a heavy sigh.

“It was a long time ago. I was young, just out of warrior academy, and newly mated with a babe. The Romvesian-Vaktaire skirmish had ended, but there were still raids on Aljani protectorates. I left my mate and daughter to fight as I considered it my duty. While I was gone, they caught a fever sickness and died. I couldn’t return to Ajaxiun after that…

I couldn’t bring myself to linger alone in the place we’d lived together. ”

“Is that why you became a gladiator?”

His eyes met mine, holding such recrimination I nearly flinched.

“Yes. I wanted to punish myself for leaving them, for not being there when they needed me most. I’d been captured by the Ulkommanian during one of the raids and turned into an augment, which made me perfect for the arena.”

“What does that mean?” Visually, Adtovar was taller, broader, and more muscular than any of the other Aljani guards. I feared it was more than that.

“I assume you’ve noticed that I’m bigger than the other Aljani?” Adtovar smirked, noticing the trajectory of my gaze.

I nodded.

He sighed, letting the tip of his utensil push around something green that perhaps was supposed to be a vegetable but smelled like cow shit.

“The Ulkommanian spliced my DNA with other warrior species… it made me bigger, faster, stronger with better senses and faster reflexes. Once I survived the augment process, they sold me to a fight promoter.”

“I’m so sorry Adtovar.”

He sighed again, not so heavy this time, and pushed away the grief of the moment with a wave of his hand. “Perhaps fate and the goddess had something in mind when setting me along that path. Just as they do you.”

“What do you mean?” I settled back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. It was a defensive position, to be sure—I didn’t care.

Adtovar cleaned his plate in one final bite, then leaned back in his chair, mimicking my posture. The wood gave a faint groan in response.

“You told me you were older before your abduction and that the Trogvyk put you through a Garoot healing machine that gave you back your youth.”

“Yeah, so?” I tried to appear nonchalant, but I’d never forget the moment I saw Emmy forty years younger and realized she looked at me with the same shocked expression.

“You know Alliance law doesn’t allow humans that have been through the Garoot Healer to return to Earth.”

I rolled my eyes. I knew this. Nansar told me repeatedly during our travels. Besides that, how the hell would I explain being forty years younger? More than that, who would I explain it to? All my friends, everybody I loved had been abducted with me.

“Perhaps you should embrace the gift of your restored youth and take it as a second chance to find a life… and happiness among the stars.”

I ignored the tingle his words sent skittering along my nerve endings.

“Maybe.” I agreed. Truthfully, I hadn’t thought much about what would happen once I reunited with my friends. None of us could go home again. And if what Charick said was true and my friends had mated to his Vaktaire buddies, why would they want to?

“Charick is a good male. And despite your claims to the contrary, I know you are fond of him,” Adtovar said as if in answer to my unspoken question.

“Quit playing matchmaker,” I scolded, drawing a smile from him, but I didn’t refute his claim. I couldn’t.

Adtovar was right. I had grown fond of Charick. The question was, what exactly did that mean, and what was I going to do about it.