Page 20 of Champion (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #6)

Strange images filled my head… pain, blackness, and the sensation of my appendages no longer being my own. I felt heavy and disconnected, as though my body floated in the blackness unanchored.

The memory of the guard surged into my mind, bringing with it a searing pain that felt like my very soul had been ripped from my body.

Malakal—make that the Zarpazian’s touch had felt like a vacuum, draining me of every last drop of strength.

The agony of death was overwhelming, but the thought of what the Zarpazian would do to Willa using my form was even more excruciating.

Willa.

Her intoxicating scent seemed to permeate the air, enveloping me like a warm embrace. Through the inky darkness, I heard her sweet voice call out, beckoning me.

My mate.

Perhaps the goddess blessed me, allowing us to find each other in the afterlife. The thought of being with her again filled me with longing and a sense of peace that allowed me to relax into the darkness once more.

I faded in and out of consciousness, a never-ending cycle of blurred cognizance.

The blackness was preferable, wakefulness was accompanied by a parched throat, aching muscles, and trembling weakness.

My memory remained foggy, but I vaguely recalled something from the priestesses’ teachings about the afterlife being free from discomfort.

Yet here I lingered, experiencing physical discomfort beyond anything I’d ever felt before—punishment for my sins, no doubt.

The irony of it made me want to laugh, but I didn’t have the strength.

Instead, I let myself drift back into the murky waters of unconsciousness and dreams of my mate.

I came to awareness again, conscious of a peculiar weight pressed against my side.

It felt comforting, soft and warm against my skin.

I shifted toward it instinctively. A warm, sweet brush of air caressed my chest, carrying with it the alluring scent of Willa’s perfume.

I could almost imagine her lying beside me.

The thought of seeing her, even if it was only a dream, was too much to resist, and I forced my heavy eyelids open. The world around me was a blur, and it took several minutes of blinking before I managed to focus.

Willa.

My mate lay peacefully at my side, her luscious breasts rhythmically rising and falling with each breath.

I let my gaze travel over her body, my chest flooding with relief as she appeared unharmed.

Taking stock of myself, despite the fact that my entire body felt as weak as a newborn youngling, I realized the only bandage present wrapped around my forearm where the Zarpazian made contact.

The wound throbbed with a dull ache, but it could have been worse.

Much worse. Slowly grasping images from the fog swirling in my brain, I pieced together the events leading up to this moment.

Somehow, I survived the Zarpazian’s touch. Even more important, Willa survived. A wave of relief pushed away the pain pulsating through my body. Death might still wait for us beyond this room, but for now, all that mattered was that we were together and alive.

Exactly where were we together and alive?

The room seemed unfamiliar to me, yet another one housed in the cold stone buildings scattered throughout the pit.

The air was thick with the scent of herbs, reminding me of days spent in the countryside.

Through the single small window on the opposite wall, rays of sunlight filtered through, signaling that it was still early morning.

The golden light illuminated the dust particles dancing in the air, giving the room a mystical quality.

As peaceful as my surroundings seemed, they were unknown.

With the Zarpazian after my mate, it was imperative we did not linger anywhere that might prove indefensible.

The urgency to protect Willa flooded through me, and I futilely attempted to shift my body into action.

Gritting my teeth, muscles tense and painful, I fought the invisible force holding me immobile.

Finally, my arms acquiesced to my control in a jerky motion, jostling the female at my side.

Willa woke with a jolt, her eyes snapping open and widening at finding me conscious.

“Oh, my God.” She whispered the words as tears welled in her eyes.

The next thing I knew, she lay over my chest, arms wrapped tightly around my neck.

Her soft lips placed frantic kisses over my face in tandem with whispering my name over and over.

I felt her heartbeat against my chest, a rapid rhythm that matched the pounding of my own.

My arms moved, although feeling like someone had tied stones around my wrists.

I still managed to slip an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

I held her tight, letting her touch and kiss heal me more assuredly than any known medicine.

Yet, as enticing as the thought of lingering in bed with her, there was too much danger.

“Willa, my heart, we must go.” Despite the urgency, my legs proved hesitant to move.

“Go?” Willa raised her head, frowning at me. Her tear-stained face and red eyes were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. “You can’t go anywhere. You almost died last night.”

I flexed the arm I held around Willa’s waist, wincing at the lingering sting that coursed through my muscles.

Weakness ruled my body, causing me to grit my teeth in frustration.

Where was Adtovar? How could he leave Willa unguarded?

Unless... had the elder warrior fell prey to the Zarpazian as well?

“That’s why we need to go,” I insisted. I would ask after Adtovar later. “I need to get you somewhere safe from the Zarpazian.”

Willa placed her hands on my chest, keeping me prone. Her physical strength surprised me, even more than my own weakness. My limbs felt like lead weights, no match for her determination.

“I don’t need to hide,” she insisted when I gave up and relaxed against the mattress.

“Willa, my heart, I applaud your bravery,” I told her, brushing a lock of silky hair from her cheek. “But we need to move before the Zarpazian can find you.”

“Yeah? Well, it’s a little too late for that,” my mate snorted and grinned.

“What?” I faltered. I didn’t think we were dead, but perhaps so, and the Goddess blessed us with the ability to spend the afterlife together in this place. As eternity went, it wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst either, especially with Willa by my side.

No.

My body felt much too real and fragile despite the way Willa settled against my chest, her dark blue eyes shimmering as she gazed at me.

“What do you mean, it’s too late? Did the Zarpazian come for you?” The question nearly choked me. Willa snagged a cup of water from the bedside table and insisted I take a sip.

“He tried,” she said, holding the cup against my lips.

“What happened?” I waved the cup away, despite how refreshing the liquid felt against my parched tongue.

Information was more important. “Did Adtovar defeat him?” I asked, even though it made my heart heavy, feeling shame for my earlier aggravation at the elder warrior.

Adtovar had saved my mate, most likely at the cost of his own life.

Yet the expression on Willa’s face held no grief. The grin she wore while sheepish, held pride.

“No. I did.”

“What?” I blinked at her with equal parts terror and relief.

It was an effort, but I lifted my hands, running them over her body to make sure she was well.

I suffered a sudden flash of horror that perhaps the Zarpazian had gotten to my mate and assumed her form.

An idea that vanished when I cupped Willa’s face in my hands, her blue eyes meeting mine.

I knew in my very bones... this was my mate.

Willa sighed and pressed her lips to mine for a moment before continuing her story. “He came into our room pretending to be you, but I knew. I knew it wasn’t you.”

“I’ve always heard that Zarpazians look exactly like the being they copy.” Something strange and warm bloomed in my chest.

“Oh, he looked just like you,” Willa admitted with a grin. “But there were tells.”

“Tells?”

Her smile deepened. “The main thing was the way he spoke. He didn’t speak English like you.

But it was more than that. He didn’t look at me the way you look at me or say the same things.

” She sighed and kissed me again. “It just didn’t feel like you.

I pretended to be fooled, then when he was about to touch me, I grabbed the knife Adtovar left on the table and stabbed him. ”

“My courageous little warrior.” I stroked her cheeks with my fingertips while sending up a silent prayer of gratitude to the Goddess for keeping her safe.

Willa’s smile faded, her expression growing somber. “I thought he killed you.” A shimmer of wetness covered her eyes, tears hanging off her lashes like gemstones. “At least that’s what you and Adtovar said—that to feel the touch of a Zarpazian was to feel the touch of death.”

“It felt like death,” I admitted, lifting my arm and realizing with a start that the movement came easier. A white bandage covered my forearm just above my wrist. A smaller wound than I would have expected. “It felt like he sucked the very soul from my body.”

Willa laid her head on my shoulder, slipping her arms tightly around my neck. “He nearly did.” She sighed, and the unreleased sob made her voice wobble. “Please don’t do that to me again. I didn’t like it... not one bit. You scared me.”

“I’m sorry, my little warrior.” I brushed my lips along her hairline, letting my arms slip around her waist and cuddled her against me. “Are you okay? I know how it feels to take a life, even from one that deserves to die.”