Page 25 of Champion (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #6)
My footsteps scuffed across the dusty plank floor, kicking up clouds of red dirt in my wake. From the corner where he puttered with his medicinal concoctions by candlelight, Zahavi shot me a sympathetic glance.
Adtovar was not so accommodating.
“Will you sit down? You’re making me nervous!” The older warrior groused. The only thing keeping me from taking his head off was the knowledge that he worried for Willa too.
She’d been gone almost an hour, far too long in my way of thinking. Convincing Nansar that she was the Zarpazian should have taken only a few minutes. My mind flooded with images of her in danger at Aljani’s hands, causing my skin to crawl and my muscles to tense and bunch.
I should never have allowed her to go alone. If Nansar hurt her, I’d rip this place to shreds with my bare hands, making him scream with agony.
Adtovar growled as my pacing kicked up a notch.
I ignored him. The repetitive steps were the only thing stopping me from tearing through the door and going to find my mate.
His pale eyes glanced at the plate of food he’d brought me from the dining hall, now growing cold.
I had no appetite, knowing Willa lingered in the enemy’s lair.
When the door opened with a slow, mournful creak, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Willa slipped inside, her thick brown hair waving in disarray around a face much too pale for my liking.
“Willa!”
I snatched her into my arms as Adtovar spoke, crushing my mouth down on hers, kissing her thoroughly despite the onlookers. Willa tensed for a second, then melted against my chest, her lips growing soft and pliant as her fingers grasped my biceps.
“You’re alright?” I asked, finally tearing my mouth from hers.
Willa issued a rather dubious nod, flashing a weak smile first at Adtovar, then Zahavi. “I’m okay.” The words might have meant to reassure, but her voice sounded small and weary.
“What happened, my heart?” I drew her toward the table, settled in one of the wooden chairs, and pulled Willa into my lap. Adtovar and Zahavi followed, standing a few feet away, tense and ready for whatever my mate divulged or asked.
Her full pink lips opened and closed a few times, then her face scrunched with distaste, and she shook her head furiously, the tips of her hair slapping at my skin. I pulled her closer, feeling the deep tremble in her muscles. I would kill Nansar for making her feel like this.
Willa’s deep blue eyes settled on Zahavi, and she drew a deep, shuddering breath before speaking.
“Zahavi. Can you get everyone to come here… all the other gladiators? We all need to talk.”
The medic gave a quick nod and turned for the door.
“Quietly,” Willa cautioned. “Make sure the guards don’t notice.”
Zahavi paused at the door, turning back, red eyes darkening as he glanced between Willa and me. With another curt nod, he left.
“What happened, little warrior?” Adtovar knelt, putting his face at Willa’s level, one large hand gently touching her shoulder.
Willa heaved a sigh and let her head fall against my shoulder as though too weak to support it any longer.
“Wait till everyone arrives,” Willa murmured. She shuddered, the movement rippling across her skin. With slow, almost reluctant motions, she removed the comm unit from around her neck, handing the small silver tube to Adtovar. “Hang on to this for me, will you?”
“Of course.” The older warrior nodded, this hand closing around the comm as his eyes met mine, full of concern.
I tightened my arms around my mate, feeling the beat of my heart increase in tempo.
“Nansar did not touch you, did he?” I had to ask, my mind already pondering the scenarios to kill him if he had.
“No.” Willa met my gaze, a frown flickering over her lips as she wriggled against me, settling her butt more firmly in the cradle of my thighs. “He didn’t even try. He was too happy thinking his plan had succeeded, and you were dead.”
“Nansar always was an asshole,” Adtovar muttered, rising to his feet. He went to the door, adopting the pose of a sentry as his pale eyes scanned through the cracks in the wood to the darkness beyond.
I ran my fingers through Willa’s thick hair, pressing my lips to her forehead. “You are safe now.”
“I know.” A faint smile played on her lips as she cuddled against me. “It was hard, you know... pretending we both were dead, talking about killing people I care about.”
I could only imagine. The idea of Willa hurt.
.. or worse, and agony rippled through my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, the scent of her hair and steady beat of her heart the only antidote to the worry.
I let my lips travel over the top of her hair, breathing in her essence, content to just hold her.
Everyone should have returned from the dining hall by now, and darkness reigned enough to make travel to Zahavi’s abode easily clandestine. Still, it took forever for the others to arrive, Cristox being the last to enter and taking over the sentry position by the door from Adtovar.
Willa lingered in my lap, greeting each gladiator with a word or a wave. Finally, she stood, moving toward the center of the small room. I followed, unwilling to let her far from me, my hands resting on her shoulders.
The gazes that fell on my mate held concern, noticing there was something different in her demeanor. Willa was usually outgoing and friendly, but now she was quiet and almost reticent—even the dumbest among them could tell she was upset.
“Lady Willa, are you okay?” Xabat asked, taking a minuscule step forward. The tiny scales covering his deep green skin seemed to flicker in the candlelight.
My mate gave a jerky nod, drawing a deep breath. She glanced over her shoulder, meeting my gaze for a split second before speaking.
“I know what Nansar promised you.”
Her voice didn’t hold recrimination as much as resignation. I prickled at the idea the others had conspired against her, but contained my ire, determined to let my mate continue.
“What do you mean? Rickon huffed, crossing his massive arms across his chest. Of course, he would get defensive. Gudari weren’t the most trustworthy of species. I issued my best scowl in his direction as a warning.
Willa seemed unfazed by his demeanor. “I know Nansar promised you all freedom and money to let me beat you in the arena.”
A hush settled over the room. Some of the gladiators, like Xabat and Cristox, had the wherewithal to appear shamed and contrite. Others, like Rickon, seemed aggravated by the scheme’s exposure.
“It was not to harm you. We would never harm you, my Lady, not for any number of credits.” Pavo insisted. The Romvesian earned himself some respect with that comment, as far as I was concerned.
Cristox grunted, letting a wad of his thick yellow mane cover his eyes. “I apologize for the subterfuge. But you must understand, what Nansar offers us is a new chance at life.”
“What he offers you is death.” Willa’s voice held her usual assured tone. She beckoned Adtovar, who moved to her side and placed the small comm unit in her fingers.
Willa pressed the side of the silver tube, a faint blue glow arising along with squeaky morphed voices, as she forwarded the recording. Not a single person breathed as Nansar’s voice became audible.
I intend to pay them nothing. Once my father is dead, they will all fall under the blade of my Kerzak allies. Even now, Ambassador Yaard travels to Ajaxiun to ensure that I assume the throne without difficulty.
Silence gave way to shocked grumbles and low growls.
“Why would Nansar tell you this?” Rickon demanded, earning another scowl from me.
“Because Nansar didn’t know it was me,” Willa shot back.
“What do you mean?” Beiste asked, his black eyes seeming to glow within the confines of his red skin.
Willa took a deep breath, her shoulders tensing under my palms. “Nansar thought I was a Zarpazian named Vreses that he hired to kill me and take my place.”
Shock silenced the room, save for a few unbelieving gasps.
“Vreses is the best assassin in the universe,” Pavo breathed, awestruck.
“He was,” Adtovar agreed with a snort, then added proudly, “Until Willa killed him.”
“Unbelievable,” Rickon groused in disbelief, drawing both a scowl and a low growl of warning from me.
“It’s true.” Cristox moved from his position by the door into the center of the room. “Xabat and I helped Adtovar dispose of Vreses and a dead Aljani guard in the tunnels.”
“True,” Xabat echoed.
“How did you defeat him, my lady?” Pavo gazed at my mate with a mixture of awe and respect.
Willa shifted her stance, reaching up to draw my hand from her shoulder and around the front of her waist so the stark white bandage on my forearm was visible to everyone. A squeeze of her hand on mine prodded me to reveal my part of the story.
“The Zarpazian had adopted the form of the Aljani guard Malakal, who was helping us. By the time I figured out the ruse, it was too late.”
“A Zarpazian’s touch is deadly,” Rickon said snidely, questioning my words.
I tensed, intending to confront the Gudari for calling me a liar, but Zahavi stepped between us.
“It nearly was. Charick was near death when Adtovar brought him to me. He survived because Adtovar interrupted the Zarpazian before it could drain all of Charick’s essence.”
“So, how did Willa kill him?” Rickon pressed.
That bastard would not let this go, which made me wonder if we could trust him. Perhaps I just needed to kill him and be done with it. I would not let his attitude put my mate in danger.
“He came to me pretending to be Charick.” Willa’s hand squeezed mine, her fingers holding the slightest tremor.
“When I saw him….” She glanced over her shoulder at me, eyes warm with affection.
“I knew it wasn’t Charick. I pretended to be fooled, and thankfully, it gave me an opportunity to kill him. ”