Page 5 of Champion (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #6)

Informing Willa that she was my mate hadn’t gone quite as planned. When I heard the sounds of a scuffle and realized an Aljani guard tried to hurt her, something broke inside of me.

My years of training to be a Sage taught me to control my emotions.

To always take the path of wisdom and peace instead of violence unless there was no other choice.

When I saw the guard with his hands on Willa and how courageously she fought him…

I’d never wanted to kill anyone more. It had been a long time since I felt such violence toward another.

It was obvious Willa was furious as well.

Not at the guard. She’d made me release the male, which I did against my better judgment. He’d dropped to the ground, unconscious and moaning. After that, Willa fixed me with a glare and a huff before stomping back toward her quarters.

I followed, as did Adtovar. As would have been the case with most of the gladiators, had Adtovar not warned them away with a growl. The older warrior regarded me with a mocking grin. I wanted to punch him, too.

We strode from the arena in silence, the only sound being Willa’s deep, angry breathing. Some of which may or may not have held the rumblings of a low growl and smattering of Earth curses.

Entering the small stone building serving as her quarters, she waited until both Adtovar and I entered before closing the rickety door with a resounding slam.

Adtovar flopped on the bed, watching the two of us with overt amusement as Willa paced and I stood by the table, hesitant to move further into the room.

“You want to tell me what this mate shit is about?” Willa spun on her heel, fixing me with a furious, deep blue gaze.

I stood tall, squaring my shoulders, proud to admit it. “You are my mate. My fated one. My vika.”

Willa’s brows drew together in a frown. “Vika? What’s that?”

“It means my heart .” I took a hesitant step toward her, grateful that she didn’t retreat or try to punch me. “It means you are the one who will share my heartbeat for eternity.”

Her blue eyes went wide with shock before her face scrunched up rather adorably. She angrily shook her head, resuming her pacing.

“That’s just… nuts! You don’t even know me. Why on Earth—scratch that—why on this dusty alien planet would you think I’m your mate?”

A low chuckle came from where Adtovar lounged on the cot, inspecting a corner of the blanket.

Willa shot him a warning glance, which he returned with a roll of his eyes.

For me, while teasing, his regard held something I would have sworn was empathy.

There were rumors that Adtovar ended up on the gladiator circuit because he’d lost his fated mate.

If true, I couldn’t imagine the pain he must have endured.

While it appeared Willa determined to appear resistant to the idea of mating, I’d scented her arousal as she watched me spar with Adtovar.

The way her eyes deepened in color and the flush of pink rising on her cheeks indicated that she found me attractive based on my study of human sexuality. I just needed to get her to admit it.

“I knew you were mine the moment I caught your scent at Nansar’s compound.”

She frowned, recalling the memory, then her eyes went wide, lips parting, and her cheeks flushed vibrant pink.

“Seriously?”

“Why would I lie about the most precious moment of my life?”

“Why?” The flush on her cheeks deepened. “Because at that particular point in time, I hadn’t showered in over a week. I stunk. Are you trying to tell me that my BO turned you on?”

“BO?” The term was not familiar.

“Stinky body odor.” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her gaze away, obviously embarrassed by the admission.

“You did not stink,” I insisted, taking another step closer and drawing a deep breath to prove my point. “Your scent is floral and fresh with just the faintest hint of spice. It reminds me of early summer days on my home world."

“That’s… that’s fucking nuts!” Willa mumbled, shaking her head. Despite fighting against my words, I sensed something inside her soften.

She spun away from me and resumed her pacing in the small area between the outer wall and the cot. I was so concerned over her denials that I almost didn’t notice it at first. While her right hand clenched and unclenched in a steady rhythm, her left hand lay over her heart, rubbing absently.

I lifted my own hand to the center of my chest, noticing the irregular beat. Agitated, then slowing and seeming to skip a beat entirely now and then. A smile tickled at my lips as I rubbed at the spot, knowing what I felt. An angry gasp jerked my attention back to Willa, who glared at me furiously.

“What did you do to me? My heart feels funny?” Her fingers scrubbed over the spot between her full breasts.

I couldn’t help my smile widening as I spoke. “It’s your heartbeat settling into a rhythm with mine. It means you accept the mating, and the goddess Valana has blessed it.” From the cot, I heard Adtovar’s deep chuckle.

Willa pointed an angry finger in my direction. “I don’t accept shit, buddy.” The accusing finger shifted from me to Adtovar. “And you stop laughing.”

Despite her denial, I couldn’t help but feel elated.

The valakana. The joining of heartbeats between true mates.

For centuries, the priestesses of my home word asserted that only Vaktaire could withstand the valakana.

I’d long heard whispers that the assertion was incorrect.

That the priestesses of my home world started the rumor to keep Vaktaire bloodlines pure.

Even without the rumors, I would know the priestess’s claims to be false by witnessing my Chieftain mating with the human Emmy and the way I felt for Willa.

While the valakana could put even the strongest Vaktaire to his knees, my mate withstood the ritual with minor discomfort and a great deal of ire. Willa was strong and determined. I was a lucky male.

Willa huffed at the smile I wore and stomped over to the cot, pushing aside Adtovar’s long legs and plopping onto the mattress.

Normally, I would not have liked that my mate sat so close to another.

Yet by now, I knew enough of their relationship to realize Adtovar presented no threat where my mate was concerned.

“Have you ever heard of anything this bat-shit crazy?” Willa groused to the older male while glaring at my smile.

“Yes.” Adtovar chuckled at Willa’s shock, although I noticed a flicker of longing and sadness cross his pale eyes.

“For an Aljani, our horns itch and grow hot when we meet our fated mate.” He raised a hand and rubbed over his chipped and scarred horns as though the feel of them brought forth a precious memory.

“And I thought speed dating was ridiculous.” Willa hmphed.

“Speed dating?” I had a vague reference to the term dating from my Earth studies.

“It’s….” Willa began, then waved her hand with a roll of her eyes. “Trust me. It’s not as crazy as all this mate shit.”

“Personally, I think it being known that Charick has claimed you as a mate isn’t such a bad thing,” Adtovar said in all seriousness. “None of the other gladiators will come near you now.”

“Oh God,” Willa moaned, dropping her head into her hands. “They all heard you call me your mate, didn’t they?” Her mortification turned to worry in the time it took her to raise her gaze to mine. “Wait a minute. You didn’t tell Emmy this crazy mate idea of yours, did you?”

“Perhaps.” I hadn’t exactly told Emmy. But she’d been there when I caught Willa’s scent, and based on my subsequent behavior, it wasn’t hard for her to guess.

“Oh God.” Willa buried her face in her hands again. “What will my friends think of all this?”

“I believe your friends will be happy for you.” I took a step toward the cot. In the small room, only a few feet separated us, but it seemed like too much. “They have each claimed one of my Vaktaire brethren as a mate.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Willa jumped to her feet, astounded by my claim.

“No.” I took a step closer. Her floral scent became spicier when she was upset. It was intoxicating. I couldn’t get enough.

The point of her finger jabbed into my chest. I felt my heartbeat quicken in answer to her aggravation. “You’re telling me that Emmy—the smartest woman I’ve ever known—has mated with one of you?”

“Yes. Emmy is the mate of our Chieftain Khaion. Daisy is the mate of our War Chief Daicon, Clara has become the mate of our Weapons Master Tarook, and Anges mated with our Healer Hakkar. I don’t know about your friend Pearl, but based on my last communication with my Chieftain, I would not be surprised to find she has mated with our Wayfinder Jutuk. ”

The finger on my chest jabbed again. It felt wonderful.

“You guys put something in the water on that spaceship, didn’t you?”

I didn’t know if her accusation should appall or amuse me, but some of her anger seemed to dissipate, and an expression I didn’t like took its place.

“You swore to me that my friends are safe on your ship.” Her voice held pain and regret, and it tore my heart in two.

“I gave you the vow of a Vaktaire warrior,” I told her softly, taking another step so that mere inches separated us. Unable to help myself, I let my fingers rest under her chin, bringing her gaze to meet mine. “Your friends are safe and cared for.”

“You can believe him,” Adtovar agreed. As a warrior himself, he recognized the seriousness of my vow.

When Willa’s eyes met mine, the deep blue color softened. I felt the faintest hint of a tremble as she took a deep breath.

“Fine.” She gave with a sigh. “I believe they are safe. But until I can talk to my friends and make sure all this mating shit isn’t some weird alien Stockholm situation; I’m not buying it.

” Her fierceness was back in a blink. “And as for you. I’m not looking for a mate, so you can just put that idea right out of your head. ”

“As you wish.” I let my fingertips drop from her chin, feeling the uptick in her heartbeat. The spiciness faded from her scent, replaced by a hint of sweetness. Arousal, despite her anger and disbelief. I could work with that. As a Sage, I was the most patient of males.

“Will you still help me escape if I don’t want to be your mate?” Her lower lip trembled slightly as she asked.

“Of course. I gave Emmy my word that I would see you safe.” Whether Willa believed so or not, she was my mate. I would do anything to protect her.

“Okay. Thanks.” Willa appeared a bit discombobulated but gathered herself quickly.

“Well, now that we’ve got this little lover’s spat settled.” Adtovar rolled to his feet.

Willa’s face flushed with anger.

“Calm down.” Adtovar rolled his eyes at her, but to me, his gaze was intent. “I believe you are a man of honor but know this. If you try to make Willa do something she doesn’t want to do. I’ll kill you.”

“I would never hurt her,” I vowed, thumping a fist to my chest in the Vaktaire warrior salute. “My life and happiness for hers.”

Adtovar nodded, appeased by my vow. Willa blushed enticingly, and I felt her sweet scent grow stronger.

“So, how do we escape? What’s the plan?” She awkwardly changed the subject, returning to her seat on the cot.

Adtovar pulled out one of the wooden chairs, settling his enormous frame. The chair creaked so loudly in protest that I waited a few moments to make sure the warrior didn’t end up on his ass before doing the same.

“We need to figure out what Nansar plans for you at the Duke’s birthday celebration.” Adtovar tapped his chin with the blunted end of the sparring blade. “It might give us an indication of his timeline and how best to plan your getaway.”

Willa’s face twisted adorably in worry. “Will what Charick and I did to the guard make them watch us closer?”

“No,” Adtovar was quick to disagree. “Like the others, he would not admit to trying to harm you. It would anger Nansar.”

I swallowed back a growl. Others had tried to hurt my mate. I would ask Charick to point them out, and this time, I would not let Willa hinder my retribution. No one hurt her.

“Maybe we should have tied him up and stashed him somewhere instead of letting him go,” Willa pondered, drawing her legs up and wrapping her arms around her knees. “We might have been able to get some information out of him.”

“It is not Nansar’s style to confide in the grunts,” Adtovar snorted.

“He is smart enough to know that the fewer who know of his plan, the more margin he has for success. I wouldn’t have discovered the information that got me thrown in the pit if I hadn’t accidentally walked up on a conversation between him and Ambassador Yaard of the Kerzak. ”

Kerzak. I knew from my brethren of their involvement in Nansar’s plans, but the mention of the bloodthirsty beasts made my blood run cold.

The creatures were known to have a taste for human flesh.

Willa seemed to share my disdain. She shivered at the mention of them.

At least there were no Kerzak in the pit, which gave me an idea.

“What about the other gladiators? Do they know anything?”

“I haven’t tried to find out,” Adtovar shrugged. “I was more concerned with protecting Willa from them.”

“None of them ever tried to hurt me,” Willa insisted at my frown.

“You’re welcome,” Adtovar snorted.

“They are prisoners, too, correct?” I postulated. “Thrown into the pit by Nansar?” My mind spun with an idea at Adtovar’s nod. “It might be worth seeing if they know anything of Nansar’s plans.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Willa murmured.

“Earth poetry?” Adtovar inquired with a cocked brow.

“Sort of,” Willa laughed. Goddess, I adored that sound. “It’s more of a war strategy. It means that two groups can and should work together against a common enemy.”

Seeing that her mind worked like a warrior made me feel proud. “Then we make friends with the other gladiators.”

Adtovar gave a grumble at my suggestion, but I paid him no heed, beguiled by Willa’s reaction. Her blue eyes widened, and the corners of her full, rosy lips curved upward in a smile as she gazed at me with approval.

I’d do anything to have her look at me like that again.

Anything.