Page 228 of Galaxy Games Four-Book Box Set (Galaxy Games)

228

It Begins

J ahzara Zedd

I can’t wait for this season of The Game to be over. I just want to make more credits and get the fuck off this forsaken planet.

Relief sweeps through me as I watch the income counter at the bottom right of my screen spinning so fast the numbers are a blur. People are buying the new Mayhem packages at a faster rate than anything we’ve sold before.

Considering I make seven percent on the packages, I’ll be able to retire after this season. Not that I would. I love planning these things, even if I don’t enjoy actually being on the ground as the season plays out.

Look at that. Even the gambling packages are doing well. People are idiots. I told them I hadn’t even decided on the rules of The Game. How could they put down their hard-earned credits to gamble on something with such a vague outcome? It doesn’t matter. I get a seven percent share of that, too.

Scrolling through the feed, nothing exciting is happening. I can’t wait to see when that wall of females hits the males who are leaving their cabins. In the meantime, I need to decide what to do with the original six.

I shake my head. These Earth females will be the death of me.

If I were the betting type, I never would have spared even one credit on these small, weak, stupid Earthers. And look. They’re the last three standing.

Not only that. They seem happy to be in the company of those hideous Xenons. And even more shocking, they’ve taken on the yellow eyes and fangs of these males. What’s uglier than an Earther? A Xenon. Now these females have the worst of both species. I shudder.

Getting back to the task at hand, I wonder what to do with these six. They’re planning something.

“Amachor!” I call into my comm to my assistant. “Amachor!”

After waiting an entire minute, my anger rising with each tick, I remember Amachor resigned before I left for Earth.

“Bozgan!” It’s only after another minute of waiting that I remember I fired him as the last of the thousand new females was transported into the holding facility. The slacker dared to fall asleep in his chair. He’s still here, though, waiting to return home with the crew.

“Bozgan! Wake up, you lazy ass. I’ll re-hire you.” When that gets no response, I offer, “With a ten percent raise in pay and I’ll remove the fee for your transport home.”

That gets his attention. I task him with looking at archival footage of all conversations between these three couples to find out what they’re up to.

I’m going to change my dress, have the bot re-paint my nails to match, and wait for the idiot to bring me the results of his research. Then I’ll figure out how to ruin these people’s day.

Maya

I’d been in the chair next to A’Dar’s on the bridge, but they’re too far apart for me to touch him. My body’s getting that rolling, burning, needy feeling that tells me I can’t be separate from him.

When I glance at him, he’s already looking at me with hunger, his eyes closer to white than gold. Sliding onto his lap, I nestle close and offer my neck. As soon as the initial pain of his bite fades and turns to pleasure, I slide my fangs into his jugular and moan with pleasure when the first taste of his coppery blood hits my tongue.

A dim alarm bell sounds in the back of my mind, reminding me of how disgusting, how reprehensible, how disturbing this is. Then I push it farther back and allow the pleasure to fly through me. I’m no longer surprised when an orgasm blasts through me without a single touch to my erogenous zones.

We both unlatch at the same moment, and A’Dar licks my wound as his palm sweetly slides up and down the channel of my spine. I lick his neck to close his wound, although I love that he has the tiniest red mark there. Mine.

“I love you, Maya,” he says as if we’re lovers in the back seat of a car, just holding each other and sharing our feelings without a care in the world. “If I could spare you this, I would. Even if it meant we never would have met. I would wish that for you if it would bring you happiness.”

I’ve accepted him as my mate, but I can’t say the L word yet. What I can do is wiggle closer and tuck my head under his chin.

“I’m glad we met, A’Dar.”

I grip his free hand as we watch the screen.

As if I were part of the mob of fearful women, I can feel the terror when the leading edge of the group encounters the wall of armed, armored Xenon warriors. Although it’s only been two days, it’s hard to remember how short I’d been and how scary it felt to be in even one Xenon’s presence.

I’m not sure if TGN is enhancing the sound of the women’s screams, but their fear pierces under my skin and slides into my very bones. I’m terrified of what’s going to happen next.