Page 24 of Galaxy Games Four-Book Box Set (Galaxy Games)

24

Falling

T itan

She sags, having full faith in me to catch her. I do. It takes no effort to scoop her into my arms and cradle her for a moment. She’s still basking in the aftershocks of her release and can do little more than flick her eyelids open and smile at me.

“See that, females and males?” It’s Jahzara Zedd’s triumphant voice, as if she was both the person who bestowed and received an orgasm so fulfilling it propelled my female into unconsciousness.

“Now this is what we’ve been waiting for. Let’s hear a message from our sponsors and give the loving couple a chance to recuperate. We all know that tonight it certainly won’t come down to one. We’re expecting Titan to treat his lady to far more than that.”

I’m not watching any of the screens, but I imagine her beautiful red face winking knowingly at the viewers.

I lay Blaze on the bed and stride to the water basin. As I get the cloth wet and squeeze it out, I manage to shut out Zedd’s incessant nattering, but when I sit on the bed and scoot closer to my female, Zedd’s smug voice breaks my concentration.

“Fuckers!” she screams. “Both of you! You fucking think you can trick these good citizens who have parted with their hard-earned credits by doing everything under cover? Do you?”

The words, “Do you,” are punctuated with a zap of our slave collars. I doubt it was higher than a three, but it hurts and makes me want to kill the Halckon female for hurting my Blaze.

“You will put on an adequate show for the good females and males of the galaxy. Do you hear me?”

The next quick jolt must be closer to a nine or ten because I lose muscle control and fall to the bed. Blaze convulses for a few moments, then doesn’t open her eyes.

“Do you want me to fuck a dead female?” I ask, my voice level, so she’ll never know how desperately I want to kill her right this minute. “The viewers won’t get their credits’ worth if you kill Slayer. She’s tiny. Look what you’ve done.”

After picking up the wet cloth, I swipe it over her forehead, her face, and her chest, just thankful it’s still rising and falling.

“Even puppets can’t perform if you cut their strings,” I mutter. I wouldn’t care if she heard me, except it seems Blaze gets shocked even when it’s only me who misbehaves.

Relief washes through me when Blaze’s lids flicker open and her shining brown eyes try to focus on me. My heart squeezes in pain when I see the depths of her agony.

What God have I offended? “I believe in you if that’s what it takes,” I say out loud my eyes focused upward. If the Gods’ egos aren’t strong enough on their own, if they need my worship to do good deeds, then I will praise them with every breath. Because how can I live even one more day like this?

My whole life I’ve had only one thing that brought me self-respect. Fighting. I’m good at it. I take pride in it. I like the applause, the crowds chanting my name. Even though my name has been changed every few years, no one can deny those people are adulating me—Xzavic.

I have a female now. She may not know it. Even if she knew it, she might not admit it. But in my heart, I know she’s mine. This should be a second thing in my life that brings me pride—knowing I can protect my female.

I can’t do that.

Katann Hahn and Jahzara Zedd and the fucking network have stolen this one thing from me. Is it so much to ask that I keep this tiny female safe in the middle of providing her pleasure?

I grab a bottle of water, lift her head, and help her drink, then lie next to her and place her head on my bicep.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her.

“Operant conditioning,” she says.

I wonder if the repeated shocks have addled her brains. She’s talking gibberish.

“Behavior modification. If they keep shocking me after the amazing orgasms you give me, the shocks by association will begin to feel good.” She winks at me.

This female of mine is strong. Not so much her body, although she’s been through a lot today and was still walking upright until that last shock. But her mind is something to behold. It’s no wonder I’m falling in love with her.