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Chapter Fourteen

Z ar

I know I should focus on today’s fight, but I woke up early and couldn’t sleep. It seems so unfair that something wonderful drops into my life and in only a few short days I might lose it again. I won’t concentrate on that. She’s in my arms now and I want to take advantage of it.

I extend my claws and gently scratch her naked back. I’m not sure she will like it.

“For the love of God, what are you doing?”

I immediately retract my claws and lift my hand off her as if it were on fire.

“Don’t stop! Are those your claws?”

I don’t even answer, I just return to softly scratching up and down her back.

“That’s about the sexiest thing I’ve ever experienced. Why didn’t you tell me you had that superpower before? Do. Not. Stop.” She lies fully on her front so I have better access to all of her backside.

I think she’s purring.

My hand reaches lower, on her ass.

“Zar, never ever stop. That is so terrific.”

I experiment a little and press the tiniest bit harder. This elicits an intake of breath. Yes, she likes that, too. Then I move up to her scalp.

“Zar, that’s divine. It’s a secret weapon. No female in the galaxy could resist this.”

Another purr.

I realize it’s not her who is purring. That purr is coming from me. I didn’t know I could produce that sound.

“Are you purring?”

“I guess I am. I’ve never done it before. What would cause such a thing?”

“Back on Earth,” she pauses then admonishes, “don’t stop!” when I slow down. “Back on Earth, the animals that remind me of you purr when they’re relaxed and happy.”

“I’m certainly not relaxed with the most important battle of my life about to happen. But Anya, I am happy. No matter what happens today, know that you’ve made me happy.”

Anya

The Urluts order us to “complete the act” on cue. I know Zar doesn’t want to lose any precious bodily fluids, but I don’t want to lose my head either, so we comply.

Frankly, it’s surreal. Neither of us addresses it, but I’m sure both of us are thinking this could be the last time we see each other. One or both of us could die today. Our lovemaking is just that—making love. It’s so tender, so intimate, so connected. There is absolutely nothing carnal about what we are doing in this bed, under these covers. We are tying our souls in an inextricable knot.

When the door to the cell block clangs open, we’re both dressed and ready to go. Before the guards approach our cell, he touches my lips in the sweetest kiss imaginable. He softly pounds his fist against his chest and bows his head, honoring me.

“I will see you later today,” he says with certainty. He’s trying, I know, to calm me.

“Yes. When we see each other later, we will be free,” I whisper with a conviction I don’t fully believe.

Zar

My shoulders sag a bit as the loud metal doors clang behind me. I didn’t want Anya to worry about me any more than she has to, but this is not going to be the easy battle I’ve been all but promising. It will be seasoned warrior against seasoned warrior. We gladiators have experience and the will to win. However much we want to be free, and no matter how great our skill, as soon as we attack the Urluts they’ll go into high gear to protect themselves.

When it is kill or be killed, it tends to motivate you. Our enemy is not going to lie down and hand over their weapons. I know full well, this is going to be a difficult battle.

I can feel the other males’ tension and excitement. We’re all standing taller, walking faster, more alert, more on edge. I’m surprised the Urluts don’t figure out something is up. There is a palpable change in us today.

We agreed that I and whoever I’m paired with will be the first to attack. It’s going to depend on where we’re placed in the ludus and who is guarding whom. Helix and Hern are guarding us, which is to our great good fortune. Helix was injured just a few days ago in the Marauder attack—he will not be at full fighting strength.

Shadow and I are ordered to grapple, meaning we’ll have no weapons at our disposal, not even those pitiable wooden swords. Fate goes in our direction one moment, then disappears just as quickly.

“We can do this even without weapons,” I tell Shadow. “I’ll take Hern, you take Helix.”

“I’ll take Hern,” Shadow asserts, “you take Helix.”

I realize what we’re doing. We’re each trying to give the other the easiest opponent. “My claws and fangs are stronger weapons than your bionic arm,” I argue.

“Perhaps, my brother, but you have something to live for. I do not.”

I’m shocked. Shadow has never been particularly nice before, not to me, not to anyone. Not only did he call me “brother,” but he’s willing to sacrifice his life for mine. I raise my eyebrow in question.

“Your woman,” he explains. “You have your female to live for. Let me take the biggest risk.”

It’s a generous offer, but I’m not comfortable with it. However, all Shadow has now is his honor and dignity. To take that away from him, possibly on the eve of his death, is not an option.

I clasp his arm and nod. “I shall not forget this.”

“I’ll say ‘drack ’ loudly when Tyree tells me the collars are off,” Shadow murmurs.

“Don’t forget, we don’t know how long Tyree can keep the captain from turning them back on again. We must move fast.”

We begin to grapple, going through the motions with each other, both fully focused on the two Urluts in our peripheral vision. The two soon become bored with our lackluster performance and relax their grip on their weapons. We’re still waiting for word from Tyree. By the look on his face, I know she’s given the all-clear even before Shadow yells “drack” as we fight.

The Urluts have dropped their guard completely as they argue good-naturedly about a gambling game they played in their quarters last night.

Shadow and I catch each other’s glances and charge the guards at the same moment. We have only a minima before they notice we’re moving on them. Helix wastes no time grabbing his wrist control for our collars as he shouts, “Down on your knees, hands behind your heads you filthy assholes.”

I’m upon him before he fully realizes the collar controllers aren’t working. I’d already seen that he favored his right side due to his injuries. It’s the work of a moment to grab his wrist and pull him toward me, exactly the opposite of what he’d been expecting.

He totters, off-balance, and I grab the shock baton he’d already pulled from his belt. I thrust the butt end of the baton into his midsection with all my might, then flip my grip and press the shock control as I jab the weapon into the same spot.

The Urlut shrieks in pain and doubles over, clutching his stomach. I hope I hit him directly in his previous wound. While he’s gasping for breath, I throw the baton to the side, knowing one of my brothers will have it in hand before it hits the ground.

I’ve easily disabled the male. He’s on his knees, gasping, in agony. I could tie him up and somehow get him to a cell. I know this wasn’t the plan, all Urluts were to be eliminated, but it seems wrong to kill a male who is already completely overpowered.

As I move to grab his hands to tie them behind his back, Helix fumbles desperately, trying to aim his laser at me. The time for tying and capturing is over. I have to end him. I fall with all my weight upon my knee which is resting on his chest. At the same time, I power my elbow into his collarbone. The force cracks his collarbone with an explosive sound, and his yowl of pain is earsplitting. I grab his head, give it a swift twist until it lolls at an odd angle as he loses all muscle tone and falls heavily to the floor. Unquestionably dead. I glance around and see that Shadow has already dispatched Hern.

All ten of us stand stock still. The room is silent except for our heavy breathing. We’re listening for shouts, the alert klaxon, the sounds of males rushing to the ludus —nothing. I’ve grabbed Helix’s laser, Shadow has Hern’s. We have two laser guns, two laser rifles, and two laser batons. Six laser weapons of varying power strengths are distributed among us. We’re ready to start a slave revolution.

Axxios has already grabbed the keycards off Hern’s belt and is rummaging in the weapons room. In a moment, all of us have some form of weapon, albeit some are only wood. A few have grabbed wooden shields—I refuse one, thinking it will only slow me down.

“Shadow, Steele, and I at the tip of the spear,” I pronounce. “Doctore, Stryker and Dax at the rear. We keep in tight formation, heading straight for the bridge. I believe the other Urlut is in his quarters, so be aware he may come at our flanks or rear. The quicker we get to the bridge, the better. Tyree can’t keep the collars disabled for long. As soon as we have them at bay, the three of you rear guard must go room to room throughout the ship, subduing any others.”

I remember Anya’s final words to me as I had left the cell this morning, “Protect the doctor,” she had reminded.

“We’ll need the medic,” I tell the men forcefully. “Keep him alive unless he fights.”

We move swiftly through the hallways in tight formation as if we’ve trained for this our entire lives. In a way, I guess we have.

Because of the Marauder attack, we know the layout of the ship and the way to the bridge. We move swift and sure in that direction.

“Tyree says she’s losing control,” Shadow announces. “She says she can’t keep the collars disabled much longer.”

“ Drack !”

We quicken our pace, but I’m fearful of making too much noise.

One of the mechanics is absentmindedly wandering toward a storage area when he looks up from the portable vid he’s engrossed in, sees a well-armed and deadly contingent of gladiators bearing down on him, and runs toward the nearest alarm button. He manages to press it before Steele nearly cuts him in half with a burst of laser fire.

The red lights now flashing, klaxons screaming, we have no reason for stealth. We burst into a run, heading straight for the bridge. When we round the corner, the doors are closing. Steele takes quick aim and blasts the doors with continuous fire until the left one is disabled and yawning open.

We barge in, ten armed and angry career warriors. The captain is in his chair, surprise written on his face, eyes wide in fear. Four gladiators point laser weapons directly at his chest and he raises his arms in total surrender.

The first mate is at a computer station, his fingers flying on his keyboard. I turn my weapon and full attention to him.

“Stand down,” I order. When he doesn’t immediately comply, I focus my weapon on his chest. “Stop!”

He continues to type, probably sending a request for help along with our coordinates. I don’t hesitate to shoot him, and he falls over his keyboard, bleeding from a gaping chest wound.

“Anyone know computers? Any way to terminate his last communication?” Before the words are out of my mouth, Axxios is pushing the first mate’s lifeless body to the floor, commandeering the computer station and typing frantically.

I give another visual sweep of the small bridge to ensure there’s no one else to contend with. First mate down, captain well under control. I walk around and find little Tyree in the kneehole of one of the workstations. I reach in and help her out. She looks awful. More than scared, her color is off and her face looks misshapen, almost as if she’s been slapped or punched.

“I’m fine,” she tells me, almost as if she can read my mind. I guess she can.

“Steele, Dax, stay here while we secure the rest of the ship. Axxios, can you keep working on that and take the helm if need be?”

He nods, completely preoccupied with the computer.

Theos has already checked the captain for arms, grabbed the first mate’s weapon, and is ready to roll.

“Let’s go room to room. There’s one more Urlut, two service staff, and a mechanic. We need to find the doctor and keep him safe. When everyone is rounded up, we’ll take the prisoners to lockup and free the females.”

Anya

Well crap. I’d believed we had thought this through completely a thousand times, but we didn’t take the timing fully into account. Tyree just told me the collars are deactivated. Now every step I take on my way to medbay I’m waiting for shouting, laser fire, or klaxons. I hope I get there in one piece.

I think at this point the safest thing for both myself and Dr. Drayke is for us to stay together until this thing is over one way or another. I’ll just have to stall during the exam, which shouldn’t alert him since I do it every day anyway.

Just as the Urlut drops me at the exam room the alarms erupt. Not the brightest bulb in the string, he looks confused for a moment as he considers whether he should stay here or go find where the trouble is. He makes his decision, pushes me into the room with the doctor, and closes the door. Did he just lock us in together?

Dr. Drayke looks panicked. “Another Marauder attack?” he wonders out loud.

I consider spilling the beans, but if this insurrection goes south, I don’t want him to know anything. He can claim innocence and stay alive.

My heart clenches in terror. The next hour will probably be the most important in my life.