Page 168 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

I doubted Fluffy would panic; I had a feeling that one could handle anything; she might even like zero-g.

With my hands free, I definitely needed to grab onto Snarl and try to calm his nerves.

Maybe a purr would settle him down; it seemed to work for the little fellow with Fluffy.

Although, I’d settle down in a heartbeat should Hina murmur to me like that, too.

Once I’d tugged the hound between my legs, anchoring him and curling my arms around his upper body, Kitan was satisfied we were all set.

“Lift off in ten, nine,” he started to count down, only to interrupt himself.

“Oh shit, incoming naga. Lifting off now.” The engines hummed and we surged into the sky, the forces of the quick acceleration pressing each of us into our seats.

Snarl let out an entirely undignified yowl.

There were several thudding sounds hitting the belly of our vessel while Kitan chuckled, “Those little sticks aren’t going to hurt us.

” On his viewscreens, I caught a glimpse of several dozen red-scaled naga swarming across that peaceful clearing Hina and I had shared.

They were throwing their spears at our shuttle, shaking their arms, and—if not for the roar of the ship’s engine—no doubt we would have heard their hissing and screaming.

These natives were not a friendly bunch.

As if to taunt them, which seemed typical of Kitan, he swerved the ship around the clearing, too high for them to hit us with more spears but close enough to agitate the locals further.

“That’s what you get for trying to cut up Sunder,” he growled at his viewscreen.

Then he gunned the throttle, and we shot up into the sky.

*

Hina

I wasn’t sure what I found more endearing: the tiny little ball of fur Fierce had rescued, or Fierce himself, as he tried to calm a panicking Snarl.

He didn’t look too calm himself either, his blue face having gone the same kind of pale it had when he’d been injured.

I leaned to the side as much as my harness allowed while we were weightless.

“Hey, Abby, is it me, or is Fierce a little uncomfortable with flying? How come? He didn’t seem to understand his com device, either… ”

The woman reached out a hand to press the floating Fluffy back into my lap.

I had only so many hands to hold the two creatures, but thankfully, Abby was happy to help.

“Fierce and the other guys were all gladiators until we rebelled and freed ourselves a few months ago. Fierce and Jakar are the only ones with no experience with technology; they’ve been slaves all their lives—or at least most. I think Thorin said that Fierce was taken from a primitive planet as a young boy. ”

I tried to process that. What would it have been like for him—taken from his home at a young age?

Just like those aliens I’d encountered on one of my xeno-botany assignments, who had been forced to integrate with all the new technology, Fierce probably struggled.

Then the thought struck me: Could he even read?

I’d have to ask him, it felt too personal to ask Abby for all the details.

I’d rather hear it from him directly. It wouldn’t surprise me if he felt ashamed, which was bullshit, it wasn’t his fault.

He’d been dealt a shitty hand. Look at how kind and sweet he was, he was picking up strays left and right, myself included.

This latest addition was one cute fellow, too, looking much like a porcupine but with the colors of a badger. The thick fur that covered the little guy was fluffy and a little coarse, but not anything like a porcupine’s spines. He was much more pleasant to cuddle with.

Instead of sating my curiosity with all the gossip on Fierce that Abby could supply, I turned the subject to my own future.

“What will happen to me? You say you run the Vagabond together, that it’s a safe haven for freed gladiators.

Is there a spot for me there?” Though I was still unsure whether this thing between Fierce and me had a future, the thought of not even being able to give it a chance was a painful one.

I wanted to stick around and see where things led.

Abby patted my knee. “Of course you can stay with us. As long as you like. Or, if you find a place you’d want to go, we’ll drop you off.

Do you want to return home?” She asked the last with a dubious look, because she already knew that wasn’t an option.

Maybe it was her way of gently asking what I’d done to end up on this planet.

She’d already let me know that she knew all the pods on the ship had held people slated for execution on Earth.

My eyes went to Fierce, who was still holding Snarl tightly, though gravity had thankfully kicked in, and the hound had calmed.

We were making our approach to the Vagabond, the gladiator’s spaceship, currently orbiting this planet.

I counted myself extremely lucky that they had decided to come looking for my batch of pods.

Fierce’s yellow eyes were focused on me, his head tilted at an angle so that one of his ears poked through his hair.

The hair that was not quite alive, but also never seemed to sit quietly.

He had no doubt heard every word we’d spoken, but he didn’t look too bothered about me finding out some of his story.

I certainly owed him mine, so I spoke while looking at him.

“I was accused of plagiarism. A long-time co-worker, with whom I had written several papers, became resentful when some of my solo work received more attention. He stole my personal notes and used them as evidence that I had stolen those findings from him. I was found guilty and sentenced, my crime was considered a smear on his reputation, so a fine was not enough. It was a pretty big shock to wake up crashed on a strange planet.”

A really big shock, I still couldn’t quite believe that I was somehow alive.

I didn’t know where I was, and I knew I could never go back.

But at least I had my life, and now an alien guy who seemed to think I was his mate, who gave me presents like fresh kills and pretty plants I gushed over.

Not to mention the cutest little pets. For a girl who’d never been able to have one, I had become attached to Fluffy in a heartbeat.

I saw the sympathy on Fierce’s face while Abby said, “That’s rough.

I can’t believe Earth went to shit like that.

When I lived on Earth, we still had prisons and actual trials—not that those were great, but they were better than this.

” I eyed her in surprise. What was she on about, her time?

What did she mean? How long had I been in stasis… or… how long had she been in stasis?

She smiled ruefully. “Oh yeah, me and the other girls on the Vagabond are all from around 2020-ish, as near as we can tell. Maybe Chloe is from a little further back.” She raised her voice at the pilot, a human-looking redhead with a stripe across his face.

“Hey, Kitan, what year did Chloe think she was from?”

The guy turned his head our way just enough for a golden eye to glint at me, a playful look on his face. “Yeah, yeah, she’s smaller, but she’s older than you, we already established that.” He flicked a few switches before announcing proudly, “Open the hangar bay door Akri, we’re coming in.”

My belly dropped at those words. I was about to make a pretty big transition, from the quiet company of just Fierce and his animals down on the planet to what might be my new home.

Would I manage to find a place for myself there?

Would I fit in? I liked Abby, but would the other human women like me?

This was like going to a new school or starting a new job, in a way, but now my whole future was riding on it.

The many different alien men sitting on the shuttle with me were loud, very present, and definitely intimidating.

Except maybe the four-armed guy with the red skin, he seemed young and friendly, eager to please.

Each time my eyes went his way, he’d beam me the biggest, widest smile, it was adorable in a just-out-of-his-teens, crush kind of way.

Each time he’d make eye contact with me, I saw how Fierce would rumble a warning, which was interesting.

I had never realized that that tiny possessive display was such a turn-on.

It couldn’t continue like that, of course, but I liked knowing that Fierce was warning away his friends.

As the shuttle touched down inside the hangar bay of the much larger spaceship, I let everyone else get off first. I felt like I needed a moment to gather my courage. At least Abby didn’t seem to mind; she just waited patiently while everyone else got out, even the pilot.

It wasn’t until Fierce leaned in and cupped my chin that I felt anchored, safe.

He didn’t have to say it; I saw it in his sharp gaze.

He helped me out of my harness and took the injured little rodent, which eagerly curled itself into his chest. To Fluffy, he rumbled something in his own language, and the small otter/cat scrambled up my arm and curled around my neck, purring gently.

Then, he held out his free hand, which I took without hesitation, and he led me off the ship.