Page 221 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

Sunder

I wanted to talk to Aggy and figure out what her goals were and what her plan was.

It didn’t seem like she had much of a plan, but I could certainly admire the guts it must have taken to infiltrate this place to rescue her friend’s child.

I needed to find out what her skill set was so that I could plan accordingly.

Unfortunately, Uron rose from his stupor just enough shortly after we returned to make talking impossible.

We had to fall back on a normal training routine with the boys; at least it seemed to shake Amar out of his quietness, and he was soon playing and laughing with Jett while they trained.

I didn’t tell Aggy that a normal instructor would scold them for having fun.

It was a risk, but I had the feeling Uron cared so little about his job that he wouldn’t mention it. He likely wouldn’t even remember.

Near the end of the day, the very thing I’d been dreading happened.

The Crimelord who had usurped this location from Drameil’s hold only a few weeks ago arrived.

I had heard the news once I’d already gotten here; the takeover had apparently involved only a tiny skirmish.

The head of security who ran this place in Drameil’s absence had seen the writing on the wall.

Drameil had been severely weakened during the confrontation when we freed Luka, and Or’tal had happily switched his allegiance to what he perceived to be the more powerful Crimelord.

Now that the male had arrived and I’d finally learned his name, I knew Carator was a Rummicaron like Uron, but I also knew that’s where all the similarities would end.

The Rummicaron, as a species, had a very small range of emotions to feel.

They were a rational species, driven more by material things than the spiritual.

They tended to do well in very rigid kinds of jobs, such as bureaucracy or the military.

What I’d learned of this Crimelord told me that the male had excelled at both, and he hadn’t fallen for drugs like Roka, which allowed his species to feel a kind of euphoria they couldn’t otherwise experience.

He sure seemed happy to sell the drug, though, as this planet was a major growing and distilling location for it.

I had expected him to come in here to inspect his assets, such as they were, and I feared the worst the moment the male strode into the courtyard.

Dressed in a crisp black suit with a silver tie struggling to contain his massive neck, the male was escorted only by two tall Xurtal females in sleek bodysuits decked out in weapons.

His presence worried me, but the sight of two highly trained female guards gave me a good insight into his character. He liked pretty things, and he liked to appear strong and confident. He believed he was untouchable here. That the guards were already loyal, even if he’d only just taken over.

Black eyes slid across the courtyard, lingering on Uron, who had scrambled to his feet and was hastily trying to pretend he was doing his job.

Then they focused on the kids, on Jett and Amar, who’d instantly gone quiet while they hammered blows against the practice dummies.

Aggy, just as I had come to expect, was standing in front of them, arms crossed beneath her ample bosom as she tried out her sternest, coldest look on the new arrival.

A good move, this was a male who would respect discipline and strength.

He wouldn’t want to see his personnel cowering from him, even if he did expect them to show him every form of respect.

Maybe she sensed that, because she gave him a nod and then dipped into a curtsy, flaring out her severe black skirt.

When she straightened, I saw that Carator was grinning—a sharp, tooth-filled kind of smile—at her.

She didn’t flinch, met that smile head-on, and just kept on looking.

If I had to guess, her hands would be as clammy and cold as they’d been that morning, when I’d stopped her from that ill-advised escape attempt.

Likely, her heart would be racing beneath that dress, but I couldn’t hear it from where I stood.

“So, these are the two future gladiators left over from Drameil’s breeding stock.

Too bad it’s just two scrawny little runts, they’ll take time to grow up and earn me money.

” Carator gave the two boys another tooth-filled smirk.

I could tell that the small boy, Amar, was struggling not to burst into tears, Carator had to be truly frightening to a kid his size.

I was proud to see that Jett had sidled in front of the kid, forming a shield next to Aggy for the little one.

The male tugged on the lapels of his jacket, straightening his already neat suit while continuing to gaze at Jett and Amar.

It was as if he were studying bugs under a microscope, deciphering what kind of growth he could expect, what kind of skill.

From the way his lip curled, exposing rows upon rows of sharp teeth, he wasn’t all that impressed with what he saw.

Turning on his heel, he stalked out of the courtyard, his guard gliding along at his back.

He paused at the exit, jabbing a finger at Uron.

“Report in with the head of the guard. I don’t tolerate anyone doing drugs in my operation.

We sell, we don’t use.” Fuck, that was a problem.

I had hoped that Uron’s drug usage would go unnoticed.

I hated the foul Roka, and exposing the kids or Aggy to even a little of it.

An incapacitated guard was useful, though.

Uron seemed to realize how slippery the slope was that he stood on.

Not just his job, but his life was at risk if the big boss thought he was a liability.

You didn’t walk away from a posting like this one easily.

The male gave a sharp nod, his eyes shifting uneasily from side to side.

In his still-drugged state, he was feeling the tension far more keenly than he would otherwise.

Carator didn’t give a shit about Uron’s response.

He was almost out the door, and his attention had already shifted.

I was drawing in a relieved breath at having escaped attention when the male turned around and looked over his shoulder, straight back at Aggy.

“You, you should share dinner with me sometime.”

Hot rage washed through my body, my wings spreading, my tail twitching, and my claws itching with the desire to rend into this male at the mere suggestion.

I wanted to step in front of the human and stake my claim; everything in me rebelled at the idea of this male having designs on her.

I held back, even if the effort made my wings shiver.

Aggy lifted her chin a little, gave him a cool, neutral smile, and responded with an even cooler tone.

“We’ll see.” For a moment, my heart stalled, worried she’d just provoked the Crimelord by not agreeing.

But it seemed the male was attracted to that show of strength, because he grinned that cool, unemotional Rummicaron grin and simply left without another word.

*

Agatha

The day seemed like a drag, each moment in which I had to act like I didn’t care for these kids hurting my soul.

Uron wasn’t watching us, but he was definitely awake enough to see what we were up to, so we had no choice…

Still, I wanted nothing more than to just take the boys and let them play games.

I wanted to cuddle with Amar and let him nap when he got tired.

I wanted to praise Jett for each great move he succeeded at, and to see the boy play with his dad.

I still struggled to believe that Jett and Sunder were related, but the more I watched the two throughout the day, the harder it was to deny it.

When Jett was in his battleform, he had the exact same crown of black horns.

When he grinned, there was that same crease in their cheek.

At the end of the day, I was starting to worry that others would see the resemblance too.

Sunder had taken up a post against one of the courtyard walls, leaning back against the sun-warmed stone while he watched us.

Earlier, he’d actively worked with both Amar and Jett to perfect their form, but the boys were just doing routine moves, automating the basic punches so they could do them in their sleep.

I liked looking at him, at his wide shoulders and even wider wingspan. Sure, he wasn’t pretty by Earth standards, but I could only see those rocky shoulders and big arms as a safe haven. It would be so nice to be wrapped up in them, to feel like I wasn’t alone.

For five years, I’d been struggling to survive out in the Zeta Quadrant.

I’d heard of the Earth-Lost Human Repatriation Program from traders at the Yengar Space Station, but Kimar had warned me not to trust it.

The truth was, even if it was safe to trust the UAR to welcome me back to Earth with open arms…

what was I going to do on an Earth hundreds of years into the future?

I would be just as lost there as I was out here.

Now Kimar and her mate were gone, and I was all alone, with my last credits gone to pay the skeevy character who had forged my papers.

I had nowhere to run, and no marketable skill.

It would be so nice to trust that Sunder had a plan—if only my independent streak didn’t insist that I pull my weight and help out in some way.

The doors to the courtyard slammed open so unexpectedly that I nearly jumped out of my skin. What came through those doors made my skin crawl, and I instinctively stepped in front of the kids, wishing Sunder were closer instead of all the way across the courtyard.