Page 235 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

Uron at least seemed to square his shoulders and gave me a pat of his fist against his chest. It was almost a gladiator’s salute, and I wondered if he’d guessed my past or if it was just an instinctive way for him to show respect.

There was a reason the gesture had stuck among the many different races in the gladiator arena.

I followed the Crimelord and Aggy into the palace, and we were escorted through several winding corridors, up stairs, and into the more richly appointed areas.

I didn’t dare look back because the Xurtal female I was supposed to follow—Iol—was watching my every move.

Aggy was similarly trying hard to act as if all her attention was completely on the Crimelord escorting her.

Then we were forced to part ways, and I fought the instinct to go after my female. I hated leaving her alone—she wasn’t trained, she wasn’t a fighter; all she had was her wits. Though they were sharp, they wouldn’t be a match for a Crimelord intent on seeing her in his bed by the end of the night.

I stayed the course with effort, following Iol deeper into the palace toward where I knew the armory was located.

I could make a good thing out of this—this part at least. Access to the armory would be a huge boon.

So, as Iol strode about the room, kitting me out with a new uniform and better weapons, I made sure to snatch the opportunity each time her back was turned.

I could only hope that Uron would do his best to care for the boys tonight and that Aggy was safe for now.

It was still a few hours until dinner, and I had to come up with a plan.

Internally, I cursed Or’tal ten times over.

Why had he put me on Carator’s radar? Was he trying to maneuver me away from Jett?

Those thoughts filled me all day, as Iol handed me off to another male, who explained my new duties.

*

Agatha

I was shaking all over as I shimmied into the dress Arta held out to me, a scowl on her beautiful face.

Her teeth were sharp points—filed down, as was the practice for the warrior-class Xurtal, I’d learned.

The green female had her black hair up in a high ponytail, her skin painted in stripes of glittering silver to accentuate each of her sleek muscles.

I was extremely intimidated by her, and she seemed to think I was the dirt beneath the heel of her fancy leather boot.

The dress was made of shimmering fabric, silver and red.

It had to be wrapped around my body as if I were a Christmas present.

First, they’d bathed me, washed and styled my hair, lasered every unwanted hair from my body, and then scented me with perfume from golden bottles.

I had never felt more like a doll than I did at that moment—or a lamb being prepared for slaughter.

Why were they doing this to me? I was thirty-eight, a single schoolteacher from Minnesota, plucked out of her time.

I was ten pounds overweight, with boobs that had started to give up the fight with gravity.

I was nothing special compared to a female like the Xurtal guarding me.

Was it just because I was the exotic species out here?

Or because I hadn’t fawned over him on day one?

I couldn’t understand this mindset, but I was utterly terrified and didn't know how to stop it.

As the collared slaves who had attended me so far started wrapping me up in the damn dress, I began to feel as if I were the one being shackled.

Could I endure? Was it worth it? I closed my eyes and bit my lip as I let the possibilities sink in.

It was shocking to discover that yes, I could do this was the answer drifting through my mind.

Sunder, the kids, and I had to survive two days.

If this was what it took to get Amar and Jett out of here safely, then yes, wholeheartedly. Whatever it took.

Those fighting thoughts still filled me as I was escorted through the palace to the formal dining room, where the Crimelord was holding court.

My hands were clammy, my heart was pounding, and I was starting to think I wasn’t as strong after all.

Then I saw the bastard sitting in an ornately carved chair, his cold eyes surveying the girls dancing in see-through scarves and nothing else.

He looked bored, completely unaffected by the display.

Guards were scattered throughout the room, their backs to the wall next to each point of entry.

They were even patrolling around the vast space, laser rifles in their arms. The amazing amount of security was overwhelming, and then I spotted Sunder, walking side by side with another guard.

He was wearing a sharp black leather kilt, a snugly fitted uniform jacket on top, and some kind of body armor over his chest. He looked dangerous and sexy, and it took my breath away.

We made eye contact as if we were magnets drawn to each other, even across the space of this vast room. I could see how his wings twitched, his eyes heated, and for the first time that night, I felt less like a trussed-up turkey and more like a sexy woman.

The moment couldn’t last. I was made to sit next to the Crimelord on a pillow, a low table set down in front of us.

There were no guests—it was just me and him, a flock of beautiful alien dancing girls, and a horde of guards.

Why were so many guards here, when he walked about the palace with only the two Xurtal females?

The answer to that question puzzled me throughout the meal.

There was minimal small talk, but the Rummicaron didn’t seem to care for conversation.

Every few minutes, a different uniformed male would stride up to us and bend down to the Crimelord's ear.

The two would converse in low tones, not allowing me to listen in, and then the one who had approached would leave again.

It took some careful maneuvering, but eventually, I managed to position myself so that I could unobtrusively watch which way these males would go when they left.

At the back of the room, behind Carator’s fancy big chair, curtains had been hung, but they were just see-through enough that I noticed what looked to be a giant safe perched on a pedestal.

They were trying to break into it, though they weren’t making any noise as they worked—not a noise I could hear.

It looked like Sunder had a better view of what was going on behind that curtain; he was patrolling all around the room with his new companion. I wished he’d look at me again and make me feel pretty, so that I could shore up my confidence to go through with this—or find a graceful way out of it.

He never did look, but each time he crossed the room near us, I saw how his eyes would linger on the Crimelord. There wasn’t a single twitch of his tail or wings now, but the missing tip… it was a reminder of what we’d shared in the tower, a reminder of our approaching escape date.

“Lord Carator,” a male drawled lazily—the first to speak in a tone I could actually hear.

I recognized the voice; my skin broke out in chills—this guy was so scary.

Or’tal stood in front of the table, a fair distance from both of us, so he’d pitched his voice to carry.

The head of the guard wore his neatly pressed black uniform but lacked body armor like the others.

While he had a gun strapped to his leg, he didn’t have a laser rifle slung over one shoulder, which made him stand out from the other guards in the room.

“What is it, Or’tal?” the Rummicaron demanded in a cool voice, his flat, black eyes pinning the Kertinal male in place.

The male looked as unruffled by that look as always, his tail hanging at rest behind his back, his arms crossed over his massive chest. Still, I didn’t think I imagined it when I saw his emerald-green eyes dart my way for what had to be barely half a second.

“It seems there is a problem with the planetary defense grid. It requires your assistance, as you mean to be the only one able to access it, naturally.” The way the male said it, he sounded fed up with the kind of micro-control the Crimelord demanded.

He also sounded smug about having to bother him about it now.

Neither male seemed to notice how I’d probably just gone as pale as a ghost, fear drying my mouth until I couldn’t even swallow.

Had they found out what Sunder and I had done at that tower last night?

I didn’t mean to, but my eyes darted to Sunder, who was across the room, casually talking with some of the armed guards.

He didn’t look at me, didn’t acknowledge me, and seemed at ease with the group—laughing and joking.

When I looked away, feeling even more uncertain and alone, I realized that the head guard had noticed my glance.

He was looking at me with a sharp glint in his eyes, pinning me into place until I felt like squirming.

Darn it! Sunder was right—I sucked at subterfuge.

I was terrified that I’d given myself away even more and, worse, that I’d implicated Sunder.

But Or’tal didn’t say anything, his eyes going back to his boss as Carator got to his feet and demanded an explanation.

The icy tone and the intimidating posture made me want to sink into the pillow I was seated on.

The Kertinal didn’t appear to have any such issues.

He stood his ground, and while he spoke in a respectful tone, he really didn’t look intimidated.

As I watched the interaction between the shark-like Rummicaron crimelord and the muscled, scary Kertinal, I started to wonder just who the real shark was between the two. It was starting to look like Carator wasn’t the one in charge after all—the head guard was the much more cunning of the two.

“Enough!” Carator snapped, his jaws clacking together in a snapping noise that echoed across the large room.

“Fine, I will postpone my plans for the evening and follow you out to these towers you worry about.” He sounded more bored than truly annoyed with the situation, but I caught a sharp, mean glint in his eyes when he finally looked at me.

“I will see you at dinner again tomorrow.” He stalked off without another word, following Or’tal from the room, his two Xurtal females hot on his heels.

I deflated on the spot, feeling like my entire body had just melted. I was extremely conflicted, torn between relief at not having to spend the night with the creepy shark-guy and fear that our work at the tower had been discovered. What was going on? What had Or’tal discovered?

Nobody was coming to escort me anywhere, and nobody seemed to pay any attention to me at all while I sat on that pillow, shaking from nerves.

Eventually, I struggled to my feet, my hands pulling on the tightly wrapped fabric to my left and right, trying to keep myself covered as much as I could in this ridiculous piece of clothing.

My eyes fell on my com, strapped to my wrist, and I was shocked to discover how much time had passed.

Hours had been wasted as I sat like a pretty ornament at Carator’s feet.

I’d barely eaten the food on my plate, but I wasn’t hungry anyway.

I was so filled with nerves now that I felt like my belly was one big ball of lead.

Teetering on the lace-up sandals with their stiletto-sharp heels, I tried to orient myself on how to get out of here.

I had been dismissed, so the best thing I could do was leave.

I needed to find my room, and I needed to check on the boys.

Leaving them with Uron hadn’t felt right at all, but we hadn’t had a choice, and, of everyone here, he was probably our best option.

I managed a slightly wobbly strut across the pale stone floor, flushing when I realized that I’d drawn the eye of every single male in the room.

The dancing girls had disappeared the moment Carator left, their music abruptly stopping.

I was suddenly, chillingly aware of the fact that I was the only female present—and I was dressed like a present, ready for unwrapping.

Swallowing, I tilted my head, raising my chin and looking down my nose at these males.

I pretended not to see the lascivious thoughts running through their heads, or to acknowledge that they knew, as well as I did, that Carator thought he could order me to his bed like he owned me.

If I weren’t so scared out of my mind right now about what Or’tal had discovered with the planetary defense system, I would have felt humiliated.

Nobody stopped me as I left the grand room, though the two guards flanking the door made no secret of avidly perusing my body.

Okay, maybe I was freaked out, but I was definitely feeling humiliated, too.

If not for the dire situation we were in, I would have snapped at these guards.

My stern teacher voice seemed to work on them most of the time, but I didn’t dare now.

As the panel slid shut behind me, I let out a long, pent-up breath.

I felt silly for thinking it, as I hadn’t relied on anyone in years, but I wanted Sunder to wrap me up in his wings.

I had never felt safe in this terrible place, but tonight I felt as if I were being watched from all directions— as if that disgusting crimelord could show up at any moment and drag me away.

Squaring my shoulders, I looked left and right, picked the direction I thought I needed to go, and started walking.