Page 240 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

She sighed, long and deep, tilting her head toward where we could hear the boys’ chatter—though we couldn’t currently see them, wrapped as we were in my wings. “I’m scared. I don’t want to see that monster again,” she whispered at last. “Are you sure it will be safe for the boys?”

I nodded against the soft cap of hair on her head, pressing my face against it as I inhaled the scent of the soap she used to wash.

“Yes, we’ll all be all right. We just need to hide for a little while, and then I’ll sabotage the gate, and my brothers and I will do the rest.” It was a large force of guards to fight, but none were skilled fighters like my brothers, and under their advancing force, I knew many would simply run.

“Okay,” she agreed. “After lunch, I want to reassure the boys first.” Relieved that she’d given in and was going to do the sensible thing, I dropped my wings from around us.

Tucked against my back, they now gave me all the light I needed to look down on my female, and I greedily took in her image.

She lifted her face to mine, smiling when I bent down to kiss her.

There was a sharp whistle from Uron and a hoot of laughter from my son.

Amar joined in though he didn’t understand the joke.

Aggy and I sprang apart, the female blushing as the kids and Uron laughed and stared.

I curled my arm around her shoulder, urging her toward the boys.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, “you saw that.” I flicked Jett on his nose and smiled when he gave me a huge grin in return.

Guards poured into the courtyard just as we’d finished eating lunch in the shade of one of the walls.

Aggy was sitting down, her back against the brick, and the boys were practicing some moves with Uron overseeing them.

While I’d been pacing around the courtyard, filled with restless energy and worry, I wanted to move her now, but she wanted a moment to say goodbye and had been watching the two with a worried frown on her face.

The dozen males who burst into the derelict training space were led by one of Carator’s two female guards.

The green-skinned Xurtal females were practically indistinguishable from each other, so I couldn’t tell if it was Arta or Iol.

It didn’t matter anyway; the female was on the warpath, charging across the courtyard toward Aggy.

I was all the way across from her, as far away as I could possibly be.

Later, I’d reflect that this was the only reason I didn’t do something incredibly stupid and impulsive at that point.

In the heat of the moment, I felt only despair at being unable to reach her in time.

My wings flared out, the muscles in my legs bunching in preparation to leap through the air at her.

A dozen guards stood between her and me, the dangerous Xurtal woman right in Aggy’s face.

“Impostor!” she snarled at Aggy, her soft, fragile skin going white as a sheet.

My battle-form twitched, trying to slide into place, though it already was.

I felt skin crack and break along my back, bleeding in little streams. The pain was nothing compared to the fear I felt for Aggy, for my woman, my Fire.

“What? I don’t understand…” Aggy stuttered, bravely trying to look like she wasn’t terrified out of her mind, squaring her shoulders and standing up straight.

The Xurtal woman wasn’t fooled, nobody was.

In response, I saw Jett’s battle-form appear, but he didn’t go to her, instead stepping in front of Amar.

I noted that Uron had done the same, spreading his legs into a ready stance as he stood protectively in front of the boys.

The Xurtal woman produced a pair of clunky metal cuffs and started roughly snapping them around Aggy’s slender wrists.

I fought with myself, trying to contain the urge to go to her.

I should have just picked her up and flown away with her earlier, despite her protests.

I knew something bad was going to happen, but I’d let her convince me to spend a little more time with the boys.

This was my fault, and now I couldn’t interfere without getting us all killed.

I nearly did get us killed that first instant when I realized what was happening.

Aggy didn’t protest the treatment any further, and she didn’t fight the cuffs either, which was good.

I had a feeling I knew where they’d take her next, and I hoped they meant to put her in a cell and just let her sit there for a while.

As soon as this courtyard cleared, I was taking the boys to that planetary defense tower and hiding them there.

Uron might be willing to keep up the pretense in here, and then I’d find a way to break Aggy out—before there was any talk of executions.

They started escorting her from the courtyard, the Xurtal female cruelly pulling on a chain lead and forcing her to stumble along.

Our eyes met—hers filled with fear—but her jaw was set at a determined angle.

Brave thing that she was, she nodded at me, and I felt pain lance through my chest. I had failed her, but here she was, trying to tell me it was okay.