Page 348 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

Jakar

Sitting with our backs against the wall, side by side, Meena and I tried to figure out what our best course of action was going to be.

Right now, with the pain collar around my neck, I wouldn’t be any help in a fight, and I hated it.

At least she had pulled me back out of my spiral of dark thoughts and into the here and now.

I was still grinning about her methods. Those definitely worked.

Just the brush of her shoulder against my own was enough to center me in this moment.

I had to put all my focus on her, on getting her out of here before that rich asshole came to see us.

She still wore the jewelry I had made for her, but I knew she wouldn’t have those once he had taken her.

They might not even bring her back to this cell.

What could we do now? My eyes fell back on the beads I’d painstakingly carved and painted, lying against her silky throat.

The clasp, would it be strong enough to pry the lid off my pain collar?

These things were meant to be tamper-proof, delivering immense pain to anyone touching the thing if you messed with it the wrong way.

I could try one of my sharp claws, but it was too thick to really work for prying off the lid.

Once it was off, I could use it to cut the wires, though…

It would just be really painful, possibly so painful I’d pass out before I could finish the job.

That’s usually how it went. I’d seen more than one male attempt it, but often, they weren’t just rigged to be painful.

An alarm would go off, and guards would converge on the unlucky bastard in seconds.

I knew Ziame and Abigail had managed it.

That’s how we’d successfully rebelled against our captors and freed ourselves.

I also knew they had had to transfer us to a new ship that wasn’t rigged with the alarm system.

On top of that, the guards were reduced to less than half their number after a pirate attack.

They wouldn’t have managed it were it not for those circumstances.

Scanning the dark hallway, I once again looked at the three cells across from ours.

I was pretty sure they were all empty, but I couldn’t tell if there was anyone in the cell on either side of us.

I didn’t care one way or another if anyone had heard us, but for Meena’s sake, I hoped they were empty, too.

That did mean that we were sorely lacking in potential allies.

Why did this guy have all his cells empty on his ship?

I opened my mouth to suggest to Meena that we try breaking my pain collar. I knew she was tough; she could probably work through the initial shock just like me. The sound coming from the end of the hallway made me snap it shut again, dread pooling in my stomach. Too late, they were here.

Meena shifted even closer to me, curling both her arms around my lower arm and hanging on tightly.

“Oh no, please don’t let them be here for me, Jakar,” she whispered against my skin, her words barely more than a soft breath.

She knew I couldn’t answer that question.

That was the most likely reason they were here, and I hated it as much as she did.

The woman I loved was about to get terribly hurt, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

They turned the lights on, flooding the hallway and the cells with a glaring whiteness that revealed every dirt stain covering the floors and walls.

Two men walked up to the front of our bars, but I didn’t move to get up.

I could leap into action at a moment’s notice; I didn’t need to stand to be a threat to them. Let them think we were down and out.

I recognized the first male as the cheating Kertinal bastard I’d fought with down in Exka at the port.

His left horn was chipped at the tip now from one of my blows, and I took pride in seeing that.

Kertinal could get really vain about their horns, and I’d damaged his.

He was sneering down at us, his green uniform tight over his bulging muscles, his chest all puffed out.

Posturing because he knew he’d actually lost against me.

He was smarting and trying to make up for it.

It was the other male who was the real threat.

This one was smaller, an Elrohirian with his Caratan chain shining with medallions.

My brother Thorin was the same species, and I always heard Camila call him her elf.

They had banished him and stripped him of his medallions, his sigils.

Then they forced him to wear a pariah one to remind him of his supposed crime.

This male… he clearly still held a place of pride in his family.

They still claimed him as their own. Yet he did despicable things, like owning slaves, females in particular.

This was true evil wrapped up in a beautiful, sophisticated package and hiding in plain sight.

Dressed in a fancy robe that was open over a soft pair of pants, his skinny chest was on display—his skin a pale, milky white.

Long, pale hair draped around his shoulders in silvery strands so fine and pretty they glowed like actual silver.

His delicately pointed ears stuck through his hair, a crown of gold circling the top of his head.

Not a big, ostentatious crown, but a fine one made to look like thorns and vines, glittering with green gems.

His eyes were glowing green too, a bright light that shone like a beacon as they latched onto Meena’s face.

Then the expression turned from gloating excitement to fury in a heartbeat.

“You miserable idiot!” he spat out, turning away from Meena and me to face his companion.

“What did I pay you for, Dar’kol? My female! This isn’t my female!”

The Kertinal male, Dar’kol, took an actual step back from the rich asshole, his expression worried.

Ah, so he was scared of this guy; he wasn’t the biggest bad in the room.

That was right, Meena had mentioned that they had wanted Katja, but had taken her by mistake instead. Maybe that would buy us some time.

Watching avidly, Meena and I didn’t say a word.

We just watched with bated breath to see what was about to happen.

The fancy asshole was spouting a lot of venom as he tore into his hired muscle with words alone.

But I could see that his hand was on something beneath his robe.

He was holding a weapon at the ready, and Dar’kol feared for his life.

“I wanted the one I bought! I paid for you to get her! The black-haired one with the fair skin!” he yelled, and I looked sideways at Meena.

Her soft, silky skin was indeed not pale, but a lovely shade of tan, which was not a color that occurred among Elrohirians.

They were always pale-skinned, with even paler shades of hair.

A female like Katja would be extremely attractive to a guy like this, exotic, but close enough to pass for his own kind.

His loss, Katja was nothing compared to Meena in my eyes.

“But, Sir… this one matches your description. This was the only one my man saw,” Dar’kol dared to defend.

“We already smuggled her off Rakex through your diplomatic friend. We can’t go back.

” It only enraged the male more. I knew his type; he’d throw a massive tantrum because he hadn’t been given exactly what he wanted.

Then he’d make everyone he felt had caused his distress pay for it.

We wouldn’t have long until he turned on Meena and me.

“I don’t care! Fix this! What the fuck do I pay you for, anyway?

Do I need to get someone else to fix your freaking mess?

” The male’s hand finally came out from beneath his robe, holding out a slender, flashy-looking laser pistol.

I didn’t know much about this type of weapon—more since I’d gained my freedom—but not enough to recognize what this one did.

I could tell from the expression on the Kertinal’s face that it was a bad one, despite its tiny size.

Not just your average laser weapon, then, no wonder the asshole felt so empowered while holding it.

“What’s happening?” Meena whispered, her fingers digging into my skin where she clung to me.

I liked that she was seeking me out for protection now, but I hated that she was scared.

That male was a loose cannon, at any moment, he could pull the trigger in a fit of rage, killing not just Dar’kol but us too.

Our best bet was to stay as quiet as we could, not move, and avoid drawing his attention.

It wasn’t the warrior’s way—it was a little cowardly, even—but I hadn’t survived in Drameil’s slave stables for as long as I had without knowing when to hide. There was no shame in that.

“Sssh, don’t draw his attention,” I whispered back under my breath.

Meena gave me a nod and leaned in even closer, practically crawling into my lap.

She kept her movements slow, following my advice, but I had a feeling it was going to be inevitable.

That asshole would turn on us sooner rather than later.

“Sir Firxyrran,” Dar’kol tried. His orange eyes darted once from the Elrohirian male to me, tightening his features.

It was making him furious that I was witnessing this.

“I will go back and personally fetch the right female. Please, let me show you that this can be fixed!” It was the phrase the spiteful male wanted to hear, and he finally paused his advance on the much bigger guard.

Green eyes narrowed to slits, their brightness muted.

A regal nod was the only answer, but the Kertinal male didn’t wait for more.

He spun on his heel and ran from the cell block like a shot from a bow.