Page 25 of Healing Creek (Arena Dogs #3)

Chapter Twenty

Saturn’s voice had been too damned loud and the whole room was now looking at them.

“Wait,” said Samantha from across the room, sitting at the table where Mercury had made sure she was comfortable. “You have female Arena Dogs here? Why did I never ask this before?”

Mercury tapped her shoulder. “Because we know most here came from near death on the arena floor. It has been a long time since females were allowed to fight.”

“We only have one female,” said Max. “And she often grows tired of the males who think they can claim her.”

Creek laughed. “Only a fool would think to try.” As he spoke, he realized Grace had gone very still. He’d had no reason to speak to her about Neri, so it must be as much of a surprise to her as to the others.

Max yipped in agreement. “She’ll come back when she’s ready and not before.”

Grail growled. “Why are we talking about females when we should be talking about the consequences of Creek divulging the location of Haven. He brought humans with him, for fuck’s sake. A whole ship full of them if our intel is correct.”

The accusation struck Creek like a kidney blow. Never had he given up the location of Haven, not even after the most brutal beating he’d ever endured.

The sound of chair legs sliding back sliced through the room like claws on metal. Samantha stood. “Creek never divulged your location.”

Shock rolled through him that Mercury’s mate would stand for him.

Grail growled again. “The sentries saw him leading you here.”

Mercury growled in defense of his mate.

“O—kay,” said Samantha. “He led us down the ravine. So what? That just saved us some time. It was one of your resistance operatives on Roma that gave us the coordinates. And I’ll personally vouch for every member of our crew.”

Mercury’s growl rolled along his throat before he added, “And I stand with my mate in support of our brother, Creek.”

Grail laughed, raw and shocking. “You don’t know who he is! What he is.” He stared down Creek with a mocking smile. “You didn’t tell them.”

Creek said nothing. Grace put her hand over his in a show of support.

“A cage fighter of house Yazzi,” supplied Grail.

“The one our people called the executioner.” Grail switched his attention back to Mercury.

“He killed two of my brothers. Not the honorable death of a gladiator. Ripped them apart in a cage with humans waving credits in the air, betting on how many blows it would last. How many of your house did he kill?”

Creek swallowed down the regret that wanted to be loosed on a wail. He put his hands up in a call for peace, leaving the comfort of Grace’s hand behind. To be called out on his past, and in front of her, no less.

“There are more important things to speak of than the past. I’m not needed here. I will leave so you can all get to a more productive conversation.” He bowed to Mercury in thanks for his defense, even if that support would now be withdrawn.

He led Grace to Mercury and Samantha then strode to the door and shoved it open. As it swung closed behind him, he heard Grail laugh. “There he goes, running again.”

***

Grace was shocked. Not by anything that had been said, but that Creek had left her there.

He should have known she’d prefer to be at his side.

She would gladly have left the room with him.

It had to be a sign of how hurt and uncertain he was with the revelation of his past in front of Mercury’s pack.

She’d been so pleased to see Lo come to his side.

“You should choose your friends more wisely.” Grail growled his words seemingly at the entire room.

Lo still stood close and he didn’t hesitate in defending Creek. “He fights beside us.”

Grail growled again. “Oh, does he? Interesting.”

Lo barked his need for explanation.

“Maybe you never had a friend face the executioner. You don’t know what he is.” Grail snickered.

“He’s an Arena Dog,” said Lo.

“Maybe by his genetics, but his kind are nothing like us. They’re raised differently. They fight alone,” explained Grail.

Lo frowned. “His kind?”

“His house—”

Saturn yipped beside Lo. “House Yazzi’s Dogs are slaves as were we all.”

Grail shook his head, and rage filled his eyes.

Mercury barked, drawing Saturn’s attention. He dipped a chin to Mercury’s dominance and explained, “Creek was marked for cage fighting from birth. The Yazzi cage fighters are isolated. Never allowed to bond with others. When they fight, it’s brutal.”

Grail growled. “Creek was the worst of them all. Used to punish Dogs from other houses. A Dog that had never seen a cage match had no chance of defeating him.” Grail puffed up his chest. “Creek has the blood of honorable Dogs on his hands.”

“Don’t we all?” Mercury frowned. “Who among us has not killed one of our own?”

“He killed my pack brother,” Grail shouted.

“Creek has killed many.” Saturn stared Grail down. “He had no choice. Not when he killed your brother. Not when he killed you.”

Ah, that explained the man’s hate. Grace had heard enough. She started forward to follow Creek. She hesitated a moment, surveying the faces surrounding her. “He never said a word against any of you. He could have swayed Mercury’s pack against you, but he didn’t.”

She strode toward the door, heart breaking for Creek. Grail stepped into her path. He tossed his head to indicate over her shoulder. “Lady Eve wants you to stay.”

“Lady Eve?” Lady Eve. The name rang in her memory where a simple Eve had not. She spun on her heal to look at the woman. “Lady Eve,” she whispered the name again. She could see it. The resemblance.

“Do you know each other,” Samantha asked.

“No.” Grace shook her head. “I don’t know her, but I know who she is.” She threw back her shoulders to steel herself for the accusation she felt to her bones. “She’s the daughter of Lady Alara Bonita of House Bonita, one of the five owners of Roma.”

Lady Eve didn’t look a bit worried by the announcement. Her head dipped slightly in acknowledgement. “Everyone here knows who I am and that I’m not my mother.”

Mercury and his pack were all growling low. The others started growling in return.

“Not Creek,” Grace said, voice clear and certain. “He didn’t know. He wouldn’t have kept that from us.” He wouldn’t have kept it from her.

Max barked and silence fell. “Eve’s loyalty has been more than proven. And Creek was not with us long enough to be told of her identity. We prefer to reveal it after our new residents have become more comfortable with us. Now, please everyone, sit. Creek was right that we have much to discuss.”

“You don’t need me here,” said Grace.

“But we do,” said Eve. “There is the matter of your identity to discuss. And the problems you and your sister are causing.”

Grail motioned Grace to the table. “I suspect you’ll want to be here for that.”

What choice did she have? With a longing glance at the door, she sat.

“Grace has my protection,” said Mercury. “She is no threat to you.”

Eve spoke placidly. “Did you know her family was responsible for creating the Arena Dogs for Roma?”

Mercury nodded. “Grace told us about our creator, yes. She also told us that her sister is being forced to work for Roma.”

“Do you have news of my sister?” asked Grace.

Eve ignored her question. “Did she also tell you that Roma has a bounty on her. For some reason, they believe Grace could be the answer to resolving the fertility issues.”

The news smacked Grace in the gut. “Me?” Did Jennifer tell Roma her theory that solving the problems of one would solve the problems of the other. No, she never would have told.

Samantha spoke calmly. “Roma was using Grace to motivate her sister’s work.”

Mercury urged Samantha to take a seat. “We’ve already thwarted one attempt to take Grace back after we freed her.”

“I believe it’s more than that,” said a man in a blue medic’s coat. “The Hobbs-Venters used genetic manipulation on their own children. I think it’s more likely something in her DNA holds the key to restoring Arena Dog reproduction.”

Grace’s stomach fell to her knees, and she heeded the sudden need to sit. He shouldn’t have known that.

Eve waved a hand at the medic who’d been introduced earlier as Jon Zachary, part of the guiding council. “In addition to being our chief medic, Jon has been working on this problem for us for years.”

There was sadness in Eve’s eyes and Grace wondered if the woman, probably in the middle of life, had hoped to give her mate a child. A free child.

Zachary quickly took the chair across from Grace. “With your consent I’d like to do a DNA scan while you’re here. Perhaps take a sample or two.”

Fear gripped her. A DNA scan would leave them with more questions than answers. “I assure you, I’ve been tested a million times. There is nothing special about me. I’m the least interesting of my siblings. Genetic or otherwise.”

Samantha came to her rescue. “Maybe if you help us locate Jennifer Doudna she’ll be able to tell us exactly what Roma is looking for.”

Thank heavens, Creek had been right. They, or at least Samantha, had come to the conclusion that her sister was worth rescuing. Grace wanted to leap up from the table and hug her.

Eve took her seat and the men followed her lead, settling in around the large wooden table. “We have good intelligence about the location of the research lab where she’s working—”

“But we have a more pressing problem,” Max finished.

Eve focused her gaze on Samantha. “One I believe you’ll be interested in.”

Max continued, “We recently received a report that House Bonita has started a new attempt at natural breeding. This time with Cirrillian females, taken captive on Haverlee.”

Samantha clutched at Mercury’s arm. “Stars, no.”

Mercury reached for his mate, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sure your mother is fine. She’s not of breeding age.”

Samantha leaned into him. “I know but—”

“Forced breeding is a terrible fate for any female,” Mercury supplied.