Page 13 of Tempting Jupiter (Arena Dogs #2)

Chapter Ten

The moment the crew disappeared with the woman, Jupiter gave into his thumping pulse and reached for his pack brother.

When Seneca stepped back, Jupiter hesitated.

His belly clenched and his muscles stilled to stone.

He hadn’t seen that hesitation from his friend in years.

Was that small step a natural show of respect for Jupiter’s greater size in the small space of the cell?

Or a memory from his past, dragging fear or shame into the present?

If anyone had harmed Seneca… brought back those feelings with their actions, Jupiter would find them.

He’d rip off every body part that had touched his pack brother.

No, he’d hold them down and let Seneca do it for himself.

Jupiter waited, letting Seneca speak to him with those soulful eyes of his.

Eyes that told him Sen didn’t want the distance he’d made between them.

That he needed Jupiter close. In truth, Jupiter needed that too.

Slowly, he put a hand on Sen’s shoulder.

On the training field or on the battlefield Jupiter allowed no distance between them.

There, hesitation could be death. There, everything was clear.

There, only survival mattered. But in this, nothing was as simple as it seemed.

Seneca closed the distance, moving in until only a few centimeters separated them.

He bowed his head and Jupiter mirrored the movement.

The press of their foreheads was a gesture they’d shared for years.

It was familiar and comforting, but with their recent brush with death blazed freshly in their memories, it wasn’t enough.

Not for either of them. Tension vibrated through Sen’s body.

His scent let Jupiter know Sen would welcome a move for more closeness.

Jupiter pulled his pack brother into his arms and the smaller Dog melted against him, clutching him tightly.

Memories of their last moments in the arena shuddered through Jupiter, leaving him shaken. He cradled Sen’s head in his hands and tipped it up, cupping him from smooth jaw to that silky fine hair at the curve of his skull. “I thought you died.”

Sen’s hands stroked his back, wiping away the memories. “We’re alive.”

Jupiter nodded as his chest filled with pride at the fierce set of Sen’s jaw. His pack brother was strong. In some ways, even stronger than Jupiter. He slipped his hands back down to the smaller Dog’s shoulders and squeezed before easing away. “Now, we just have to stay alive.”

“I saw Owens.” The words rushed out, as if Seneca couldn’t stand their taste any longer.

Hatred fired through Jupiter at the mention of the man who’d owned them all their lives. “Owens is here?”

Seneca shook his head. “Owens was talking to the Captain over a long range communication system. He thinks he can use the ship we were on to find the people who helped us.”

Jupiter wanted to howl. Regret that he hadn’t been able to defend their rescuers turned his anger inward. “The men from the ship are dead. No one else survived when they boarded the ship.”

“I don’t mean the crew,” said Seneca. “Owens believes they were part of something bigger. He wants to use the ship’s computers to track back to their home base. There might be others there. Other Dogs.” Seneca pressed his palm against the center of Jupiter’s chest. “We can’t let Owens find them.”

That thought churned in Jupiter’s gut. “You’re right.” He put his hand over Sen’s and pressed it more firmly against his skin. “There’s no reason to think we were the first to be freed from the arena.”

“Someone saved us from death.” Uneasiness laced through Sen’s voice.

“Hmm,” Jupiter grunted and let his hand fall away from Sen’s. “Our brothers must think we’re dead.”

“Yes.” Sen settled onto the metal bunk, freeing up more space for Jupiter to move. “Dogs die in the arena all the time. How many of them are still alive?”

He didn’t care, Jupiter realized as he stared at the top of Sen’s silver-white head. He didn’t care as long as Sen was one of them. Alive and strong. “There had to be someone working with them, someone working for Roma.”

Sen straightened and looked up. “A trainer or a guard? Maybe a medic?”

Jupiter pictured the faces of all the possibilities and couldn’t accept that any of the humans would help the Dogs. “No way to know.”

Sen rolled his shoulders and Jupiter wished they had room to spar.

He needed to stretch his muscles, but simple stretches were never enough for him.

He needed something more energetic. Always had…

and why did that lead him to thoughts of the woman?

Just because she’d had a…satisfying way of relieving his restlessness, that didn’t mean he should be wondering if she was still on the ship.

“Okay.” Jupiter announced. “We make destroying that ship our priority. If there are more Dogs out there, we have to keep Roma from finding them.”

A sense of purpose settled into him and the weight of helplessness fell away. They had a goal. A priority. With those came direction and focus.

“Agreed,” Seneca said, eyes serious and somber. “If Dogs are living free…we’ll ensure they stay free.”

Jupiter nodded and they shared a moment of silent accord.

Seneca tilted his head to the side. His ears twitched and his eyes narrowed as he climbed back to his feet.

A buzzing sensation tickled Jupiter’s ears with a familiar melodic zing.

The noise came from down the hall, and they both peered through the shimmering barrier that formed the front of the cell, waiting for the source to appear.

Fee’s small flying machine zipped into the main room of the brig and flew straight to the panel that controlled the cell door.

Seneca turned his face to Jupiter and raised an eyebrow. Words that had started to form on his lips froze in place as a discordant rhythm came from the small device.

Jupiter shook his head, uncertain why Fee’s small flying machine, Bug, had returned, but he didn’t think it had been part of her plan. “Something must be wrong.”

The pulse field flickered, then winked off. Bug jerked away from the panel and headed toward the hallway. He and Seneca leaped across the invisible line where the barrier had stood.

“She wants us to follow.” Seneca was already trailing the device.

They stayed close as Bug zipped along the corridor near the ceiling. Fee’s voice echoed in Jupiter’s memory… if I can help you find a way off this ship, I will . Was that what this was? Had she found a way to help them?

As he and Seneca ran easily, side-by-side, he considered the situation and his own surprising reactions.

When he’d seen the device, he hadn’t even considered that it might be a trick.

He trusted Fee, possibly the first human to earn that from him.

But why did Sen seem so willing to follow her blindly?

He studied his pack brother. “How do you know about the device?”

Sen’s brows drew together. “She used it to speak to me in the med center and just now in the cell.” Sen’s eyes shifted away. “She saved you.”

She’d checked on Seneca just as she’d told him.

Seneca shot a glance at the flying device that had returned to hover closer. “He can’t hear you,” he said, clearly not talking to Jupiter. “Our hearing is different.” They locked gazes and Sen spoke again. “She says to tell you she has a plan.”

Of course, she did. Jupiter remembered her lecturing him on the value of a good plan. “She probably has a schedule too,” he mumbled.

***

Seneca kept pace with Jupiter as they ran behind the winged machine.

With their natural healing abilities and good medical care, they were both recovering quickly.

Seneca’s muscles heated and stretched. Strength pounded through him.

Despite the uncertainties surrounding them, the moment felt right as they settled into the rhythm of the run.

Against his will, his thoughts drifted to Jupiter and the woman and speculation on what had happened between them.

He’d bitten back the temptation to ask Jupiter when he’d first entered the small cell.

Their scent, not distinct but intertwined, had been everywhere, but especially on the bunk. And her scent had been on Jup’s skin.

Arousal had been there. Jupiter’s arousal, dominant and distinct.

Seneca might not have scented it often, but that scent had been seared into his memory—it featured in all his impossible fantasies.

He’d known Jupiter was attracted to women.

Females of their kind were scarce. But recently a female had been given to their pack.

She and Carn, one of their brothers, had bonded as mates.

It was their way to share all things. And when the female was willing, a mate most of all.

It created a bond that ensured they would all protect and provide for her.

They’d all fucked her. All but Diablo, the least stable of their brothers.

So, Seneca had known Jupiter desired females.

It had been the strength of the scent that had shocked him.

But the moment for questions had passed and they ran in silence.

They followed the little machine through the ship as bland hallways gave way to an even blander gray metal bulkhead. The space opened up around them and they ran at full speed for more than the length of the arena field. It gave him a sense of the ship’s size. Big.

The tiny flying machine stopped in front of a hatch, latching onto a control panel. Seneca found it hard to stop moving and wait. His muscles were warm and his genetically engineered body hummed.

“Seneca.” The high-pitched mechanical voice snagged his attention. “Stand clear. When the hatch opens, don’t go through. You guys hang in there.”

He relayed the message to Jupiter with a shrug. He could hear the woman’s words, but that didn’t mean he understood what she was up to.