Page 37 of Wayfinder (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #5)

In hindsight, perhaps getting myself captured wasn’t the best course of action.

It was, however, the only one that might get me closer to Willa.

I’d followed Nansar through half the galaxy for weeks, missing him by minutes, when he stopped to refuel on Planet Ulit before we hit the outskirts of the Ajaxiaun system.

When we came in sight of planet Ajaxuan and the black, spiky spires of the citadel sitting atop a rocky outcropping on Mount Aluom, I thought my quest to rescue the human Willa was within reach.

But Nansar’s shuttle didn’t stop at his father’s palace.

He continued, flying hundreds of miles west, past the lush forests and into the lifeless plains of the planet, filled with nothing but sand and rock.

I knew little of Ajaxuan except for the geography near the citadel.

Still, my heart dropped when Nansar’s ship dropped in for a landing near a desolate outpost at the bottom of a steep, craggy mesa.

Ludus Gladiatorius

The escarpment abutted the oval arena on one side, and a series of small buildings and a stone wall erected from the sedimentary rocks prevalent in the area enclosed the other side.

The realm of the gladiators.

I don’t know why I was so surprised to find a training arena.

In his youth, Duke Ako was renowned for participating in the gladiator games for sport.

He’d stopped, though, and the Alliance worked to outlaw the competitions when other beings in our universe took the games darker, using them to punish and subjugate the weaker.

Based on what my Vaktaire brethren had learned in the past few weeks, I suspected that under Nansar’s purview, the games would not be the friendly competition enjoyed by his father.

I’d landed my skiff on the shadowed side of the escarpment and spent days surveilling the munera, but saw no sign of Willa.

What I noticed was the collection of competitors gathered and training.

A plethora of species, including Elktonni, Trogvyk, and Romvesian, but thankfully no Kerzak, although the group included both Kaelaks and Irvikuva, which were almost as vicious and bloodthirsty.

A full contingent of Aljani guardsmen, thirty in all, patrolled the place.

Whatever was going on behind the munera walls, Nansar wanted it kept there—and everybody else kept out.

There were no other females, although I noticed several male Framaddi acting as servants.

They would not waste precious females on the mundane.

Females mainly served as prizes for the winning gladiator.

The idea of what Willa might be enduring in that place was the sole reason I moved my skiff, making my presence known by landing in the open area next to the escarpment and giving myself up to the guards who circled my ship before I could even get my harness off.

I wore the robes of my diplomatic station—Sage of the Bardaga, so the guards refrained from shackling me.

However, six of the largest males escorted me toward the largest stone building.

I did not fear Nansar would kill me. No, he would not risk the wrath of the Alliance.

He most likely would keep me prisoner, but at least within the walls of the arena, I would be able to find Willa and protect her.

The inside was as rustic as the outside. Dusty and unkempt, it had rough-hewn furniture made from the wood of the surrounding scrub brush. Not for comfort. Nothing was comfortable here, except perhaps the large cushioned throne in the center of the room that Nansar lounged upon.

I’d never noticed how much human Nansar held in his features before.

His countenance was that of an Aljani male, pearl horns curving back over his head, with a mane of snow-white hair and skin so pale it almost seemed translucent.

But now I could see the humanness in his green eyes and the way his features were less sharp and angled than that of his brethren.

Like his guards, he dressed in navy and teal, but instead of a uniform, he wore pants and a robe, leaving his chest bare. The dress of a ruler.

The guards marched me to stand in front of the false throne but did not move away. While I had the facade of a guest, I was as much a prisoner as if I wore chains.

“Sage Charick, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Like me, Nansar spent most of his young life in diplomatic training. While his words were polite on the surface, I sensed the malice underneath.

If I had landed at the citadel, I could have claimed a consular mission to explain my presence. Now it was mute.

“I am here for the Earth female.” I saw no reason to beat around the bush, as humans were fond of saying.

Nansar’s green eyes narrowed, and his lips pursed slightly, but he didn’t seem perturbed by my accusation that he harbored the human female. He seemed pleased.

“Ah, human Willa.” He gave a short, hateful laugh at his admission. “I’m sorry. She is a gift for my father’s upcoming birthday.”

Rumors abound that Duke Ako finding pleasure in the flesh of human females, but after what my Vaktaire brethren had discovered about Nansar in recent weeks, I had my doubts regarding those rumors. I had my doubts regarding those rumors.

“You know it is against Alliance law to further the slave trade of Earthlings.” I reminded him.

Nansar laughed loudly, a hateful, fake sound.

“You have it all wrong, Sage Charick. Willa is not to be given to my father as a gift but as a champion.”

“A champion?” I blinked at him, truly dumbfounded. While Willa seemed to be taller than my Chieftain’s mate, Emmy, she was still tiny and fragile.

Nansar’s lips curved upward, a slow, bloodthirsty smile that made fury race along my bones.

“You cannot mean to put a human female in the gladiator games.” I snapped, barely controlling the urge to leap at him.

Nansar laughed and pointed to a spot high on his cheek where the remains of a bruise remained visible on his pale skin. “The human female counts herself as a warrior.”

She’d hurt him. Pride raced along my veins like lava.

My mate.

I knew it the first time I’d caught her scent in the air. Sweet, but with an underlying spiciness and heat. I knew it by the way my heart ripped in two, watching her struggle as Nansar carried her aboard his ship.

I’d long heard rumblings that the belief a Vaktaire was unable to mate with other species was untrue. Even if I hadn’t witnessed the mating of my Chieftain Khaion with the human Emmy. A true mating. I would still know.

Willa was mine and I would play any game Nansar wanted to reach her side.

“Well, the Aljani are not known for their warrior prowess,” I quipped, cocking a brow in disdain.

Nansar bristled at my comment, shifting in his seat to give himself height. I was taller than his tallest guard by more than a few inches.

“I will enjoy watching the female in the pits.” Nansar’s lips curled into a sneer.

His comment meant to provoke me. The bloodthirstiness on his face made me want to kill him, but even though I could take Nansar easily, the guards surrounding me and the other dozen or so occupying the room might pose a problem.

Even though I doubted none of them held the skill of a Vaktaire warrior, sometimes quantity beat quality.

It was a painful effort to keep my hands clasped together when all I wanted to do was tear Nansar’s throat out.

I forced myself to relax. I couldn’t let Nansar know what Willa meant to me. No doubt it would put her in even graver danger. I was, however, a Sage and could quote Alliance regulation with the best of them. “Sanctioned murder is against alliance regulations as well.”

“Murder?” Nansar scoffed. “You know my father only permits the games for sport.”

Nansar might be hiding behind his father’s reputation, but I held no doubt the games he planned would be bloody and deadly. I would play along for now.

“If you want a good sport for your sire’s birthday, why use a fragile human?” I shrugged, although inside, the idea of Willa fighting for her life made me seethe.

“I have my reasons.” Nansar gave a flippant wave.

He spoke the truth… and that’s what worried me the most.

“May I make a suggestion?” Nansar’s eyebrows raised slightly. “For my penance in landing on Ajaxuan uninvited. I will fight in the munera in her stead.”

Nansar laughed at the suggestion, truly amused. “You? You are a man of diplomacy and peace.”

If he only knew. But now wasn’t the time to wallow in the dark, painful memories. I had a mate to find and protect, and I’d break every vow I’d ever gave the goddess to do it.

“I am a Vaktaire. Being a warrior is in my blood.” I grinned at him, enjoying the way he squirmed in his seat.

It only lasted a moment, though, before the green eyes narrowed on me.

“What is your true interest in this human?” Nansar’s lips curled, and I forced away the desire to bellow the Vaktaire war cry and attack.

I shrugged, trying to seem disinterested. “As Sage of the Bardaga, protecting abducted humans is my directive from the Alliance.”

“Hmmm,” Nansar tapped his lip with a forefinger. “I have heard rumors that some aboard your ship have found mates within the human women.”

To use an Earth word, I favored… Fuck . I schooled my features to complacency and met his gaze.

“You know the vow to serve aboard the Baraga requires the denouncement of a mate.”

“Perhaps.”

Nansar’s green eyes bore into mine, and I honestly couldn’t tell whether or not he believed me. Thankfully, a moment later, he slouched into his seat and gave a disinterested wave.

“Well, you do owe me penance for the unauthorized landing. If you are so eager to enter the arena, who am I to keep you away?” Nansar jerked his chin, and the guards crowded around me once more. “We shall see your worth as a warrior, Sage. Take him to the arena.”

“You will release the human to my brethren?” I pressed, even though I had no intention of waiting for the Bardaga. I would find my Willa and make our escape.

“No. I have plans for the human.”

I swallowed back the growl that rose in my throat as the guards pressed me into motion. We exited the building, skirting along the edge of the area until we approached the smaller, one-room dwelling used to house the gladiators.

“You will dwell here, Sage. Meals are served at dawn and dusk.” The largest of the guards said, giving me a slight push toward a small abode. It smelled as musty and dusty as the last place.

The six guards didn’t glance back as they left me. I’m sure they thought the area was escape-proof. We would see, but first, I needed to find my mate.

I lifted my head and drew in a deep breath, letting the scents flow into my consciousness.

There was the faint plastic scent of the protein porridge leftover from breakfast. The gamey scent of unwashed males was most prevalent, followed by the scent of sand and rock—earthy and fresh.

I blew out my breath and tried again. The scent of an unkempt abode tickled my nostrils, and I nearly sneezed, but then…

. Faint, like a whisper in the air, floral and spice, feminine and courageous.

Willa.

I followed the scent along an uneven stone walkway past the other stone houses until I reached the last building, abutting the escarpment.

Three stone steps led into a darkened entryway.

I took the first step, fighting the smile that threatened to break across my face at the idea of finally meeting my mate.

“What do you want here, Vaktaire?”

The male voice was low, threatening, and protective.

“I seek the human female Willa. I wish to speak to her.” I took another step, and the growl deepened, followed by a shuffle of movement as a figure stepped from the shadows.

Holy fucking goddess!

Adtovar.

I’d only met him once, during the dark days of my youth. He was older now but still tall, heavily muscled, and glaring at me with the murderous glint that made him famous.

The greatest gladiator in the universe.

Sunlight glinted off his pearlescent horns as he tilted his head, measuring me. Finally, his mouth curved, apparently unimpressed.

“You wish to see the human female Vaktaire? Then you must get through me.”