Protector:A Scifi Alien Romance(3)
Up here, the gladiatorial fights in the arena were a wild, brutal show for the masses. People came from all over the occupied systems, and paid a lot of money to watch the gladiators fight. Many stayed on to spend more on all the delights offered in the hedonistic District—casinos, brothels, restaurants, and shows.
The gladiators were a strange mix. Some were sold into slavery to the Kor Magna Arena and fought to earn their freedom; some came willingly to hone their fighting skills. Most left as fast as starships could carry them, but some, like him, earned their freedom and made a home here, instead.
However, the arena battles were never fights to the death. Gladiators were big investments for the Houses who fed them, trained them, and healed them. It was a different story in the hidden, underground world in the bowels under the arena. There, in the illegal fight rings, stolen fighters were forced to fight to the death.
“Galen says all known entrances to the fight rings have been closed down. They’ve been blocked off, or filled up. No invites are being issued to spectators, either.”
He saw a muscle tick in the side of Madeline’s face.
Lore continued. “Our contact, Zhim—”
She straightened. “The information merchant.”
“Yes. Anything worth knowing on Carthago, Zhim knows. And he’ll sell it, for a price.”
“You think that the Srinar have closed the fight rings?”
Lore considered lying, and making it easier for her. But something told him that a woman like Madeline Cochran wouldn’t appreciate lies, no matter how pretty they were.
“No. They’ve just gone deeper. The Srinar have gotten more careful and better at hiding. The underground fight rings are too profitable for them to shut down.”
She let out a breath. “So, Blaine is still fighting for his life.”
Lore felt a stab of pity for the man. Fighting to the death just to survive. What would that do to a man’s soul?
“I have to find him.” Fire ignited in Madeline’s eyes, mixed with a healthy dose of stubbornness.
Lore liked seeing it. He’d take anger over the sadness that had been drowning in her eyes before.
He turned his head a little and looked back through the doorway into the party. His fellow gladiators were having a great time. He saw tattoo-covered Raiden with his trademark red cloak, and by his side another woman of Earth, Harper. Her friend Rory was beside her, laughing, her unique, flame-colored hair a riot around her face. Behind Rory, her lover Kace stood tall and alert.
When the women spotted Lore and Madeline, they waved madly, gesturing for them to come inside.
“Your friends are calling you,” he said.
Indecision flitted over Madeline’s face. “They’re not my friends. They weren’t before.”
Lore smiled and offered her his arm. “I think they are now, whether you like it or not.”
She reluctantly put her arm in his and he led her toward the door. Their bodies brushed together and he felt a lick of heat. He wondered why she appealed to him so much, but he decided to just enjoy it. Feeling mischievous, he purposely brushed against her again, slipping the bloom he’d gotten for her into tiny rope belted around her waist.
She instantly put some space between them. “Back off.”
“I seem to have trouble doing that. A minute with you is far more interesting than an hour in that party, especially when I seem to irritate you so easily.”
She scowled. “I don’t like you.”
“Fair enough, but you don’t really know me. And I’m not entirely sure I like you, either.”
“Are you always this reasonable?” she muttered.
“Mostly.”
They took another step and as Lore reached for the door, she hissed and stumbled. She pressed a hand to her stomach.
He frowned. “What is it?”
She straightened. “Nothing. Just something I ate.” She pushed past him to head inside.
She’d barely eaten anything. Lore followed more slowly. He loved women, and more than anything, he was a sucker for a damsel in distress.
He watched the sway of Madeline’s hips under her white dress as she walked away. Yes, a complete pushover for a sexy, beautiful damsel. Not that Madeline would appreciate the title.
Chapter Two
Madeline slipped the books back onto the shelf in a neat order. Most of them had been left in haphazard piles on the nearby desk. All the books were in different alien languages that she couldn’t read. The implant she’d been given by the Thraxians meant she could speak and understand various alien languages, but she couldn’t read them.
She turned, studying the chest of drawers in the corner that was overflowing, and clearly lacking any sort of organization. She grabbed the notepad she’d had Rory find for her, and started scrawling some notes. She had several ideas for a better filing system, and, after that, she was going to start work on improving inventory for the kitchen and cleaning staff. Over the last few weeks, she’d studied everything the workers at the House of Galen did. The imperator ensured things ran smoothly in his house, but she knew they were overstocked in some things, and understocked in others. She could certainly make it more efficient.