Protector:A Scifi Alien Romance(53)
Her mouth was open as she stared at him.
Behind her, Cerria’s remains fell to the ground.
Lore spun to attack the final guards…only to find them running for their lives.
He let the flames die, and strode toward Madeline. She just stared at him, and he couldn’t read her face.
A tiny seed of doubt burrowed under Lore’s skin, and his steps slowed. He couldn’t tell if it was fear in her eyes… Then she ran and leaped into his arms, her arms and legs wrapping around him.
“Now that was a show,” she said.
He pulled her in tight to him. “Don’t ever be afraid of me.”
“Never.”
“I never used my ability to save Yelena. I didn’t know how.”
Madeline pressed her cheek to his. “She wouldn’t have blamed you, dushla.”
His heart clenched at her use of his endearment.
“We have company,” Blaine said in a deep, rusty voice, interrupting the moment.
Lore lifted his head. Blaine, the beast-man, and women had closed in. They were staring at a new set of guards entering the fight ring. Lore looked up at Vashto in the stands. His face was a terrible mask, as he stared down at the spot where his lover had died.
“All guards to the ring,” Vashto yelled. “Kill them. Kill them all!”
Lore set Madeline down, pushing her to the center of their group. They were outnumbered, and without weapons.
“Turn the fire back on,” Blaine said.
“I’m tapped out,” Lore answered. He felt like he’d been running for days and his energy was low. “I’ll do what I can.”
The guards moved as a tight unit, holding up interlocking shields. These were trained fighters.
Suddenly, a large body leaped down from above and landed on the sand in a crouch in front of them.
Then the man stood, rising with a sword in hand. His tattoos were stark on his skin, and his red cloak flared out behind him.
Another man landed with a powerful grace, skidding on the sand, and raising his sword. His scarred face and icy gaze focused on the incoming guards.
“Raiden,” Lore said with relief. “Galen. About drakking time.”
A second later, Thorin’s big body landed, followed by Harper and Nero. Kace and Saff hit the sand, both of them landing with graceful rolls.
Above them, other gladiators filled the ledges, chasing off guests and fighting the guards. Lore stared at the fighters, recognizing gladiators from other houses. All allies of the House of Galen.
“For honor and freedom!” Galen bellowed.
All around Lore, his friends lifted their weapons and their voices. “For honor and freedom!”
Lore looked at Madeline and raised his own weapon.
And for love.
***
Saff
As usual, Saff threw herself headlong into the fight.
Her muscles were practically vibrating, and with a determined smile, she swung her sword. With her other hand, she tossed her net device. It exploded outward, taking down two of the Srinar guards.
All around her, her fellow gladiators fought with shouts and focused determination.
A Srinar charged at her and she thrust her sword into him. She pulled back and spun to face another. She was filled with energy, the excitement of battle charging through her.
What happened down here in the fight rings was an abomination. And she was more than glad to play a part in taking it down.
She wrenched her blade out of another enemy just as a giant, blue, tattooed body rushed past her.
Drak. She watched as the wild man hammered into the line of guards with a fierce brutality. She made a mental note not to get on that guy’s bad side.
Suddenly, the ground vibrated beneath her feet. She turned and saw a gorgo lumbering out of one of the gates.
She flashed a grim smile. Good. This fight hadn’t been challenging enough. The reptilian beasts were banned from the legitimate arena, since the taste of blood sent them into a feeding frenzy. Rory had once told her the creature resembled something from Earth called Godzilla.
The beast moved forward, and Saff raced toward it. It glanced her way, roared, and charged.
She dived, rolled, and came back up on her feet. She pivoted, watching the gorgo stomping its feet, turning around to come back at her again.
It started toward her, gathering speed, and Saff bounced on her feet, ready to attack.
A big male body rushed in front of her. She watched the man leap onto the creature and stab his sword into the gorgo’s back.
He was stealing her kill!
It was the human man. Blaine.
She watched, peeved, as he stabbed the creature again. The gorgo spun around, enraged, and Blaine leaped off it, rolling on the sand and into a crouch.
Saff drew in a breath. She didn’t care that the man was well-formed, with smooth skin the same shade as hers, and an interesting swirl of ink markings on his left shoulder. She didn’t care that she liked the hard muscles and the intriguing scars that were marks of his skill in battle.