Galactic Gladiators Box Set 2, page 8
“I do, sweet thing.”
Did he mean sweet to look at or sweet to taste? Ugh. It unsettled Madeline’s stomach to think of him eating people. “I like casinos, but gambling is…boring.” She pouted.
“Boring?” Sile said, surprised.
“It’s monotonous. Like I always tell Rillian, I like more…action and excitement. I love going to the arena to watch the fights.”
Sile grunted. “There are bloodier shows than the arena.”
“Oh?” She feigned surprise. “I can’t imagine that.” She licked her lips, and Sile’s reptilian gaze moved there.
“Yes, sweet thing. I know of one coming up.” He leaned forward, touching her thigh. “Right here.”
“Here?” She looked at the boxing ring. “This is just a silly boxing match.”
Sile shook his head. “Not in this ring. Beneath it.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow! Beneath here?”
“I’m assured it will be a fight to rival all fights.”
“When?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t been told yet. Rillian here doesn’t have a ticket, but I do.” Sile’s chest puffed out. “I could get you in…as my special guest.”
She saw hunger in his gaze now, but for the life of her, Madeline couldn’t tell if it was sexual or physical appetite.
Not in this lifetime, ugly. “I think I’d—oh—” she pressed a hand to her stomach, feigning pain “—I’m sorry, I need the restroom. Now!”
Sile frowned. “Are you ill?”
She waved a hand at him. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just recovered from a nasty illness. Couldn’t keep anything in. It was coming out at all ends.” She widened her eyes and clapped a hand over her mouth. “I think, I think…”
Sile looked alarmed now, waving her off. Rillian grabbed her elbow and they hurried away, Sile’s guards parting fast to let them through.
“Nice job,” Rillian murmured as the crowd swallowed them.
She straightened. “Thanks. And thanks for your help.” She scanned around for Lore. “We got the information we needed.”
Rillian nodded. “As far as I know, there is nothing below the Glass House except the kitchens.”
Where the hell was Lore? “Well, I guess that’s why these guys are so good at hiding the fight rings.”
Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her from behind. There was no time to panic, and she recognized Lore’s strength straight away.
“Thanks, Rillian.”
The casino owner nodded and stepped back. “If I hear anything else, I’ll let Galen know.” The man walked away.
Lore dragged Madeline back to their dark corner near the kitchen entrance. Far away from Sile.
“Are you all right?”
She nodded. “The guy is creepy. But he gave me the information we needed. There’s a fight planned…right beneath the Glass House.”
“Beneath? There’s never been any talk of anything beneath the Glass House.” He scanned the room. “Galen will look into it.”
She huffed out a breath. “I wish we knew more.”
“It’s a good start.”
The door to the kitchen swung open nearby and some servers walked out holding loaded trays.
Lore stroked her hair. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m sure. Sile was definitely interested in me, but I couldn’t tell if he wanted to kiss me or serve me sautéed.”
“You’re safe now.”
The door opened again, but this time, it wasn’t kitchen staff who exited. It was three big, burly aliens. The men were all laughing.
Something pinged on Madeline’s radar, and it must have done the same for Lore, because he pulled her deeper into the shadows. Then he pushed her up against the wall, pressing his body against hers like they were two lovers having an illicit tryst. He pressed his lips to her throat and she tightened her hands on his shoulders.
But his body was taut, his attention on the men.
“The Srinar are busy organizing the fights. The human and the beast will be the star attractions. Can’t wait to see them tear into each other. Nothing civilized left in either of them.”
“I want to see that human guy with the dark skin fight,” another man said. “Guy’s vicious!”
“The tattooed, blue alien is good. He’s stronger, wilder.”
“The other guy is smarter and faster.”
As the men moved past, Madeline got a faint whiff of stench. Like these guys had been somewhere that smelled horrifically bad.
“I also hear the Srinar have a dag’tar lined up. They are sneaking it in tomorrow,” one of the aliens added, excitement in his voice. “I’ve never seen one before.”
“Talk about vicious. I’ve heard those creatures rape their prey before they eat it!”
“I heard the Thraxians gave the Srinar some more of those Earth women to set loose with the dag’tar.” Sick pleasure rode the alien’s voice. “We’ll see how they fare.”
The laughter of the guards disappeared into the noise of the party.
“Women?” Lore whispered.
Madeline’s heart hammered in her chest. She was in shock. She couldn’t believe what she just heard. “I never saw any other humans. Only Blaine.”
“Well, it sounds like there are more women down there, and the Srinar are going to feed them to a dag’tar.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
“It’s the worst sort of creature you could imagine.”
Madeline swallowed. “Well, we can’t let this happen to whoever they have captive down there.”
Lore’s face turned considering as he stared at the kitchen door. “I have an idea.”
Madeline frowned. “Galen said no risks.”
The door opened again and two servers rushed out. Lore took a step toward them. “I have a really good idea.”
Chapter Nine
Lore dragged the two unconscious bodies of the servers back into the kitchen entry area. Thankfully, there was an area where the servers stashed their personal belongings, and they weren’t visible to the main part of the kitchen.
He took a moment to strip the black uniforms off of them, then dumped the bodies inside a cupboard. He tossed one set of clothing at Madeline.
Lore turned and pulled the too-tight jacket on. Behind him, he heard the whisper of fabric as Madeline slipped out of her dress. He sucked in a breath. He was a gladiator and a man used to getting his own way. And he wanted Madeline Cochran. He turned his head.
Blue eyes met his. “A gentleman would keep his back turned.”
She was naked, except for two tiny wisps of underwear that looked like the finest of netting. She slipped the jacket on, covering her gorgeous breasts.
“I’m not a gentleman,” he told her.
She snorted and pulled the trousers on. They were far too big, and she took a second to cinch them in. The jacket would hide the fabric gathers.
After stashing their clothes in an empty cupboard, they headed down some stairs and into the main kitchens.
The area was bigger than Lore had expected, and busy. Servers and chefs of numerous species were moving to and fro. By the far wall, a row of chefs were busy preparing the food, steam wafting into the air.
Lore nodded his head, and he and Madeline moved deeper into the kitchen area. He scanned the room, but didn’t spot anything that looked like entrances leading to secret underground fight rings. There were pantries and storage rooms, with kitchen staff bustling in and out.
Frustrated, he stopped. They couldn’t risk asking any of the workers. Suddenly, Madeline grabbed his arm, her fingers squeezing.
“Look,” she murmured.
Off to the right, against the wall, two big aliens were coming out of a room marked ‘storage.’ The man and woman didn’t look like kitchen servers or chefs. They looked like hired muscle.
Lore and Madeline waited until the aliens had moved off, and then hurried in that direction. They stepped through the doorway, and instead of a storage room, they found a set of stairs leading down into darkness.
He grabbed Madeline’s hand and they headed down.
“Galen isn’t going to like this,” she whispered.
“Just a quick look around, and then we’ll get out.”
She nodded, and when they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found themselves in a dark tunnel lit by infrequent lights set into the walls.
“Doesn’t look new,” Lore mused. “In fact, this tunnel looks pretty old.”
They hadn’t gone far when a foul stench slammed into them.
“Oh, God.” Madeline squeezed her nose, revulsion on her face.
The reek was unimaginable. The tunnel came to an end at a closed door in the wall. Lore cautiously pushed it open.
It was an entrance to the sewers.
“Someone must have repurposed some of the old sewer tunnels,” Lore said.
“Charming.”
“Let’s go a bit farther.” He pulled out a towel stuffed in the pocket of his server jacket. He passed it to her, and she pressed it to her nose.
“What about you?”
“I can decrease my sense of smell.”
“Handy skill to have right now.”
They headed into a larger tunnel. It was round, with a walkway on one side of it. The rest of it was filled with a river of dark, murky water that stank.
Keeping to the walkway, they followed the tunnel’s twists and turns. Soon, they reached a junction where the tunnel branched off in two directions.
“Look.” Madeline pointed to some half-dried footprints on the ground, heading off to the left. They followed. They passed a few alcoves that were clearly designed for the storage of sewer-maintenance equipment.
Moments later, Lore heard the echo of voices moving toward them. Drak. They couldn’t be caught down here. How far back was it to the last alcove? He glanced ahead and spotted one not far away.
He grabbed Madeline’s hand and yanked her forward. She stumbled, but kept up with him. He slid into the tight space, pressing his back against the rock wall. He slid down, and pulled Madeline into his lap. They were wedged into the small space, barely hidden by the shadows.
Madeline tilted her head, clearly listening to the guards getting closer. He felt her tense, and then she shifted a little, her round bottom brushing against him.
Lore pressed his mouth against her ear. “Is it wrong that I’m turned on right now?”
Her breath hitched. “Yes. The stench is horrible.”
He nuzzled her neck. “I can only smell you.”
“Shelve the charm, Lore,” she whispered. “Now’s not the time.”
“Only if I can use it later. And my tongue. It’s a clever one.”
She sniffed. “I wouldn’t know.”
He grinned to himself. “Let me show you.”
“Shh! They’re nearly here.”
The voices were louder and now he heard the clank of chains.
The guards moved past, herding a prisoner between them. Madeline’s gaze was locked on the guards, revulsion crossing her face. Both guards were Srinar—with tumor-like growths on their faces caused by the plague that had decimated their species and set them on a path to becoming scum of the galaxy.
Then Lore looked at their captive. The man was made of ropes of hard muscle, no fat on him anywhere, and skin darker than Madeline’s. His chest was bare, and crisscrossed with ragged scars. He wore torn, filthy trousers. His black hair was shaggy, and he had a face that looked like it was hewn from the stone around them.
Madeline gasped quietly and Lore pressed a hand to her mouth.
“Blaine.”
Her lips moved against Lore’s palm. So this was the man from Earth. He was far bigger than the females.
“Move it, Earth scum.” One of the guards jammed a fist into Blaine’s side.
The man moved fast. Faster than Lore thought possible. Blaine spun and thrust a fist into the guard’s face. It was brutal, violent, and hard. The guard flew backward with a cry, and fell into the mucky, foul water.
The other guard moved forward, snapping out a stun baton. He slammed the device into Blaine’s gut, and a flash of blue electricity lit the tunnel. Drak. Lore pulled Madeline closer, praying they weren’t exposed.
Blaine’s body jolted, all his muscles straining, and his teeth snapping together. He dropped to his knees.
The first guard dragged himself out of the water, his body dripping, a dark scowl on his face.
“Don’t antagonize him, Taoul. I’ve lost track of how many guards he’s killed.”
Both guards flanked Blaine, grabbing his arms, and dragged him away.
“I’m going to enjoy watching you fight the dag’tar,” the wet guard snapped. “It’ll tear you apart with its giant cock.” The guard let out a nasty laugh. “They’re going to toss the females in with you. Make you watch what it does to them, first.”
Lore’s jaw clenched. This was beyond depraved. While fights in the arena above could get wild and bloody, no one was killed. But this…
“Come on.” Madeline stood and slipped out of the alcove. “We have to gather more intel.”
Lore followed her, and they snuck deeper into the tunnels. Not far ahead, the tunnel ended, and they stepped out into a giant cavern.
This looked natural. Lore studied the rock walls of the circular space, lit by burning torches. He looked upward and noticed a faint circle of light far above. “They must have used the sewer system to link up with the underground caves and sinkholes.” Carthago was riddled with caves.
They hugged the wall and ahead, he saw cells carved into the walls with metal bars.
“That way.” Madeline pointed. They left the wall, moving quietly across the large space.
She moved ahead, toward a darker area in the center. The lighting in the cavern was sporadic at best, the place draped in darkness. But as she took another step, Lore realized what he was seeing.
“Madeline, stop!”
She took one step, not realizing the darkness was a giant hole. She made a strangled sound, starting to pitch forward. Lore grabbed her and yanked her back.
Down below, a beast roared.
“Jesus.” She clung to Lore, staring down in horror.
He heard something moving around deep below, grunts and snuffles echoing up, but it was too dark to see what it was.
Then Lore looked across the hole at the rock wall. It was honeycombed with cells, all covered in bars.
And in the closest one, he spotted three women, huddled together on the dirty floor.
“Look.”
Madeline stared across the gap and took a sharp intake of breath. “They’re definitely human.”
“Do you know them?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never seen them before.”
Voices echoed behind them, accompanied by footsteps. Drak. “Someone’s coming! We have to go.”
But Madeline tugged on his hand. “We have to get the women out.”
“We can’t. Not now. We’ll come back.” He grabbed her arm and yanked her back toward the sewer entrance.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” an alien guard yelled at them.
Drak. Slowly, Lore turned. Three big alien guards were bearing down on them.
They were all as tall as he was, and broad across the shoulders and chest. One had faint green skin, while the other two were some sort of reptilian race.
He tensed, getting ready to fight. He wished he had his sword right now. He could take them, but it wouldn’t be pretty, and it was going to hurt.
Then Madeline stepped forward. “We just delivered food to the other guards. Do you need anything?”
One of the reptilians let out a grunt. “Mutaba knows he isn’t allowed to get servers down here. Lazy drak needs to collect food from the kitchen himself.”
Madeline glanced at Lore, before she bowed her head. “As you wish.”
Lore quickly lowered his gaze and followed her lead.
“Get out of here before Vashto or any of the Srinar catch you.”
Madeline elbowed Lore, and together they turned and calmly walked back to the sewer entrance.
Lore’s pulse was racing. He was used to fighting his way out of every tough situation. But Madeline’s quick thinking had saved them a hard fight.
He glanced down at her as they slipped into the tunnel. “You were brilliant.”
She smiled up at him. “I know. Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”
Once again wearing their party clothes, Madeline and Lore hurried back to the safety of the House of Galen.
Adrenaline was still pumping through Madeline’s veins, and she was so glad to be out of those stinking sewers.
Galen and the others met them just inside the door.
Thorin’s nose wrinkled. “You reek.”
“Impromptu trip to the sewers,” Lore told him.
“We saw Blaine.” Madeline looked at Harper. “He’s alive.”
Galen stepped forward, frowning. “You weren’t to snoop around, only gather information from Vashto. If you’d gotten caught—”
“We were caught.” Lore smiled. “Some of Vashto’s guards caught us, but we were dressed as servers, and Madeline was magnificent. She got us out of there.”
Galen raised a brow, eyeing Lore’s broad shoulders. “They bought you as a server?”
“There’s something else,” Madeline said, her voice hardening. “We saw three other human women locked in a cell.”
She saw Lore scowl. A hard look she’d never seen on his face before. “They have a dag’tar. They’re planning to toss the women and Blaine in the ring with the creature.”
Galen hissed out a breath. The imperator turned and slammed his fist into the wall. “Drakking scum.”
“What’s a dag’tar?” Harper asked.
“The worst of the worst of creatures to fight,” Raiden said.
“Dag’tar males have a very high sex drive,” Thorin said. “Fighting gets them worked up.”
Harper grimaced, then looked at Madeline. “Who were the women? Were they from Fortuna Station? Anyone from Security?”
Madeline shook her head. “I didn’t recognize them. I knew everyone aboard Fortuna, and none of these women were familiar. Of course, it was dark and they were filthy, so it was hard to know for sure.”
