Adtovar filled her in on our thoughts about the Aljani, and Willa wasted no time in catching his gaze. The guard seemed stunned at first, almost frightened. Then, his mouth settled into something that might have been the beginnings of a smile before he gained control of his features and adopted an expression of blankness.
“I don’t think he’s a bad guy.” Willa pursed her full lips, and thoughts of kissing threatened to hijack my brain.
“Why do you say that?” Adtovar kept his focus on the matter at hand.
Willa issued a sly smile, blue eyes sparking. “Call it women’s intuition.”
Adtovar snorted and rolled his eyes, making her laugh. Goddess, I adored that sound. And I agreed with her. Nothing I observed made me think the guard meant us any harm.
“We need to find a way to speak to the guard without raising suspicion,” I suggested. Five other Aljani stood sentry inside the room. Any attempt at conversation with the guard would likely be reported to Nansar.
Adtovar shifted his large frame in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as his pale eyes danced between Willa and me. “Why don’t we let him come find us?”
“What do you mean?” Willa countered. “You know the guards don’t usually visit the gladiator quarters. And talking to him in the arena would be even more suspicious than doing it here.”
“We need to meet him somewhere where no one will see or hear us,” Adtovar mused, issuing a slow wink.
“What?” Willa’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. She liked subterfuge as much as I did. Goddess, what a perfect mate.
Adtovar’s grin morphed into a wide smile, pale blue eyes glowing with mischief.
“You’re newly mated. Don’t you want some time alone? If the guard is watching—which we know he is—I suspect he will notice the two of you wandering off and follow.”
Willa rolled her eyes but huffed in agreement. “Looks like we’ve got a plan.”
Chapter 6 – Willa
I was not amused.
Granted, Adtovar’s plan had merit, but that I knew he’d come up with it simply to tease, and that pissed me off.
We’d lingered in the dining hall until the cook came out and screeched at us to leave so he could clean up. After that, we’d meandered toward the gladiator’s quarters at a snail’s pace, thinking the guard might take advantage of the nightly shadows in order to speak to us. He didn’t.
He followed us, though, staying in the well-lit areas, making his movements seem like any other night on sentry duty.
Which brought us to this.
Ugh.
It probably wouldn’t have bothered me so much if Adtovar hadn’t been so downright smutty when he suggested Charick and I take a walk along the escarpment. His voice seemed to echo through the alleyway as he claimed a newly mated couple needed alone time, and he didn’t want us keeping him awake all night.
Granted, I knew Adtovar kept his voice loud so the guard might overhear our plans. But I suffered no misconception… the old turd was definitely enjoying this.
Charick and I left Adtovar at the alley leading toward the small stone building that served as my quarters and continued on, skirting the edge of the arena. The escarpment stood severalhundred feet tall, acting as a barricade between the pit and the desert beyond. The large dark pink moon was halfway full, its light turning the night into a hue of dark red and the sand at my feet into shimmering rose gold. The air grew colder, holding a scent of dampness that paled against the spice and leather scent coming from the male at my side.
“Is he following us?” I hissed at Charick. I heard nothing but my own footsteps and the hammering of my heart.
“Yes.” His voice was low and gruff, traveling over my skin like warm honey. “He is still too far away to hear us should we speak.”
“So, what do we do? Just walk around until the dude decides he’s brave enough to approach.” My idea had been to lure him out to the shadows, then pounce, but both Adtovar and Charick thought that action might not be conducive to getting the guy to trust us.
“Yes.” Charick grinned, his teeth startling white against a pelt turned a deep burnished gold by the moon. “As Adtovar suggested, we stroll and pretend to be newly mated.”
“Newly mated.” The term made the blood roar in my ears. “What would a newly mated pair be doing on your planet?” I asked, simply to make conversation.
“We would look for a quiet, comfortable place to fuck.”
He said it without a lick of emotion. A simple statement of fact. Yet I felt my face flush, and the blood chased through my veins like lava, pooling in a hot throb right at my core.
