“Seriously?” Willa glanced between the two of us. “All this shit because of a dude with mommy issues?”
“Mommy issues?” Adtovar and I asked in unison.
Willa issued a snort and gave a wave of her hand. “It’s an Earth saying. It means Nansar is misbehaving because he’s angry at his mother.”
“Then the saying would be correct,” Adtovar grunted.
The clang of blades and smack of flesh against flesh, along with errant grunts of discomfort, came from the direction of the arena, drawing my attention.
“Tell me of the other gladiators?”
Adtovar snorted, indicating that he was unimpressed. “Most are like me, beings that angered Nansar, imprisoned here to help keep Duke Ako in the dark regarding his son’s actions.”
“Are they skilled?” From the sounds coming from the arena, I would guess not much.
“Hardly,” Adtovar chuckled. “A couple have skill, but even those I hold no doubt Willa can defeat.”
“Willa?” I blinked in confusion, letting my eyes roam over the small woman standing between us. She wore the gladiator garb of a tunic and kilt with leather boots. While her arms and legs were thin compared to the females of my species, I didn’t miss the lean muscle that lay underneath her creamy flesh. When my gaze reached her face, Willa glared at me, silently daring me to besmirch the idea of her fighting as a gladiator.
“Willa has the heart, spirit, and skill of a great warrior,” Adtovar said proudly. “True, she is human and smaller than most, but she’s fast and deadly accurate. I’ve designed hertraining to help compensate for her size difference against other warriors.”
“You expect her to fight?” Training was one thing, but to consider putting her into battle with beings twice her size? The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. “One should protect his mate and not put her in a position to be injured.”
Shock slackened both their faces. Adtovar and Willa turned slowly, sharing a gaze, then burst out laughing.
“Mate?” Adtovar held his stomach, guffawing so loudly I felt sure they heard him in the arena.
“Mate?” Willa echoed with a giggle. “Me and Grandpa?”
Despite my relief at the confirmation that the two had not mated, I couldn’t let relief sink into my bones. Especially not when the idea of Willa entering battle was entertained.
Chapter 3- Willa
Charick wore the distaste that I considered myself a warrior all over his handsome face. Well, he could just get over that shit.
“Close your mouth. You’ll catch flies,” I huffed at him.
“Excuse me?” The golden eyes blinked at me. From behind, I caught Adtovar’s low snort of amusement.
I issued my best intimidating glare, which probably lost a lot of effect since I had to crane my neck to meet his gaze. Jesus, how tall was he? I was almost six feet tall, and this guy was at least a foot taller than me, maybe more. Granted, for someone his size, facing me in battle probably seemed ridiculous, but I was never one to give up without a fight.
I jerked my gaze from him and turned, sashaying toward the end of the alley.
“Where are you going?” Charick fell into step behind me, relegated to the number three position by a faster-moving Adtovar.
“To the arena,” I shot over my shoulder, letting my gaze linger scoldingly on Adtovar, who was fighting a laugh.
Pretending to ignore the two men, I made my way to the end of the alley and onto the cobblestone path that led by the row of stone buildings toward the arena. When I thought about gladiators, my mind went to the opulence of ancient Rome and the grandeur of the coliseum. This place was nothing more than an oval dirt field surrounded by stone buildings and anescarpment of craggy rock. There were no tiers or grandiose arched entrances. No underground staging area, or seating for up to 50,000 spectators. Just dirt, dirt, and more dirt. At least a dozen guards patrolled the perimeter, even though there was only one way to enter or exit the compound most lovingly referred to asthe pit.
A low, disapproving huff escaped Charick’s lips. Normally, I’d be all kinds of pissed at anybody disparaging my abilities as a soldier. But for some reason, his displeasure, while aggravating, still made me smile. Not because I wanted to irritate him, but more because, despite my better judgment, I kind of liked him. The memory of how hard he fought to get to my side when Nansar stole me away played in a loop through my brain.
Nansar and I traveled for weeks to get here, and all that time, Charick followed. Tenacious—I liked tenacious. Plus, there didn’t seem to be dishonesty or subterfuge in his demeanor, which meant a lot to someone in my predicament. I wasn’t even going to mention that he was hot as twin hells with all those rippling muscles and golden eyes. I might be sixty-something in mind, but my body was back to its roaring twenties, complete with a bevy of youthful hormones just bursting at the seams.
As usual, a hush fell when I strode onto the training field. The other aliens had divided into sparring pairs, some using dull training blades while others used only their fists and claws. At the sight of me, they went still, parting like the Red Sea as I walked past, careful not to get too close. No doubt because of Adtovar. After he’d recused me from those Aljani guards, word traveled quickly that I was under his protection. He might be an old guy, but everyone gave him a wide berth.
This time, there was a heady sense of shock in the mix of reactions. Gasps and amazed whispers ofVaktairefilled the air. I glanced over my shoulder at Charick, who seemed completelyunaffected by the attention. His focus lay in surveying the sidelines, especially the guards on patrol. Looking for a way to escape, no doubt. I wondered what he’d say when I insisted we bring Adtovar along on our escape. No way was I leaving the elder warrior on this godforsaken rock. Especially when my being alive to rescue was mainly because of him.
I headed to an area near the stone escarpment where Adtovar and I usually trained. It was well away from the others, which helped me concentrate. Plus, the towering rock cast a decent shade, keeping it from getting ungodly hot, especially under the afternoon sun.
