He pulled the guard close, their faces inches apart, and gave a low warning growl.
“No one touches my mate!”
Shock made me stagger, the word bouncing around my brain as the gasps and murmurs from the other gladiators looking on played in accompaniment.
Mate?
Did Charick just call me his mate?
“What the actual fuck?”
Chapter 4 – Charick
Informing Willa that she was my mate hadn’t gone quite as planned. When I heard the sounds of a scuffle and realized an Aljani guard tried to hurt her, something broke inside of me.
My years of training to be a Sage taught me to control my emotions. To always take the path of wisdom and peace instead of violence unless there was no other choice. When I saw the guard with his hands on Willa and how courageously she fought him… I’d never wanted to kill anyone more. It had been a long time since I felt such violence toward another.
It was obvious Willa was furious as well.
Not at the guard. She’d made me release the male, which I did against my better judgment. He’d dropped to the ground, unconscious and moaning. After that, Willa fixed me with a glare and a huff before stomping back toward her quarters.
I followed, as did Adtovar. As would have been the case with most of the gladiators, had Adtovar not warned them away with a growl. The older warrior regarded me with a mocking grin. I wanted to punch him, too.
We strode from the arena in silence, the only sound being Willa’s deep, angry breathing. Some of which may or may not have held the rumblings of a low growl and smattering of Earth curses.
Entering the small stone building serving as her quarters, she waited until both Adtovar and I entered before closing therickety door with a resounding slam. Adtovar flopped on the bed, watching the two of us with overt amusement as Willa paced and I stood by the table, hesitant to move further into the room.
“You want to tell me what thismate shitis about?” Willa spun on her heel, fixing me with a furious, deep blue gaze.
I stood tall, squaring my shoulders, proud to admit it. “You are my mate. My fated one. My vika.”
Willa’s brows drew together in a frown. “Vika? What’s that?”
“It meansmy heart.” I took a hesitant step toward her, grateful that she didn’t retreat or try to punch me. “It means you are the one who will share my heartbeat for eternity.”
Her blue eyes went wide with shock before her face scrunched up rather adorably. She angrily shook her head, resuming her pacing.
“That’s just… nuts! You don’t even know me. Why on Earth—scratch that—why on this dusty alien planet would you think I’m your mate?”
A low chuckle came from where Adtovar lounged on the cot, inspecting a corner of the blanket. Willa shot him a warning glance, which he returned with a roll of his eyes. For me, while teasing, his regard held something I would have sworn was empathy. There were rumors that Adtovar ended up on the gladiator circuit because he’d lost his fated mate. If true, I couldn’t imagine the pain he must have endured.
While it appeared Willa determined to appear resistant to the idea of mating, I’d scented her arousal as she watched me spar with Adtovar. The way her eyes deepened in color and the flush of pink rising on her cheeks indicated that she found me attractive based on my study of human sexuality. I just needed to get her to admit it.
“I knew you were mine the moment I caught your scent at Nansar’s compound.”
She frowned, recalling the memory, then her eyes went wide, lips parting, and her cheeks flushed vibrant pink.
“Seriously?”
“Why would I lie about the most precious moment of my life?”
“Why?” The flush on her cheeks deepened. “Because at that particular point in time, I hadn’t showered in over a week. I stunk. Are you trying to tell me that my BO turned you on?”
“BO?” The term was not familiar.
“Stinky body odor.” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her gaze away, obviously embarrassed by the admission.
“You did not stink,” I insisted, taking another step closer and drawing a deep breath to prove my point. “Your scent is floral and fresh with just the faintest hint of spice. It reminds me of early summer days on my home world."
