He laughed as his helmet locked into place, swinging the torches down to kill two Grekit, and spinning around with his wings outstretched to slaughter several more.
Vines and roots plunged into the swarm around him, too many to count and together they dispatched the bugs as a team.
When it was over and they were standing in the mess, they were smiling at each other, only a foot of space between them.
“Well, that was fun. Think we passed?”
Clapping came from above, and a winged figure landed gracefully in the courtyard, next to the destroyed fountain. They were never going to get all the Grekit entrails out of the filtration system.
“I would say you passed with exemplary style. Not a single cross word, and excellent fighting cohesiveness,” Lyees said, her gold wings folding behind her as she approached them. “But, I’m afraid this day isn’t over yet. Rema proved very resourceful without his weapons, now we must move on to the main part of Challenge… the arena.”
Deep rumpling shook the ground as the walls of the maze started sinking into the floor. The great red walls shook as they lowered, even the fountain and benches disappeared underground. When it was over, they were standing in a wide oval arena with stone floors, and a crowd of onlookers packed into the surrounding seats that stretched high above them so that even the top of the stadium could see the arena. Red flags secured to the top of the arena snapped in the hot wind.
The sky had brightened to a light purple, the star out in full force to bake the arena in heat. The ground vibrated with theshouts and cheers of the crowd. Smoke drifted from somewhere, carrying the scents of cooking meats and something sweet.
Ah, he’d forgotten about the audience. A hot knife of possessive fury cut through him as he remembered that she’d been naked at the start of this day, but it dissipated when he remembered that it would have only been the Queen and Lyees that would have been monitoring the maze portion… and then his face heated at the memory of the kiss he and Patty had shared afterwards.
Chapter 11
Patty
Rema was blushing sohard as he stared out at the cheering crowd that for a second I worried for his health. He must be thinking about earlier in the day when they’d had their little makeout session. He was adorable, and I hoped he never stopped blushing. It was the highlight of my day now.
The crowd roared, drawing my attention from Rema and to the tiered seats rising high above us. The emotional output of so many people in the same place made bile rise up my throat andmy temples began to throb in time with the pounding feet of the crowd. I swallowed hard, turning to stare at Rema, focusing with all of my being on just him, and what he was feeling. Slowly, the weight of the crowd receded, as I took a deep breath of richly spiced chai, hot peppers, and sweet honey, and the crowd faded to background fluff.
I blew out hard, and let the tension relax in my shoulders. Rema was watching me with a concerned look until Lyees interrupted whatever thought he was having.
Lyees gave Rema a sly smile before spreading her wings again. “Rema, you must come with me to prepare. Immainthe will take you to your position, Patty,” she told me, pointing with her chin to the space behind me.
Shit. I’d just gotten myself under control and now my focus tool was leaving me!
I opened my mouth to protest when the icy cold void obliterated through all the emotions raging around me and I turned to see the Queen land a few feet behind us. She was dressed in dull gray battle armor, much like the sleek Rijiteran armor that we had, only hers was scaled, and she held four swords in her hands, each one curved like something out of Arabian Nights, and a vicious smile on her face.
That could work.
“Come, child,” the Queen said to me. I looked to Rema, who was being dragged away by Lyees, before shrugging my shoulders and moving to stand in front of the Queen. The absolute control this female had on her emotions was insane, but it worked in my favor because with her close by, the crowd’s fervor couldn’t touch me. I’d take barren void over burnt synapses any day.
“So… can I call you Immainthe? Or is our relationship going to stay formal the whole time?”
Her teeth were crooked, I noticed when her smile widened. It was the first imperfection I’d seen on an alien. Like she hadn’t gone through with whatever nano overhaul everyone else did.
“You may call me Imma, when we are among friends. Rema has known me since he was a child, and the male still insists on calling me Matriarch or my Queen. Perhaps you will set the right example for him at last.”
“Will do, Imma.”
She turned her body, taking me with her with a sweep of her lower wing. “Come, we must set you in the center of the arena. You will be chained to a pillar, so try not to be alarmed. This is Rema’s challenge. Your only job is to look suitably bored with the whole thing, as if there is no doubt that your male can and will protect you from all threats.”
Easy peasy.
“And what is your role in all this?” I asked as we stepped onto a low round platform, about three inches higher than the area floor. A thick stake had been bolted to the center of the platform, with a ring about a foot higher than my head. Chains dangled from the ring, and the Queen held them up with one hand to show the hinged cuffs at their ends.
“I am to be your jailer. It is my duty as Rema’s Guide to ensure you are trussed up properly, and that if he should fail, no harm will come to you. Retract your armor.”
Her secondary hands gripped my shoulders after my armor sank beneath my skin, leaving me in the long sleeve shirt, green leather pants and black boots. She backed me up to the stake, where she motioned with her primary hands to raise my arms above my head. I complied and she fastened the cuffs around my wrists, securing me to the stake a la virgin sacrifice. The crowd went wild as she stepped away from me. The cuffs were cold against my skin, and just tight enough to edge into discomfort. Kinky. I was totally stealing these for later.
“I suppose I should ask… what kind of harm are we talking about here? Am I in actual danger, or is this for show?”
Her cryptic smile was all she gave me in answer before taking to the sky, her four wings buffeting me with powerful gusts of air as she took off. She was somewhere close though, close enough I could still focus on the wintery chill of her presence and it worked to keep from being overwhelmed again by the crowd.
