Ar'Tok - Alana Khan Page 0,58

and his mate, Nova, to tend to the female I love. I can only lie here.

“Dr. Drayke’s a good medic. He’s patched most of us up over the past months. He’s gifted. Your female is in good hands, brother.” Dax bends to my level, his kind face filling my field of vision.

Guilt forces my gaze to run from his. Even in my condition, with Star being operated on only a few fiertos away, I have to set him straight. Gladiators are a tight-knit community. They call each other ‘brother’ with affection, as if they’re all members of the same club. A club I’m not a part of.

“I was on my way to a gladiator auction,” I admit, “but I’m not a gladiator. I’ve never been in an arena. I’d never even held a sword until Zar gave me one a few days ago.”

Dax clasps my wrist, ensuring he doesn’t harm my damaged palm, then dips his face even closer to mine. I can see his pores and the sincerity in his green eyes.

“You don’t have to be a gladiator to be called a brother, Ar’Tok. Pain is pain. Suffering is suffering. Strength is strength. I don’t give a drack if you fought in the arena. You’re a warrior. That makes you my brother.”

My eyes flare in surprise and I swallow to hide the tidal wave of feelings swirling inside me. To be accepted on this level, with the depth of feeling Dax just shared with me, it’s overwhelming.

I grasp his forearm, ignoring the pain screaming from my palm, and ignoring the noise as the doc and Nova murmur to each other over Star’s comatose form. Dr. Drayke kept reassuring me that Star will be fine, I want to trust that.

I allow myself to feel welcomed, fully accepted for the first time in my life.

“Thanks, brother,” I say. My voice is tentative, but I grip Dax with even more force than before.

“When we’re back on the Fool, though, you and I are going to spar. I don’t know your story, Ar’Tok, but it’s obvious you have one.” He glances down my nude body, obviously referring to the roadmap of pain written there. “When I’m done teaching you how to defend yourself, I’m going to teach you how to attack. When I’m done with that, you will know what it feels like to walk in the world without fear.”

His green eyes give me a look hard as steel. “That will change your life, brother.”

“I’d like that,” I say as there’s a brittle snap, then I hear Star moan in agony.

“The worst is over,” Drayke says efficiently before I can muscle my way off my stretcher, push Dax aside, and assault the medic. “Now it’s just a matter of putting an air cast on her leg and treating her minor injuries. Nova, can you work on Ar’Tok while I finish with his female? Dax, you did well.”

I see enough out of the hover windshield to know we’re speeding through the streets of Drachau, the city where we’re staying.

“Time?” I ask.

“We’re twenty minimas away,” Shadow says as he makes a hard right turn that threatens to fling me onto the floor.

“Time,” I ask again, my tone tense. I assume he didn’t answer my original question because we’re going to be late.

“1850.”

“We’re going to be late?” I ask, feeling panicked. Ergonn may not follow through with his threat to kill all of us if Star doesn’t arrive on time, but the first person he’s going to hurt is Star.

“I’m comm’ing him now,” Dax says from his front seat. “I’ve sent several written comms and am trying to contact them verbally. I’ve apologized and said we’re caught in traffic.”

“His response?” I bite out.

Dax says nothing, which tells me he received a response, just not an encouraging one.

“How’s Star?” I ask Nova when she hands me the black leather kilt I was issued as part of Star’s protective guard. I don’t know who had the presence of mind to grab it before they came to get me, but I’m grateful to have it.

Nova’s quiet a moment, as if she’s having a discussion with herself in her head. I forgot I was told that when people of Drayke’s race mate they develop a mind-link with their spouse. Drayke was obviously talking to her.

“She’s fine, Ar’Tok. She’ll recover perfectly. You know what’s cool? This will give you the opportunity to help her convalesce. That’s how I fell in love with Drayke. He did the sweetest things when he was