Wrage (Galaxy Gladiators #11) - Alana Khan Page 0,17
“Drack you ludus of Tre’Val who turned me into an angry fighting machine.” I shout the words so loud they tear my throat. It makes me want to scream even louder. “Drack you, Plenum of Trent who used my skin and my skill and stole my dracking heart in the process.”
“And drack you, Sibyl,” Elyse shouts when I’m done. “Drack you for hurting this good male.”
She turns in my arms and presses a kiss to the flesh at my throat above my open shirt. “You’re a good male, Wrage,” she says as she cups her palm to my cheek, then faces front again.
My throat is on fire, but my heart feels open for the first time since I was fifteen. “That’s right, drack you Sibyl,” I holler, then feel a flood of relief.
We only paid for an houra, but I continue to head farther down the shore, feeling lighter than I ever have. Something broke free in Elyse, too. I feel it in her muscles as she leans against me. She unleashed a lot. Perhaps she released some of her anger at me as well.
When I turn back toward our destination, something feels different. I reach a hand to my face to feel the muscles under the skin. They’re relaxed, perhaps for the first time ever.
“I feel like I ran a marathon,” she says after turning toward me.
“Why did you kiss me on the hover-bus?” I ask. I’ve wanted to know since it happened, but didn’t think she’d answer. I know she will now.
“They were giving you shit. I wanted them to stop. You’re a good male. You don’t deserve their ridicule. For better or for worse I’m your mate. Claiming you as mine seemed the best way to stop them.” She said this like it was no big deal, that it was just for show. But her kisses and small caresses tell a different story.
I bend to kiss the top of her head, partly to reward her thoughtfulness and partly to hide my smile. She’s my female. She may not know it yet, but she’s mine. This little human who pretends she’s so angry at me tried to protect me from the mockery of fourteen huge gladiators. For the first time since Analac informed us that there was absolutely no way out of our predicament, I wonder if perhaps there might be, after all.
Elyse
I feel better than I have since I was abducted. More free. Not that I’m free—I’m mated. To a male I hardly know and sometimes don’t even like. But Wrage has proven a lot to me in the last few days. He’s been kind and it appears he doesn’t want to harm me. We might just be able to make this work.
As we stand in line, still holding our balfour by the reins, waiting to pay the pale blue wrangler, I pet the beast’s muzzle. It’s like velvet. The animal looks vaguely like a camel with mostly caramel coloring and the same build, except for the wings.
“Did the wrangler tell you its name?” I ask.
“What does it matter?”
I inspect his face. He’s not being flippant, he doesn’t understand why I’d ask.
Although his gaze is on the wrangler as he waits to pay for our extra time, I grab his full attention when I slip my hand into his.
“That’s how you’ve been treated your entire adult life, isn’t it? Just an animal. A piece of flesh to order around and use.”
He tips his head, his brows furrow as he considers my words.
“Your life is different now. It has worth. So does mine. So does this gentle balfour here who just gave us the most amazing ride.”
His eyes flash open, then shutter closed as he nods slowly. When his eyes reopen, his hand joins mine, petting the animal's silken muzzle which is the color of cocoa.
“When she saddled him, the wrangler said his name is Tockers.” He leans and whispers into the animal’s ear. I’d love to know what he’s saying. By the look of things I wonder if he’s thanking him for the ride.
“Thanks Tockers,” I say.
As Wrage pays, I notice a little vending machine that dispenses treats for the balfours at shockingly inflated prices. Before I can mention it, Wrage approaches, sticks his credits card in the machine, and gives me half the kibble to feed Tockers whose tongue is surprisingly agile—and slimy.
We have hours before we’re to meet everyone back at the bus, so we decide to swim. When we stopped to buy clothes on