Page 8 of Rogue: Planet Athion
Xavier winced. “Things I probably shouldn’t have been.”
Marlon’s eyes narrowed. “You’re a Snitch?”
Xavier grinned wide, showcasing even wide teeth and slightly elongated canines that gave him a debonair air. “I prefer to call myself a procurement specialist.”
Okay, I was out of my depth here. “What’s a Snitch?”
“A thief,” Marlon said. “A solo pirate. A criminal.”
“Whoa, whoa.” Xavier held up both hands. “I am not a criminal. I get paid to retrieve goods and deliver them.”
“You get paid to steal stuff from one person and give it to another,” Marlon said.
“Meh.” Xavier made scales with his palms. “It’s all about perception, and it hardly matters now.”
“No, it doesn’t.” I stood up and looked down on him. “You’re one of us now, and that means you could be thrown in the arena with us at the next fight, which just happens to be this week.”
“Shit.” Anton ran a hand over the top of his head. “Marick, the fucker, could just throw him in with you to stack the odds against you.”
He was right. Marick wanted me dead, and he wanted me to suffer before I died.
“What’s this about?” Xavier asked.
“Get up,” Marlon said. “I’ll fill you in while you train.”
Xavier slowly rose off the work bench, but his gaze had slipped over Marlon’s shoulder to the door where the trio of Trads had just strolled in. Xavier’s back straightened, and his hands clenched into fists. For a moment, it was as if his body was expanding as his shirt seemed to grip him tighter, showcasing the muscles beneath.
“They won’t try anything,” Killion said.
Xavier looked at me. “Really? With a human female in the room?”
I stared back, impassive. “Trust me, they wouldn’t dare.”
His eyes narrowed, and then he nodded. “Because you have your burly protectors with you.”
Killion let out a snort laugh. “Fuck, it isn’t Rogue that needs the protecting.”
“Not anymore,” Anton added.
Xavier canted his head. “Color me intrigued.”
My smile was tight. “You’ll be colored black and extra blue in the arena if you don’t get your stamina and strength up.” I turned my back on him and headed toward the treadmill. “Get in a good workout, you’re going to need it.”
Jurak and his guys settled at their spot of the training room and didn’t even look our way, and then theclangof metal on metal filled the room, and the familiar whirr of machinery surrounded me.
The treadmill accelerated into a jog, and I focused on the screen, the fake road, the fake scenery, running, running as if I could run away from it all. But when the timer was up, I’d still be here, and the fight would only just be beginning.
* * *
The steam from the baths seeped into the changing room. The Trads had already used the baths, and Marlon, Anton, and Killion automatically turned their backs on me to allow me the privacy to strip. Being naked in front of them no longer bothered me, but it was sweet that they cared.
Xavier, however, was not on the same page.
“Hey! Eyes up,” Marlon snapped at Xavier.
“Whoa, okay.” Xavier tore his gaze off my semi-naked form and turned his back on me.
I bit back a smile. “It takes some getting used to. You’ll get there.”
