Page 11 of Adtovar
“No, I’m talking about the girls here, the other females... the prizes.”
Adtovar sat back on his heels, stunned, the warmth of his fingertips falling from my cheek. “There are other human females here? Our intel did not suggest that.”
“They’re not human.”
Adtovar’s handsome face fell slightly, shadowed by regret. “The Alliance has no directive for rescuing other female species.”
“But they’re slaves. Bozzo and the gladiators mistreat them terribly.” Worse than terribly, and I wouldn’t abandon them. The thought of prioritizing my own escape, my own safety, over their suffering was something I simply could not bear. “I’m not leaving without them.”
Chapter 5 – Adtovar
Fuck! I grimaced, partially because I suddenly realized how much my human daughter’s euphemisms colored my vocabulary, and partly because of Maddie’s insistence.
The Alliance did not have a directive for rescuing other species in slavery. Not because they didn’t care, but because the political climate involving other species was very different. Slavery remained rampant in the universe, with some species selling their own kind into captivity for credits or political gain.
The idea of leaving even one slave behind hurt my heart. I understood all too intimately the anguish of having no control over one’s future, the suffocating weight of chains both seen and unseen.
But Maddie alone was my objective and duty. And after meeting her, I would do anything to keep her safe. If I could throw her over my shoulder and affect our escape immediately, I’d do it, but there wasn’t. For this to work and not start a war, Bozzo needed to think I’d purchased Maddie, fair and square.
The more I pondered the dilemma, the more my horns itched. The sensation was maddening, like a persistent tickle that refused to be soothed, and my claws scratched at the appendages in a futile attempt to find relief.
Maddie watched me curiously, and I lowered my hands, balling them into fists at my side.
“I give you my word as a warrior. Once I get you to safety, I will do everything in my power to rescue the other females,” I offered as a compromise.
Her deep, dark eyes widened momentarily like twin pools catching a sudden glint of light. She exhaled a long, steady breath, a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of her thoughts and rose gracefully to her feet. Her movements were deliberate as she made her way to the center of the room, where she began pacing back and forth with short, measured steps, the soft shuffle of her feet barely audible on the dirt floor.
“Look,” she started and drew in a deep breath. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just don’t know you. I don’t know anybody on this godforsaken planet—or in space, for that matter—and I need to see with my own two eyes that everyone is safe. Either we all go or none go.”
She halted her restless pacing as she spoke the final words, her gaze locking onto mine. Her stubbornness was palpable, a quality I admired, yet I couldn’t allow it to jeopardize her chance to escape.
I opened my mouth, intending to challenge her obstinance, but the words died in my throat as the faint shuffle of footsteps echoed from the corridor. Instinctively, I sprang to my feet, a surge of adrenaline propelling me toward the entrance. My hand shot out, signaling Maddie to retreat from the door, a knot of aggravation tightening in my chest at the thought that Bozzo might have dispatched someone to spy on us.
The door creaked open, revealing a diminutive and fragile female of the Tyrenese species. Her pale pink skin was a patchwork of green and blue bruises, each one a testament to recent violence. With every step, she winced, clutching her arms tightly across her ribcage as if to shield herself from further harm. A deep, angry gash marred her lower lip, and a darkbruise, spreading across her cheek like a storm cloud, swelled shut one of her large, expressive green eyes.
“Lafalia!” Maddie brushed past me immediately going to the female’s side, supporting her with an arm around her shoulders. “What are you doing out of bed?”
“I couldn’t rest.” Lafalia’s voice was raspy, each word tinged with an undercurrent of pain.
“Come, sit down.” Maddie gently guided the woman to the cot, her footsteps deliberate and slow. Lafalia lowered herself onto the mattress, a soft, anguished moan slipping from her lips as she eased into a sitting position. Her skin blanched to an almost ghostly pale, starkly contrasting with the bruises that marred her delicate frame. The severity of her injuries was evident, each mark a testament to the brutality she endured at the hands of an unworthy male. Anger simmered within me, every fiber of my being yearning to hunt down the perpetrator and pay him back, bruise for bruise.
“You need to sleep, Lafalia,” Maddie insisted, pouring the female a cup of water from a battered metal jug on the bedside table.
“I tried.” Lafalia took a sip, grimacing as she swallowed. “It hurts too much.”
“I’m so sorry.” Maddie brushed a lock of lavender hair from the female’s cheek. “I don’t have anything to give you for the pain. The medi-unit has long been out of medication.”
“What happened to her?” I moved forward cautiously, lowering myself onto one knee to appear less imposing to the injured female.
“Last night was prize night.” Maddie’s dark gaze met mine, her expression saying what her words did not.This is why I won’t leave them.
And now, neither would I.
I could likely do little to avenge the female’s injuries, but I could provide a measure of relief. I retrieved the compact medi-kit Zahavi had provided from my pocket. Carefully, I extracted one of the slim, delicate blue squares, its surface cool and smooth against the tip of my finger.
“This should help relieve your pain,” I said, extending my hand towards Lafalia. Her one good eye, a vibrant emerald hue, studied me with a mixture of curiosity and caution before darting to Maddie. At her nod, Lafalia’s delicate fingers inched forward to take the small, translucent square from my fingertip and place it on her tongue.
“I feel better,” Lafalia said after a tense moment of baited silence. Her gaze, vivid and clear, settled on my face, searching and curious. “Who are you?”
