Page 35 of Adtovar
“Shut up Frac. Adtovar is the Champion. He can whip anybody you bring in.” The show of her pride enveloped my heart, a comforting warmth flowing through my chest.This was my mate—my feisty, brilliant, beautiful mate.
Frac laughed, showing his sharp teeth while a bubble of snot formed in a large nostril. “He can’t bean an Ungeheuer. No one can.”
“Bullshit,” Maddie retorted, her voice a mix of praise and warning as she extolled my abilities and threatened to unleash hexes. Her words tumbled out in a flurry, but I couldn’t focus on them. I remained fixated on a single, dreadful word, its relentless echo consuming my mind.
Ungeheuer.
Only when I sensed Maddie’s gaze fixed on me did I consider my reaction. It must not have been good. Her eyes widened with concern, a flicker of worry dancing in their depths.
“What’s an Ungeheuer?”
Her question brought a cackle pouring from Frac’s lips. “I’ll let the Champion tell you.” He leaned closer, taking a huge whiff in Maddie’s direction, one beady eye closing in a semblance of a wink. “I promise to bury what’s left of him, and I’ll take real good care of you.”
My hand shot out reflexively, fingers curling tightly around Frac’s throat and squeezing. He let out a high-pitched squeal, his claws raking across my forearm, leaving behind deep,angry slashes. Yet, I remained numb to the pain, oblivious to anything other than punishing this male for his thoughts toward my mate, until the gentle, soothing touch of Maddie’s hand came to rest on my shoulder.
“Let him go, Adtovar.”
I flexed my fingers, and Frac fell to his knees, the impact echoing softly against the hard ground.
“Get out of here,” Maddie sniped at him. “Or I’ll let him kill you next time.”
Frac shot us a hateful glare, his attempt at a growl barely emerging as a weak, pitiful mewl. With an awkward scramble, he clambered to his feet, his movements clumsy and unsteady, before he stumbled away.
Maddie closed the door, the soft click echoing in the quiet cell. She reached out and grasped my hand and, with a gentle tug, towed me across the dimly lit space to the simple, metal-framed cot, pulling me down to sit beside her.
“You want to tell me what an Ungeheuer is and why it upset you?”
No, I did not want to tell her. I did not want to tell her that the mere mention of that one creature shattered any hope I held for our future together.
“The Ungeheuer,” I began, the word feeling like a jagged stone lodged in my throat.
Maddie wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head against my shoulder. “What is it, Adtovar?”
I took a deep breath. “The Ungeheuer is a genetically engineered creature made by Ulkommanian, the same species that augmented me. They are rare. Only a few in existence and never used in a fight unless the pit boss wants a guaranteed kill. They are unstoppable... unkillable.”
“I’ve spent my career studying the building blocks of natural life. Nothing is unkillable,” Maddie said with complete conviction.
A faint laugh escaped my lips, but it held no humor. “I saw one once when I was just starting out as a gladiator. The thing was massive, over ten feet tall, and covered in poison spikes. It killed the arena champion in less than thirty seconds.”
A sound, a haunting blend of a scream and a growl, erupted from Maddie’s lips as she sprang to her feet. Her movements were restless and agitated as she stalked back and forth across the confines of the cell, like a caged animal pacing with pent-up energy.
“Why would Bozzo do this? I thought the whole reason to have you fight was so he could claim to have theChampion Gladiator, Adtovar.”
“For the money,” I told her softly, grabbing her wrist as she passed and pulling her onto my lap. “With my record and reputation, there are those who expect me to win even against the undefeatable. Bozzo is stacking the fight. He’ll bet against me, and when I fall....”
“Don’t say that,” Maddie hissed. “You’re not going to fall.”
I pulled her against my chest, resting my chin atop her head and loving the way she fit perfectly against me. “Winning the bout will be next to impossible, but perhaps I can last long enough... make enough of a ruckus that you and the females can get away from the arena.” I pulled the comm bracelet off the bedside table. Bozzo had never taken it from me, no doubt hoping to hear any attempt at communication “The day of the match will be the fifteenth day I’ve been planetside. If my crew hadn’t heard from me by then, they planned to launch a rescue mission.”
“I’m not leaving this planet without you,” Maddie snarled, her gaze fierce.
I gently cupped her face between my hands, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips, and pressed my lips to hers.
Maddie surrendered to the kiss, her lips soft and warm against mine, but only for a fleeting moment before scrambling to her feet, a look of stubborn determination playing across her face.
“You listen to me, buster,” she snapped and jabbed her finger into the center of my chest. “I am not leaving here without you. I don’t care what you think about thisUglyhead,genetically engineered or not. If it’s made of flesh and blood, we can kill it.We just need to figure out how.”
My mate was so fierce that I didn’t dare correct her mispronunciation of the creature’s name. Honestly, I liked her version better.
