Page 7 of Adtovar
Her eyes locked onto Bozzo, every muscle in her face tensing. The sharp line of her jaw and fierce furrow of her brow were like a dark storm brewing. To his credit, Bozzo slid his chair back a few inches.
A deep, exasperated sigh escaped her full lips, and she appeared disgusted by the sight of him. Her piercing gaze flitted away from his form, scanning the room before finally landingon me. Her eyes traveled slowly, taking in every detail, from my dusty boots to the sharp tips of the horns that curled over my head like a crown. The only visible emotion on her face was a slight widening of her dark, almond-shaped eyes in surprise—a pleasant surprise, I hoped.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” The chair creaked as Bozzo rose. He edged along the side of the desk, not moving closer to the female but away. He seemed wary of the tiny human, a fact that might have made me laugh out loud if I wasn’t so flabbergasted by the sight of her.
I expected to find the human frail and emaciated, broken and beaten. Her strength and resilience caught me off guard. Defiance raged within her, burning with such fervent heat that my horns tingled with curiosity.
“Pleasure?” The dark eyes rolled back for a moment. “There’s no pleasure in the way the gladiators treat the females on prize night. Every single female suffered injury.”
A nervous chuckle broke through Bozzo’s lips. “Perhaps your human sensibilities are offended by the roughness of the relations prize females are used to?”
She growled. The tiny female just growled. Granted, I found the sound more adorable than threatening.
“You think what happened was just rough sex?” She spat at Bozzo. “One of your gladiators hurt Lafalia badly. She’s got several broken ribs, not to mention a black eye and split lip. She won’t be able to get out of bed for a week.”
My whole body bristled at the description of what happened to the female. Thankfully, the human didn’t appear injured. She seemed perfect, and for a split second, my mind wandered to what it might be like to feel those luscious breasts pressed against my chest and her thighs wrapped around my waist. The thought was shocking. Not only was it my mission torescue and protect this human, but it had been a long time since I felt such an immediate and primal attraction towards a female.
“Really?” Bozzo went with the pretense of obtuseness. “Which gladiator chose her as a prize?”
“The new guy, Melakor.”
The name sent a shiver up my spine. Despite it being a while since I’d competed in an arena, I knew of Melakor. He had a reputation for viciousness and brutality. With him around, the sooner I could affect the humans’ escape, the better.
“Melakor is new to the pit. How could I know how he would treat a female?” Bozzo deflected his responsibility.
“That’s no excuse. The gladiators should have rules on how to treat the females... gently,” the female hissed, taking another step closer to the desk. Bozzo took a corresponding step in retreat, stumbling. He righted himself quickly, thank the gods. If he fell—whether it completely destroyed the mission—I would have laughed.
“Gently?” Bozzo laughed, trying to appear unfettered. “Prize nights are for the gladiators to blow off steam after a fight.”
The female crossed her arms over her chest, making her breasts plump enticingly, and glared. “Blowing off steam is one thing. Beating the hell out of a female is something different. Melakor doesn’t deserve one of the females. You’ll have to think of a different prize for him.”
“Different prize?” Bozzo stammered. “The females are the only prizes they want?”
My gaze cut between the two of them. It was definitely a strange dynamic. On the surface, the human female was his slave, one of many. But all the power in the conversation—in the room was hers.
“What good are your prizes if they’re dead?” She challenged. “Is it true? Has Melakor killed females before?”
Knowing what I did of Melakor, I didn’t doubt it.
“I don’t know about that?” Bozzo denied. From the way the female’s dark eyes narrowed, I suspected she knew he lied, just as I did.
With elegant grace, the female lifted a hand, her slender index finger pointing directly at the Bareak. Despite being twice her size, Bozzo couldn’t stifle the fearful gasp that escaped him. I bit down on my tongue, tasting blood, but it was the only way to keep from laughing. Gods, she was feisty. My horns itched in appreciation.
“I mean it, Bozzo,” her voice grew low with warning. “Melakor doesn’t touch another female or….”
“Or what?” Bozzo’s pale yellow eyes widened.
“You know what.” The female’s slender finger traced a slow circle in the air, as if summoning some kind of magic. As she let her arm fall to her side, she turned to leave, her long, dark brown ringlets swishing in her wake. Just for a moment, her piercing dark eyes locked onto mine before she disappeared out the door. The moment left me breathless.
“Are you....” Bozzo’s worried voice stopped her at the doorway. “Are you going to tell your gods about this?”
The female glanced over her shoulder, a sly smile curving her plump, rosy lips. “Of course.”
Bozzo didn’t move until the door clicked firmly shut. Then he started pacing, his stubby arms waving nervously.
“Your human female is... curious.” I chose the words carefully, hopefully not revealing my true impression. I thought she was—as Willa would put it—fucking magnificent.
Bozzo issued me a defeated glance and slumped into his chair, which creaked loudly in protest. “I thought having a human female in my prize stable would elevate my operation and draw skilled gladiators to fight for her. But I got a dud.”
