Free Ravaged by Jaide Fox

 
     
     
    Chapter One
     
    Planet Antares
    Rain spattered against the window, obscuring Maura Nephrite’s view of the blue oceans of Planet Antares . Lightning flashed, gleam ing violently from the clouds above. The violence of the storm echoed the turmoil in her body and mind as she and the other women were transported to their final destination.
    The spires of the Antarian civilization reached to the sky like s hining white and silver needles, a feat of architecture few advanced people managed in this day and age. Antares was known for its vast, tranquil beauty, but beneath that calm exterior laid a lust for violence unmatched in much of the galaxy .
    Knowing they approached the Coliseum of Thunder, which was housed in the middle of the city and w h ere most of the city’s residents gathered for holiday and work breaks , made Maura’s stomach tie into knots. She watched as lightning erupted from the cloud cover, feeling dread wash over her.
    The tales of the glories to be had fighting in the arena were legendary, as were the gladiators who routinely spilled blood and died there.
    ShadeShifters.
    Capable of shifting into any manner of horror at will, their race had been hunted almost into extinction until they’d found sanctuary on Planet Antares to satisfy the bloodlust of the people for thrilling games. Many of the criminals of the federations faced their death at the hands of ShadeShifters, and no manner of weaponry or cunning was a match for them. The seals of power etched onto their bodies kept their power in check and their minds intact…for a time. The more seals a ShadeShifter had, the closer they were to going berserk and in need of extermination.
    At least, that’s what legend had told.
    They were both feared and admired for their abilities—mostly by men. Women had no desire to go near them though their race was renowned for being masters of pleasure. The pleasure came with a price, however, for they were so extremely dominant in their sexual appetites that they were unable to find willing mates to explore their perverse desires with .
    It was that which had led her and the other unfortunate women aboard the shuttle to their fates.
    To keep their gladiators happy, the Antarians were willing to take doomed women into their fold and allow their beloved entertainment, the ShadeShi fter males, the opportunity to mate.
    She supposed she should have considered herself fortunate. Had she not been faced with the prospect of execution for her crimes against the intergalactic federation, she would not be here. Mated to a monster was better than death or life imprisonment.
    Maura’s misfortune was that she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time and actually been caught in the act of rebellion against her government. She’d pleaded guilty in the hopes of mercy from the courts, but she’d almost wondered if her sentence had been dealt harsher for the simple fact that she was young and of breeding age and the ShadeShifters were in need of mates.
    It didn’t matter. What was done was done.
    Maura tried not to allow depression and anxiety to overcome her.
    The shuttle pulled to a stop outside the massive gates that opened up into the coliseum. She and the others had been dressed in sheer gowns and wraps that left little to the imagination . They would provide no protection from the pelting rain they had to get out into.
    The moment the doors slid open, guards poured inside and caught them by the manacles around their wrists, ignoring the wild whipping of the wind and the sheeting rain as if it didn’t bother them.
    “Move forward,” a guard commanded, yanking her to her feet and prodding her out the door.
    The moment she entered the atmosphere, she was blasted with water and felt the frigidness of the weather, no doubt harsher because of inclement rain. Her shift clung immediately to her body, making her appear naked. The water seemed to come from every direction, making it up her nose and into her