Free Alien Conquest: (The Warrior's Prize) An Alien SciFi Romance by Scarlett Rhone Page B

treating, thrust her hands into the wash bowl to get the blood off and, went to the bars of the gate as it shut.
    She watched Vega, specifically.
    His armor was black like his scales, conformed to his body like a second skin, and he bore two blades on his back with jagged, brutal-looking edges. His dark hair was tied back from his face and though it became clear that the cursii from House Chara were all on one team, against a hulking group of Ankaa, Alaina could see that Vega wasn’t putting his back to the red-scaled cursu. Or any of his teammates, for that matter.
    “What’s happening?” she asked the guard at the gate.
    “A land dispute,” the guard said. “House Khuun claims House Chara invaded a planet already claimed. House Chara says there was no claim. The cursii will fight and whoever wins gets dominion of the planet.”
    “What about the people who already live on the planet?” Alaina asked, frowning.
    The guard shrugged. “They have no power here.” Then he indicated Vega. “The favored is in trouble with his brothers after last night. Watch, once it is plain they’ve won the game, they’ll turn on him.”
    Alaina’s heart pounded. “Why? Why would they do that?”
    The guard looked at her, and she could see him arch an eyebrow through the fore of his helmet. “To claim you.”
    “But he hasn’t claimed me,” Alaina argued. “That’s wrong! He’s outnumbered three to one!”
    The guard shrugged again, looking back out to the Arena. “Hope he’s ready for a fight, then.”
    Alaina found herself curling her fingers around the bars of the gate, pressed against it, watching as the Master of Games counted down to the siren start. And then it wailed through the Arena like a blast. The ten cursii fighting drew their weapons, and the game began.
    It happened in a blur, and Alaina couldn’t see it all through the gate. The crowd was so loud it was like thunder shook the whole Arena, rattling right to Alaina’s collar bone, clamoring in her ears, blocking everything else out.
    She tried to keep Vega in her sights but they were all so fast. They moved and fought like nothing Alaina had ever seen. Vega himself was liquid, a black slick of oil lashing in amongst the other cursii, blood splattering in so many colors as he moved from opponent to opponent. It was clear, despite the ferocity of the other cursii, that Vega was the strongest fighter among them. He dispatched the last of the Ankaa cursii and then Alaina could hear that the crowd of the Arena was chanting his name.
    Ve-ga. Ve-ga. Ve-ga.
    Vega lifted his blades, soaking in the sound of their cheering, and the crowd went wild in celebrating his triumph.
    Then Alaina saw the red-scaled cursu lifted his weapon, something akin to an axe, and hurl it right at Vega.
    She screamed. “VEGA, WATCH OUT!”
    By some miracle, Vega seemed to hear her. He whirled towards the sound of her voice, saw the axe and ducked, lifting one of his blades in the same moment to meet the flying axe head. The ring of metal on metal sang through the Arena. The axe flew aside, deflected, and as Vega straightened the red-scaled cursu charged him.
    Alaina watched, heart in her throat, as the other three cursii of House Chara followed the red-scaled cursu, lunging for Vega from all sides, weapons drawn. But Vega was a maelstrom in the middle, turning, deflecting, knocking hit after hit aside, even as the crowd screamed and Alaina heard the Master of Games call for them to cease. They did not.
    The guard grabbed Alaina by the arm, hauling her back from the gate.
    “No!” she cried. “Wait—”
    But then the gate itself rose again, and so did several of the other gates, guards pouring through them to surround the fighting cursii. Sand kicked up, clouding the clump of them, and Alaina couldn’t see until it settled. The guards had the other cursii pinned to the ground and were disarming them, binding their hands, and one of the guards was helping Vega up from the sands to