Free Stealing Mercury (Arena Dogs Book 1) by Charlee Allden Page A

throat tightened. She’d never seen him so enraged.
    He shoved her up against the bulkhead just out of arm’s reach of Mercury’s cage. “Yeah, I’ll bet they think you look tasty.” The liquor on his breath made her gag.
    Samantha could feel the agitation radiating from the caged men as they growled their protest to Drake’s rough treatment. She struggled, but she couldn’t budge the man. Resler might have more bulk, but Drake knew how to use his strength.
    Drake laughed at her efforts. “What do you say, Merc? You think she’d make a good snack? Or are you sniffing after something else from her?”
    Mercury snarled and snapped in response. “You’d make a better meal. Perhaps when we reach the hunting grounds, you’ll be the prey.”
    Samantha’s gaze locked on Mercury, shocked that he’d respond to the taunts. Mercury barely looked at her. She could hear the others getting louder, then one loud howl drowned out the others.
    Resler strutted to the farthest cage where Carnage’s howl ended in a snarl. “Well, if it isn’t our lazy Carnage coming back to life. What’s the matter? You hungry? Or you done missing your bitch and ready to fuck anything with a hole?”
    Mercury growled deep in his throat. “Come let me out of this cage, you coward, and we’ll see who ends up fucked.” The words vibrated out of his still rumbling throat.
    Drake shoved Samantha down to the floor and stepped across her to reach Mercury’s cage. She ended up on her hands and knees facing Diablo. He dropped to the floor, face less than a quarter of a meter away. Her racing heart stuttered and a shiver raced along her skin. She had a moment to wonder if he’d kill her or leave her scarred, then he spoke beneath the howling that filled the small hold.
    “Go, little Sam.” He spoke through gritted teeth, lips drawn back from his prominent canines. “Don’t let Mercury’s pain serve no one. Go. Now.”
    Samantha looked over her shoulder and saw Drake shove the stun-stick into Mercury’s cage. Resler taunted Carnage with his matching weapon and a smirk on his face. The caged men backed away from their tormenters, but there was no room for them to escape the stinging weapon.
    “Go now,” Diablo growled. “Mercury is strong and we’re used to such things.”
    Samantha looked into his eyes. The midnight black had been almost completely eclipsed by the flecks of blood red. His thin lips curled back to show his teeth and rage danced in the depths of his eyes.
    Fear made her arms shake as she pushed up from the decking, but she wouldn’t let any of them be tortured. Not again. Instinct had her launching herself at Drake, making a grab for the weapon. Drake shook her off, throwing her at Resler. The brute caught her around her waist, arms like steel cables. Luckily, the man was still unsteady on his injured leg. She swung her feet and kicked against Carnage’s cage. Unable to balance her shifting weight, Resler dropped her.
    Pain radiated up through her hip. Damn! What had she been thinking? She knew she couldn’t take on both Drake and Resler.
    Staying low, she reengaged her brain and scrambled past them. Mercury’s snarls rang in her ears as she dashed through the hatch. She ran through the halls, slamming blast doors closed behind her to give herself time when they came after her. And they would.  She’d make sure of it.
    When she reached the pilot’s station, she threw herself down into the seat. Still panting for breath, she hooked her feet under the bar beneath her chair as her fingers flew across the controls. The Dove’s environmental system and grav-generators faltered in response. Anything that wasn’t tied down tumbled across the deck, then the world dropped out from under her and everything started floating, suddenly weightless.
    Samantha’s lungs started to burn from the sudden drop in oxygen levels. The temporary outage might be drastic measures, but she’d promised herself she’d keep the Arena Dogs safe.