78. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
S teele
“Nice barrumps , Zoey,” Maximus calls when we enter the dining room.
His mate, Raine, elbows him in the ribs. “That was rude, Max,” she chastises him. He doesn’t even have the good manners to look sorry.
It’s as if a forest fire ignites at my feet and spreads through me at the speed of light. Every muscle in my body tenses and I take a step toward him, ready to fight to the death for mentioning my mate’s breasts in public, but everyone in the room laughs, then gets back to their breakfasts. Even Zoey is smiling, and it’s not the fake smile she used to plaster on her face when she was nervous.
She grabs my hand and pulls me down so she can whisper in my ear. “Look at him, Steele.”
I do. He’s glancing at me from the side, an open, generous expression on his dark gray face.
“He did it on purpose to break the ice,” Zoey says. “I’d been tense about my little striptease last night, but he… normalized it. It’s no big deal now. It’s a nothingburger.”
She’s right. “Nothingburger,” I repeat, not certain I understand the word, but understanding her meaning.
Max sidles over, spears us both with a questioning look and asks, “That was good, right?”
Zoey hugs him around the waist, then glances up at him and says, “The perfect thing to do.” He looks over at Raine with a smirk on his face. “See? Not rude. Perfect.”
Now he has drawn the attention to himself as everyone laughs. Zoey was right, it was perfect.
The Max I used to know seldom, if ever, knew the perfect thing to do. And if he did know it, he never did it. Mating Raine is the best thing that ever happened to him.
“It’s always the quiet ones,” Petra quips and everyone chuckles.
I eat two bites of pren eggs, but I’m not hungry. It’s not healthy to eat much before a match. I’ll be exerting myself in the hot suns.
Sitting here with Zoey in the dining room feels different than it ever has before. What happened last night changed everything. I feel calm and optimistic. Knowing all is well between Zoey and me is the high point of my life.
I squeeze her knee as she engages in conversation with the others at the table, as if she’s been chatting easily with others her entire life.
The room feels different. Excitement is in the air. They’ve narrowed it down to ten contestants. The one thing every gladiator has literally been born and bred to do is to win. How many times have I competed when the loser was destined for death? That is powerful motivation.
I’ve been in many ludi in my lifetime. You don’t make deep bonds with the others, although you call each other “brother.” You might be called upon to kill that male someday. Because every male in this room is free, I’ve grown closer to them than any I’ve ever known.
Yesterday, the thing I wanted more than almost anything else was to win today’s competition. It was as if victory would prove something to myself, and to be honest, it was to prove something to my mate.
In the light of the day, now that I’m more secure in Zoey’s love than I ever have been, that seems ridiculous.
Soon, we’re all making our way to the arena. The air is full of expectancy, both for the contest and for the feast afterward.
Our Zinn friends were not only invited for dinner, but are going to watch the contests. Emily Jane knows better than to approach me prior to a match, but I give her a tight nod, then a furtive thumbs up sign the females give each other.
She smiles widely while nodding her head. Then the six of them take seats.
“Welcome all,” Savannah announces. “For those of you who haven’t met our guests, please introduce yourselves when you get the chance. They’re not hard to miss. They’re the three purple Zinnian males, with their three human mates sitting in the second row. Don’t hate them because they’re the same color as our enemy, Commander Khour. I’ve been assured they’re two separate species entirely.”
The six of them stand and wave as everyone claps and smiles, or shouts a welcoming greeting.
“Since Nova and I will be performing our exhibition, I’m turning the microphone over to Dromose from the Devil’s Playground .”
Dromose and Maximus are both from planet Addai. His skin is almost the exact shade of gray as Max, but he doesn’t have the glowing writing that signals a mate-bond.
His voice is booming and cultured as he announces, “Applause please for Nova sum Omrun, free female from Earth.” He pauses as Nova enters the arena, arms raised in true gladiator fashion as she runs the periphery.
“She will be running the course with Savannah Jackson, free female from Earth.” She enters and runs to her left.
After they both return to the bottom of the steps where they started, they move to the center of the arena.
The other Earth females don’t enjoy fighting. These two are warriors. I feel proud as I watch them run the same course as the males when the starting command is given.
“Females and males,” Dromose intones, his voice low and intimate so he doesn’t interrupt the females’ concentration. “Our contestants did not want acrimony and have opted to have no winner or loser. This is an exhibition.”
You’d never know it by watching these two. It looks like every bone in their bodies is competitive. I can relate to it. They are pushing themselves as they hurry over the balance beam, climb the overhead rings, which is harder for them because their distance is set for males and these females’ arm spans aren’t as long. I can hear their loud grunts of exertion and they haven’t even gotten to the halfway mark yet.
They continue over the hurdles, which were lowered for their body size, and they power through the water hazard as if it were nothing.
I’m filled with admiration, watching them battle their bodies as well as each other. Until the wall, they were neck and neck, but Savannah scrambles up faster than her opponent. Nova, though, repels down more quickly and they are equal again when they hit the round vines Zoey described as tires.
Neither chooses to climb the boulders, and they are streaking fast as they pass the final rock and sprint to the finish line.
The idea of friendly competition is long gone. These females are tearing across the sand as they run, desperate to beat the other to the finish line.
When Dromose shouts, “Dead heat,” his voice filled with excitement and admiration, the crowd rises to their feet as one.
“Did you see that, Zoey?” I ask as I lift her in my arms. “So exciting!”
We all cheer for long minimas as the females’ chests heave and they catch their breath. Savannah holds Nova’s hand aloft as they both soak up our appreciation. The two sit together, as they talk excitedly to each other.
Blue Dr. Drayke is at Nova’s side. They’ve been mates almost as long as Zoey and I. Savannah sits alone. The male she was coupled with when the females were brought aboard our ship two annums ago, Theos, was stolen from our ship by Commander Khour. We’re trying to find him but haven’t been successful.
I’ve seen the strain on Savannah’s face, but she seldom speaks of it.
Dromose continues his duties as the announcer when the final gladiator competition begins.
“We’ve narrowed it down to the final ten contestants, but only One. Will. Win,” Dromose’s voice drops and reverberates on the last three words. He’s a natural.
“This will be a three mille footrace. I’m inviting all observers to come to the top row of the stands where you’ll be able to watch your friends. Gladiators, you will run out of the arena, touch the well-marked yarrow tree beyond the barn, return to the arena, jump the hurdles, dodge the stones, and the first male to touch their hand to the stone wall at the base of the stands will be crowned the winner of the games. Ready? Start!”
We take off in a block, then begin jockeying for position as we head out of the arena. Zoey would say there is a lot of testosterone involved as the males push and shove to get to the front of the line. I stay at the back of the pack, knowing I can surge to the front when I’m closer to the finish line.
We run in a group through the main part of the compound, past the well, past the barn, and even hurry by the front door of our little cottage.
Perhaps we’re all holding back, waiting for the final sprint, because I haven’t even worked up a sweat as we jog together. I have plenty of room in my mind to think about what happened at the well last night. My lovely Zoey proclaiming to everyone she knows, every being who is important to her just how serious she is about being comfortable in her own skin—and just how much she loves me.
The warmth in my chest has nothing to do with exertion as I press forward. No, the hot tightness in my chest comes from how much I love my mate.
As we pass my front door, a thousand images flash through my mind of the utter sensual passion of our tryst in the thunderstorm. I push the evening’s terrible ending out of my mind. I focus instead on Zoey’s beauty, and how amazing we were together.
Last night, though, that was the pinnacle moment of my life. To be able to take my mate to the heights of pleasure, to see the look of pure satisfaction on her face—that was the best feeling I’ve ever experienced.
At least I thought it was the best until this morning. Zoey finally trusted me with all the details of her horrifying upbringing. It finally allowed her heart and mind to be set free. That was the best feeling I’ve ever experienced.
We stay in a pack as we see the yarrow tree, which is adorned with yellow ribbons. After we round it, the nature of the race changes.
We’re not just males out for a beautiful morning run. No, we’re gladiators competing for a prize. I jockey for position and keep a steady pace in third place behind Zar and Maximus. Zar doesn’t fight anymore. He’s too valuable in his position as captain. He works out and spars with all of us every day in the ludus . He’s in peak physical condition and is still a fierce competitor.
His fangs are bared from effort as he remains in first place, with Max hot on his heels and me a very close third.
I have so much to rush back to the arena for. My beloved mate is there, waiting for me. She may have changed over the last few days. She’s less fearful when I’m not at her side, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t yearn for me when I’m away.
We re-enter the arena to thunderous shouts and foot stomping from our friends in the stands. Zar and Max sail over the first three hurdles with me right behind them. Just as they leap over the top of the fourth, Max’s leg grazes Zar.
They both topple and land heavily into the water, then stumble to regain their footing. I take a mighty leap using my parkour skills and dive over their heads. Clearing the water below, I tuck my head, do a forward flip in the air and land on my feet running.
They are both right behind me as we zigzag around the huge stone obstacles. The three of us break free of the last one, with me coming from the right, Max on the left and Zar leaping from the top with powerful feline grace.
The closer we get to the finish line, the faster we run. I feel someone so close behind me I’m waiting for them to step on my heels, but I keep running, now even more swiftly. I look up at Zoey jumping up and down.
She’s screaming my name with such complete abandon I hear her even from the other end of the stadium. I put on another burst of speed as I place a picture of Zoey in front of my eyes and work to reach her even faster.
As I hurtle toward the final task—to reach the wall, an idea strikes me with the power of a lightning bolt from the Gods. This race? This is nothing. It means nothing compared to my love for my beautiful Zoey.
We may have fixed so many things between us, but she’s still Zoey underneath all that. She’s still filled with doubts. I know one thing I could do right this minima that will show her my devotion. Something she’ll be able to picture until her end of days. Proof that she is at the top of all my priorities.
As everyone in the pack rushes to the far wall, which is decorated with yellow ribbons like the yarrow tree, I veer off and run up the steps two at a time as if I hadn’t just run for milles . I head straight for my Zoey, grab her so she’s standing on one of the benches and ignore the cheering as everyone in the stands applauds the winner.
I don’t care who won, what I’m doing now is much more important.
My heart is pounding and my breath is heaving in and out of my lungs, not from the race, but from the overwhelming love I feel for this amazing female.
I kneel on one knee in front of her, ignoring Dromose’s excited announcement of the winner.
“I’m the real winner here, my Zoey, because I have you. You’re everything I want and everything I need. I want to spend the rest of our lives together, and although we’re already mated, I want what every other mated couple on our vessel has experienced. I want a ceremony. Will you let Zar mate us when the time is right?”
I haven’t taken my gaze off her throughout my proposal. I’ve had the honor of watching her smile grow bigger and bigger as I spoke my declaration and made my request.
“Steele! I didn’t know you wanted a ceremony. I want one, too. I want to say my vows in front of everyone who is important to me, my family—my found family. And I want you to know how much I love you.”
I swing her in my arms and realize the arena is silent as everyone is watching us.
Zar is standing on one of the balance beams, ready to receive the crown of tiny yellow ribbons Melodie crafted for the winner. But everyone, including him, has their gaze focused on Zoey and me.
“You were winning,” Zar’s resonant voice booms.
“This was more important,” I say, my female in my arms.
“So it is,” he says with a nod and a smile.
I sit down, taking care to keep Zoey in my lap. I don’t want to let her go for a moment.
Zar gets his moment of adulation as everyone cheers for him, first as he stands alone, and later after he motions for Anya, the female he never fails to call his beloved, to come join him on the beam.
“Get washed up quickly if you need to,” Dromose says. “We’re going to feast in half an hoara .”
Zoey
I thought my life couldn’t get any better after last night, but a proposal? In front of everyone? But suddenly my heart plunges into my stomach. Did he throw the race because he thought I didn’t want him to win?
“You were winning. Why didn’t you finish the race?” I ask as we walk to our cottage.
“It seemed…” He shrugs and lifts my hand to his mouth, then kisses my knuckles. It’s such an endearing gesture. “Inconsequential compared to what we have. I realized I’ve been trying to impress you, as if my ability in the arena could somehow make up for what I thought was my failure in our bed. Now that I know how much you love me—in every way—I have no need for accolades. I just want you. Forever.”
“Too bad Dromose said half an hour,” I look up at him with a flirty smile. “If we had an hour we could get busy.”
“We’re going to get very busy after we’re back on the Fool’s Errand . I’m going to give you a small token of my love at the Feast, Zoey, because your big present has been delivered to our cabin on the Fool .”
“Ohh, what is it?” I ask, assuming he’ll tell me. He usually does everything I ask.
“A surprise,” he answers firmly.
Hmph. Both of us have changed a lot over the last few days.
He takes a quick shower and is back in his clothes when he emerges from the bathroom in a cloud of steam. If we wouldn’t make a scene if we arrived late, I’d get down on my knees to show him how much I care. Sadly, we’ve run out of time.
When we arrive at the middle of the compound, all the tables have been arranged end to end near the well. I can’t help but flash to pictures from grade school that showed the pilgrims sitting down with the Native Americans at Thanksgiving. For the briefest moment, my father’s voice drifts to me.
He threatened to rip the page right out of my textbook in first grade, saying his usual shit about mixing races.
Happily, his voice isn’t at its usual thunderous volume. It’s quiet and seems more like a sad annoyance rather than an edict from on high.
I’m so proud to be part of this gathering. We’re almost the last to arrive, so I get to see our Thanksgiving table, still pristine with no food spillage, laid out in front of dozens of alien species. Within moments we’re all holding hands. Steele is on my right and Allura is on my left. She’s clutching my hand with one hand and my arm with another.
I didn’t think this moment could get any better when WarDog and Beauty show up. Oh yes, they’re in their canine forms again. They are huge and magnificent. Even in this form, the love and bond between them are obvious. Beauty is nipping at her mate’s heels. WarDog playfully swishes his thick tail in her face. I wonder how they’re going to manage the whole running naked thing, although who am I to talk? I streaked naked in front of everyone last night and lived to tell the tale.
They wind up behind the balthus tree towering nearby. Evidently they hid some clothes there, because a minute later, they both come out fully dressed, holding hands, and laughing.
“Sorry. We wanted to uh, get a run in,” she giggles and they grab the only two remaining open seats.
“Welcome everyone,” Zar intones from the head of the table. Of course, he gets the place of honor. He’s the captain of our first ship.
“I want to say a few remarks.” He pulls out a folded piece of paper from the little leather pouch attached to his sash, then takes a deep breath, looks around the table, and begins.
“I am deeply honored to be here today. Not to be seated at the head of this table. Being given this honor isn’t the true thrill. The real pleasure is being in the company of so many truly good people. It’s…” He swallows, then swallows again.
Uh oh, if Zar’s choking up already, I’m really going to regret not bringing tissues. Well, this planet’s equivalent of tissues which are small square pieces of cloth.
“To think that two short annums ago my life, many of our lives, were lived in despair and darkness. Worst of all, I had no hope of life ever becoming better. To be in those depths of emotion and now to be here.” He motions to the long table filled with me and my friends. “It is the greatest honor of my life.
“Yes, it’s been an honor getting to know each and every one of you. To get to not only know, but nurture all of your strengths. To see love blossom under the most difficult circumstances, and to see again and again, all of you rise to every occasion.”
He pauses, perhaps to gather his own control, or maybe to let us reflect on our own journeys. Mine has been a long one, and I couldn’t possibly be any happier than where I am right now.
“I want you all to know how proud I am of each of you, how pleased I am to know you, and how deeply I desire that we are all even happier when we share next Blessed Peace Day together.”
Zar’s eyes are shining as he leans to kiss his beloved mate, Anya. When I turn to kiss my beloved mate, Steele, I see his eyes are shining, too.
“Let’s eat!” Dax says to break the mood.
Food is passed. Food is consumed. Then more food is consumed. And then it’s time for dessert.
After dinner, there are many, many hugs. Was it only just five days ago that hugging people when I walked down the gangplank after arriving on Fairea was like a chore? Now it, too, feels like a blessing.
After grabbing our clothes from our cottage and sweeping it out one last time, we head for the Fool .
“I can’t wait to return,” I tell Naomi and Dhoom who are standing at the foot of our gangplank to say one final goodbye.
“And we can’t wait to host the party. You know we’ll be thinking about how to outdo ourselves, right?” Naomi says. For the first time, I notice how pretty she is when she smiles. There’s something about her eyes and smile that reminds me of someone else, but I still can’t place it.
Steele and I walk hand-in-hand up the incline onto the ship. Fairea will always hold a warm place in my heart. It provided the happiest days of my life. That isn’t a bittersweet thought, though, because I know I have thousands of better days to come.