40. Az
Az
“Did they really do that?” I ask, wincing as the healer places my busted-up hands into the recess of a healing chamber.
He tuts and presses a few buttons. I can feel a cooling spray activate inside, making sure to properly clean and seal my wounds.
I could, of course, use my own venom to do this, but team contracts dictate that any injuries picked up in the arena must be dealt with by a drakball league-sponsored healing center.
“Do what?” my Lois asks, too busy looking at all the healing technology to see what I’m seeing – a big screen on the wall replaying the dramatics from today’s game.
Also known as the game I threw my career away on.
Or the best fucking day of my life.
Depending on which way you look at things.
“Them,” I jerk my head toward the screen. “The fans. Did they really applaud us in the end?”
She smiles a soft smile over her shoulder. “Well, it started out with a few awkward claps, but yeah. You don’t remember?”
“No,” I say, answering plainly. “All I remember is that you said something about loving my abs?”
She rolls her eyes.
My grin grows wider. “Say it again, Lois.”
“I said it sixteen times on our way over here. I don’t want to spoil you.”
The healer clears his throat and removes my hands from the chamber. My gaze stays on Lois as the male turns over my now cleaned and bandaged hands, inspecting them.
She lifts one adorable brow but whispers the best words in the whole of the known galaxies. “I love you.”
I swear my heart is pumping so hard and loud; surely the healer can actually hear that?
I look at him as he finishes his checks, jotting my medical notes down on his tablet.
When he finally makes eye contact with me, he must see something very clearly written on my features, because he almost trips over himself to vacate the room, finally leaving Lois and I alone.
I rush to her, expecting to be able to sweep her up into my arms – and perhaps make use of that medical bed over there in the corner of the room.
Instead, she halts me with a single hand to my chest.
“I have to ask you something.”
I say nothing, waiting for her question.
“Have… have you ever encouraged your friends – other Xavianns to… you know, get a human of their own?”
I furrow my brow. In a million years, I would never have imagined such a question.
“Get a… as in, buy? To engage with the human trafficking we’re trying to combat?” I blink at her for a second. “No, Lois. I have never done that. And I never will.”
She lets out a shaky breath. “I believe you. I just needed to hear you say it.”
I’m still so confused. “Where is this even coming from?”
* * *
“Zyre!” I bellow down the hallway of the healing center. “Zyre! You steaming pile of drak shit, where the fuck are you?!”
I’d seen him pass my patient room not too long ago, but had thought nothing of it.
“Az!” Lois calls after me as she trails behind.
I burst into rooms, checking for the new target of my anger, terrifying innocent patients as I go.
“Down here, Prince Az,” a familiar deep voice calls from the other end of the corridor. I peer around the doorframe of the empty patient room I’m in to see Zyre standing there, jerking his head toward a particular room before he disappears into it.
I growl under my breath.
“Az, don’t do anything stupid,” Lois calls as she tries to catch up, but I’m already striding down the hallway, an angry thumping in my ears.
As soon as I enter the room, I practically launch myself at Zyre, but something big and strong holds me back. I struggle, trying to fight back, but it’s no use; the grip on me tightens.
Turning my head, I see Thax, and beyond him Ral, Varrex, Rykor, Sevan, and Jorren. My whole team. “What the fuck are you all doing here?”
“Trying to get to the bottom of what the fuck actually happened in that game,” Vex says, crossing his arms.
Ral pipes up. “Yeah, and to confirm whether you committed murder or not today.”
It’s only then that I actually look around this room. My team is here, as well as Zyre, and his father, Senator Glex, is standing strategically behind one of the staff healers seeing to Pax, who is lying in the bed. He’s not awake. He’s bruised and swollen.
“He ok?” I grunt, jerking my chin toward the male I used to count on like a brother.
One of the healers gives a timid nod in response as he goes about his work on his patient.
It’s not that I think Pax didn’t deserve these consequences for his actions, but I know that I really did lose myself back there. I am not normally a violent male, and some shame starts to creep in around the edges of my psyche.
Then the mental image of those monsters pawing at my frightened Lois appears in my mind’s eye. Clawing at her. Snapping her neck.
Never mind, maybe I didn’t punish him enough.
“Az-” Lois says, bursting into the room a little breathlessly. She quickly surveys the situation – mainly the fact that my team is here and holding me back – and her shoulders visibly relax.
Then she spots Zyre.
“What the fuck was it that you showed me the other day?” She says, marching up to him, her accusatory finger pointing right up into his face. “Because I know for sure that wasn’t my Az.”
My Az.
Holy Four, I might come in my pants right about now.
Which would be very inconvenient, considering this room is packed with males.
Still… my Az.
I need to beg her to say that more often.
Preferably while I’m inside her.
Zyre lifts his hands, palms outward, completely surrendering to the small, angry, glorious human. “I need to apologize for that,” he starts, his eyes glancing between my female and me.
“No, you do not need to say anything, son,” Glex pipes up.
I try to struggle out of Thax’s hold, but he does not relent.
“Yes, I do, father,” Zyre snaps back. “They’re owed an apology from me, Pax, and you.”
With that, the healers wheel the unconscious Pax out the door on his bed, murmuring something about a full-body healing chamber. I suspect they just made a clever excuse to leave in case there’s a repeat of my arena outburst.
For a moment or two, no one volunteers to start any kind of discussion. It’s just Zyre looking chagrined, his father burning a hole in his head with a warning glare, and my beautiful Lois looking like she’s getting ready to break off both their horns if someone doesn’t start talking soon.
“Well?” she prompts, standing there with her hip cocked and her arms crossed.
Zyre ducks his head and clears his throat. “Pax told us about helping you contact your mother,” he starts, his tone low and serious.
“Which is a crime, by the way,” Glex butts in.
He is silenced with a single glare from my female.
“While he was helping you,” Zyre continues, throwing his father a look that is most definitely telling the male to shut the fuck up.
“He stole some information from your comms, mainly your own Permission, Prince Az’s Permission, and a contract document between the two of you.
He brought this information to my father in the hopes that we could use it tactically to win the game today. ”
“You did all this to win a game?” Lois asks, disgusted.
Zyre sighs. “Yes.” He swallows and nods. “Winning today against our biggest rivals would have brought a lot of pride, prestige, and notoriety to myself, my team, and my father.”
“There can be no pride in winning this way,” Thax grunts from behind me, releasing me from his hold. There’s a murmuring of agreement from my team. “Stealing a Permission is bad enough. But to use that Permission during gameplay is-”
“Ah,” Glex says, gleefully interrupting, holding up one finger as if he were about to impart some kind of valuable wisdom.
“But we didn’t even need her Permission in the end, did we?
She is human. Her likeness is classed just the same as the creatures the Arena Masters conjured for you all to fight,” he says, grinning.
I move.
It’s not the biggest of movements.
Just a slight lean toward the male who just so plainly stated that my female, and humans like her, have the exact same rights as… wildlife? Creatures spotted on a vacation planet? Animals at a zoo?
Glex notices, though, and he wisely angles himself in a way that uses his son, Zyre, as a living shield.
Coward.
Thax grabs my forearm. He’s not holding me back this time; he just gives me a squeeze – a reminder not to lose myself to violence again.
I turn my head and give him the smallest of nods.
“What about my Permission?” I ask. “Pax stole it, and you used it, completely unauthorized, to upset my female, and, therefore, me. That is a serious crime, Glex. Once this is known, I do not see you staying on the board of the Intergalactic Peacetime Authorities, or my father’s court, for that matter. ”
Glex’s smile does not waver. “Prove it,” is all he says before he starts to stride toward the door – the door that Ral and Varrex swiftly block, their arms folded.
He stumbles to a halt and turns to say, “All you have is a human’s word.
You’ll not find any kind of video featuring your Permission, Prince Az, so kindly tell your teammates to move! ”
They do not.
“If Prince Az and Lady Lois wish to go to the authorities about the Permission theft, I will back up their claim, father.”
I’m not sure Zyre’s words had really registered with anyone straight away – least of all with Glex.
Slowly, he turns to face his son, a look of utter disbelief written on his features. “What? Zyre, you-”
“I should never have gone along with your plan,” he states. “But I did. And for that, I am truly sorry.” My sporting rival bows his head to us. “I cannot undo what is already done. But if you need me to speak the truth in any capacity, I will do so.”
“Zyre-” Glex starts, face practically turning purple with fury as he’s marching over to his son.
Zyre doesn’t move a muscle.
But Lois does.
“Help me with the laws around humans,” she says, stepping in front of Glex’s stride.
The male blinks down at her, and I watch him carefully for any indication that he’ll redirect that anger toward my Lois.
“What?” Glex blusters.