Born of Defiance

Was it over?

Biting her lip, she went to the door. She held her breath until she saw Talyn coming down the hallway with a furious light in his eyes. Blood dripped from the mask over his face. More bruises and cuts covered him. But his injuries didn’t seem to bother him at all.

As soon as he saw her, he pulled the mask off, spit out his fang guard, and gave her a grim smile. “Still undefeated.”

Proud, and honestly, a bit terrified by this side of him that didn’t seem to mind bleeding, she swallowed hard. There was an aura of death that clung to him now. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll feel the burn later. Right now…” He picked her up with a terrifying ease and hugged her close.

She started to wrap her arms around him, until she saw all the bleeding welts on his back. They had to be killing him. “We need to get you something for your pain.”

He shook his head as he set her back on her feet and led her into his dressing room. “I can’t take anything.”

“Talyn —”

He set his mask down and unwrapped his hands. “They’ll test my blood as soon as I hit the barracks. If I have any drugs in my system, I’ll be court-martialed and imprisoned for it.”

“An aspirin?”

“I’ll be court-martialed and imprisoned,” he repeated. “I can’t have anything in my system while I might be called to fly. It’s an order my CO’s dead serious about.”

Aghast, she stared up at him and the horrific marks on his body. It looked as if his opponent had not only managed to get the covers off and claw him, but bitten him, too. There were definite fang marks all over his left arm. “How can you stand it?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I have no choice, Felicia. Without a paternal lineage, I can’t even work as a janitor. The military’s all I have open to me. And I’m damn lucky that I was able to fight well enough to be allowed into OTS, given my caste.”

And the armada was the only solid income he could bank on. Ring fighting didn’t pay for fighters.

While the promoters got rich, the fighters didn’t. They were given a small stipend for each fight, and prestige, but no one could afford to live on a fighter’s pay.

Not even a champion’s.

Andarions fought for glory and military rank, not riches.

While humans paid their fighters exorbitant amounts, Andarions didn’t. It was to be expected of their males that they could take a beating and not flinch. And because of their ferocity and size, Andarions were barred from human sports. Which kept Talyn trapped on Andaria, in this hellish existence.

She cursed the unfairness of it all as she helped him undress and enter the large shower so that they could wash the blood and sweat off.

Talyn winced as his adrenaline fled and left him in pain. He leaned with one arm against the wall while the water stung the various cuts on his body. In spite of the rancid physical agony, he hardened at the sensation of Felicia’s hands sliding over his bare flesh as she soaped his skin for him. Her cheeks were bright pink, but she didn’t say a word while she gently and carefully bathed him. In spite of the beating, his senses spun with bliss at being touched for the first time by a female’s gentle hand.

Reaching out, he brushed his fingers along the line of her jaw and watched her pupils dilate in response to his touch. He still couldn’t believe that she’d accept his caresses without flinching or insulting him.

Her nipples hardened through the fabric of her thin shirt. His breathing ragged, he was dying to know what she looked like naked. Because she was a virgin, her agency photos had been of her in skimpy panties and an exercise bra.

On the night they’d met, he could have forced her to disrobe so that he could inspect her body, but he’d refused to embarrass her in front of the others.

Now…

They were alone and all he wanted was to be inside her.

She hesitated as she neared the part of him that was most desperate for her touch. He was so hard, he could probably drive nails with his cock.

Feral with longing, he locked gazes with her and he held his breath, praying she wouldn’t stop or pull back.

His hand trembling, he covered hers with his and slowly slid it against his hardness. The room spun even more as pleasure racked his entire body and drove the pain away.

Felicia couldn’t breathe as she stared up at him and touched him for the first time. Dropping the cloth, she ran her fingers over his cock. Then down the length until she cupped him in her hand. He let out a feral growl. Biting his lip, he gently slid his hand beneath the hemline of her shirt until he could lightly touch and squeeze her breast through her bra.

A smile curved her lips as he slowly and gently rocked himself against her hand. He dipped his head down to kiss her with a tender passion that left her breathless.

Suddenly, his stupid band alarm sounded.

Cursing, he tore himself out of her grasp and turned the water off. He reached for a towel. “I have to go.”