Born of Defiance

  If he was winning or losing.

  Part of her was dying to know, but she'd meant what she said. She couldn't stand the thought of watching him be pounded on by another fighter. Especially not with the savagery that went on in the name of entertainment. Ring fighting was the most popular sport in Andaria.

  And it was the most brutal.

  Every year, dozens of fighters died in the Ring. Dozens more after the match ended, from the injuries they'd sustained during the fight. While they wore masks and taped their clawed hands to keep from being scarred, there were no real rules. They fought until only one was left standing. However long that took.

  A loud, thunderous roar went up. It was followed by an alarm of some sort.

  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."

  "Seriously?"

  He nodded. "It's my CO. He always recalls me as soon as he gets the results of a fight. If I don't head right back, it'll be worse for me." His white eyes filled with regret, he cupped her cheek in his hand. "I probably won't be able to see you this week, after all."

  "Why?"

  Talyn grimaced as that ferocious fury returned to his gaze. "He's going to be pissed that I cost him his bet. So he'll take it out of my ass. I'll call when I can, but if you don't hear from me for a few days, don't worry. It's normal." His jaw ticcing again, he stepped past her so that he could reach his uniform.

  She helped him dress as Erix joined them.

  He rolled his eyes. "Bastard recalled you already?"

  Talyn nodded. "Can you see Felicia home for me?"

  "Sure. You need anything else?"

  Talyn shook his head. "I'll call as soon as I can make training again."

  Erix clapped him on the back. "Take care, kid."

  Talyn gave her a quick kiss before he left.

  Her heart heavy, Felicia watched him go. "Will he be okay?"

  "Yeah. He's a tough little bastard."

  That description really didn't make her feel better.

  She fingered the bloody mask Talyn had left behind before she handed it to Erix so that he could clean it. "How long have you known him?"

  "Almost six years."

  That was an impressive length from what she understood about fighters and trainers. "You've been training him that long?"

  Erix nodded as he washed the mask off in a small sink. "Ironically, I'd never heard of him before that. I'm a Vested trainer so I never paid attention to the Open leaguers. I considered them rabid mongrels, not worth my time."

  Because only those with prestigious lineages were allowed to fight in the Vested league, they, alone, could afford a coach's fees. Open was reserved for orphans, slaves, and bastards. Unlike Vested fighters, they had no equipment, protections, or reps. It was an all-out bare-fist-on-flesh brawl.

  "So what made you take on Talyn?"

  He sterilized the mask. "A good friend of mine had seen him fight and thought I should take a look at him. Talyn was going up against a much older, larger, and tougher opponent for the Mean Weight title. I thought it was a complete waste of time since I knew an Open leaguer couldn't afford me, but it was free ale and dinner with a friend so I agreed. Kid was only thi
rteen at the time. He came out alone and looked like a toy in comparison to his opponent. I figured he wouldn't last five minutes ... three hours later, no breaks whatsoever, he was champion. In thirty-five years of coaching fighters, I'd never seen anything like it. He was fearless and determined. Skilled beyond his years. That giant bastard beat him half to death and still he stood strong and fierce--as if he was daring the gods themselves to try and break him. By the end, Talyn couldn't even open his eyes and yet there he stood. The youngest Mean Weight title champion in Andarion history. It took me two days to wrap my head around what I'd seen and to convince myself it'd been real. And then ten days to talk the kid into letting me train him." He dried off the mask.

  "Really?"

  He nodded as he picked up towels and placed them in a duffel. "Kid didn't want to spend the money on a trainer when they don't use us in the Open league. Plus, he was trying to save up to help his mom buy her rank commission."

  Her jaw fell slack. "He paid for his mother's commission?"

  "Yeah. He's always felt responsible for her. Told you, he's a good kid."

  "And yet she never comes to his matches?"

  Shrugging, he put the mask and Talyn's wrap-tape and covers in a smaller bag. "She can't stand them. He was already a title contender before she found out he was even a fighter."

  Felicia gaped even more at what he was telling her. "How could she not know?"

  "You've seen how the military treats its soldiers. She wasn't home much, and whenever she saw the bruises, she assumed they were from school fights. Talyn didn't tell her no different and she didn't ask."

  Felicia shook her head as she had an image of Talyn as a bruised little boy, tending his injuries with no help. Never had she hated Andarion customs more.

  But at least he'd found Erix to watch over him. "So how did you talk him into accepting you as his coach?"

  "Told him if he'd give me five years, I could get him into the Vested league. I did it in three."

  "Impressive." She helped him gather the rest of the damp towels and Talyn's shorts.

  "Not on my part. While I never admit it to the media, I know the truth. I couldn't have done it for anyone else. It's a testament to his abilities and heart that I was able to get him in. At all. Believe me, the Vested league fought me every step of the way. They only agreed to it originally as a joke. Thought it'd be funny to trot out the mongrel freak, and show a Vested leaguer trouncing him. For that first fight, the kid was ridiculously paired with a fighter who outweighed him by over a hundred pounds."

  "The Andarion Butcher?" Felicia asked, remembering what Fresca had said about her cousin.

  He nodded. "He tried to break Talyn in half. Didn't work out so well for him. No one can deny that Talyn has a fire inside him no other Andarion can touch. You might get a shot or two in, but no one can take him down. He mangled the Butcher in under two hours."

  And that was what scared her. What if he turned that level of ferocity on her one day?

  He sealed the bags. "C'mon. Let me see you home like I promised. Last thing I want is for the kid to kick my ass because I let you get hurt."

  She smiled at the tender note in his voice as he spoke of Talyn. "You love him."

  "Like a son."

  As they left, the media descended on them. Erix pushed his way through them, taking care to keep her safe through the crowd.

  "Who's the female?"

  "Is she the Hammer's girl?"

  "She's my daughter," he snarled at the reporters. "Now get out of our way! I'll field interviews later!" He opened the door to a chauffeured transport and helped her inside. Then he joined her.

  She shook her head incredulously at the spectacle. "Is it always like this?"

  "Yeah. Talyn's a once-in-a-lifetime champion. No one's ever seen a fighter like him before. I doubt if they'll ever see another."

  And Talyn had requested a contract with her.

  She still couldn't believe she was tied to a famous athlete. "He should be celebrating his win. Not pulled back to duty before he could even finish his shower."

  The look on Erix's face made her stomach shrink.

  "What?"

  He glanced away.

  "Erix? What is it?" What was he not telling her?

  "Nothing. Just agreeing with you."

  There was more to it than that. She knew it. "Tell me why you look like that."

  "Just thinking of what his CO will do to him for daring to win tonight. I hate that unreasonable bastard with a passion."

  "Who's his CO?"

  "Colonel Asshole Anatole. The tadara's grandnephew. A ne'er-do-well who bought his rank and hates every male who puts him to shame. Which is pretty much everyone. And, in particular, Talyn."

  She knew the type well. "It's not Chrisen Anatole, is it?"

  He frowned at her. "You know him?"

  "Only by reputation." He was banned from her agency for almost killing one of the companions who'd been dumb enough to contract with him two years ago. Her agency used him as an example that though a patron might be highest caste, he might not be the best choice.

  "Yeah, it really chaps my ass that my blood son died in battle to protect us, and that cowardly dog sits with a colonel's commission and uses it to bully and abuse those beneath him. There's just no justice in this universe."

  "Is there no way to get Talyn out from under his command?"

  "Yeah. Kill the bastard ... and don't think the idea of taking that contract out with The League hasn't occurred to me."

  She frowned at him. "Can't Talyn simply buy another commission?"

  "It's not just a money thing. Officers have to bank training and service time for a promotion. Unfortunately, Talyn donated his to get his mother her last commission. And even if he had used it himself, it wouldn't have gotten him out from under his CO. He has to go up two ranks to bypass that asshole."

  She cringed at the thought of him staying with such a beast. "So what do you think will happen when Talyn returns to base?"

  "If experience holds, he'll be sent out on patrol as soon as he gets back and they check his blood to make sure it's clean. His leave for the next month will be revoked, and he'll be given every shit assignment that comes across Anatole's desk."

  "And there's nothing we can do?"

  Erix shook his head sadly. "Just be there for him when he resurfaces, and hope his CO doesn't kill him."

  CHAPTER 4

  "Hey, Felicia."

  Felicia smiled as she heard Talyn's deep, sexy voice again. It'd been two weeks since she'd seen him at the fight. While she'd sent him several texts and had left messages, the most she'd gotten back was a word or two as a texted response.

  "Hey, sweetie! How are you doing?"

  Talyn hesitated before he answered. "I'm okay. I ... um ... where are you?"

  "At home. Studying."

  "Are you alone?"

  She scowled at the strange note in his voice and the peculiar question. "Yeah. Why?"

  There was a brief pause before he spoke again in the cutest little bashful tone. "I'm on my rec time, and I was wondering if you could talk dirty to me."

  Her jaw dropped in shock. "Excuse me? Rec time?"

  "It's private time we get twice a week for half an hour to, um ... take care of our hormone levels."

  His embarrassed tone made her cheeks heat up as she finally understood what he was talking about and why he was making such an odd request. Adult Andarion males had to have a fairly regular ejaculation schedule, or they became extremely aggressive and physically ill. It was the main reason why companions and prostitutes were acceptable roles for females in their society.

  And her male needed help from her.

  Smiling at the fact that he'd finally called her for something he was paying her for, she set her assignments aside. "Okay. What do you need me to do?"

  He hesitated again before he spoke. "What are you wearing?"

  "Shorts and a shirt."

  Talyn laughed. "Not what I was going for, Fe
licia."

  "Oh, sorry. I'm naked." She scowled as she looked at the really expensive brown sofa. "Though I should probably put down a blanket on the couch first. I'd hate to mess up this nice leather. Not to mention that's not exactly hygienic. Be kind of gross whenever someone comes over. Gods help us if they have a UV light."

  Again, he laughed at her comments. "You've never done this before, have you?"

  "No. Sorry. I didn't take the course on sex talk.... Um, I'm kissing your lips and breathing in your ear."

  "How could you be kissing my lips and breathing in my ear?"

  She bit her lip to keep from laughing. "I'm really limber?"

  "Are you?"

  "Yes. Does that help?"

  "Not really." His tone said he was smiling at her.

  "Well, if you're going to be literal, Major Picky ... I'm rubbing your back."

  "Not the part of me I want rubbed. I'm thinking of something lower."

  Her face heated up even more. "Sorry. I'm rubbing your..." What word should she use? "Male hardness?"

  "Ew," he said with a laugh.

  "Turgid penis?"

  He made sounds of extreme painful distress. "Gods, girl, you're killing me. Way too clinical. Put down your textbooks!"

  "Sorry. I'll call my mom tomorrow and--"

  "Uh, gah! No! Don't! Don't bring your mother into this! And for the love of the gods, don't discuss our sex life with her!"

  It was her turn to laugh. "You sound like you're in pain."

  "I am. Agony. I can't believe you just invoked the maternal image in my head. I don't think I'll ever purge that. You've scarred me for life." He sounded so miserable that she felt terrible for causing it.

  She took a picture of herself pouting and sent it to him. "Did that help?"

  "A little."

  She snapped another picture of herself looking demure and sent it. "Better?"

  Talyn grinned as his body hardened even more from the image. She was lying down, her face engulfed by the mess of curls that fell in every direction. All he wanted in life was to bury his face in that soft curly mass and breathe her in until he was drunk from her scent. "Much."

  "Want me to try again to please you?" she asked.

  He bit his bottom lip as he imagined her hands on his body. Closing his eyes, he hung on to the vision with everything he had, and elaborated on it with her sinking to her knees in front of him. His breathing turned ragged as he quickly reminded himself that she was waiting for an answer. "You already are. Just the sound of your voice saying my name is the sweetest thing I've ever known."