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  A few flames licked at the bottom of his left foot, but the sting was minor and subsided as soon as he’d cleared it. He landed in a crouch. The bottoms of both feet stung from the heated metal beneath them but not enough to slow his progress.

  Ace peered over his shoulder and faintly made out the hazy shape of Colt on the other side, but couldn’t hear a damn thing above the crackling flames. He turned back to face the spreading fire and got to his feet. Pushing his sweaty hair away from his face, he ran toward the wall.

  The fire extinguisher stood out, making it easy for him to wrap his fingers around its barreled exterior and pop it off the wall. He turned with the extinguisher in his hands, pressing the button and pointing the nozzle at the flames now climbing higher. A gush of crystallized water rushed out and attached itself to the flames, slowly dissolving and chasing them in every direction until there was nothing left but ice and the black smears of damage.

  He hit it a few more times before spinning around to extinguish the wall of fire he’d leapt over. The flames subsided and he removed his finger off the button, dropping the almost empty canister to the floor with a clang.

  Colt was doubled over, with both hands on his thighs, coughing in ragged spurts.

  Ace made his way around the damage, careful not to slip. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, smoke and my lungs don’t mix, that’s all,” he managed in a throaty tone.

  He didn’t state the obvious—that smoke and any creature needing oxygen to survive didn’t mix.

  “The fire in sector four has been contained,” the female voice announced. “The exterior of the ship is intact.”

  “That fucking bitch is always good at stating the obvious,” Colt said with a shake of his head and one last cough. He pulled the bandana off his face as he stood to his full height. “I’ve really got to change it; she’s driving me crazy.”

  Ace laughed. “She has a tendency to be annoying.”

  “Thanks for taking care of that. You weren’t lying when you said you were fast.”

  He shrugged.

  “Let’s get back to the cockpit and see how Brynn’s doing. It looks like we might have cleared the worst of it.”

  There hadn’t been any impacts for a while, and although some of the lights were still flashing, all the alarms had completely cut out.

  As Ace took a step back to cross the bridge and head out of this smoky area, Colt grabbed his arm and said, “I appreciate what you did, Ace. But if I ever catch you staring at Brynn’s ass with that look in your eyes again, we’ll have a problem.”

  Ace glared at the grip the cowboy had on his forearm and debated whether to mention that if they kept it down a little, maybe there wouldn’t be a need for him to look at Brynn like a sexual object. The strange thing was, Brynn wasn’t even his type. Not that he had a type exactly. His track record had seen him with a variety of women, all different in body shapes, but always brunette. Yeah, I think you have a thing for brunettes. Though it only took one chick to smell aroused to put him on edge, which was probably why Brynn was affecting him so much.

  Maybe he should’ve visited the saloon before they left Wither. The twins had offered him a good time but he hadn’t been interested. If he was honest with himself, a whore wasn’t what he desired anyway.

  Colt squeezed his arm. “Did you hear me?”

  Ace laughed. “Take it easy, I’m not interested in your woman. I was simply trying to keep her from falling on that nice ass of hers.”

  “Don’t test me, Ace.”

  “I’m only joking. You do understand the concept, right?” When he met his glare, he realized that maybe Colt didn’t. He seemed to take everything a little too seriously.

  Colt stared him down for a few more seconds before finally dropping his hand. “Sure, whatever. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  “I promise to let her fall next time.”

  Colt stepped forward, towering over him. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about. I saw the way you looked at her. No amount of chivalry can explain it away.”

  He hadn’t wanted to bring it up, but there didn’t seem to be any other way around it. “Well, maybe if you both kept your pants on for longer than a second, I wouldn’t be trying to picture her naked every time I see her.” There, the truth was out. Now, he’d either bought himself some respect and understanding, or a whole lot of trouble.

  Colt released a breath and shoved past him. “Maybe I should get you something to cover your ears with.”

  Covering my ears won’t help, you fool. I can smell your arousal and your lovemaking from miles off.

  Yet, he couldn’t stop the laughter from spilling out. The horny cowboy would rather keep Ace’s ears covered than consider keeping his pants on. The guy was unbelievably arrogant.

  Being a guest and knowing that he could do much worse for an accomplice, Ace shrugged and followed him.

  “I hope you’re both ready, because it’s show time,” Colt called as he strolled back into the cockpit.

  Ace didn’t share the enthusiasm, so instead he focused on the planet they were approaching. Fray was large and only had one moon, the one they would be landing Stallion II on. From what he’d researched, the northern hemisphere was an icy, mountainous place with some green. The middle was filled with an ocean, while the southern hemisphere happened to be mostly a desert. That’s where they were headed, to the arid wasteland.

  They were determined to invade Jenks Maine’s base of operations on Fray, but getting anywhere near the arena would prove a challenge. For all they knew, Maine had left harder and tougher men to take care of things in his absence. Brynn continually denied the fact, because she’d been under the control of Maine for years. She insisted that he had such a tight grip on his many operations that he would never leave meatheads behind to run it while he was gone. According to her, Maine wasn’t the kind of man who’d risk handing over the reins of any of his operations to a more powerful man who might be tempted to take over. She suspected he’d leave one of his many females in charge, since he seemed to enjoy shaping and controlling them so much.

  Ace didn’t know much about the wealthy bastard, so he decided it was best not to point out that dealing with an arena filled with enslaved warriors would be hard enough.

  It disgusted him, how one individual had access to so many people, businesses and planets. Jenks Maine had pulled off keeping the arena fights shrouded in mystery by only revealing the location to those who paid to be included. Anyone with enough money could subscribe to watch it, but only those specifically hand-picked by the man himself knew of the exact location. Only a paranoid, powerful man would be so manipulative.

  Ace was proud of the fact that a fellow Recast in feral form had made it easier for Colt to take out the opportunistic prick. Anyone who took young girls and ruined their lives by turning them into his personal soldiers deserved to die.

  “You don’t have to sound so excited, Colt,” Brynn said with a roll of her eyes. “If the prospect of three people going up against a possible army excites you, maybe it’s time you got back into the rodeo scene.”

  Colt’s eyes brightened. “We’re about to change the course of the galaxy.” He held out an arm for Brynn, helping her to her feet so he could take over the ship again. Turning his attention to the windshield in front of them, the cowboy lowered the ship onto the surface of Fray’s moon without a hitch. “I mean, no one knows what we’re about to destroy, but they will soon enough.”

  “As long as no one finds out Jenks is already gone, we’ll be okay.” Brynn didn’t sound convinced. In fact, she was biting down on her bottom lip as she looked out through the large window and glared at the planet in the distance.

  Ace looked away, trying not to focus on the tip of her tongue peeking out between her lips.

  This was getting beyond a joke. If he didn’t get himself a woman soon, he was going to burst at the seams, picturing Brynn as it happened.

  “What are you so worr
ied about?” Colt seemed to have picked up on her doubts too.

  She sighed and pushed her hair behind her shoulders. “It’s just…Jenks wouldn’t travel halfway across the galaxy without having told someone. I know how he works.”

  “Would you ever have suspected him of trekking to Harrow on his own at all?”

  She looked at Colt and answered, “I believe Jenks kept such a tight grip on his business operations because he did take the wheel personally on so many counts. When he came to Wither all those years ago, he was completely alone. Jenks liked to capture his brave little girl soldiers by himself. He liked to keep his women’s identities secret.” Her left eye twitched.

  “It’s a wonder he survived that long,” Ace said.

  A faraway look haunted her blue eyes when she turned to look at him. “No one knew what Jenks Maine looked like until he wanted them to know. He never allowed any sort of camera around him. So if you got to see his face, you could pretty much be assured that he would either arrange for someone to eventually kill you or do it himself. He was a ruthless prick and I’m glad he’s gone, but I’m not looking forward to seeing the legacy he left behind.”

  Colt took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Well, you don’t have to worry. We’re going to finish this, no matter what the cost. In less than two months, more of the used-up Recast will be dumped on your planet unless we stop this injustice.”

  At least he had his priorities straight about the situation. Ace agreed; they couldn’t allow more of his kind to be dumped on a hot and sunny planet, putting innocent lives at risk. “We have no choice but to go to Fray and infiltrate. We need to get ourselves into the arena, to tear it apart from the inside.”

  “It won’t be easy,” Brynn said with a shake of her head.

  “Come on, nothing’s ever easy in life, right? Besides, you’re a big sheriff now.”

  She squeezed Colt’s hand and absently touched the AI chip dangling around her neck with the other. Ace didn’t miss the scowl on Colt’s face, though he tried to hide it when she looked at him. “I know. I’m just concerned about what we’re going to find. He’ll have tight security measures and numbers. He loved to recruit people.”

  “Yeah.” Colt rubbed at his chin. “Okay, we don’t have time for doubts or concerns. We’ve reached our last stop with Stallion II. Now the show begins. We’ll meet at the prick’s ship in an hour.”

  “Why so long?” Ace asked. He wanted to get this over and done with.

  In response, Colt stood up and led Brynn down the corridor, no doubt headed back to their quarters.

  Ace rolled his eyes and fell into the pilot’s chair.

  For a while, he just looked at the barren surroundings outside.

  This wasn’t like his forest moon of Sullen, filled with lush forests and deep caves, where life flourished in every corner. This moon was made of ashen, lifeless rock—endless, jagged peaks extending in every direction. At least the cliffs Colt had chosen to land behind provided enough cover for the ship.

  The planet of Fray lay in the distance. Mostly brown, with a wide band of blue running jagged across the middle and a little green, mostly covered in white, at the top. It was a large planet with two blocks of land—one on top, the other on the bottom. No bridges joined the two lands and they could only be reached via air or boat, but neither had access to vehicles allowing for either form of travel. He imagined Maine had probably orchestrated the segregation of this planet and enjoyed interfering in the lives of those who lived there.

  Bored and sick of his thoughts, Ace fiddled with a few controls. He pulled up a screen and prepared to roam around cyberspace when he realized it was surveillance. He sat forward and stared at the black and white picture.

  He’d been wrong. Colt hadn’t taken Brynn to their room. The cowboy had taken her to the cargo area. He stood in front of her, tracing the zipper down her one-piece suit ever so slowly. Her perky breasts and the soft curves of her body were exposed to the camera and Ace couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  He licked his lips, realizing that she looked even better naked than she did dressed. The scar of a bullet wound puckered above her left breast but didn’t blemish her beauty.

  Colt placed a hand on her stomach as he pressed the front of his body against the back of hers. He kissed the curve of her shoulder but Ace was mesmerized by the full frontal. She was exquisite and he couldn’t help the stir of desire in his lower abdomen again. A hard-on was the last thing he needed while Colt gave it to her from behind, but since he could only focus on Brynn, he allowed his mind to wander and pretend it was him pushing inside her.

  After watching for several minutes, his skin itched and his body felt too small.

  Before he did something stupid, Ace returned to his quarters for the release he so desperately needed.

  Chapter Two

  Not now, damn it.

  As soon as the familiar ache struck her head, Ely’Shea squeezed her eyes tight. She rubbed her fingertips over her temples in circular motions, trying to ignore what had sparked this reaction in the first place.

  Don’t think bad thoughts about him, not right now. When she stopped cursing the bastard, the pain slowly subsided.

  She sucked in a few slow breaths before daring to open her eyes again.

  Ely pulled the metallic contraption off her wrist and dumped it on the dresser beside her open case of makeup, the small orange globe blinking.

  She ignored it. Sometimes the call of duty could be a real pain in the ass.

  Technically, the pain was rigged to go off inside her head whenever she used his name in vain—even in thoughts—as she often did. So the last thing she wanted right now was any sort of update from the arena. She wanted to hear directly from the egomaniac himself, but Jenks Maine hadn’t contacted her for a while.

  She scowled at the wristband’s endless blinking.

  Ely usually put business before personal pleasure, but tonight wasn’t going to be one of those nights. She needed some time alone after being left at the helm while her boss—or Master, as he preferred to be called—gallivanted across the galaxy chasing a ghost.

  She worked her butt off for Jenks and he didn’t appreciate the sacrifice.

  He owed her some personal time off, anyway. If she could summon enough balls to confront him, and endure the pain those negative thoughts would cause, she might mention it to him. But it was hard to take charge of her life when her own head worked against her. Jenks Maine had a grip on everyone he employed and didn’t take any chances. Not like the careless chances he’d taken with the ghost he was tracking in the dead world of Harrow.

  She sighed and stared at the small orange globe, daring her to answer. It couldn’t be him, and would probably turn out to be someone else back at the arena. She wasn’t in the mood for dealing with anyone at the moment. If Jenks had returned to Fray after destroying someone else’s life and wanted to see her, he would be using other ways of communication—a personal message. She ignored it.

  Besides, she was still annoyed about Jenks keeping his latest mission to himself. She suspected it involved the continual Recast dumping. As well as Brynn Wight, the only one who ever got away from him. She was also the reason why everyone now had a device implanted in their heads.

  Jenks didn’t want anyone to escape from his clutches, and had done something to ensure it didn’t happen again. Still, it didn’t stop Ely from fantasizing about breaking loose one day to reclaim her life and return to doing what she loved best. It might be too late to go back to the place she once called home because so much time had lapsed, but it wasn’t too late to embark on the singing career she’d always dreamed about. A pipe dream…

  A light knock on the door was followed with, “You’re on in five, Ely.”

  She looked over her shoulder to find Tan peeking into her dressing room. The short man looked her up and down and whistled. “Wow, you look as gorgeous as ever. You’re going to be a success tonight. Maybe later we could, ah, get together.”


  The maybe-smile she flashed him faded as soon as he’d closed the door behind him. She wouldn’t indulge him and he knew it, but it didn’t stop Tan from trying. And one day, his persistence might weaken her enough to finally give in.

  She craved spontaneity and a good dose of passion. Ely couldn’t remember the last time she’d had sex and actually enjoyed it. She hated feeling like a machine expected to be turned on at the whim of her boss, but what she hated even more was forcing herself into meaningless encounters with random men she’d forget a moment after the unfulfilling sex was done. Just so she could feel something.

  She might secretly harbor a need for someone’s body beside her, but the truth Ely mostly concentrated on was her drive to be a success every time she stepped out onstage. Not just in this tiny bar-slash-jazz club, called Mike’s in the tiny town of Grit, situated in the outskirts of Clash. Here, she was far enough from her permanent address in the Clash Arena to pretend she was just a singer. This was her secret, the only part of her life Jenks Maine didn’t have access to. Hell, she part-owned the club, so any success she had onstage left her hollow. As if she’d somehow bought every cheer, applause and whistle because no matter what she did onstage, the crowd would respond.

  Every stage in the galaxy could’ve been hers if Jenks hadn’t taken over her life and forced her away from her planet, family and friends years ago. Instead, she’d been here for over a decade. Half of that time serving as his Personal Liaison Assistant by his title, Slave by hers. There was nothing she could do about it now. As much as she hated him for everything he’d made her lose, she’d had no choice but to learn to accept what he’d offered—an active life and wealth. Of course, it all came with a hefty price. She’d had to shed blood for him, take a few lives along the way, lie and cheat her way through most of the others.

  Ely wasn’t proud of everything she’d done, but Jenks somehow always made every demand and command sound reasonable. Whenever he gave his requests, they wound up sounding more like orders because the little something hidden in the recesses of her head snapped into place. The only thing she could do then was take action. The inhibitor chip wasn’t there to help her recognize right from wrong. It was there to make sure she delivered whatever he wanted.