4. Trayem

The knock came at the door and the guards ushered Harper out. Our time was up and it was time for her to return to the Prize Pool.

She smiled at me, wiggled her fingers in a wave, and blew me a kiss. She joined the guards who took her away.

The door slammed shut, leaving me in bed, alone with my thoughts.

Alone with my thoughts.

It was the place I least liked to be.

When I dealt the final blow to my opponent's head in the fighting pit yesterday and knocked him to the ground, the crowd had cheered, going wild for the culmination of what had been a flawless fight on my part.

All I could think about was getting to the Prize Pool and seeing her again.

Harper.

Despite the promises I made to myself and believing at the time she belonged to Kren the former champion, I still wanted to see her.

I trailed after the guards, wishing they would hurry up so I could see her sooner. I wanted nothing more than to tear ahead of the guards and scoop her up in my arms and swing her around and hang all those who tried to stop me.

But I didn't do that. I couldn't do that.

Too many eyes were watching and if they thought I had been compromised in any way… Well, let's just say it wouldn't end well.

And when I saw her standing there on the dais alongside the other Prizes—although they might as well have been invisible for the attention I paid them—I lit up inside.

It was a bizarre emotion, one I was not accustomed to feeling.

Our master disapproved of such feelings, believing they got in the way of the mission—his mission—to ensure he had enough living creatures to Reave life from and sustain himself.

I had been chosen to enter the prison undercover. Getting inside was easy enough. I came forward, admitting guilt to a crime I hadn't committed. There were thousands of runaway criminals in the galaxy.

I admitted to the murder of a Vishar merchant and went through the sham trial and got sent to Ikmal prison. It was my job to infiltrate the Supervisor's prison to sow discontent among the prisoners and encourage rioting and mayhem.

In the end, I hadn't been the one to bestow the final blow.

Kren and his fated mate did it for me.

Krial was a hayim. Their civilization had long since been destroyed, the survivors dispersing to the deepest reaches of the galaxy. He might have been the last of his kind for all I knew.

The attackers had been the accumulated masses of hundreds of varieties, farmed and mated for Reaving—that was the name of the process where he sucked the lifeforce from his victims until their bodies turned grey and wilted.

They decided they no longer wished to be cattle and rebelled against his people.

The hayim had the incredible ability to live forever. I really had no idea how old Krial was. He could have been a hundred or a thousand years of age.

It sickened me the first time I saw him Reave. A vessel would lose its strength as they kicked and screamed and punched, their attacks becoming so weak they were nothing more than a husk of a creature lying on the floor by the end, unable to move a single muscle. Over time, I got used to it.

"They made a great sacrifice," Krial would often say. Other times, he wished for the creature to be removed from his sight and murdered or crushed or stabbed or tossed into a desert or ejected into space where they would die a slow and agonizing death.

Krial hated seeing those small, weak and shriveled figures after he'd been at them. I suppose they reminded him of the way he would look if he let nature take its course.

But he was never going to let that happen.

There was nothing a hayim feared more than death. I suppose no creature liked to consider their own demise but for the hayim it was more visceral and terrifying.

The worst part was, the more often he Reaved, the less effective it became. He needed to Reave more and more until an entire lifetime could be absorbed and it would power him for no more than a month at most.

His body might heal itself frequently but his mind became more bitter and twisted until there was nothing left of him.

The only reason Krial hadn't Reaved me or the other members of his personal guard was because he had chosen another babe to use for his purposes, sucking the lifeforce from a babe no more than just a few hours old.

He decided I looked stronger than the unfortunate babe and kept me to train as a member of his guard.

Those so chosen became like siblings, learning to fight and defend Krial at all costs. With the number of creatures he had Reaved over the years, he had many enemies, and occasionally they sent an assassin to destroy him in retribution for killing their loved ones.

His one great goal was to find somewhere to call his own, somewhere for him to farm as his species had done all those years ago.

And now, with him as the supervisor in this prison, he had finally found the cattle he needed. There were thousands of prisoners at Ikmal prison and more would keep getting sent there as the years rolled by.

The warden and the alien civilizations that sent their worst criminals didn't care if the criminals disappeared, never to be seen again. Many of the prisoners would never get out of this place. For many, their stay at Ikmal was a life sentence.

And so, Krial took their lives from them.

"They would only waste their time in this place," Krial would say. "I would use their time far more effectively than they ever would."

I was relieved when it turned out Harper wasn't the fated mate Kren had claimed for himself. The last thing I needed was to bring more attention to myself, especially if Kren was hiding in the prison somewhere, undetected by the guards.

He would swoop down on me and attack in the dead of night for taking his fated mate for my own.

But Harper wasn't his fated mate. Some girl called Ivy was.

Relief unlike anything I had ever felt before eased off my chest and I hugged Harper even closer in bed.

That meant she could be mine.

All mine.

In the Prize Pool, my intention had been to simply look at her, glance at her across the room, and then be on my way. But when I looked upon her and caught that faraway look in her eye, I felt my heart rate quicken and my blood pound in my ears.

I pictured her without that sheer dress. Instead, she was in my arms, tucked up close and warm and soft, and I was inside her. She gasped and groaned, gripping my arm, on the cusp of telling me to stop, to slow down, to take it easy…

But she couldn't bring herself to utter those words any more than I could obey the command.

She wanted me inside her.

She wanted me to take her.

She wanted me to fuck her.

And I did.

I claimed her once more and took her to my cell.

I wondered what I was thinking.

I couldn't have sex with her. I already knew Krial had removed the birth control pills and medicines from the Prizes.

It made me shudder to think of the purpose he had in mind.

The least I could do was prevent her from being the first to get pregnant. Let one of the other girls suffer at Krial's hand.

Poor girl.

Not my Harper.

Never my Harper.

She came up with her "favor" and I smiled.

For us not to have sex tonight. She was tired and couldn't do it.

I was relieved she thought of a reason for us not to do it.

As much as I wanted to be inside her again, I couldn't let that fate befall her.

Still, I was at war with myself, torn between what I wanted and what I knew was best for her.

And when we kissed and touched that night, her in multiple layers of protective clothing, me naked the way I always slept, I kissed her and felt her in my arms, and grew stiff and firm and pressed against her.

I never meant for us to have sex.

I never meant for us to do anything else.

I only meant for us to hug close and yes, for my cock to press against her while we both fell asleep.

And then it happened.

Sex.

She put me inside her and I knew it was wrong, I knew what the consequences would be…

I managed to control myself enough to pull free and come over her flat stomach rather than plant my seed in her.

It wasn't guaranteed, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it was better than nothing.

I sat on the edge of my bed, Harper having just left.

Footsteps approached and came to a stop outside my door. The shadows leaked underneath the frame and someone bent down and shoved a folded piece of paper under it. It made a rough hissing noise like a coiled viper.

Then the unknown figure backed away and left.

I waited a moment before tossing the blankets aside and crossing to the door. I bent down and picked up the scrap of paper and unfolded it.

Written across the fold in a scratchy scrawl was a single word, a command I was obliged to obey:

"LOSE".

The order had come from Krial himself, the way it always did. None of us ever got to understand the logic behind his decisions. We were merely expected to follow them.

I gathered my things from the wardrobe and prepared for the upcoming battle.

I shivered.

Lose.

That meant I would be taking a beating today for sure.

It washard to lose against such a poor fighter.

He was a snorlak and they were tunic-wearing barbarians, muscular across the chest, their heads almost as thick as their shoulders.

They were ugly beasts.

Even worse, they were great showmen.

"Yeah!" he bellowed, turning to survey the crowd, beating his ax against his shield to rally their roaring cry.

I wished he would stop showing off and just get it over with already.

His movements were slow and lethargic. His heavily muscled arms and legs moved the speed of mating molasses. I could have dodged each blow three times before it finally landed.

I might have been ordered to throw the fight, but it didn't mean I had to enjoy it.

"Hahahaha!" the ugly tusked beast said. "I'm going to tear you apart piece by piece and serve you to the dogs!"

What dogs? Why serve me up?

None of his chants made any sense.

The snorlak turned and raised his arms again to his adoring crowd.

I needed to hurry this whole shit show along before he took two days to finish me off in what should have taken him a couple of minutes.

I got to my feet and staggered as if I was badly injured.

I wasn't, but I needed to make it look at least a little realistic.

I'd gotten good at pretending to lose. That was why I was ranked in the mid-five hundreds. So low, nobody bothered to figure out exactly what my rank was.

The snorlak turned and saw me standing there, wavering uncertainly.

Come on, asshole.Deal me the final blow already!

I was hurt. A trickle of blood ran from the top of my head and slithered down my face. My arm was bent and twisted at an angle I didn't like and caused a spasm of pain up one arm.

What should I expect when I was standing there, nothing more than a lump of meat for him to beat at?

The snorlak frowned and grunted, snorting through his pig-like nostrils at me.

He'd taken offense to me being able to stand, it seemed.

So, finally, once and for all, knock me out already!

The snorlak shoved his back hoof into the dusty floor of the fighting pit and shifted his weight.

Nice, I thought. A tell to make sure your opponent knows—well ahead of time—what you're planning to do.

Finally, he pulled his head back, let out a shriek, and bolted forward.

He struck me in the chest, winding me, and knocking me to the ground again. But not hard enough to make anyone believe I could manage to get up.

The snorlak turned to the crowd and raised his arms victoriously.

Oh, man. No wonder this guy's rank was as low as I pretended mine was. If he spent this long preening himself in order to look good in front of an adoring crowd, there was no time for fighting.

The snorlak turned to me and had a serious look in his eye.

This was it. Finally, the blow that would knock me out. Then I could go to my cell and rest and forget this entire thing had happened.

The snorlak pulled his arm back and swung the ax down at me.

Okay, so I wanted him to knock me out, not kill me!

I rolled to one side, avoiding the blow.

"Stay still!" the snorlak bellowed.

I have been!

He swung his ax again and this time it came for my arm.

I couldn't let him chop it off so I rolled aside again.

The snorlak snorted with anger and yanked the blade of his ax free from the ground and prepared to swing again.

"Hold still so I can claim my Prize!" he said, bringing the blade back around. "I'll think of you while I bury my other ax inside her!"

His words made me think about Harper, that gorgeous girl who had claimed my heart.

Claimed my heart.

Was that right?

Had she already made me hers?

The ax came in again and I swung my sword around to block the attack and shift it off course.

The ax slammed into the pit's floor and I rolled up onto my feet.

If this snorlak won this fight, would he claim her? Claim my precious Harper?

The thought of his snorting ugly shovel-face pressed against her, with her needing to smile and cater to his every need…

It made me feel sick.

And if he was the one to impregnate her…

No. I couldn't accept that.

Without thinking through the ramifications of what I was doing, I found that calm center inside myself and accessed the incredible pulsing light of power in my chest.

Shink!

And just like that, there were a dozen of me spread in a circle around the snorlak.

It was my unique ability, the gift handed to me from my genetics, my species—the Miragians. We could multiply our number and make it appear there were many of us.

But the snorlak already had his beady eye on me and swung his ax.

I dodged to one side. Once his back was turned, he was doomed. He didn't know which of the reflections was the real one, so he took to hacking at each in turn.

His blade slid through the images one after another as if they weren't really there. They didn't fade or disappear after they'd been "killed," they only laughed at the stupid snorlak.

"Stop that!" the snorlak said. "Stop laughing!"

His eyes blazed as he reached deep inside himself and accessed provisions of strength and stamina his species was known for. They might be ugly and brutal but they could enter a wicked berserker rage when pushed.

But it wasn't going to save him. My reflections struck at him, none of them connecting, causing the snorlak to expend huge amounts of energy, exhausting himself.

I kept a safe distance from him, working as puppet master as my reflections did the work for me. The snorlak swung at them each in turn.

With his energy reserves sapped and lacking the strength to heft his ax even one more time, he staggered on his hooves, panting with exertion. Spittle slid out the corners of his mouth and he gasped for oxygen that wasn't there.

I tugged on my reflections until there was only one of me remaining. I approached the snorlak, who struggled to breathe, gasping around each mouthful of air. His eyes fluttered and I thought he was going to pass out any moment.

I didn't need to strike at him. I simply shoved him. He staggered and collapsed on the ground, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling, his chest heaving.

The crowd roared. Everyone liked a surprise victory that came from the jaws of defeat.

I glanced up at the observation window that looked down on the fighting pit.

A figure stood with their hands behind their back and stared down at me. It was one of Krial's other guards but their face wasn't visible from this angle due to the bright light bouncing off the glass.

A finger of fear slid up my spine as I considered the ramifications of what I had just done.

I had ignored a direct order from Krial himself. I was supposed to lose.

Shit.

My insides curledinto a fist and jabbed at me as I thought about what I'd done.

Lose. I was supposed to lose.

There would be punishment for this and no mistake.

What would I say when Krial confronted me about it?

I didn't know. There had to be something I could say.

But what?

I followed the guards, this time with a great deal less bounce in my step as I did the day before.

Should I bypass the Prizes altogether and be on my way and await the punishment that would befall me?

I had removed the possibility the snorlak would claim Harper. I didn't need to choose her and add to her woes. There was no need to get Harper involved any more than she already was.

I straightened up, tore my eyes from the floor, and stared ahead at the guards' broad backs. They peeled off in either direction, one left, the other right, and waited on either side of the tunnel as I entered the Prize Pool.

It always had a strange smell, like kiratz rinds left in the sun. Strong, bold, and more than a little dizzying. A candle burned on the right. It gave off a thin tendril of smoke and covered the room with its citrus scent.

The madam, the one they called Lily, swept forward and greeted me with arms held out to either side and bowed low, her head almost skimming the floor.

"Excellent fight," she said, her eyes and smile not fading for a moment. "Please come to inspect my wares."

I knew Harper would be standing right there, in her usual spot. I didn't turn my head to look at her but I could see her out the corner of my eye.

My mouth felt dry. I couldn't bring myself to glance at her for fear I might lose control of myself again the way I had the day before.

"Would you like Harper again?" Lily said with a twinkle in her eye.

A twinkle. As if she knew something she shouldn't. Had Harper said something to her? Or the other girls in the Pool that she shouldn't?

But what could she tell them? She didn't know anything about this situation.

Or did she?

It was hard, carrying secrets. You always wondered if the person you were keeping them from could somehow pick up on them. I might look at her a certain way or say a word with a certain cadence and it would reveal too much of my hidden meaning.

Maybe I even spoke in my sleep.

Anything could give me away.

Before I knew what I was doing, my eyes slipped over to the dais where the girls stood.

Their faces were bright and alert, their smiles warm and welcoming…

And not one of them was the face I wanted to see.

My eye drifted a little further to one side.

I couldn't help it.

I couldn't prevent myself from looking at her.

What was more, I didn't want to prevent it.

There she stood, wearing a regular sheer dress and a distant smile as if she were far away and thinking on other things.

She was different from the other girls. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was but it was undeniable.

"Yes," I was surprised to find myself saying. "Yes, that would be fine."

The smile broadened on Harper's face but there was a tinge to it too that wasn't altogether welcoming.

She was thinking about us having sex and sleeping together again, and the fear one of my swimmers might take action and get her pregnant.

Lily turned and nodded to Harper, who stepped from the dais and joined me. She took my arm and we turned to leave and return to my cell.

Knock, knock, knock.

Tus stood at the foot of the steps that led up to the research center and—gulp—Krial's apartment.

Tus approached me with a broad smile on his face and braced my shoulders as if we had never met before.

"Trayem!" he said, pulling back and beaming at me. "Krial was very impressed with your performance and requests a private audience with you to discuss it."

He spoke loudly enough so everyone in the room could hear him.

He wasn't speaking for me. He was speaking for them.

I smiled back. It was as fake as Tus's was.

I wondered absently if Harper would recognize that.

Tus turned to Harper.

"Do you mind if I take him for a moment? Krial has always been a big fan of the fighting pits and meeting a fighter of Trayem's caliber is a real treat."

Harper nodded and returned to the dais where the other girls remained standing.

"Shall we go upstairs to… discuss your victory?" Tus said, smiling through his teeth.

"Sure," I said.

He led me toward the steps. Together, we marched up them, the Prize Pool shrinking below us. The girls broke apart and moved into the backroom. Only Harper hesitated, watching my departing back.

"You sure don't like to make things easy for yourself, do you?" Tus said.

He shook his head admonishingly and with more than a little awe.

Tus was the second eldest guard. The oldest was Annas and she seemed to think that gave her authority over the rest of us. I was the youngest, with Rarr the other middle sibling.

"I didn't do it on purpose," I said.

"Didn't you?" Tus said, leering at me. "Then why did you make reflections of yourself?"

"I… did it by accident."

"And then kicking his ass? Was that by accident too?"

He sighed and shook his head.

"Is Krial very angry?" I said.

"No. But only because I didn't tell him what really happened. If he ever discovers I lied to him…"

He left the sentence to hang between us.

I could well be the next one to be Reaved. And then it would be your turn.

"It was you watching me from the observation window?" I said.

Tus nodded and I felt a well of relief open up inside me.

"And you're lucky it was me," he said. "If it was any of the others, or Krial himself…"

He shook his head. Then we wouldn't even be having this conversation, I knew.

Tus had always been kind to me, and he didn't have to be.

"Look," Tus said, placing a comforting hand on my arm and drawing me to a stop. "I can cover for you this time but if it happens again…"

There would be no help from him.

I nodded in understanding.

"What made you do it, anyway?" Tus said. "You've taken a bunch of losses before today. Why did you refuse to throw this one?"

Of all the other guards, it was only Tus I felt comfortable talking with about Harper. But no. I couldn't do that. I didn't want to get Tus into even more trouble than he was already setting himself up for on my account.

"It won't happen again," I said.

"I hope not. I've never known you to ignore a direct order before. Come on. Best not to keep him waiting. Have you thought about what you're going to say?"

"Yes. But first I need to know which one of you slipped the piece of paper under my door."

He eyed me uncertainly before telling me. I nodded and we continued up the steps.

"Trayem!"Krial said, getting to his feet and meeting me in the middle of the floor.

He raised a hand to the gash on my head and tutted through his teeth.

"I heard it was a tough fight," he said. "I hope you gave him a little something in return for this gash."

"One or two," I said with a smile.

"That's what I like to hear," Krial said.

He waved an arm and ushered me toward a chair that'd been set up. There were several towels arranged underneath it and several trays containing various medical equipment.

My throat turned dry.

I'd seen this setup before and it never ended well for the creature sat in the chair.

Among Krial's many interests was the anatomy of alien species. He liked to probe inside them, pull them apart… often while they were still alive.

Was failing to lose the fight enough to make him carry the procedure out on me?

"Take a seat," Krial said. "I'll see to your injuries."

We all had fast healing abilities. With just a gash or two, I didn't need for him to see to me.

"I'm okay," I said. "I'll be fine in no time."

He didn't say another word and moved to the various trays, looking for the tools he would use on me.

There was no arguing with Krial. He gave you an order and you obeyed it.

I licked my lips and took a seat. The chair was hard and creaked under me. I was thankful there were no traps on the arms or legs.

That had to be a good sign, I thought. But that was before Krial picked up a scalpel with a sinisterly sharp edge.

I glanced at Tus out the corner of my eye but he remained with his hands clasped in front of him.

He was unlikely to help me, I thought. After all, I had been the one to bring this on myself.

Krial lowered the blade to the gash on my head and sliced at the skin delicately.

My senses were fastened on that tiny blade and the nicking sensation it had on my skin. My hands wrapped around the armrests of my chair and squeezed tight.

"I understand you were meant to lose the fight today in the pits," Krial said.

He sliced a piece of flesh off and my skin grew dimpled with sweat.

"Uh, yes," I said. "That's what Tus told me on the way here."

"Oh?" Krial said. "You didn't know before the fight began?"

I moved to shake my head before thinking better of it. Especially while he held that blade so close.

"No, I didn't know," I said.

Krial tossed a chunk of my flesh with the hair attached to it in a metal container. I was relieved to see it was only a small piece.

But he still held that scalpel in his hand.

"You didn't receive the note under your door this morning?" Krial said, his head turned half toward me, half toward Annas.

"No," I said.

"He's lying!" Annas said. "I slid the note under his door! I swear! I did it myself!"

"There, there," Krial said. "There's no need to get upset about these things."

Annas glared at me. I couldn't smile back. Not while I was still in this damn chair.

"I checked but the note wasn't there," I said.

I consoled myself with the thought there was no chance of them finding the note. I always destroyed it soon after I got it.

Annas took a step forward.

"I wrote the note in this room when you gave the order. Then I took it to his cell and slipped it under his door the way you ordered."

Krial turned to me and tossed the scalpel in the metal container and wiped his hands on a rag.

I shrugged.

"I can only tell you I didn't receive it. I've been here three months, spying and gathering information. Every time I got the note, I followed through with its instructions. Always. If I'd been told to lose, I would have lost. I had to guess what you wanted the outcome to be and decided to win."

Annas growled and marched toward me but Krial raised a hand. She immediately shuffled back into place, the look of fury plainly evident on her face.

"Why would I lie?" Annas said.

"Why indeed," Krial said, his yellow eyes glinting dangerously.

He was our foster father but our relationship was a one-sided affair. In the past, there had been more than four of us in his personal guard. Krial stripped us down one by one if any of us stepped out of line or failed to achieve what was asked of them.

"I'm aware you've had your… disagreements in the past," Krial said to me and Annas. "I let it slide because it never interfered with my plans. Be thankful it doesn't this time either. It was a single battle, nothing of importance. But in future, it might be a crucial element of a well thought-out plan. And if this were to happen again, I would be… displeased. Is that understood?"

We both nodded. I couldn't bring myself to look at Annas. It really was my fault and I didn't want to get her in trouble, but I wanted even less for Krial or the others to know what was going on between me and Harper.

Things had become too complicated, I decided. I needed to let Harper go before anything like this happened again.

Or it might not be only me that gets punished. It could well be Harper.

Harper stoodat the foot of the stairs dressed in a far more conservative dress than what she usually wore. There was no sheer material and her goods were not on show to the world.

She looked stunning as if we were about to go on an outing for the day.

And I had to tell her that she was not coming with me and had to stay here.

Before I could get out a word, she wound her arm through mine and gripped me tightly. She spun me toward a hallway that didn't lead to my room but elsewhere in the prison.

"Come on!" she said. "There's something I want you to see."

"Harper…"

She smiled up at me, so warm, so caring, so gorgeous.

I didn't have the heart to let her down.

"Lead the way," I said.

I shot a furtive glance over my shoulder in the direction of the stairs to Krial's apartment and was relieved not to find Annas staring back at me.

Annas didn't let things like this slide and would take it upon herself to get back at me. I was certain of that. She could make Krial's soul look pristine white in comparison.

I let Harper lead me down the seemingly infinite hallways, my mind focused on my problem of how to keep Harper safe without also having to give her up.

The hallways became busier with foot traffic as we took a corner and approached a large open room with a huge glass front that looked out on the surrounding alien landscape.

It was red and orange with faint hues of yellow, a violent and harsh arid desert. Jagged mountains jabbed at the sky like bodkin needles and another prison building—or maybe it was the same we were now standing in—arched around from the left.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Harper said, beaming broadly.

I couldn't take my eyes off her.

"Yes, it is."

Harper caught me looking at her, smiled, and pulled her eyes from me shyly. I didn't think I'd ever seen that look on her face before.

We stood before the thick window and gazed out. There were other prisoners, all staring at us, jealous I had such a beauty on my arm.

A couple tried to catch Harper's eye but she never took them off me or the landscape sprawled before us.

"What's your homeworld like?" Harper said.

"Homeworld? I don't know. I've never been there."

"You lived on a colony?"

"No."

"Then where did you live?"

"On a ship, mostly. Sailing through space from one system to another."

"Oh."

She seemed disappointed by my revelation. It wasn't that uncommon in this day and age. Krial always had something for us to do.

"What about your homeworld?" I said. "Earth. Does it look like this?"

"No. Well, parts of it do. The deserts. But it's not red. It's yellow. And we don't have mountains like these on Earth. At least, I don't think we do. Most of Earth is covered with water, the rest of it is land. There's ice at the north and south poles."

"You must miss it."

"Yes," Harper said with a hint of melancholy. "I never realized how much home meant to me before I was abducted."

"Do you think you'll ever get back?" I wanted to ask, but I didn't. I already knew what the likely answer was. A resounding "No."

I placed my hand on hers and together we paced along the window until we walked its entire length. It was a popular spot with the other prisoners. Between my cell and the fighting pits, there wasn't much else I'd seen of the prison.

"Hey, Harper," another of the inmates said.

Harper turned and it took a moment for her to recognize him.

"Ajar," she said coolly. "Nice to see you're still… alive."

There was no doubt something had happened between them. She was a Prize and had likely slept with a lot of prisoners over time.

Just the thought of that brought a sour taste to my mouth.

"How are you doing?" Ajar said, pointedly not looking at me. "You look good. Really good. Listen, I know it's been a while, and I've struggled to win a fight since last time, but do you think you could throw me a free one?"

Harper's jaw stiffened and she turned to lead me away.

"Let's go," she said.

We turned to leave.

Ajar grabbed her by the arm.

"Hey," he said. "I'm talking to you."

The moment his hand touched her arm, my hand snapped around his wrist and twisted him off her.

Ajar's eyes bulged and he moved with the twisting motion to prevent his arm snapping in its joint.

"I'm only asking!" Ajar said.

"So, go ask somewhere else," I said icily.

I released his arm and led Harper away.

"You stupid slut!" Ajar bellowed, clutching his arm defensively. "The next time I win a fight, I'll make sure you never forget our time together! Do you hear me?"

His shout got the attention of the other prisoners. More than one saw Harper and their eyes lit up with recognition. They opened their mouths to utter something I wasn't interested in hearing.

We couldn't just stand there. Not with them gathering around like a swarm of angry locusts. They could mass and attack all at once. I might be a good fighter but no one could stand against that onslaught.

I took us down the hallways and headed directly for the Prize Pool. There were always guards on duty there. They patrolled the rest of the prison but it was impossible to ascertain when they would be passing by at any given moment.

"I'm sorry about that," Harper said as we came to a stop outside the Prize Pool. "I didn't know… I thought…"

She didn't know what to say. Her eyes crinkled up with anger and tears shimmered in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said.

I took her in my arms and shushed her comfortingly.

"It's all right. It's not your fault."

She calmed in my healing embrace and turned quiet.

"I never wanted to be in this place," she said. "I was abducted. And then they… they… They forced me to be with these… things! Most days there was one that claimed me. I hated it. I hate every single one of them."

I pressed her head to my chest to help calm her. Her madam, Lily, didn't need to hear what she was saying.

She quietened and relaxed. She didn't raise her head as she drew a breath and said her next few words.

"Except for you," she said. "I never wanted to be with anyone else. With you… it's different. I can't explain why it's different but it is. I like being with you."

"I like being with you too," I said softly.

They were the truest words I'd ever uttered.

She looked up at me with her tearful eyes and sad face. I leaned forward and we kissed, giving in to each other.

It wasn't purely a kiss of passion. It was a kiss of emotion, of strength, of need…

Of love.

"Let's go to my room," I said, my voice turning cloudy.

She nodded.

"Yes, please."

I don't remember how long it took to cover the space heading back to my cell. I could have been floating on clouds, her hand held in mine, her thumb tracing lines over the back of my hand.

We both needed to be together.

We both needed to become one.

I could feel her deep in my bones.

The cell door hissed shut. Before it fully closed, we were already in each other's arms, our hands exploring each other's bodies—as if we hadn't already done it half a dozen times before.

I marveled at her beauty and her delicate features, at how she had me wrapped around her finger and I never wanted to let go.

I stripped her of her clothes and she stripped me of mine.

Once again, we wrapped our arms around each other, hungry and desperate to feel as one.

Our eyes focused on each other and I couldn't look away. Her nipples were hard and I felt them tickle my chest.

I lay her on the bed and got to my knees, licking and supping on her gorgeous sex. It was juicy and I couldn't get enough.

She writhed on the bed as my long tongue did its job. She ran her hands through my hair and tugged, begging me to go deeper, to rub her harder, faster, and make her rise another tall wave of orgasmic pleasure.

But it wasn't enough. I wanted her to have all of me, and when I said all of me…

My reflection winked into existence beside me. Harper's eyes were shut and she hadn't yet seen him. Not a twin, not a clone, exactly. It was me, just another reflection.

Usually, my reflections were nothing more than that—a wisp of light that looked real enough until you touched it. But this time, with her, I felt certain I could feel with my reflection's hands too. Being with Harper made me stronger somehow as if my reflection took on the substance of life itself.

I got my reflection to bend down and touch her breasts, taking the time to rub her nipples. I swear I could feel the tingle of her on my hands.

"Harper," I said.

"Hm?"

"Open your eyes."

She did, and the look of pleasure on her face immediately snapped into an expression of horror.

She backed away from me, into the corner, and hugged a pillow to cover herself.

She stared between me and my reflection.

"You… You have a twin?"

"It's not a twin."

"He's me," my reflection said with my voice.

"And I am him," I said.

Harper blinked and shook her head.

"I must be seeing things," she said, rubbing her eyes.

"My species is called the Miragians," I said. "We can make duplicates of ourselves. Like this."

A single blink and there were now three of us.

Harper's eyes bulged even wider.

"I know it's a lot to take in," I said.

"Damn right it's a lot to take in!"

"There's no need to be afraid. This is who I am. This is me. All of them are me. And I want you to enjoy every moment with me."

"I already do. But I don't think I can take more than one of you at a time."

"You don't need to."

But by the look of fear in her eye, I could see she was creeped out by it. I pulled the reflection back inside myself.

"It's okay. I only wanted you to see what I'm capable of."

She peered around the cell as if expecting for there to be more reflections hiding somewhere.

I pulled the pillow away from her and she let me have it. I leaned down and placed my head between her legs again. She was tense but gradually relaxed.

Within a few minutes, she returned to her usual playful self. She groaned as I pleasured her with my tongue. A few more minutes after that, she said:

"Can your reflections touch me?"

"Usually, no. But with you, yes. I think so."

She nodded but said nothing more for a while.

"Can I touch them?"

"Yes."

She nodded but again said nothing as I continued to pleasure her.

"Okay," she said breathily.

"Okay, what?"

"Give me a reflection. But just one."

"You don't have to do this."

"I said give me one," she said sternly.

I got the impression she said it that way to ensure she didn't back out.

I blinked, and a reflection appeared before her. He looked like me in every way. He had no mind or consciousness and did only what I told him to.

"Kiss me," Harper said.

I instructed the reflection to get to his knees and press his lips against hers. I entered a half-fugue state where I was in two places at once. I was eating her out at the same time I felt her lips on my own.

She gasped as I rubbed her clit with my fingers and her kisses grew even more passionate.

"Can you feel this?" she said.

"Yes," I said breathily.

"How about this?" she said, and reached over and stroked my reflection's cock.

She was stroking my cock.

"Yes."

"Then let me suck you while you eat me."

I did as she asked.

I couldn't let her suck me as I fucked her. It was just too stimulating.

And when I finally came, it was as powerful as twice my normal sensation. It robbed me of my concentration and the reflection winked out of existence.

When I laid back on the bed beside Harper, both of us panting like we'd just run a marathon, she said:

"That was twice as good as usual!"

We shared a laugh.

Neither of us remembered she was no longer on birth control.