Zara (8 page)

“
No!” Trig shook his head at Rachel.

“
Come on, Trig.  You’re here with nothing else to do until our next spaceport destination.  You might as well help out a bit.” Rachel knew she would have to do more to convince him.  “Are you afraid of getting hurt?”

Trig glared at her
.  “Not even a little bit.”

She smiled
.  “That’s it.  You are afraid that if you pair up, you’ll get hurt or maybe you’ll look bad in her eyes.” Rachel made crying baby faces at him.

He threw his baseball cap at her
.  Rachel dodged out of the way laughing.  The GCFA officials had asked if she could find a male to fill in as Zara’s fighting partner that night.  Rage had to travel to check on a legal matter involving his half sister.  Talon took family leave until after Lindy delivered their baby.  All the other males had pair matches or individual fights lined up already. 

This left
Zara with either forfeiting the mixed pair match or to try to locate a replacement.  The GCFA were hoping another pair match would help them move forward after the previous night’s fiasco.  Rachel had volunteered Trig’s assistance without first asking his permission. 

“
What did Zara say about it?”

“
She said there was no way in hell you would be able to do it.  Something about a pure human and how you wouldn’t be able to hold up.”

He narrowed his eyes at her
.  It sounded like something Zara would say, but after their incredible night together, he would have expected her to champion him more.  She didn’t think he could hold up.  He sure as hell held up good enough last night and this morning.

“
Where is she?”

“
She didn’t tell you where she would be before she left your suite this morning wearing her pajamas?”

He glared at her for having spied
.  “No, she left before I woke up.” Trig ran a hand over his short trimmed hair.

Rachel pushed him a little further
.  “Maybe you’re not as good in bed as you used to be.  That’s probably why she left you so quickly this morning and why she refused to have you be her partner in the fight.  You must have lost your mojo, my friend.”

He actually growled
.  “There is nothing wrong with my bedroom skills or my fighting skills.”

Rachel shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her coffee
.  “Doesn’t matter, you said no.  I’ll have to tell the GCFA Zara will forfeit the match.”

“
Fine.  I’ll do it.”

Rachel smiled
.  “Great.  You’re needed in the training facility in about fifteen minutes to practice with Zara.”

“
There are some days I really think I hate you,” Trig commented as he stomped his way to the door.

“
Only some days, huh?” Rachel laughed. 

*****

“No fucking way!” Zara yelled at her replacement trainer, Lesak.  Talon had called him in as a favor.

“
There is no one else.  If you don’t do this then you forfeit the match,” Lesak told her.

She wanted to hit something, anything
.  How did they expect her to concentrate on fighting when she had to look after a human. Not just any human, the one she had very confusing feelings for.  Her night with Trig had her feeling things and thinking things she had never felt or thought before.  Things like: what would it be like to come home to a male, this male, every night?  What would it feel like to have a male, this male, tell her he loved her. 
Love?  Where the hell is all this crap coming from?

“
Get someone else.” She tossed her ponytail behind her back.

“
There is no one else.  Besides, it’s too late.  Your new partner is here.” Lesak pointed in the direction of the door to the training facility.

Zara didn
’t turn to look.  She knew Trig was standing behind her and he had probably heard what she had been saying. 
Shit!  Could things get any more uncomfortable?

“
Good morning,” Trig said from behind her.

Zara turned
around and tried to look him in the eyes.  That was a mistake.  His beautiful blue eyes sparked with fire.  Yeah, he was definitely mad.

She also felt anticipatio
n of working with him.  He was built like a GCFA fighter, just a little less bulky.  Well, if she was going to be forced to pair up with a human male, Trig would be her preference. 

“
Come on, Roberts.  Let’s see what you’re made of.” Zara walked toward the cage and climbed inside.

“
You already know what I am made of after last night.  But I'm willing to demonstrate again.”

Zara blushed as she glared at him
.  This was not the place for them to discuss what happened between them.  “Later, Trig.”

He nodded his head
, understanding what she was saying.  They would discuss things later, after their training.  “Fine.”

Lesak tried to ignore the sexual tension mounting between Zara and Trig
.  It was kind of hard, it came off the both of them in waves.  “Okay, you two start working your holds.” Lesak made a fake bell sound ‘ding ding’ when the two of them just stood there staring at one another.

They circled around, each one cautious about the other
’s move.  Zara did a jump and switch kick to his middle.  Trig was pushed back hard.  He came forward with an inside leg kick.  Zara was expecting it.  Trig used a left hand to her body.  He tried to get a hold on her from behind, but she threw a left elbow at him.  They went for each other a couple of rounds, neither landing much except a punch here and a kick there.  Their breathing grew rapid though.  It was a good sign Trig was good if he could make a halfsie mix with Sorian, Beastial, and human blood breathe hard. 

Zara did a sweep catching Trig off b
alance.  She grabbed his arm and took him down to the ground. She acted quickly by jumping on top of him. It took a moment for their breathing to regulate but when it did, Zara began to feel something else besides the eagerness of a fight.  She felt his hard arousal pressing against her through his stretched shorts.  Their fighting was turning him on.  So was she. 
Fuck!

“
Good.  You guys work on getting out of those holds while I check on the others,” Lesak called out as he jumped down from his perch on the outside of the cage.  He walked away going toward the other fighters and leaving them alone.

Trig moved
, which pushed his cock further against Zara’s stomach.  She didn’t want to think about how good he felt to her.  She had to focus on her anger with him.  She glared down at him.

“
Why would you agree to do this?”

Trig wiggled again and her eyes glazed over feeling his fully aroused cock pushing against the juncture of her crotch
.  He winked at her.  “Thought it would be fun.”

She sat up c
ausing his cock to push further stretching the thin stretchy material covering him.  She rocked on him as if she was going to ride him. 

“
Zara,” he groaned, looking around to see if they were drawing a crowd.

She suddenly stopped her torment of him
.  “You shouldn’t be doing this.  You are not a trained fighter.”

“
Well I am all you have unless you want to forfeit.  You’ll just have to get used to me.”

She sighed
, realizing that arguing with him was futile.  He was determined to do this fight.  “This is serious business, Trig.  You need to pay attention and learn the holds.”

He gripped her hips and pushed himself further into her
.  Damn their clothes.  “Why did you not want me to partner you?”

Zara broke his hold and pushed up off him
.  “You are not a trained GCFA fighter.”

Trig adjusted his throbbing cock and stood
.  “Rachel wasn’t either.”

She snorted
.  “You really want to compare yourself to ‘Starr’?”

“
I’m here to help.  Train me.” He moved up to her so they stood face to face with barely an inch between them.  “And when we are done training, I am going to take you back to my suite and fuck you for hours.”

Zara shivered with desire
.  This male was dangerous to her self-control.  “Train first,” she agreed.

“
Then fuck.”

*****

“How’s it going over there with them two?” Hammer asked Lesak.

“
Well, they are trying to kill each other half the time and the other half they are trying to fuck each other.”

Hammer snorted
.  “Is he going to be able to hold his own in the fight this evening?”

Lesak rubbed hi
s hand over his chin.  “Yeah, he’s good.  I think they will make an excellent fighting pair.”

“
Good.  Do you think she likes him?”

“
She likes fucking him.”

“
That’s not what I meant.  She’s never acted like this about anyone before.  I don’t want to see her get played.”

Lesak nodded
.  “He’s got a reputation with the ladies.  But I don’t know him well enough to be able to tell if he’s being honest with her.  You could ask his old partner about it.”

“
Yeah, I think I might have to.” Hammer watched as Zara and the human male finished their training and walked out of the training facility together.  There was no doubt in his mind what they were headed off to do.

“
If you two ladies are done gossiping, we have a fight to prepare for,” Zen called out.

*****

A couple of hours later, Trig’s cell phone went off.  He reached across a lovely naked ass, kissing it on his path.  He answered, “Roberts here.”

“
Trig, Kiki Lassiter is requesting a video call with you.”

Trig sat up abruptly
.  “When?” He looked over at Zara who stretched her tight, bare body before sitting up as well.  His cock swelled in response.  The woman had a direct link to his dick.

“
I can set it up in our control room in fifteen minutes.  She wants the line secure.  She sounds scared,” Rachel told him.

“
I’m on my way.” Trig hung up the phone and got up off the bed.  He threw on a pair of jeans.

“
What’s going on?” Zara stood and searched for her training outfit to put back on.

“
The foster mom that never showed, Lassiter, she wants a video call with me.”

“
How much time do we have?”

Trig looked at the clock on his nightstand
.  “I have to report to the control room in twelve minutes.”

Zara rushed to the door
.  “I’ll meet you there.  I need to change.”

“
Zara!” Trig yelled after her.  He was going to tell her to let him do this alone.  He had a bad feeling about the video call.  For her not to come in person was bad.  A secure channel request was big trouble in his book.  Zara was gone though. 
Shit! 
He didn’t want her hurt anymore than she had been. 

It tore him up to think about the things she had suffered
.  She didn’t talk about it, but he knew from the reports he acquired from IDJ.  They put her through some sick messed up shit.  And at a young age.  He pulled on his t-shirt with more force than was needed.  If he ever got his hands on those scientists and guards, he would strangle the life from each one of them.  He ran a hand through his hair and left his suite. 

*****

Zara rushed to get dressed.  She threw on a pair of jeans and a tight t-shirt. She didn’t bother with a bra.  She practically ran down the stairs to get to the control room.  She got there just as Trig arrived.  They walked into the control room together.

“
Hey, we got her on the line for you,” Rachel greeted them.  She pointed to two chairs in front of a monitor with a built in camera.

Zara and Trig sat down
.  Zara fiddled with her hands in her lap.  She was nervous.  Trig reached over, grabbed her hand briefly, and gave it a quick reassuring squeeze.  She looked up into his beautiful eyes and felt for the first time, she wasn’t alone in this.  She nodded and he let her hand go.  She missed his touch instantly.

A video image of a brunette with pale skin and big scared brown eyes appeared
.  It was Kiki Lassiter.

“
Ms. Lassiter?” Trig asked.

“
Yes. Special Agent Roberts?”

“
Yes, ma'am.  This is Zara.” He nodded in Zara’s direction.

Zara gave the woman what she hoped was an encouraging smile
.  She wasn’t good with that kind of stuff.  She wished she were a little more like Maya.  Everyone loved Maya.