Alex awoke to the sound of rustling and slowly opened her eyes. She shielded them from the faint morning light that trickled in from the opening of their cavern. She twitched and her living blanket of Anolis males melted off her.

Kress stood before her, his features illuminated by the dim light. "It's almost the second hour. We must smuggle you into the audience chamber."

Alex looked at Trac, and her heart sank. His color was pale, his chest hardly moved with his shallow breaths, and his limbs unnaturally limp and still.

Probably dying.

Alex reached up and placed her hand gently on Trac's' arm. The cool sensation of his hide made her heart sink, knowing that soon Trac would be gone. Her hand flared with numbing power. "Goodbye, Trac. I really will kill the ones who did this to you, come the revolution." On impulse, Alex leaned forward and stroked her cheek along his muzzle, mimicking the motion that the males favored. Her heart ached as she said goodbye to him for the last time.

Kress watched somberly before he motioned for her to follow.

***

Kress grabbed Alex's arm, leading her through dark, winding hallways that smelled of dust and damp stone. With each step, his pace seemed to quicken until they rounded a corner and she saw the ancient doors standing wide-open.

Kress's face lit up with excitement as he motioned for her to come close. "Look!" he whispered urgently. "The throne room doors are open! Quickly now - dash in and issue your challenge."

Alex flew through the open doors, her boots tapping against the stone floor. She skidded to a stop in the center of the throne room and raised her voice. "I invoke the right of reclamation!"

The Gilas, the Kuni, and an impressive number of Anolis warriors stared at her, various expressions on their faces. No males could be seen, the brothers or otherwise

Cla stood next to the imposing gilt throne, with its intricate carvings of swords and dragons. The legs were adorned with bold, golden claws that curled menacingly. "Your former friends," Cla sneered, "have been added to my den. There is no right of reclamation. Take her."

Alex slipped away from the guards and joined the Gilas. "You know I'm szarek, right?"

The Gilas nodded at her and hissed-growled as a group when the Anolis guards menaced Alex. The guards backed up and looked at the Kuni, who motioned for them to stand down.

"I can't say I'm displeased by the news, Cla. How much did it hurt to hand over Gabe?" Alex shot Cla a smug look before addressing the Kuni again. "As a warrior, I can challenge even the Kuni for a captured mate."

The Kuni was motionless for a moment, then finally spoke, "That is for enemies, in times of war."

"Yes, your majesty. Cla declared me an enemy of the state. That's why I still claim the challenge."

The Kuni pinned her dark eyes on Cla, who looked away. "I was not aware of this." The Kuni looked back at Alex. "Very well, your persistence is well known. I accept the challenge. You know that the secondary mate of whomever you claim will engage in the battle."

I know that. I hope Cla catches hell from the queen for her actions.

"Bring the three to the arena and notify their secondaries." The Kuni snapped her fingers, and messengers ran out of the room, eager to fulfill the orders. She addressed the room again. "Guards, please escort the mamm--this warrior to the arena. Honorable Gila representatives, we have arranged this match for your entertainment."

Alex studied the expressions of the Gilas, her sharp eyes tracing the subtle nuances of their faces. She could see that they had heard the stories about the Kuni, and weren't buying her bull. A spark of kinship flared in her chest as they gave her a knowing nod, and she smiled back in silent understanding.

"Good luck, szarek," the largest Gila told her.

"Enjoy the show," Alex replied.

"Cla, you are dismissed to ready yourself," the Kuni said.

***

Alex stepped onto the sand-filled arena, her heart pounding as she took in the crowd. The Roman style amphitheater was packed with thousands of people, and the low hum of conversations filled the space. She scuffed the dirt nonchalantly with her toe even though inside she felt anything but calm. How did this many beings find out so quickly about these fights?

Didn't they have jobs?

Alex's fists clenched tightly as she tried to push her feelings of frustration into the back of her mind and focus on the task at hand. She took a deep breath and forced her mental shield to relax, allowing for fragments of memories from her past training with sword and dagger to surface. Suddenly, a loud ringing tone filled the arena, followed by total silence as the esteemed Kuni entered the stands and took their seat in an ornate box.

Alex's heart fluttered as she saw each of the brothers take their place beside them. Each accompanied by a female warrior authority and power—especially Cla, whose steely gaze pierced through Alex with confidence.

"Not today, Cla," Alex muttered under her breath. "But soon, real soon, and you won't be so smug then."

Now, who to choose?

Gabe's face told her, 'I told you not to come here,' and she was sure he could read her 'too fire trucking bad' look. Cale imperceptibly shook his head when she looked at him. Cale was safe in Deela's care.

Rile, then.

He must have been causing trouble, for chest was a gruesome spectacle of crimson. His left eye was swollen shut and fresh cuts criss-crossed his skin. Alex gave his companion a long, measuring glare. She wasn't that jerk Caj, which didn't surprise Alex. It was Mina, who had handed Alex the dagger. Mina was sharpening a knife. When she saw that she was object of Alex's attention, she twisted the knife until it glinted and earned Alex's instant hatred. Alex would bet her life that Rile had been tied or held down by others.

"I claim Rile," she announced.

Cla gave a surprised start, but settled back with a conceited look. Alex didn't have to hear her to know that she said 'coward'.

Kuni grandly gestured towards the arena, her long sleeve brushing against the floor. "As you wish. Mina, you may enter the arena."

A guard placed the cold metal hilt of a dagger into Alex's hand. Mina was as tall as Cla, if not as bulky, so she had a longer reach than Alex with the dagger.

Maybe I shouldn't have picked this Mina, especially if she is as good as Cla. I haven't accessed all my knife training through my brain damage yet.

Alex took a solid forward grip on the dagger because she needed the length advantage against the larger Anolis females. Mina entered the arena, a reverse grip on her dagger for greater maneuverability, and turned to face the Kuni. Alex faced the Kuni as well.

The Kuni waved her hand and Alex was knocked off her feet, Mina's weight crushing her into the dirt. With her free hand, she managed to block the dagger just before it could sink into her flesh. Gasping for air, Alex rolled out from under Mina and scrambled away.

The audience erupted as Alex lunged at Mina and unleashed a flurry of jabs, hooks, and kicks into her midsection and head. Alex cracked her head with the side of her fist, intent on overpowering her but Mina stayed standing.

Was this a fight to the death? That wasn't a good thing to forget to ask.

Fortunately, she hadn't picked Cale because Deela wouldn't be much help to her friends dead. Assuming Alex won. Deela would probably be happy to kill Alex.

Mina tumbled to the floor, but quickly rolled onto her stomach, preventing a full-on back-splat. Alex leaped forward and Mina shot out her hand, grabbing for Alex's ankle. The motion caught Alex off guard and her momentum carried her forward. As she stumbled she whipped her dagger downward towards Mina's flank, missing by mere inches. Mina used the split second to roll away and regain her footing. With a determined huff, she launched herself at Alex again, only to be met by an agile sweep of Alex's leg. Mina planted her feet firmly into the earth like an anchor, brushing aside the attack.

Stop trying that sweep. It never works on these creatures.

Mina lunged forward with her blade, slashing and jabbing at Alex as he stumbled back. There was a dangerous inferiority in Mina's technique to Cla's; it was clear she hadn't trained enough to deliver lethal blows, but the razor-sharp metal of her knife still left some slices on Alex's skin.

Maybe I should try ramming Mina onto her back.

Alex assessed the bulkier, heavier reptile.

Maybe not.

Mina adopted a low stance, her center of gravity solid beneath her feet. Zilik had taught her that in a fight with the Anolis, she should wait for them to attack first and then quickly use their momentum against them.

Mina's knife ripped down Alex's side, searing pain flooding through her body. Alex took several steps back as another knife slice sliced through the air and sent her crashing to her knees. Alex stared at a cold, ugly death.

I'm about to die here, a sport for the crowds to enjoy, for someone who no longer loves me, probably never loved me. I'm a fool. Love was never part of the plan. Fight and die, idiot. But I want to save Razz and his kind and kill all those females who tortured him and Trac.

Alex filled with fury, remembering the dying Trac. Her hands curled into fists and she plucked handfuls of sand from the ground, sticky with her own blood. She hurled it in Mina's direction, hoping to blind her enemy. The grains stung Mina's eyes, and she stumbled back, temporarily blinded. Unfortunately, before Alex was able to capitalize on her advantage, Mina recovered quickly.

Alex glanced up at the stands. Rile was sagging now, held up by a distressed-looking Cale.

She's killed Rile.

Molten gold poured through Alex, filling her with power, sharpening her eyesight three-fold, and sending her reflexes tingling with heightened response time.

Target acquired, the robotic voice in her brain said.

Alex let out a battle scream and used her flying ability to propel them forward, Mina's feet barely leaving the ground. Alex slammed into her with all her weight, winding them both. When they landed, Mina was sprawled on the ground beneath her.

With quick precision, Alex swept out her knife from its sheath and dragged it across Mina's stomach, making a shallow cut. Mina gasped in pain and jabbed out at Alex with one hand while trying to use the other arm to grab Alex's shirt. Without hesitation, Alex thrust the blade into her left shoulder and pulled down sharply. The arm went limp as Mina screamed in agony.

You're not a killing machine. This was that different voice, the voice that accompanied her training memories.

Alex scanned the stands for Cale and found him waving furiously. He pointed at Rile, motioned to Alex, and mouthed something that looked like he was trying to say Rile wasn't dead. When Alex called out

"Surrender, Mina," her voice was hoarse.

"It is your right to kill the secondary." The Kuni's voice reverberated in the hushed air of the packed amphitheater.

All eyes turned to Alex, who stood still and tall before them.

She met their collective gazes and answered firmly, "I will kill if it is necessary."

"No, you may choose."

Alex whipped the dagger across the reptile's chest in a precise motion, creating a series of jagged cuts that mirrored Rile's wounds. Her eyes filled with menace as she hissed a threat: "Next time, treat your mate more kindly or I'll challenge you again and take my time killing you." She then stood up, his face unreadable, and watched as Mina was dragged away.

"I challenge the mammal!" Cla's voice was like a thunderclap in the silent arena.

Alex froze.

I'm doomed. I can't beat Cla when I'm fresh, much less battered after this fight.

The Gilas stirred, their hiss-growls echoing through the stadium until all of them were standing again.

The Kuni looked at the Gilas and then looked down her long muzzle at Cla. "Silence, Cla. You've already cost us a valuable member of my harem because of your reckless behavior. You had no cause for aggression, since the mammal posed no threat to you. I tire of having to remind you of your place both as a soldier and as a secondary mate, not primary, to Gabe."

To Alex's relief, they brought down Rile, his face smeared with dirt and blood. He looped his arm around her neck so she could support him as he limped alongside her. His legs wobbled beneath him as he moved forward, and each breath was a struggle.

"Let's get out of here," Alex said with urgency.

"Witch had three guards hold me or she couldn't have done this to me," Rile muttered through gritted teeth.

"I figured as much," Alex replied grimly, regretting her decision to spare Mina. "Ready to fly?"

***