And he never lost a match. The regular reward of satisfying his sexual needs was not something every Cage warrior could claim.
She bucked against his hold. If you think worse wasnt done to me in the Asters lab, then you have no idea what goes on there.
Doesnt matter to me. He gave her pussy a last, hard squeeze. At least this time she flinched and tried to pull away. Any reaction could be twisted to his advantage. Maybe youll enjoy it. Pleasure can be another incentive.
She slammed her head backward. Her skull smacked the bridge of his nose. Pain rocketed through his brain. The woman scrambled from his arms and ran. Leto shook his head. Part of him was dazed that shed got the jump on him. Mostly he was amused. Where did she think she could go?
From down the short corridor that led to her cells gate came a feminine shriek. Pure frustration. She was certainly loud enough to use the sonic assaults that accompanied
the berserker rages of Clan Pendray. They annoyed the fuck out of him. Shaking off a weeklong migraine was the price of victory over those Dragon-damned Reapers.
He took a strip of linen from beneath his chest armor and wiped his face. The gouge in his cheek was nearly a puncture. The woman continued her tirade. High-pitched bellows echoed up the corridor.
She-devil bitch, he muttered to himself.
Still, he was surprisingly eager to get started.
Leto set his shoulders and lifted his chin. The Aster family ran the most powerful human crime cartel in the world. His victories over their cartel rivalsthe Townsends of England and the Kawashimas of Hong Konghad earned him many privileges. First among them was the right for his sister Yeta and her husband, Dalnis, to conceive a little girl. Soon, with the Dragons blessing, his efforts would earn protection and care for his comatose younger sister, Pell. Up in the human world where theyd made their home, Yeta and Dalnis had taken on the burden of Pells care for nearly a decade.
He would win the Grievance, year after year. To keep his family safe. To ensure Clan Garnis would live on.
Confidence gave him extra swagger as he strode down the sloping corridor to retrieve his screaming neophyte. She stood with her back against the gate made of floor-to-ceiling wrought iron. Leto had no key. He was let in and out by the Asters human guards. Cattle prods, Tasers, and napalm bullets kept even the most powerful Dragon King in check. The collars made it so.
Leto had never fought back. Why would he? This subterranean complex had always been his place of glory and purpose, where his father had fought. Where, in service to his loved ones, his father had died.
Decapitated by a Dragon blade.
Stay away from me!
I wont. His words were as assured as he felt.
She darted sideways. Though slender, she was wily and surprisingly strong. But she would never be his match. He caught her around the middle. Momentum threw her onto his forearm. Again he hurled her to the ground. He pinned her with his boot heel on her collar, right over her larynx.
Youll only hurt yourself. Save this fire. Youll need it for the Cages.
She cradled her elbow and glared up with pale, pale eyesmaybe blue.
Im to train you for your first bout in three weeks, he continued. Normally wed have more time, but Old Man Aster wants you ready by then. Hell be hosting many important people.
He removed his boot and grabbed a fistful of haira honey blond shade that trailed down her back. Hed need to fix that. His actions were proof of how dangerous long hair could be in battle.
Let go of me!
No. He dragged her back to the main body of the training room. He shoved her into a crevice that had been carved by a steady trickle of water. Wash yourself. I wont work with garbage.
She hissed as cold water drenched her face, sluiced down her back. The thin paper hospital gown clung to her body. Soon it would be as useless as wet tissue. He had proper armor for her to change into. Eventually. First, she needed to learn her place.
Soap?
Leto crossed his arms. What was that?
She pinched her lips into a tight white line. That honey-colored hair darkened beneath the waters trickle. Her arms and legs trembled. She closed into a protective ball.
If the woman didnt ask, Leto would have a despicable chore ahead of him. On a certain level he would enjoy breaking her. Yet he craved a real opponent. She had that potential, if she proved smart enough to know when to back down.
May I have some soap? The effort of asking contorted her features with fury.
Perhaps.
Slowly, he knelt before her. Hed trained enough for the Cages to know when the appearance of gentleness held greater power than aggression. She backed deeper into the crevice, but her fear was nowhere to be seen. Those pale, almost silver eyes were visible through the water dribbling down her face. Already she was cleaner. He could see more of her features. Stubborn. Every feature stubborn.
I will not give much advice beyond techniques for fighting. But listen to me now: Save your hostility. I am not your enemy.