Shed got it all wrong. He had tamped down his arousal out of sheer mental discipline. He would not be limp when he bedded down that evening. In his private quarters, he would indulge those erotic images and release the grinding tension shed ratcheted into his joints.
The mess hall was no more elaborate than Nynns training room, only bigger, having been carved out of granite deep within the earth. Dozens of human workers, all male, had gathered for the evening meal. Long wooden tables were flanked on each side by plain benches. Durable pewter plates held beans, rice, chunks of beef, kernels of corn, and buttered bread.
The guards accepted their meals from a stumpy man named Kilgore. Here for your portion, Leto?
Yes, and for my neophyte.
The girl? Caught a glimpse when they brought her from the lab. Is she a looker? Couldnt tell.
Food first.
You can be such a bore.
Leto stood over him. Earning the roar of a satisfied crowd is never a bore. Can you say the same for ladling beans?
Dont rub it in. Kilgores puckered face didnt need much incentive to curl in on itself. Not all of us can be stars in the Asters empire.
The man served up dinner and assembled a second plate.
While Leto sat in the mess hall, he ate with silent relish. Quality fare. Hed heard rumors of Dragon Kings who fought for the Townsends and Kawashimas. Some were fed no better than scraps. Their holding cells were riddled with vermin and disease. They fought for meager prizes. Only Dr. Aster had perfected the process of reproduction among Dragon Kings. No one knew how hed managed to solve the problemor why conception was a problem in the first place.
The two other cartels had achieved limited successes. Their warriors bore as many insane, malformed children as ones delivered healthy and vital. It was a chance more were willing to take by the day.
Leto, however, was a god to the Asters. Praised above all who shared this warriors life. That Yeta had given birth to a healthy child meant he was more than a warrior. He had helped pass down their bloodline. His niece, Shoshan, and the few others who remained represented the future of Clan Garnis.
He returned his empty plate and faced Kilgore. You ready for it?
The small man stopped in the midst of lifting a scoop of corn. He ignored the thin, sallow-faced worker who waited for his food. Nearly every human in the compound looked that waypale, sunken, wasted. Life underground turned them into two-legged moles.
Leto hid his disgust. For millennia, the Dragon Kings had ruled over
these people, and for good reason. Mere herd animals.
He only wore the Asters collar because he benefited.
Go on, then. Kilgores dark, beady eyes were eager. Her tits. Tell me.
Small but shapely.
And?
Tight buds. Dusky. Best Ive seen in years.
A shudder of pleasure jerked the loose skin along Kilgores jowls. You really are without peer, my friend.
Leto hid a scowl. He counted no humans among his friendsas if such a word existed for him. Sharing physical details about his neophytes spoke to Kilgore in the language of small minds. His lust for news about new arrivals was insatiable. Kilgore would embellish those curt descriptions, earn clout among the workers, and spread proof of Letos superiority. Such men eagerly bet on their favorite champion.
Distasteful. But necessary.
Leto took up the second plate of food. Now if youll excuse me, I have a neophyte to break.
THREE
lonayípHe left the tray of food out of reach beside her cage, and resumed his place against the wall.
Audreys stomach was a raging beast gnawing through her skin. It wanted the freedom to scramble between those iron bars and gorge. Dizzy on the scent of fresh meat and vegetables, she closed her eyes. There was nothing to do but beg.
She had begged for mercy in the labs. Needles, scalpels, sawstorture brought out the animal in a girl. When survival hinged on a sadists caprice, the words had babbled from her lips. Before Asters men stole Jack from her arms each morning, shed held his frail, injured body for as long as possible. And shed pleaded. Every day. Shed turned into some servile little creature.
But here . . .
She had a chance.
Audrey went through her list of assets. She was clean and clothed. She had endured years of ostracism among her namesake clan, bearing the brunt of her mothers supposed indiscretionsyears that made her stronger. She was free of Dr. Asters lab.
Risking an entire year before seeing Jack again was unbearable. Cage fighting was a temporary measure. She needed to escape and save her son.
That meant learning this complex inside outfrom its physical layout to every single person inside it. Roles. Timetables. Coveted bribes. She would need to try getting another message to Mal. Pinning her hopes on one hastily penned letter wasnt enough. At the lab shed managed to conceal three Post-it notes before her hands were cuffed. The pen had taken longer to find. Months of vigilance. Amazing that shed lived in hope of finding what other people took for granted. Opportunity had come in the form of a careless assistant and his gaping lab coat. Writing had required as much of her blood as it had dried-up ink.