Baited (Gladiators of the Gryn #2)

Izzy

IZZY

B layn insists I stay in the dining hall while he nests. It’s a large open area with multiple tables but only one which is able to take multiple Gryn sat together. I sit and wait, turning our situation over and over in my head.

My huge, sweet, mixed up gladiator thinks he has no choice but to do what the procurator says, simply to protect me. Blayn’s never taken an order in his entire life, until now.

Until me.

And it’s the one order which makes the most difference to us both. The one which will tear us apart. The one which he has no choice but to obey.

The door to the dining hall opens, and I look up expectantly, ready to be in his arms, desperate to see his nest and tell him how much I love it.

Only it’s not Blayn, it’s Maxym.

“My apologies, mate of Blayn,” he says. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“Wait!” I call out as he turns his great wings on me.

Maxym hesitates, his wings set uncomfortably, like his head is sinking.

“Blayn will not like it if I am here with you,” he says, the words sticking. “And I do not want to fight him.”

“I just want to know if you are all indentured like he is. Are you all forced to stay until you’ve paid off your debts?” My voice cracks, even though I wanted to seem strong.

Maxym hitches his wings, the huge dark things almost swallowing his massive form as he turns to face me again.

“Not all of us. Some of us are here because the alternative is death,” he says, his chiseled face filled with shadows.

“But Blayn?”

“He was sold to the dome. That’s all I know. You’ll need to ask him the rest,” Maxym says. “But he has more of a chance of getting out of here than some of us.”

Without another word, feathers swishing, he stalks out of the dining hall leaving me more confused than I was before.

Blayn was sold to the dome?

I know Tatatunga is a lawless place. The need to make credits creates a many headed hydra of unpleasantness.

But lawless or not, selling a living creature to almost certain death? It makes bile rise in my throat. I wanted to get away from Trefa and now…

“My .” Blayn executes a low bow next to me, holding out his hand. “I have nested.”

My heart spins in my chest, squeezing because he is so darn cute, all dark feathers, dark eyes, and claws and yet desperate to make something for me.

“Then I had better see what you have done,” I reply with an element of aloofness, holding my head up.

A shiver runs from the shoulder of Blayn’s wings down to his feet. His free hand palms his crotch.

He absolutely has no filter.

And I love him so much.

With my hand in his, he leads me out of the dining hall, through all the passages until we reach his living quarters…and carry on.

“I thought…”

“The captain said I could nest for you away from the others,” Blayn says, averting his gaze from mine. “So I wouldn’t fight before I leave.”

My stomach sinks to the floor. At once, people are being kind to Blayn and at the same time crueler than ever.

“Blayn…”

I’m pulled against his hard, muscular body, somewhat cleaner than before, after his bout in the dome. His still damp feathers smell amazing, and I delve my hands in, seeking the warmth of the down next to his skin. My Blayn hums with enjoyment.

“I just want to nest for you today, my eregri . Whatever else is to happen, it will happen.”

“I’d like you to nest for me forever.” I lean my head against his warm skin, trying not to cry and failing.

“Come see what I have made, sweet ,” Blayn says, arm around my shoulder as he guides me through an entrance alcove and opens the door, moving behind me so nothing is in my way.

He has surpassed himself. If I thought he could make something from nothing back in the pleasure house, he’s outdone his previous work.

Some items I recognize…there are quite a lot of blades hanging from the ceiling, spinning in a slight breeze, along with a few kitchen utensils, but everywhere is covered in swathes of multi-colored fabric, some gauzy, some thick, some light and some dark. It makes the entire place feel cozy and warm.

It is entirely Blayn. A mystery with an unexpected soft center.

“What do you think, my eregri ?” Blayn asks me from the doorway as I attempt to casually inspect his handiwork.

“I think…”

He leans in farther.

“I think…”

I’m pretty sure he will fall over if he tips any further.

“I think I love it.”

His face lights up, his secret smile spreading from ear to ear.

“Do you?” His claws trail over the blades hung up nearest to us. “I can change anything you don’t like, anything at all…”

I wind my arms around his waist.

“Don’t change a thing, Blayn. Not a single thing.”