Baited (Gladiators of the Gryn #2)

Izzy

IZZY

F irst things first. Gryn pregnancies are fast. Six months. Six months! To be fair to Blayn, he didn’t know, so when I started to show within a few weeks of finding out, it was a little disconcerting, at least until Madame got me to a medic, who just happened to have a little knowledge of the Gryn, which is where we found out.

Two nova-months on, and we’re descending through the clouds onto a planet known as Aztralis, which is part of a group of planets, some shrouded in secrecy, in a forgotten corner of the galaxy.

It’s the place Nood insists Blayn’s family are, and I insisted he come find them.

My big ex-gladiator has set his jaw as he watches our descent. He’s nervous—I can feel it through the thoughtbond—but he’s also preparing himself for rejection.

I slip my hand into his and gently remind him through the bond that no one rejected him. He looks down at me and tries to smile, but it remains tight, his feathers shaking slightly.

“If they’re not here, if they’re not interested, which I doubt, then we can go somewhere else.” I run my free hand over my rounded stomach. I look like I’m six months gone already, and I have the appetite to match. “Because we’ll be a family soon.”

I’m not entirely sure what I’ve let loose within my mate, but I’m tossed into his arms like a feather and kissed to within an inch of my life as Blayn murmurs my name, his hand over mine on my belly. It’s only when the interstellar transport bumps down that he realizes we’re not in our quarters and therefore his cocks will have to wait.

Blayn blinks at me, a lopsided smile on his face.

“You are my perfection, mate,” he says, slowly wiping the back of his hand over his mouth.

Unable to help myself, I do an eye roll while grinning from ear to ear.

“You say that, but I know what you really want,” I tease him as the airlocks hiss loudly and the scent of dirt and vegetation enters the spacious cockpit.

Blayn growls into my hair, unwilling to let me go as my heart swells with love for my sweet, vast Gryn who can’t help but shake his feathers as the wind rustles through them.

“Did you get a reply when you messaged the planet?” I ask him as we follow the other passengers (some of whom were somewhat disconcerted with Blayn’s presence on the voyage) through the airlock and into a long tube-like passage with light at the end.

“Not before we left,” he says. “And nothing while we were in flight.”

The trip has taken a little under a nova-week. We’d have come earlier if I hadn’t been recovering from my injuries and Blayn hadn’t had to force the Tatatunga council into recognizing his claim to the credits he’d accrued while in the employ of the dome. Fortunately Madame Birrix wasn’t prepared to let the matter go, and she pulled in favors (and yes, I do mean those sort of favors…) from every one she knew.

Riklinn also somehow tracked down Yelii. I’m not entirely sure what my quiet and unassuming Tref friend did, but Yelii paid me back all the credits she stole.

It’s more than enough for us to take this trip and then find somewhere to settle down. But the underlying feeling I’m getting through Blayn’s thoughtbond is he is searching for something. Not just his adoptive family, but other Gryn, in order to understand how he ended up on Trefa in the first place.

The tunnel brings us out into the light and heat of Aztralis. It’s warm, like a summer’s day in England, with the three suns providing a heat reminiscent of an early morning.

Blayn lifts up his wings and gives them a gentle twirl as he rouses, enjoying being outside for the first time since we left Trefa. The bond resonates with a feeling of being free.

“There he is, Mama!” A voice cuts through the general buzz of the spaceport. “There he is!”

Both Blayn and I turn at the sound of the voice to see a group of furry creatures, like Cirmos only much larger. Nood told us Blayn’s adoptive family were a species called Mochi, but I couldn’t find out much about them with my newly acquired language skills.

One of them starts to run towards Blayn. His wings flare and his claws come out as he attempts to tuck me behind him, danger filling the bond.

“Wait.” I clutch at his arm. “This isn’t dangerous.”

The creature looks like an upright cheetah, his strong features enhanced by the markings on his face. He skids to a halt in front of Blayn, long spotted tail lashing behind him.

“Brother?” he queries. “You do remember me, don’t you?”

Blayn’s wings flare at his words. He takes a step back, confusion and a deep desire to get his mind working warring within him. At once terrified and curious. His tongue tied.

I don’t move and the young Mochi male’s eyes move to me.

“I’m Blayn’s mate, ,” I explain as I see the rest of the group making their way over to us. “Like we explained in our messages, Blayn had a hard time after the accident and the trauma. It caused him to forget so much.”

“Rangr?” Blayn asks haltingly.

“Yes!” the young male says enthusiastically. “You do remember me, brother, don’t you?” he adds, his deep voice cracking.

The rest of the group arrive, a slender female Mochi, holding a little cub, and two muscular males who flank her.

“Is that you, my Blayn?” the female asks, her voice a low, sweet purr.

“Mother.” Blayn tilts his head to one side and gazes at her, eyes narrowed, the bond filling with emotions he cannot hope to process.

He pulls himself upright to tower over everyone, taking in a deep breath.

“This is my mate, my , Mother.” He looks at the males. “Fathers.” He releases the rest of his breath. “I have brought her to you.”

“Blayn, you’ve grown so much…” his mother finally says, the fur on her face damp with tears. “We thought we’d never see you again. We looked for you so hard, so far, but in the end…” Her words trail away, the strain on her face evident. “We had to come here, back to the quadrant of space we know best.” Her words can’t hide the pain.

“I forgot you,” Blayn says bluntly. “But my mate brought you back.”

His mother hands the cub in her arms to the young Mochi male and faces me. She appraises me carefully, even after all this time, measuring me up to see if I’m good for him.

“And she is with young?” she asks, not averting her gaze from me.

“Yes,” Blayn says proudly. “Our young.”

“You brought my son back?”

“He wasn’t as lost as he thought he was,” I reply, taking Blayn’s huge hand in mine and running the other down his wing. “I love him with all my heart.”

Her face splits into a smile, and she opens her arms, moving in to hug us both. Blayn tenses, but as I slide my hand into his feathers, his muscles relax, and he moulds into his mother.

We’re joined by the other members of his family, who quietly start to purr around us.

Across all of this vast space, galaxies, stars, planets, and moons, Blayn and I have found a family, and as the thoughtbond between us sparks into life, I know neither of us will ever be alone again.

We are whole.