Simone swallowed. “Those are the warm-up bots. They run them around the track before the bigger races to check the track conditions.”

  The Edull slave master started forcing several of the slaves into the bot vehicles. The white-haired woman fell again.

  “Get up and get in your bot, or I’ll toss you onto the track.” The Edull raised the whip again, and the woman cowered.

  No. Simone gripped the railing. All of a sudden, another woman darted forward. “Do you want her dead, or do you want her to be useful?” The small blonde glared at the Edull. “Back off.” She lifted a heavy metal tool that she was holding in her hand.

  The Edull glared at her but he lowered his whip. “You shut your mouth and get back to work.”

  “Oh, my God,” Simone breathed, staring at the woman with the short blonde hair.

  Toren moved closer. “Simone?”

  She realized that Toren was looking at her, not the confrontation occurring on the other side of the track.

  “That’s Bellamy.”

  Bellamy’s hair was cut short, close to her skull. Her sleeves had been torn off, displaying the colored ink on her toned arms. She turned, her face in profile, and Simone recognized the stubborn line of her jaw.

  With another searing glare at the Edull slave master, the blonde turned back to where she’d been working on one of the warm-up bots, jamming her tool into the engine.

  “Bellamy.” Simone smiled. She was alive.

  “You two,” a rasping voice said right behind Toren and Simone. “What are you doing in this area?”

  Simone stiffened and saw Toren do the same. Uh-oh.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Drak.

  Toren knew that as soon as they turned, they were in trouble.

  His muscles bunched, then he spun, and led with a front kick. He hit the Edull in the gut, sending him flying.

  Toren grabbed Simone’s hand and started running. He dodged through the empty seating.

  Shouts exploded behind them. “Stop! Intruders!”

  Simone gripped his hand hard. “Toren—”

  “Just run.”

  For the first time in weeks, he felt himself focus just on the fight. Ahead, two Edull appeared out of a tunnel, both of them holding long stunner weapons.

  Toren launched himself at them. He had to protect Simone. It was the driving echo in his head.

  He punched and followed with a powerful side kick. The first Edull staggered. The second Edull swung his long stun weapon, and Toren ducked under it. Then he moved, ramming his fist into the Edull’s stomach.

  The alien groaned and dropped the stunner.

  Toren snatched it up and whirled. His stick crashed against the stunner of the first Edull. Sparks flew.

  Whirling the stunner around like a staff, Toren hit at the Edull again, driving him backward. Their stunners smacked together, each strike making more sparks fly.

  They moved closer to the railing. Down below, the warm-up bots were racing around at high speed.

  “Toren, watch out!” Simone yelled.

  He swiveled his head and saw a medium-sized, dog-like bot bounding down the empty stands.

  Drak.

  Focusing on the Edull in front of him, he hit the alien again, pinning him against the railing. Toren slammed his stunner against the Edull, and the alien’s body shook wildly, electricity skating over him. Toren pulled his stunner back, and the Edull dropped his weapon and collapsed.

  “Toren!”

  A blow hit him in the back. He felt claws digging into his skin, and he reached back and grabbed the dog bot. He yanked it over his shoulder and it snapped its mechanical jaws at him.

  The Edull at the railing recovered, scrambling for his weapon.

  Emotions thundered through Toren. He had to block them. He had to fight and keep Simone safe.

  The Edull grabbed the stunner, just as Simone grabbed the other end of it. They started tugging, fighting for the weapon.

  Suddenly, the Edull activated the stunner and Simone screamed, her shaking body collapsing.

  No. Toren swung the dog bot and threw it over the railing.

  It crashed onto the track then leaped onto its feet…just as a warm-up bot hit it. The crunch of metal was loud.

  Spinning, Toren fought back his fear and anger. Simone was hurt. Simone needed him. He advanced on the Edull who had hurt her.

  Nearby, he saw Simone push herself up.

  Toren lifted his stunner and swung at the Edull. Their weapons clashed, and they traded blows. With each hit, the stunners sizzled.

  “Toren, more Edull incoming,” Simone yelled.

  He looked over and saw several more guards running toward them. Too many.

  Toren needed to be a cyborg.

  He needed to be the emotionless fighter he knew he could be.

  He dredged up more strength, and blocked Simone out of his head.

  “Toren—”

  “Not now,” he roared.

  He rammed his stunner against the Edull, shoving the man over the railing. The alien dropped to the track below with a raspy scream. Toren didn’t stay to watch him land.

  Spinning, he saw Simone fighting another Edull, and his gut hardened.

  Drak, she must have been warning him that they were on her. She shoved at the Edull, but another one charged in and grabbed her hair, sinking his fingers into it. He wrenched her head back.

  No. Toren charged toward them.

  The Edull spun her and Simone teetered. He shoved her hard, and she hit some of the seats with a cry. Her head smacked into the corner of one seat and she collapsed.

  More Edull rushed toward them.

  “You don’t touch her!” Molten anger exploded inside Toren. “Never again.” He punched the Edull and yanked off the alien’s mask.

  But the other guards were on him, driving him to the ground.

  Toren felt a deluge of emotion, but despair drowned everything else out.

  He lifted his head and looked at Simone’s unmoving body.

  He’d failed her.

  Then, something slammed into the back of his head and everything went black.

  * * *

  Simone pressed her back against the cold, metal wall. She was back in an Edull cell.

  Toren lay sprawled on the floor beside her, and she had his head resting in her lap. She stroked his hair.

  “Wake up. Please.”

  Her heart was in her throat, and she had the headache from Hell hammering behind one eye. Probably caused by the impressive lump she had on one temple. Head connecting with a hard seat was never a great idea.

  She hated being back in here, where every smell, sound, and sensation made despair rise up like rasping hands.

  Toren was hurt. She looked down at his lax face. He’d gone into some sort of trance while he’d been fighting. He’d pushed away her help and ignored her.

  Her chest hitched. “Please wake up. Don’t leave me here alone.”

  A second later, he stirred, and her pulse jumped.

  “Toren?”

  He sat up with a groan, holding his head. He blinked.

  “How do you feel?” she asked.

  He managed a nod, then grimaced. “I’m sorry, Simone. I failed you. I didn’t protect you.”

  She reached out and smacked his chest, then gripped his harness.

  “I don’t need you to be my bodyguard, Toren. I need you to be my partner. To help me. To trust that I can help you, and that we can work together.”

  He blinked again, then dropped his forehead to hers. “I fell back on what I knew.”

  “You charged into the fight without thinking.”

  “I was trying not to feel. I was trying to be the emotionless cyborg.”

  “You aren’t that anymore,” she whispered.

  He kissed her.

  It was raw and hungry, and definitely not emotionless.

  In the distance, she heard the drumming sound of voices and cheering. Toren lifted his head and frowned.

  “The crowd’s coming in for the battle races,” she said.

  His jaw tightened. “We need to get out of here.”

  She nodded. “We need to find Bellamy again.”

  Toren rose, then moved toward the bars. He gripped them and yanked. He shook his head. “Too strong.” He tried kicking them, but they didn’t budge. They’d been designed to hold strong species. “Drak.”

  Then he whirled and rammed a fist into the wall.

  “Hey.” She hurried over to him and grabbed his wrist. “Use that emotion in a productive way, not to hurt yourself.” She dropped a kiss to his grazed knuckles

  He dragged her closer and kissed her again.

  She felt him pour his anger and frustration into the kiss. She clung to him, kissing him back. She felt something that she’d never felt in the Edull cells before—desire.

  “Well, this is totally not what I expected to find,” a gritty female voice said.

  Simone and Toren jerked apart.

  Bellamy Walsh was standing outside the bars.

  “Bellamy!” Simone cried.

  “Simone, right?” the woman said.

  Simone nodded, reaching through the bars. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”

  “Me too.” A smile curved the woman’s lips, and she squeezed Simone’s hand before her green gaze moved to Toren.

  “This is Toren,” Simone told her.

  Bellamy’s gaze dropped to the metal on Toren shoulder. “Cyborg. You hiding any fancy weapons in there somewhere?”

  Toren shook his head. “I was injured recently and my weaponry was removed. At least until I learn to manage my new emotions.”

  Bellamy’s lips twitched. “And you manage them by sticking your tongue in Simone’s mouth?”

  Toren tilted his head. “She likes my tongue.”

  Simone blushed. “Toren.”

  Bellamy chuckled. “I bet she does, cyborg.”

  Simone glared at him. “Of all the times for you to discover your sense of humor.”

  Bellamy reached out and grabbed the cell door lock. She inserted a small tool and a second later, it clicked opened. “Come with me. Hurry.”

  Simone and Toren hurried out of the cell. They followed Bellamy down the corridor, and Simone forced herself not to look at the other, still-locked cages. She knew she couldn’t help the other prisoners just yet, but it didn’t make leaving them hurt any less.

  “The Edull trust you enough to let you move around freely?” Toren asked.

  “I gained their trust,” Bellamy said. “They enjoy the benefits of my mechanic skills.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “I’m waiting for the chance to escape and not die in the desert.”

  “We’ve been searching for Bari Batu to rescue you,” Simone said.

  Bellamy stopped in front of a door. She opened it and waved them inside.

  Simone stepped into a cramped workspace. There were benches and shelves all filled with metal parts, pieces of bots, wires.

  “Home, sweet home.” Bellamy moved to a bench and kicked a stool out. “Sit, cyborg.”

  Reluctance on his face, Toren sat on the stool.

  “I can add some weapons for you.” Bellamy dug around in an overflowing toolbox. She lifted a tool up. “So you can get out of here.”

  Toren stared at her for a beat, then nodded.

  Bellamy pressed her tool to the metal plate on his shoulder. It made a whizzing sound.

  “So we can get out,” Simone said. “We aren’t leaving you here.”

  Bellamy lifted the metal plate off Toren’s shoulder and shook her head. “I’m not the only prisoner here. There are others who need rescuing too.”

  “The House of Rone plans to shut down the battle arena,” Toren said. “And stop the Edull.”

  “Good.” Bellamy paused, digging around inside Toren’s shoulder. “But I’m not leaving until that happens.” She grabbed some parts, setting them inside his implant. She made a humming noise, then she lifted a small laser torch. Sparks flew as she welded the parts into Toren’s implant. “There, test it out.”

  Toren turned and a weapon rose up above his shoulder. It didn’t have the same clean lines as his previous shoulder weapon. Then suddenly, an orange laser beam shot out of the bulkier weapon, cutting into the wall.

  Toren smiled. It might not meet Maxon’s standards, but it was functional. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure, cyborg. Now, time for you two to get out of here and find some reinforcements.”

  Bellamy turned and grabbed something off the bench. She held out her hand. A small holo-cube rested on it.

  “It contains the coordinates of Bari Batu and a crude map of the city.” She pressed it toward Simone, and Simone’s fingers closed around it. “I’ve been trying to get detailed schematics of the battle arena, but the Edull don’t leave that just lying around.”

  “This is very good,” Toren told her.

  “You aren’t alone anymore, Bellamy,” Simone said.

  There was a flash of emotion on the woman’s tough face. “That’s nice to know. Now, time to go.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Come on, I’ll show you a way out,” Bellamy said.

  Toren and Simone followed the woman through the corridor. He scanned ahead for any sign of trouble.

  “Please come with us,” Simone urged. “You can do these people more good out there. We have good people helping us.”

  Bellamy glanced over her shoulder and looked torn. “I’ll think about it. This way.”

  As they moved up some stairs, Toren heard the thunder of the crowd above—cheers, boos, and jeers. He also heard the revving of engines and the rumbling of moving vehicles. Then, there was the deafening crash of metal crunching against metal.

  Simone grabbed his hand. “The races have started.”

  There was pain in her voice, but there was nothing he could do to soothe it.

  They headed up another flight of stairs and came out at an exit. It put them in the center of the crowd.

  Toren stared down at the track.

  Drakking hell. It was worse than he’d imagined.

  He watched a squat, wheeled bot the size of a large transport race around the track on six wheels. It was covered in spikes. A tall bot was chasing it, rolling on one giant wheel. It had a vaguely humanoid shape, with several arms all clutching giant swords and axes.

  The bots rammed into each other, then pulled apart. They thundered past—giving Toren a clear view of the terrified driver in the taller bot—before they took one of the wild turns on the track.

  “There’s a small side entrance,” Bellamy said over the roar of the crowd. “Once the races start, the Edull usually ignore it.”

  The woman pushed through the crowd and Toren shouldered after her, making sure Simone stayed by his side. As they barged past, spectators cursed at them.

  “Get down!”

  “Hey, don’t block my view,” someone growled. “Paid good money for these seats.”

  Suddenly, a man reached out and grabbed Simone’s arm. She tried to yank it away. Toren whirled, pushing in front of her, and glared at the man.

  The man took one look at Toren, then lifted his hands and backed off.

  Toren pushed Simone ahead of him and they continued onward. Then he noticed movement in the rows above them and glanced up. His pulse spiked. Several Edull were searching the crowd.

  Looking for them.

  “Move faster,” he said.

  Bellamy glanced back, saw the Edull, and her mouth tightened.

  They picked up speed.

  “Out of the way, asshole.” Bellamy shouldered through several larger aliens holding frothy drinks in their hands.

  The woman had no sense of how small she was.

  Raspy shouts sounded behind them. He glanced back and saw that some Edull guards had spotted them.

  The roar of the racing bots drowned out the Edulls’ shouts.

  He pushed Simone forward. Down on the track, the bots crashed into each other, and one went airborne, flipping over. He saw Simone’s face go white.

  The bot somersaulted and landed on its wheels, rocking wildly.

  The crowd went crazy and the bots gunned off again.

  Toren glanced back and saw that the Edull were getting closer.

  “The crowd’s too thick,” Bellamy said.

  Drak. They needed to get to that exit.

  “Up here.” Bellamy climbed up on the railing alongside the track. She started walking along it.

  “I can’t do that!” Simone glanced at the woman with wide eyes, then looked down at the track below.

  Toren really didn’t want her balanced on the edge of the battle arena either. “The Edull are gaining on us.”

  She blew out a breath and then climbed up onto the railing. She put her arms out and started walking, carefully putting one foot in front of the other.

  Toren jumped up behind the women. The bots were on the other side of the track, but the sooner they got off this railing the better.

  Ahead, Bellamy jumped back down into an empty space where there were no spectators.

  But as he watched Simone climb down, he saw another group of Edull guards pushing through the crowd ahead of them. They were shoving people out of their way.

  “Edull,” he yelled.

  “Fuck,” Bellamy said. “The tunnel entrance is just past them.”

  Toren activated his shoulder weapon, watching as it popped up out of his implant.

  It was very different than the one he’d had before, but he felt the energy gathering in it. He took aim on the Edull and fired.

  The aliens dived to the ground, and the crowd screamed and surged. Several people pushed and shoved, trying to get away.

  Toren leaped off the railing and charged forward. He couldn’t risk firing again and possibly hitting some of the spectators. It didn’t matter that they were crudspawn for coming to watch these races.

  One of the Edull launched up, sprinting at him. The alien tackled Toren around the legs.

  They hit the ground, wrestling between the rows of seats. Toren lifted an arm and punched the Edull. He kept hitting him until the alien’s body slumped.