“I said move!” the guard snapped. I forced myself to follow him out of the room, ignoring the young boys in the cages, and into the hallway. When we reached the forked section, this time we went down the right hallway and descended. Unlike the left hallway, where it grew lighter the farther we walked, this hallway grew darker and danker.

My fear grew with every step we took. Then we reached a narrow hallway. There was a wider hallway to the left. I started when, from that direction, I heard the loud sound of males shouting. I swallowed back my nerves when the guard walked straight ahead. The noise faded the farther we traveled, until we arrived at a small section housing only a few cells. It was much quieter here.

I tried to understand where we were. The guard walked past the cells. I tried to peer in, but unlike others I had seen, these had some semblance of privacy. I heard soft moans coming from one. Instinctively, I knew that a female was being pleasured.

The guard stopped and reached for the door before us. When the door opened, the guard looked at me and snapped, “Get in.” I hesitated when I looked inside. I couldn’t see anyone in there, the room was so dark.

When I didn’t move, the guard gripped my arm and hauled me forward. He pushed me inside. I stumbled, landing on the hard ground of the cell. My heart beat hard as I lifted my head. When I did, pure terror seized me.

Sitting on a mattress before me was him. The Blood Pit Champion. The Arziani Pit Bull. Master’s greatest warrior.

Warrior 901.

And he was glaring at me.

Unmoving. Hatred spewed from his hard gaze.

I drew in a short breath, but it was cut off when 901 rolled to his feet. He stepped forward, his huge body towering above me. I choked back a scream.

He was the most intimidating male I had ever encountered.

And I was trapped in his cell.

Completely alone. In the unwelcome company of a killer.

And there was absolutely nothing I could do.

6

901

I stared at the High Mona on the ground. She was shaking and looked up at me with her huge blue eyes. I swallowed as I met her gaze. I could see, could almost smell the fear pulsing off her perfect body.

Lifting my head, I got up and marched to the door. Spotting the guard through the bars, I snapped, “What is this? Why is she in here?”

The guard slowly turned and smiled. “Master has gifted you his female.” The guard leaned in farther, his smile doing nothing more than pissing me the hell off. “A reward for all of your victories in the ring.”

The guard moved back before I could pull him close and snap his neck. I growled, “Take her back. I don’t want her.”

The guard shook his head. “My orders are to leave her here with you. Regardless of what you said.” He turned his back to me, adding, “Master thinks you could do with a good fuck.” He shrugged. “Personally, I do, too. It might calm you down.” Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “I’ve worked in these quarters for years and you’ve refused every chance at a mona you’ve been given.” His gaze dropped to my crotch, and he said, “Your balls must be so damn blue.”

Unable to stop the rage bursting free, I released a loud roar and slammed my hands against the iron bars. “GET HER THE FUCK OUT!”

The guard looked back at me, then walked away, leaving me alone with the mona. I stood at the bars, the metal still vibrating from my hit. I worked on breathing, sucking in long, deep breaths. But no matter how hard I tried to calm, I couldn’t. I could feel the female’s eyes on my back, watching me. Her perfumed scent was hitting my nose. My cell always smelled of the wet rot of earth in the walls. The mona’s scent was better.

Better, but unwelcome.

Making myself turn, I ignored where she sat and made my way to my bed. With my back still turned, I paused, then made myself sit on the mattress. The muscles in my shoulders and neck ached with tension, at how much having a female in my quarters disturbed me.

On a heavy sigh, I kept my eyes to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the mona on the floor, trembling. My teeth gritted together in annoyance.

She was a weakling.

I wondered why the hell Master had given her to me. He was obsessed with her. All of us could see it, the way he watched her every move, walked her through our training pits daily. He kept her close and smiled at her like he wasn’t a sadistic prick intent on ruining all our lives.

But more than that, and what I suspected she didn’t know about, were the many males that had been punished or slain for even looking her way.

All except me.

Then the anger returned. Clenching my hand into a fist, I threw my head back and slammed it into the wall behind me. I heard the mona whimper and scurry to the far corner. When I looked up, she’d tucked herself into a small ball, her head buried in her hands.

This time I studied her. And what I saw shot straight to my dick. Sitting like this, I could see how the mona was dressed. The red fabric was see-through. And I could see her naked body beneath—her perfect tits, every bare inch revealed for me.

It only pissed me off more.

Her dark hair was pulled to one side, falling over her shoulder. Then my eyes found the metal collar around her wrist. All of the blood fell from my face.

I’d seen that collar on the Ubiytsa. The collar discharged the Type A pellets intermittently, to keep them under Master’s control. Though I suspected that her collar wasn’t filled with Type A.

It would be Type B. Which meant she would need …

My hands shook with rage. Then, through that rage I felt my stomach fall. In all my years I had never been with a female. From a young age, I had seen what females did to the males. I saw the males becoming attached to their monebi. I saw them slowly be used against them. And worse still, I saw them killed or passed on to make the men submit to the guards. But Master’s favorite was when he gifted the same mona to two males, then watched them tear each other apart in the pit, fighting for dominance.

But Master never rewarded the winner with the female. Instead he would use her as bait to do his bidding. Until his sick game grew tired and he disposed of them both.

Pawns. All of us were pawns in his empire. He was the true king.

Then I stilled, eyes closing when I realized he had seen me looking. No female had ever pulled my attention. But with Master’s High Mona, from the second I saw her in the training pit, it had been different. She appeared different from the rest of his females. She walked differently. She was shy and timid.

She was beautiful.

So fucking beautiful that she rocked me back on my heels.

I thought back to the match against the Chinese fighter, and then I knew. I remembered the moment Master had caught my attention, and for one split second, I had lost control of myself and paid the female heed. I had looked at her as she sat on the floor at his feet in fear. I had been pissed.

I had fucked up.

He knew. He knew I had noticed her. He’d told me he’d find a weakness. And after all these years, he’d finally found one. I’d sleepwalked right into his trap.

As I glanced to the mona, still hunched in the corner, shaking in fear, I felt a part of my self-imposed coldness warm. I felt a fissure fracture through my dead heart. She was tiny compared to me. She was frightened.

And she was beautiful. It was obvious why she’d caught Master’s eye.

When I caught myself, I pushed those feelings away and lay back on my bed. I stared at the dark ceiling, listening to the mona’s breathing catch.

I closed my eyes and made myself ignore her presence. If I ignored her, if I didn’t touch her, Master would take her back and I’d be safe. I simply had to resist, and then this would all go away.

I wouldn’t be weak.

Not even for a female as beautiful as her.

* * *

A hissing sound was the first thing I heard. The strange sound, followed by a sharp cry. I blinked into the dark room, confused by sleep. Then my dick twitched when I heard a breathless female whimper cut across the silent cell.

My body froze, and then I remembered the female in the corner. Another cry filled the room, and my heart started beating when I thought back to last night. To the guard throwing the High Mona into my cell. The mona that wore a collar around her wrist.

A long, needy moan pierced the air, and I gritted my teeth as my erect cock began to throb. Rolling to my side, I focused on the corner and saw the mona’s slumped form on the ground beginning to move. I watched, holding my breath, as her legs began to twitch. Her eyes were still shut, clearly still asleep. But when my eyes narrowed and I saw the wrist collar, I could see small movements from underneath, something pressing into her skin.