I nod, even though I don’t think I have that kind of strength.
Chance lets go of me, and as he tucks his cock back into his pants, I quickly pull up my jeans. We straighten our clothes, and I glance around to make sure no one saw us.
Lifting a hand, Chance wraps his fingers around the back of my neck and tugs me against his chest. His other arm wraps tightly around me, then he asks, “Feel better?”
I take a deep breath of his manly scent before nodding. “Yeah. You?”
“I can’t promise I won’t kill the fucker next time I see him,” he grumbles.
He holds me for a moment longer, his palm brushing gently over the back of my head. When he presses a kiss on my hair, my heart fills with warmth.
“You’re the only woman for me, little one,” he whispers, his voice hoarse and filled with an emotion I haven’t heard before. It makes me feel safe, his arms the only place that’s home to me.
“Who’s Morgan?” I ask, needing to know what she means to Chance.
“Just a friend from my past.”
I don’t like the answer and pull back so I can meet his eyes. “What kind of friend?”
He shakes his head. “It’s in my past, Jai. Rehashing it won’t do us any good.”
The bitter feeling curls around my heart. “Have you had sex with her?”
Did you kiss her the way you kiss me? Did you hold her and make promises that she belongs to you?
Even though I need to hear the answer, I don’t want him to say the words.
He lets out a sigh, his fingers wrapping around mine. “Morgan shares her bed with any of the winners in the arena.”
I start to nod, the bitterness coating the back of my tongue.
Chance leans down to catch my eyes. “But she means nothing to me.”
Still, he was inside her. She saw him naked and felt his kisses.
Staring at Chance, I know I shouldn’t get upset. He’s lived ten years as a deviant and had urges and needs.
I take in his strong jaw, the dark bristles, his firm lips, and the pure blue of his eyes. He’s attractive, and of course, he’d be in demand with women.
“Were there others?” I know it sounds insane, but I hope he says yes. I don’t want Morgan to be the only one he’s slept with in the past decade. That would make her special.
Chance stares at me for so long, I doubt whether he’ll answer me. Then he nods. “There are three.”
The corner of my mouth lifts from the relief washing over me.
He frowns at my reaction. “You’re not upset?”
I shake my head. “Three means Morgan wasn’t special.”
He lets out a relieved breath, then tugs me back into his arms. I feel his mouth by my ear. “You’re the only special woman in my life.”
I wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my face against his shirt. “Mine,” I whisper, feeling better now that we’ve talked about the problems.
“That’s right, little one.”
He pulls back and presses a soft kiss to my lips, then he takes hold of my hand and leads me back to the street.
This time I notice whenever a man looks at me and sees Chance’s fingers weaved tightly through mine, they immediately glance away.
“Do you know a lot of people here?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
I keep noticing how men lose interest in me when they see Chance and say, “I know you can fight, but how good are you?”
He lets out a chuckle. “I can hold my own.” He glances down at me. “Why?”
I gesture around us. “The men are no longer looking at me like I’m a fresh piece of meat. When they see you, they glance away.”
“Because they know I’ll kill them,” Chance grumbles.
I hate that this is the world I live in – where a man has to protect me. I’ll train hard so all the men will give me the same respect they give Chance.
A couple of blocks away from the arena, we walk into one of the larger buildings. It’s square with solar windows all around.
The entrance has two potted plants, a trashcan, and nothing else. We take a set of stairs down to an open space with three passages.
I admit, after the initial awe of seeing the main ward, I feel a little disappointed. So far, the only good thing is Dawn’s store. I’ll definitely visit her again.
Chance leads me down the passage on the right, and when I don’t notice any vertical farms or animals, I ask, “Don’t they have animals and vegetables here?”
“They don’t farm indoors like the outer wards. The farmlands run along the edge of the dam.
I notice a blue light coming from the wall, and when we get closer, I realize there’s a huge window, giving a clear view to the inside of a pool. I can see people swimming past the window and stare because it’s not something I’ve seen before.