Taurus (Galactic Cage Fighters (Book Three)) Read online

  Mine! Taurus screamed silently in his head as he pumped his seed deep inside of her womb. He was still partially hard and didn’t want to leave her body yet. He held onto her as he rolled to his side. He continued to slowly move in and out of her. He looked at her face, which was relaxed and sated. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

  “Mmm…you’re still hard,” she commented.

  “I’m not done with you—not nearly done.”

  *****

  He wasn’t done with her for a long time. She woke up sore in the strangest places but with a big smile on her face. Not bad for her first time. Not bad at all. She reached a hand to search for him, but he wasn’t there.

  “Taurus?” she called out but got no answer. Maybe he was in the bathroom. She got up and wrapped a sheet around her body. She wasn’t comfortable walking around naked. She was worried when she didn’t find him in the bathroom. Where could he be? As she approached the main living space of the suite, she heard voices. One of them was a female’s voice.

  Maya couldn’t help herself. She had to take a look at the female that had come unannounced to Taurus’s suite. The female was tall and voluptuous with long dark hair pulled to one side exposing a bare shoulder. She was beautiful and very familiar.

  “After the last night that we were together, I just wanted to check on you, Taurus. You disappeared early from the banquet. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Gypsy. I appreciate the concern,” Taurus said to her gently. He was wearing a pair of jeans unbuttoned and no shirt.

  “I am free this evening if you need me.” She stepped forward to rub her hand over his chest.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I’m…not alone right now.”

  “Oh, you finally claimed your mate?”

  “No! She’s not my mate. We’re not together that way.”

  Ouch. That hurt deeply. Maya wanted to turn away, but she was still rooted to the spot. She recognized the female as the one that Taurus was with the previous night. The Venetian. How could he be with her one night and then with Maya the next? She didn’t understand it. She kept watching against her will.

  “I’m glad things are working for you again. Let me know if you want me.” Then she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

  Maya had had enough. She was finally able to get her feet to move. She turned and stormed back toward the bedroom. She grabbed her dress from the floor where Taurus had thrown it and pulled it on quickly. She tried to locate her underwear but could not find it. Fuck it! She didn’t need them anyway.

  “Where are you going?”

  She jumped at his sudden appearance. Her heart rate was beating so fast, she could feel it all the way to her toes. “Back to my suite.”

  “Why?” He walked closer to her, but she moved a step away not looking at him.

  “We had our fun. It’s time to leave.”

  “Fun? Is that all I am to you? A night of fun?” Taurus was hurt that she would turn out like all the other females that came to watch the fighters.

  “It’s not like you don’t have females showing up at all hours of the night begging to be in your bed. You’ll be fine,” Maya couldn’t keep the bitterness from sounding in her voice.

  Taurus was shocked. Little Maya had some fire in her. He liked it. “Gypsy is a friend.”

  “Right. A Venetian hired by the GCFA to service the fighters while on circuit. Sounds real friendly to me.” Maya slipped her shoes on and walked past him into the main room of the suite.

  “Stop!” Something inside him tightened when he saw her walking away from him.

  She did stop. She couldn’t help it. But she didn’t turn back around.

  “Gypsy is a friend of mine.”

  “Were you with her the other night?”

  There was a long silence. “We spent time together.”

  “Naked?”

  He didn’t answer. There was no correct way to answer that. “I don’t want you to leave yet.”

  “It’s like you told your friend, we’re not together that way.” She walked out of the door. She hoped she would at least make it to her suite before she broke down into tears.

  *****

  She entered her suite. It was dark and very quiet. Coco’s bedroom door was closed. Her friend must have come back and gone to bed. She jumped when a noise to her left startled her.

  “It’s just me. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Zen called out from the dark.

  A light turned on and she blinked her eyes to adjust. “Oh, hi, Zen.”

  “Would you like something to drink?” He held up a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.

  “Sure.” She wanted to drown in the whole bottle. Maybe this would help relax her so she could fall to sleep immediately. She sat down on the sofa and waited as Zen poured a glass of wine for her.

  “Here you go.” Zen handed the glass to her.

  “Thanks.”

  He poured himself a glass and then sat in the chair opposite of the sofa. “You want to talk about it?”

  “Talk about what?”

  “Why you are here alone right now, instead of in Taurus’s bed. Don’t deny you were with him, I can smell him all over you.”

  Maya blushed and look away from him. “No offense, but it’s none of your business.”

  Zen held up his hands. “Okay. I get it. I was only trying to offer you help if you needed it.” He made like he was going to stand.

  “Wait, what kind of help?” She sat her wine glass down on the coffee table.

  Zen smiled a devilish smile as he resumed his seat. “Whatever kind of help you need, beautiful.”

  “Would you answer some questions about Taurus for me? I just don’t understand him.”

  “I will to a certain point. However, there are things that only he can and should answer.”

  “Okay,” she nodded her head in agreement.

  “What do you want to know first?”

  “Does he sleep around with a lot of women? Especially with…the Venetians.”

  “Taurus is a healthy male in his prime with no mate, girlfriend, or wife. He can have sex with anyone he chooses to.”

  “I understand all that. But does he sleep around like you do?” she regretted immediately the way that came out. “I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to…”

  “No, it’s okay. I know my reputation proceeds me wherever I go. Don’t believe the worse so easily. But to stay on track, no, Taurus does not sleep around like I do. He is very picky about the women he is with. All of the male fighters and some of the female fighters have spent time with a Venetian while on circuit. Taurus is friendly with one Venetian and has spent time with her over the years.”

  “Gypsy.”

  “You met her I see.”

  “Yeah, she just showed up without calling and wanted to share Taurus’s bed with him.”

  “You know all this how?”

  “Because I was in his bed when she showed up!” she yelled out. Then winced when she realized how loud she had gotten. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay to be upset. But unlike some of the rest of us, Taurus has only shared his bed with a single female at a time. What did he tell Gypsy?”

  “That he was busy with someone else.”

  “You see.”

  “Then he told her that I wasn’t his mate and that we were not together in that way.”

  “Oh,” Zen frowned.

  She looked down at her lap. This was so uncomfortable. Maybe she should excuse herself to her room. She took a sip of wine.

  “He’s an idiot.”

  She looked up at him in surprise. “I thought you were friends with Taurus.”

  “I am his friend. So as his friend, I have the right to say freely when I think my friend is acting like a fool.”

  She shook her head. “He’s entitled to feel the way he does.”

  “Honey, it was a lie. I’m sure Gypsy knew that as well. But you being mostly human, you wouldn’t have the senses to tell a lie so easily.”
/>
  She let the remark about her being mostly human go. She heard it plenty of times through the years. “Why would he lie?”

  Zen snorted. “He’s scared.”

  “Of me?”

  “Yes, in a way. He’s kept people at a distance for years, even his friends. Letting someone close enough to hurt him is scary.”

  “But why?”

  Zen looked at the closed door to Coco’s bedroom. “I will tell you some of Taurus’s history, but not all of it. It’s his story to tell. But I know he won’t open up easily. Maybe if you know some of it, you’ll keep him from pushing you away.”

  “Tell me. I want to understand.”

  “You were born in a relatively loving mixed family.”

  “Relatively is an understatement.”

  “Still, you have never been exposed to the perils many of us less fortunate have had to deal with.”

  “I heard some stories but…I guess I was protected from most of it.”

  He nodded his head. “I figured that. Are you familiar with the history of how a huge number of halfsies were created by splicing DNA?”

  “Yes, my grandparents told me a little bit about it.”

  “Many of the splicing was done by corporations who wanted to special order crossbreeds that they could use for numerous reasons including slavery and to build a strong army. This went on for years, until the Intergalactic Department of Justice uncovered the truth and sought to make DNA splicing illegal.”

  “That’s what I heard.”

  “What many don’t know, is what became of the halfsie children that had been created. The IDJ spent years cracking down the splicing. The children that had been created were placed in orphanages and foster homes.”

  “Was Taurus placed in any orphanage? Is that why he’s off-setting?”

  “The orphanages were not the worst places that halfsies could end up in. However, the IDJ handed over the halfsies to the orphanages without establishing any kind of regulations. Many orphanages fostered out children to the very same corporations that were responsible for the splicing.”

  “What? That’s crazy. I never heard anything about that.”

  “The IDJ isn’t going to want people to know they failed to secure the safety of innocent halfsie children. They have kept everything under wraps.”

  “So, are you saying the IDJ sent Taurus and others like him to an orphanage only to be fostered out to the same corporations that spliced his DNA?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did they do to him?”

  “What didn’t they do to us?”

  * * *

  Chapter Twelve

  Zen frowned remembering the orphanage he had been in. The director of the orphanage had separated the halfsie children from all the other normal human children. They resided in the run down wing that was infected with rats. Thinking back on it, he would rather have stayed at the orphanage with the rats than be taken where he had ended up.

  She reached out a comforting hand on his knee. “You, too?”

  He nodded. “It was a long time ago.”

  “What happened?”

  “I know the corporations set up new facilities for the halfsies. Some facilities were for breeding, some were for the military training, and some were purely for scientific testing. Most halfsie children were sent to the breeding facilities.”

  “Breeding facilities? But they were just children.”

  There was a notable silence. Maya thought she was going to be sick. She sat her wine glass back down on the coffee table. Taurus had been abused sexually as a child. She couldn’t think of anything worse. Though her own parents abandoned her, she had always been surrounded by her grandparents’ love. They would have killed anyone who tried to harm her in that way. It hurt to know that Taurus and many others like him had no one to stand up for them.

  “Each halfsie’s experience in the facilities will differ somewhat. To survive, they had to adapt quickly. Many become reserved and keep people at a distance. It’s is a protective mechanism. The closer someone gets, the more it could hurt if they are suddenly removed.”

  “His behavior makes a little more sense to me.”

  “So you’ll go back to his suite and make amends?” Zen sounded hopeful.

  “No. It still doesn’t excuse his behavior with Gypsy.”

  “Come on, Maya, give the male a break. He is used to denying his feelings. For him to be vehement about it only tells me how much he really does care.”

  “It doesn’t excuse him being with Gypsy. It was the same day that we kissed at the photo shoot. I thought…” Damn it. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Zen moved to sit beside Maya putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. He hated to see females cry. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “I thought…the kiss was so real. I thought maybe it meant something. Then tonight we…did more. He doesn’t want more than a one night stand.”

  “Trust me, Maya, he wants more than one night. Taurus has to push through his self-preservation instincts though. It may take a while. Give him some time.”

  “I don’t know …”

  “Don’t decide anything tonight. You are upset and you might regret your decision in the morning. Go to bed and sleep on it.”

  She shrugged. “Okay. Thanks for talking to me. You aren’t exactly as I had imagined you would be.”

  He gave her a smirk. “I am devastatingly handsome and all the females want me.”

  She kissed his cheek. “You are gentle, sweet, and care deeply for your friends.”

  “To bed with you, female. You will have my reputation ruined with all this gentle and sweet talk.”

  Maya giggled as she made her way to her bedroom. “Goodnight, Zen.”

  “Goodnight, beautiful.”

  Zen picked up Maya’s wine glass and finished it up along with his own. He waited a few minutes then went to the suite door. He opened it and exited the suite closing the door behind him as he waited in the hallway. He checked his watch. Any time now.

  The elevator doors opened down the hallway and Zen watched as Taurus came stomping out heading in his direction. “Having a rough night, friend?”

  Taurus stopped in front on Zen glaring at him and then glancing at the door behind him. “Move out of my way, Zen.”

  Zen shook his head. “Not going to happen. You need to get your emotions under control.”

  Taurus reached out a hand and wrapped it around Zen’s neck. But he didn’t squeeze. “Stay out of my way, Zen.”

  “Not happening, friend. If you want to fight, let’s take this down to the training center.” Zen didn’t try to pull out of Taurus’s grasp.

  “I don’t want to fight you. I just want to see Maya.”

  “Not tonight. She’s upset right now.”

  “Why is she upset? She walked out on me.”

  “What should she have done after you told Gypsy, a recent lover, that Maya was just a temporary situation.”

  “Damn it! She wasn’t supposed to hear that.” Taurus released Zen and ran his hand through his short hair.

  “So you didn’t mean it then.”

  “No, yes, I don’t know! We barely know each other. How am I supposed to know if there’s more? Then she just ups and leaves like it was nothing.”

  “You’re an idiot,” Zen said, surprising Taurus silent. “That girl was completely innocent. I could smell that the first day at the auditions. She has no experience with men. It was clear to me the way she watched you all the time that she had a huge crush on you. I’m sure it didn’t take much more than a few kisses to seduce her into your bed. Then you make her sound like she was nothing when your favorite sex partner shows up at your door wanting in your bed. Yet here you are, daring to get angry at her for being upset?”

  It sounded pretty bad the way Zen was saying it. He felt deflated. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Exactly why you are not seeing her tonight. You need to figure out what you want from her before you approa
ch her again. She deserves better.”

  “She must hate me.” Taurus stared at the closed door with longing.

  “She doesn’t hate you. I explained a few things to her. She needs a little time to process it before she’ll be ready to listen to you.”

  “What things did you explain?”

  “The orphanages and how we were fostered out to the corporations.”

  “You told her about me?” Taurus looked angry.

  “Not really. Kind of hard to tell her about you when you have never shared any of that with me or any of your other friends. You are a tiny bit anti-social.”

  Taurus felt like he had been slapped in the face. “I’m just…not big on sharing personal stuff.”

  Zen held his hands up in the air. “Don’t get upset okay. Let’s go do some training and work out that aggression you have bottled up in you.”

  “I’m not anti-social,” Taurus grumbled.

  “If you say so.”

  *****

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Coco asked as they finished their breakfast and headed to wardrobe.

  “Talk about what?”

  “Why you are giving Taurus the silent treatment.”

  “I’m not.” Was she? That was so grade school. Damn it! She was a grown female. She could handle it if a male didn’t want her.

  “Yeah you are. Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

  Maya sighed. Zen would probably tell Coco anyway. “We were together for part of the night last night. Then Gypsy showed up wanting to share his bed.” She went on to tell her about the fight they had and how she walked out on him. “So, it’s over.”

  Coco laughed. “Honey, it is not over by a long shot. That male could not keep his lustful eyes off you.”

  Maya blushed. “He made it clear last night that I wasn’t anything to him.”

  “He’s an idiot.”

  “That’s what Zen said when I came home last night.”

  “Is that what you and Zen were talking about? I thought you two were having a little quickie so I went back to bed.”

  “What? I would never…he’s with you. I would never be with a friend’s guy. Plus, he’s friends with Taurus. That would be awkward.”

  “Hey, no worries. I would be cool if you and Zen had banged. I know that Zen is just passing his time with me like I am with him. We have no hold on each other. In fact, we often include others in our escapades.”