Jury by Viola Grace Page B

to him and waited for a moment, watching his body move. It was a damned good thing that they had cut down on her hormones, because otherwise, she would have been in extreme danger of flirting her ass off.
    “Fighter Ajaru.”
    He paused and settled the machine. “I don’t have anything to sign an autograph.”
    “Good. I don’t want one. I am your new trainer.”
    His deep blue eyes widened. His entire body was shades of navy except for his eyes. His eyes were the purest deep blue with pinpoint yellow star-shaped pupils. “You are a woman.”
    “More or less. Now, come with me to the workout yard. I want to see you move.”
    He got up, but he was moving along under sheer surprise.
    Bex was willing to work with surprise.
    At his side, Bex noted that he was twice her size, easily. His blue-black skin gleamed in the light of day and he picked up two swords, rotating them once before entering the sparring grid.
    The light projection formed and a gong sounded. Ajaru moved through paces easily, dodging, weaving and twisting as the unit increased the level of difficulty.
    Bex knew immediately what Ajaru’s problem was, and it had nothing to do with training. It wasn’t something that she could solve, and it meant that she was going to lose a cushy spot as a trainer.
    When Ajaru’s opponent flickered out, the fighter turned to her. “Well?”
    “Is there somewhere we can speak?”
    “Of course. Come to my quarters.”
    He returned the blades to the rack and led the way through the training centre, into the personal quarters of the champions.
    The space allocated to Ajaru was incredible. He gestured for her to take a seat, and he poured two glasses of water for them.
    “So, in your humble opinion, what is my problem?”
    Bex toasted him with the water. “You are bored out of your fucking mind. You are winning the fights with the least amount of effort possible and using the least amount of energy for each activity outside the ring.”
    Ajaru raised a dark eyebrow, and his eyes were amused. “Bravo. You have an eye for detail.”
    “Yes, I just don’t know how to improve your points’ ratings. You are already maxed out on what can be given to you as a champion.”
    “What I want can’t be given to a champion. I want a woman of my own for life. I want a mate.” He leaned back and put his arm along the edge of the couch he was sitting on.
    She narrowed her eyes and cocked her head. “Fine. I will see what I can do to get you a mate. I am assuming that you will also need a home for you and her to live in while you are off between engagements.”
    He leaned forward suddenly. “You will help me?”
    “I will. If all you need is a toehold on the future, I will put it into play for you. What do your kind need to find your mates?”
    He blinked. “Uh, wow. All right. I need a woman with a good body, curves, tall is preferable. Final connection will be made on the scent level as it is for most of the male fighters. It is why we fight in the first place. Too many males at close range and we fight. Now, we just get paid for it.”
    She nodded. “What is your species?”
    “Thudulan.”
    “Noted. Well, I am going to find the tiny closet that contains my stuff. I will see you at five o’clock tomorrow morning.”
    Ajaru winced. “Why so early?”
    “I am giving you what you want. You give me what I want. I want you to go through the motions of being a champion fighter. I want you to train like you have never trained before and earn a mate of your own.”
    Enthusiasm lit in his eyes. “Are you sure this is possible?”
    She groaned. “Let me ram it through the proper channels. The fight master is going to love this.”
    “I am sure that you can handle it.” He paused. “What is your name by the way?”
    “Trainer Bex and you will be seeing a lot of me.” Bex got to her feet and extended her gloved hand to him. “See you before dawn tomorrow.”
    When his fingers closed over her much smaller hand, she stifled