Sharing from my second scifi romance gladiator novel RENNYR.

The excerpt: Moving on to Rennyr in solitary confinement in “the pit” for refusing to fight again after the death match (where he did manage to save a number of lives, at least temporarily). He meets his first friend. May be edited from published edition. Follows on directly from where I stopped last week when Gibbz says he needs a “good talking-to”.

Like an errant cub. When he was a highly respected senior soldier in his pack. Again Rennyr felt amusement but he kept the smile off his face and out of his voice. He had to respect the effort this other man was making to help him. “I’m ready to listen.”

“What do you think is going on here?”

“A lot of senseless death so people can make a few credits betting on how fast we’ll die.” With disgust Rennyr remembered the scenes in the arena, with the trideo broadcast above and the wagering.

“Yeah, I’ll grant you a point there, but this cockeyed system is just a feeder for the rest of the Hinterlands. The best men—and a few women—at each level make it through to the next level. Play your cards right and use those talents you got, and you might even make it into a gladiatorial house in the Outlier empire or the Five Systems. Those guys got it made, I tell you.”

Dubious about the claim, Rennyr asked, “Are they still slaves?”

There was silence briefly, as if the other didn’t want to have to answer. “Well yeah, but the other places got laws there. A man can buy his freedom and set up like a king, if he can win enough fights and prizes. You got potential, soldier, and that’s what Westklin sees. He sees those credits a big franchise will pay for his finding and developing a fighter like you, a diamond in the rough. He can leverage your success to help his own enterprises. It’s the universal dream in this business.” His unseen companion laughed without humor. “Even mine, once.”

“People dream of fighting and dying in bigger arenas, for a more refined crowd’s amusement?” Rennyr couldn’t keep the scorn out of his voice. “What kind of a goal is that?”

RENNYR (BADARI GLADIATORS SERIES BOOK 2) by Veronica Scott

Rennyr was a genetically engineered senior soldier in his Badari Warrior pack until one day he woke up on a strange planet naked, disoriented and about to be sold into the gladiator arena for the rest of his life. Unscrupulous guards faked his death in the lab where he was created and sold him into slavery in the galaxy’s hinterlands. Kill or be killed is the rule in his new life and a Badari never gives up. He’ll fight to stay alive until the Badari goddess sees fit to decree his death and release him from the wretched existence.

Jaine Mitchel of the Sectors was on her way to an exciting research internship until pirates seized the spaceship on which she was a passenger and took her to feature in a gladiator ‘death match’ in the galactic hinterlands. She has no hope of surviving in the arena until a man she only glimpsed in passing breaks out of his cell and saves her life, declaring her to be his fated mate. Given to Rennyr as his reward for winning the death match, Jaine must share a cell and a bed with the handsome, not human, gladiator and together they have to find a way to survive in this merciless world of violence and death. Their mutual attraction is off the charts. Falling in love is the easy part, finding a way to escape or even to remain together is the challenge. At any time their mutual owner could decide thumbs up or thumbs down on one or both of them, or sell them separately.

Their only hope is a mysterious gladiator master from offworld who may be coming to buy Rennyr. Will he take Jaine as well? Could Rennyr win freedom for them both if he does well enough in the arena? Badari Warriors claim their mates for life and Rennyr has no intention of losing Jaine…RENNYR is an 80K word novel and can be read as a standalone. KYDEN is the first book in the series.

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