Rival Read online

  Table of Contents

  Description

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Author Biography

  End Credits

  RIVAL

  Gladiators of Gelvek 1

  Tatum Throne

  Would you leave Earth for an alien who wanted you?

  It’s the year 4044. On Earth, Gage Smith works for the government, trying to figure out how to save his dying world. After a quadrant fails, Gage loses hope—that’s until he figures out a way to harness the lightning storms that plague Earth and opens a wormhole. He lands on the planet Gelvek where a trafficker finds him.

  Yorn is a gladiator who has taken over his brother’s contract. After he fights, he needs the venom milked from his stinger, or he could die from the toxicity. Yorn meets with a trafficker to see if he has found a male able to take his venom without dying. With time running out, he buys Gage.

  Gage is sold into slavery where he quickly falls for the brutal gladiator who owns him. Despite his lust for Yorn, Gage knows he needs to find a way back home. Can he save his world and his alien lover before it’s too late?

  Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of alien sex with a human.

  RIVAL

  Gladiators of Gelvek 1

  TATUM THRONE

  WWW.LUMINOSITYPUBLISHING.COM

  LUMINOSITY PUBLISHING LLP

  RIVAL

  Gladiators of Gelvek 1

  Copyright © May 2015 Tatum Throne

  ISBN: 978-1-910397-91-6

  Cover Art by Poppy Designs

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this literary work may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Dedication

  I’d like to lift my glass to the Throne boys who put up with my oddball hours so that I can write, edit, and write some more. Mommy loves you!

  A special heartfelt thank you to author, Genevieve Scholl for coming up with the series name for this book! Thank you! It meant the world to me!

  As always, I couldn’t have done this without my fabulous editor, Elizabeth. I truly appreciate all that you do! Thank you!

  Chapter One

  Earth 4044

  Montana Research Facility

  Gage Smith ducked out of the violent winds as he headed into the protective bunker of his government issued condo. The compound was an extensive ecosystem connected by outside and inside corridors. There were a hundred dome buildings that made up their complex—otherwise known as Quad 1. Gage needed a few minutes of fresh air to clear his head—too bad the weather didn’t hold out.

  Excitement pumped through his veins. Today was the day everything changed. Today was the day he took the next step with his lover Matt. He couldn’t wait to get home to tell Matt the good news.

  The door behind him sealed tight with a hiss. The hallway was sterile clean despite the havoc of dust outside. He navigated the long well lit corridor and unlocked the front door to his condo, dropping his keys into the bowl on the entrance table.

  Thunder rumbled outside. He was lucky to get home before the lightning storm started. The storms were coming more frequently, baffling scientists because there wasn’t any rain that came with them. Despite every effort to seed the clouds, no rain ever fell. They were out of options and out of time. Everyone knew that one day the Earth would no longer be inhabitable.

  There were theories about the lightning storms, but no one understood why or how they were happening. Gage wondered if it all had to do with some sort of parallel universe. Complete global destruction was what everyone had settled upon. All they knew was that it had started in South America in twenty-twenty and spread north at an alarming rate.

  Gage pulled off his worn baseball cap and dropped it onto the entrance table on top of his keys. Laughter echoed from upstairs followed by music being turned on inside the master bedroom. A frown pulled his brows together. Gage was hoping he had timed things right so that he could make a romantic dinner before Matt got home. What was Matt doing home at this time of day? And more importantly, why wasn’t he alone?

  The news he had to share was shoved to the back of his mind as Gage headed upstairs to the bedroom they shared. Light filtered across the hallway from the door that stood slightly ajar. A spinning sensation rippled through him as laughter splintered the afternoon, hitting him hard. Matt was definitely not alone. He hadn’t imagined that little fact.

  His heart rammed in his ears as he looked through the break in the door. Matt was on his knees sucking some dude’s cock. Moans of pleasure were barely audible over the music. There was a ten-second delay from what he was seeing before his brain kicked in. During those ten long seconds, Gage watched as Matt worked the huge prick down his throat and snaked his tongue over the tip of his cockhead. Gage hit his hand against the door, punching it open. “What the fuck?”

  Surprise had Matt’s jaw’s locking down on the idiot’s dick, making him yelp in pain. But the dude was too far gone to hear or notice Gage rushing through the doorway. The guy cried out, coming hard and fast in Matt’s face. The impact shattered every ounce of hope and desire Gage had for a future with his boyfriend. Unsure of what to do, Matt tried to control his new lover’s cock but ended up with a face full of jizz.

  Matt fell back on his naked ass against the industrial floor when Gage’s feet devoured the floor between them. “Gage?”

  Shock had the dude backing up and grabbing the comforter to cover his dick, but it was too late. All the damage was done.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Gage demanded.

  Gage shoved him, sending him flying backward over the one lounge chair they had. Matt was up before Gage could man hit the dude again.

  “Stop it, Gage!”

  Strong hands grabbed at Gage’s swinging arm, stopping him from sending the punch flying. As much as he tried to shake Matt’s grip, Gage couldn’t. “Let me the fuck go.”

  There was a dead calm within Gage’s voice that made Matt wince as though he’d been struck. The guy on the floor flipped up off his ass as his feet got tangled in the comforter. He kicked the blanket away as he raced across the bedroom, grabbing a pair of jeans that had been left by the side of the bed. Gage’s eyes locked with Matt’s, causing his boyfriend to let go of his arm. Tears shimmered in Matt’s eyes. “Who are you crying for? Us or the fact that I caught you bare-assed sucking cock?”

  “Gage…don’t…you work such long hours.”

  “So, it’s my fault?” Gage asked.

  The guy hit the doorframe with his shoulder in his rush out of the bedroom. For fun, Gage chased him down the stairs, hoping to catch the dumbass before he fumbled with the front door. Sweat was glistening on the guy’s back. Gage wanted to know if it was from fear or from fucking his boyfriend in the mouth. The guy got the front door open and stumbled outside into the hallway. Gage rushed up behind him, shoving him from behind as he ran outside into the lightning storm.

  “Stay the fuck away from here!” Gage yelled.

  “Stop it, Gage!”

  Gage whirled. “Stop what? Trying to save Quad I? We lost Quad III today.”

  “It doesn’t give you any right to treat me this way!”

  Anger rushed through his blood when he he
ard Matt’s voice from behind him. Matt pushed past him, grabbing hold of the guy on the ground. This wasn’t how Gage expected this thing to end. After four years, this was how their relationship was going to end?

  “What the fuck, Matt? You cheat on me with this piece of shit?”

  Tears were in Matt’s eyes, falling down over his cheeks. Disgust swam through Gage’s heart when he saw how they were mixing with the jizz on his chest. Damn him. “It’s been over for a long time.”

  Blood dripped from the guy’s temple. Dirt was smudged over his chest from skidding across the muddy pathway. “Fuck both of you! FYI, Matt…this is my house! You better get the fuck out of here before I call the cops.”

  To drive his point home, Gage went inside his condo, locking the door behind. The sound of Matt’s voice came through the door. “Please! Don’t do this! Let’s be rational about this! Just let me inside!”

  It wasn’t going to happen. Gage put his hands on his hips as he looked around the condo. Everything he thought he had was suddenly gone. Everything he thought that meant something to him had slipped through his fingers. How was he supposed to move on? Everywhere he looked, he saw some reminder of Matt. Gage went into the kitchen and grabbed a trash bag. He ransacked the living room, throwing everything of Matt’s into the bag. From the door, he heard Matt begging to come inside to get his things.

  Gage took the stairs two at a time, pounding through the bedroom as he collected Matt’s crap. He threw his wallet in the bag too. He then went out onto the balcony that overlooked the far side of the condo. He unceremoniously dropped the garbage bag down into the side yard where the neighbor’s dog took a shit. The bag busted open as it rolled across the yard.

  Hearing the sound of the bag drop, Matt came around the house.

  “Come on, Gage!”

  Gage had tossed Matt’s car key fob up and down several times before he cocked back his arm. “If you want to act like a dog, go fucking fetch!”

  Gage sent the fob flying across the yard. They landed with a hard thunk somewhere near the man-made pond that was now just mud. Fuming, Gage planted his hands on the rail, watching as Matt’s new fuck buddy helped him search for his car keys. Unable to watch the pair anymore, he went back into the bedroom. He looked at the chaos that had been left behind and was tempted to put a match to all of it. Instead, he fisted his hands and fucking punched the bedframe so hard he heard it crack. The corner of the bed slumped to the left as it fell to the ground.

  He speared his fingers through his dark hair, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong with Matt. “Fucking hell.”

  When he glanced through the window, there was no sign of Matt or his friend. He stared out the window as he let the deep guttural pain of losing his boyfriend stab through him. Before he could stop it from happening, he was across the room and throwing up in the toilet. He gripped the side of the toilet as he sat down on his ass. The card in his pocket stabbed him awkwardly. He pulled it out.

  Gage held the card tightly in his shaking right hand. He had a license to breed. That was a big fucking deal considering their world was dying. Special consideration had been given to him since he was the man in charge of saving the world. He had raced home, excited to share the news with his lover and soon to be fiancé. He had jumped the gun a bit early on applying for rights, but he wanted everything in place before they took the plunge.

  There wasn’t much time left for any of them.

  The Earth was dying. Drought and blight had spread to the point that the world was now divided into four quadrant ecosystems. This was all after the nuclear deep freeze from the later part of the twenty-first century. Despite their efforts to build the greenhouses, they were on the verge of losing Quad III—the European villages. The final exodus from Quad III had finally begun. How the hell did Gage think he could really bring a child into this mess?

  Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the bathroom from the skylight above. It wouldn’t be long before everyone would be required to take cover until the lightning storm passed. The need to get out of there rushed through his mind. He couldn’t stand to stay another minute in the room that smelled of sex. Gage grabbed his key fob and ran out of his condo. Lightning scattered across the sky in distorted and broken lines as though they came from some type of black hole and ended somewhere in the future. All coms would be down while the storm sent everything haywire. He got into his car and took off into the old abandon town. There were towns like this scattered all across the world.

  He sped through the ghost town, heading for the gym. He slowed down. It was dark and empty when Gage pulled up outside of it. They were probably raided again. Every few months the government got after them for going outside the protective quad. He fisted his palms. He needed the feel of old school iron in his hands as he worked out his demons. The lightning storm crashed down upon him. There was no time to get back to the protective cover of his condo now. The lightning would make everything crap out until it passed.

  The storm was intense. Gage hit the manual sunroof, leaning back to watch the storm. Tears started to form in his eyes when he thought of Matt. Raw emotions crashed through him as the memory of Matt sucking some dude’s cock rushed through his mind. He was going to ask Matt to marry him when they went out of town in two weeks. The ring was sitting in his dresser drawer at home.

  Through his tears, Gage saw lightning spiral through the sky as though a rod had been sent down from the heavens to pluck him from the Earth. Energy ricocheted through Gage’s body. He screamed, but it sounded very far away. When he opened his eyes, everything was black. Light spiraled around his body, sucking all the breath from him. He closed his eyes, but when he opened them again, he was gripping the steering wheel. Lightning spiraled again through the night sky—upward like a fissure in time.

  Fucking hell. The strike to his car had done something. It was though he could see and taste the equation that had been so out of reach. Gage knew he had solved the wormhole issue at work. Hope moved through him for the first time in years. They finally had a way out.

  * * * *

  Gage slapped his hands on his coworker’s desk, waking him up. “I figured it out!”

  Hunter looked up at him with groggy red eyes from pulling an all-nighter. “What?”

  “I figured out how to harness the energy to create a wormhole.”

  “Bullshit. Wake me up when you’re serious,” Hunter said.

  “Our calculations have been wrong all this time. I never factored in the energy shift that happens when the lightning retracts. I just need to harness the energy.”

  “Slow down here Ben Franklin.”

  “I don’t plan on standing outside with a kite and key like our friend Ben did,” Gage said.

  “Okay, let’s just say for a minute that you’re able to factor in this slippage of energy retracting, and you create this wormhole. What happens then?”

  “I go in.”

  “It’s a suicide mission. You realize that, don’t you? You could go in like you and get squeezed out like a packet of ready meal.”

  Gage ignored his theory, considering he’d be the one to step through. “I have to find out if there’s another world out there.”

  “Well, this is a one-way ticket I don’t think you should be willing to take. There’s no way to get you back. Then what? Who’s going to solve the problems here?”

  “You are.”

  Hunter snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. You’d have to be able to reverse polarity with the energy. Not possible.”

  “What if it is?”

  The chair squeaked as Hunter stood up and started to pace around their lab as Gage reconfigured the settings on the lightning Delcon machine that once seeded clouds. When Gage finished aligning the machine, he moved away from it as the doors to the scope pulled away to reveal the night sky. Lightning streaked across the heavens. It was only a matter of time before it hit. A crash vibrated through the building as lightning struck the end of the machine. It
spiraled through the connection.

  “Here we go!” Gage said.

  Pure raw energy spiraled through like thunder crashing down around them as Gage powered up the Delcon to full power. Smoke drifted through the room as a rip in space and time appeared in a giant oval.

  “Don’t go near it!” Hunter yelled.

  Gage wasn’t certain how long the wormhole would stay open. He went to his desk, grabbing his backpack and filling it with whatever he could find. Hunter appeared at his side, and Gage gave him a look of warning. “Don’t say anything.”

  Hunter grabbed his arm as Gage checked the status of the wormhole. Everything looked okay. “I need to go.”

  “How am I going to contact you? How are you going to get back through? Are you really going to leave me here?” Hunter asked, shaking his arm.

  “As long as you make the connection, both ends of the wormhole will be open. I should be able to come back,” Gage said.

  “And if you can’t?”

  “Close it and never tell anyone of this.”

  Gage slung his backpack over his shoulder; cold hard determination steeling his nerves as he crossed the room. As he approached the wormhole, he realized Hunter had chosen to stand back. The closer he got to the opening, energy started to grab at his body, pulling him closer and closer to the wormhole. Gage reached out his hand, letting his fingers brush the opening of the dark hole. Cold liquid enveloped his body, yanking him deep within the wormhole. Gage screamed as his body flung through the opening, falling through space and time. Seconds later, he hit the ground hard. He tried to open his eyes but only managed to open them a sliver before everything went black. A smile tilted his lips. He had survived.

  Chapter Two

  “Wake up.”