Page 30 of For the Strange and Surprising

“Where I’m from, that means something very different from what I think you’re insinuating.” I scrunch my face. “At least, I hope it does. Otherwise, thanks, but no thanks. I’m not interested in being pissed on.”

He makes a choking sound before squinting at me. I hold my hands up, palms out as I shrug.

“Listen. I’m not kink-shaming you. I’m just saying that it’s not my thing. To each their own and all that, but I don’t intend to try that ag—that’s not what you meant, is it?”

His fingers spasm against my back as he drags his teeth over his bottom lip. He takes a moment to collect his thoughts before he glances at me.

“No, Ada. I—That’s…” He stumbles over his words, clearly taken aback. “No.”

I can’t say that I feel even the tiniest amount of embarrassment. I probably should; I can tell he does.

“Good,” I agree, then whisper, “You’re attractive, but that’s a deal-breaker for me.”

A flush spreads across his cheeks as he shakes his head, mumbling, “This is going to be more difficult than I thought.”

It may be the boredom talking, and I’m sure I’d regret it in the morning, but I really want to know what his kinks are now. I wonder if his fingertips would bruise me, leaving purple imprints on my hips? Would his beard feel soft or coarse against my thighs as I writhed against his tongue?

“Ada?”

“Yes?” I clear my throat. “That’s my name.”

Talodus leans down to observe me, his lips tilted as if he’s trying to cover a smirk. “Your eyes glossed over. Were you listening to anything I said?”

“I heard you.”

I’d probably hear him better if he were whispering filthy promises in my ear, but the deep rasp of his voice would be able to infiltrate even the dirtiest of my daydreams.

“Did you?”

“I did.”

When he snorts, I grin and summarize the critical points of what he was explaining.

“This is the Colosseum, and we’re in the ring. The other guards that usually train here are in the middle of an endurance test. You’ve asked someone closer to my size to assist you today. Did I miss anything important?”

“What were you thinking about?”

His blue eyes are alight as he waits for my response. The devil on my shoulder wants to tell him the truth. The angel, on the other side, pleads with me to be respectful.

“I may have misread you,” I confess, twisting my thoughts to observe his understanding. “I was contemplating how gentle of an instructor you would be, but I have a feeling that I’ll be sore and bruised before the lesson is over.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words?” Talodus runs his tongue along his teeth as he shakes his head. “And avoiding the question?”

“Caught that, did you?” I tease, sitting on the ground to begin stretching. “I was stuck somewhere between being puzzled about my current reality and debauchery. I doubt you want the specifics, though.”

He hums but doesn’t reply, and I decide to stop being a horny asshole. That doesn’t mean I’ll be able to abide by it for long. But hopefully, it will give me time to get away from the burly Mongrel who has no idea that he’s inadvertently playing with my impulsive libido.

Earth to Ada.

I need to get a fucking grip. It’s not like I haven’t had my fair share of muscular men, but this insta-lust is ludicrous. I don’t have the luxury of being reckless. I still need to find a way off this island, and I can’t do that if I lose my focus.

The flat sparring grounds are what I would expect to be in the middle of a place called the Colosseum. The dirt has a charcoal tint to it, not the reds and browns that I’m used to on Earth, but the texture is the same.

There are several fenced-off areas, each one a sizable, empty square. The deserted weapons that lie around are a little more intriguing, but I’m guessing we won’t cover sword fighting today.

Talodus motions for me to stand across from him, asking if I can mimic his stance. He wants me to crouch a bit more than we would on Earth, but otherwise, the Mongrels’ hand-to-hand combat isn’t so different.

The punches are precisely the same.