Torch (3 page)

*****

She stepped into the shower and sighed with relief, dipping her head back, letting the coolness soak through her scalp and skin. She reached for the shampoo to wash her long hair. She left her braids in; she would take it down completely before she went to bed.

Growing her hair long and keeping it in special braids was one of the ways she disguised herself. It was also a way to defy her guardians. When they took over her care, they made her cut her hair and keep it cut. Most royals wore their hair that way. So she took pride in letting her hair grow out. It grew fast too. Before long, it was down to her waist. She loved her hair.

She also changed her name by shortening it to Isis. It wasn’t that much of a change, but for the Isian Council, they would never look in the direction of the GCFA halfsie team. They barely tolerated Isis being a halfsie. The Council and many of the royals were quite vocal in stating the halfsie species watered down the bloodlines and they should be avoided at all costs. She wouldn't have been acceptable if her blood didn’t test strong for Isian royal blood.

She took the foamy soap and lathered her arms and legs. She fingered her marking on her upper arm. There were only three more marks that as an Isian she would get, a Mating mark, a Breeding mark, and a Death mark, which would appear near her time of death.

Her parents, being both Isian, had the Mate and Breeding mark. She often wondered what her markings would look like. But it became clear to her at an early age that she was not destined to mate with an Isian.

She opened her mouth and allowed the cold water into her mouth before she turned the showerhead off. She let herself air dry to keep as cool as possible as she walked into the bedroom to pull out fresh training clothes.

She pulled the room service menu out to select lunch and have it delivered. She wasn’t much of a cook and it was just her. She hated to mess up the kitchen for just one person, and she hated to go to a restaurant and ask for a table for one. So she usually ate in her suite alone. Sometimes her life was lonely, but it was her life, and she was free to live it however she wanted.

Chapter Three

Torch knocked on the door and waited. He was a little nervous about this date. He straightened his clean t-shirt he had donned for the special occasion.

The door opened and Zara stood on the other side glaring at him. “You are late.”

“Sorry, I had to get flowers." Torch lifted his hand up to show her a bouquet of daisies.

Zara grunted but moved out of the way so he could enter her suite. “She’s almost ready. I’ll go get her." She left Torch in the main living space while she walked to a bedroom and disappeared inside.

Torch looked around the suite. Zara was a simple person not into collecting things but he could see pictures of his niece, Angel, everywhere. There were also little paper figurines that were proudly displayed on the shelves. He knew Angel had made those herself because he had some in his suite too.

Zara and his brother, Tiger, had been forced to breed while kept in a breeding facility. When the raid to the facility happened and the halfsies freed, his brother was unable to locate Zara. Torch had promised to help find the female before his brother died. Torch kept his promise and not only found the female, Zara, but his brother’s daughter, Angel, whom they didn't know about.

The front door to the suite opened and Trig, Zara’s human mate, walked in. He looked at Torch, grunted, and then went to the kitchen. He came back with a beer.

“You didn’t get me one?" Torch asked snarkily.

“You don’t need your judgment impaired while you are taking care of my daughter.”

“Stepdaughter.”

“Zara is mine to protect. So it makes her daughter mine to protect as well. I love Angel as if she is my own. So she is my daughter.”

Torch wanted to keep arguing but at that moment the prettiest little girl he had ever seen came strolling out in a surprisingly girly pink dress. “You look beautiful.”

Angel blushed and bobbed her head. She looked so much like her mother, except for her eyes. She had her father’s; Tiger’s eyes stared back at him, making him catch his breath.

He bent down and offered his arm. “Ready?”

“Yes." Angel beamed up at him as she took his arm.

“Have a good time, honey," Zara called out.

“Okay, Mom. See ya later, Trig.”

“I’ll be here waiting for you, beautiful," Trig responded with a wink.

He nodded at Zara. “We won’t be out late.”

*****

Isis headed down to one of the restaurants on board the GCFA ship. She had a working meeting with Nigel, the assistant director of the Galactic Cage Fighters Association. He probably wanted her to do some promotional appearances. She really hated those things. But it was part of her contract as a fighter for the GCFA.

She wore her blue one-piece pantsuit. It was conservative but complimented her silvery white hair and fair complexion. She had her braided hair hanging down; it nearly reached her waist. She shoved the mass over her shoulder.

“Can I help you, madam?" the maître d' asked.

“Yes, I am here to meet with Mr. Nigel.”

The maître d' looked down at the reservations. “Yes, we have your table ready. Mr. Nigel has not arrived yet. Would you like to sit at the table or wait at the bar?”

“Could I sit at the table?" She didn’t want to be at the bar where males might flirt with her. She wasn’t much for flirtation. Truth was she didn’t know how to flirt.

She followed the maître d' through the restaurant. He stood near a table in the corner waiting for her. As she passed a booth, she could hear a little girl’s giggle, which made her smile. Then she froze as she heard the person with the little girl.

“It’s the truth. My brother was scrappy," Torch said with a smile.

“Really? Trig says I’m scrappy too," Angel said. She turned and smiled. “Hi, Isis! I’m on a date.”

Isis smiled as she walked closer to their table. “I see that." Her heart fluttered as she looked into Torch’s eyes. It was so sweet of him to take his niece out to spend time with her.

“Hi," she said to Torch.

“Hi. You look beautiful." He looked her up and down, which made goose bumps break out all over her.

“Thanks.”

“Uncle Torch was telling me about my father. He said he kept getting into trouble for fighting too,” Angel told her.

“Are you fighting?” Isis asked her, raising her eyebrow.

“Only a little. You see there’s this boy…”

Isis laughed. “There usually is a boy.”

Angel blushed. “Anyway, he keeps telling everyone that girls can’t fight.”

“He does realize there are female fighters in the GCFA?” Isis asked, wrapped up in Angel’s story now.

“Oh, he says that those fights are triggered,” Angel said with a frown.

“Triggered?” Isis looks at Torch for clarification.

“Rigged,” he said with a smile.

“Oh, well that is certainly not true. I have the bruises to prove it. Does he think your mother is faking all that fighting?”

“No, but he says my mom might have some droid in her that makes her stronger than all the other females.”

“Tell her what you did to prove that he was wrong.” Torch tried to help the story along.

“I...punched him.”

“You did?” Isis bit her lip not to laugh.

“Only a little bit. Now I’m in trouble with my mother and Trig.” Angel looked down at her hands.

Isis knelt down so she could lift Angel’s chin up, careful to not let her cool fingers linger. “I would have punched him too.”

“Really?” Angel asked trustingly.

“Oh yeah. Just ask your Uncle Torch. He didn’t believe I had fighting skills either.”

Angel looked at her uncle. “Did you punch him too?”

“No, but I did prove that even though I may be smaller, it doesn’t mean I can’t be strong,” Isis told her with a smile as she stood back up.

“Do you want to join us?" Torch offered. Seeing her with his niece made him feel strange, warm, and desperate to have her talk to him more.

“No, I can’t.” Isis shook her head.

“Are you on a date too?" Angel asked, looking behind Isis.

Isis turned and smiled. Nigel was standing quietly behind her. She turned back toward Angel. “Something like that. I hope you two have a good time tonight." She waved and walked away with Nigel putting his arm around her back gently.

Torch glared at the other male touching Isis. He better fucking move that arm before he tore it off his body. What was Isis doing with that asshole?

Sure Torch knew who the guy was, Nigel was a suit for the GCFA. He was a pompous ass. Okay, he supposed the male was not bad to look at, and he had the height and build of a fighter. But he was a pencil pusher and those types were not to be trusted. He didn’t like him with Isis at all.

*****

Isis took a sip of her ice water. She could feel eyes staring at her from behind and knew if she turned, she would see Torch watching her. She shivered from the goose bumps that formed all over her body.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt your conversation," Nigel spoke with an elegant deep male voice. There was a slight accent to it but she couldn’t but her finger on what it was.

“No. I just stopped at their table to say hi. It’s very sweet of him to take his niece out like this." She took her napkin and folded it in her lap.

“Do you know Torch very well?” Nigel asked, looking over at the glaring male.

“Just from training. I’m not much on socializing I’m afraid,” Isis confessed.

“May I ask why?” Nigel turned his complete attention back on her.

She shrugged. “I have a hard time trusting people I guess.”

“Was your home world life that bad?”

“It was fine for the first few years of my life. But it all changed after my parents died. Then things became…unbearable.”

“Can you tell me about it?” Nigel poured her another glass of water from the pitcher the waitress had left.

Isis shook her head. “My past needs to remain in my past. Talking about it will do no good." She was grateful the waitress showed up to take their orders. She asked for two more pitchers of nothing but ice. Nigel was nice enough not to question it.

“So how do you like working for the GCFA?" Nigel asked, taking a drink.

“I love it here. Everyone is nice and surprisingly, I enjoy the fighting." That was something that she didn’t know she had in her to do. People sometimes surprised themselves.

“Good, I am glad to hear it." He glanced over at Torch’s table. “So, are you seeing anyone?”

Isis choked a little on her glass of water. “I’m sorry, what did you ask me?”

His coloring pinkened a little. “I wanted to know if you were seeing anyone?”

“I…am not seeing anyone.”

He sighed. “Good. I mean…I’m glad that you are available.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his discomfort. Here was a male that was always put together, successful, handsome, and eloquent. But he stumbled to ask her out. It actually put her at ease. She took mercy on him. “Are you trying to ask me out?”

“Yes, and I am doing a poor job of it,” he admitted.

“Well, we are already out together," she pointed out.

“That’s true, but this was actually a business dinner. I want to take you out on a real date. Pick you up and everything.”

“I will probably say yes if you asked me on a date," she admitted.

“Really?" His eyebrows rose and he gave her a charming smile

“Try it.” Isis nodded at him.

“Isis, would you do me the honor of going out with me on a real date, tomorrow evening?”

“Yes, Nigel, I would be honored to go on a date with you,” Isis answered.

He gave her an even bigger smile. “Shall I pick you up at eight?”

“Yes. Now, what business did we need to go over?”

“I have some promotional ideas that I wanted to run by you,” Nigel told her still smiling.

“Okay, shoot.”

Chapter Four

The next morning Isis was regretting having agreed to the date with Nigel. The male was attractive enough and his accent was sexy. But she really didn’t date guys. Plus, he seemed so polished and out of her league. Having so little experience, she was so out of her element. She was grateful to have a morning practice to help take her mind off things.

She went down to the breakfast hall where most of the other fighters shared their meals. She went through the buffet line and grabbed a cup of ice water and her food. She was going to sit at an empty table but Sersan, the beautiful Reptan halfsie, waved her over to the table she was at with Alana.

Sersan and Alana had become her friends, which surprised Isis since most halfsies steered clear of her. Sersan was sweet and it was hard not to like her. Isis felt the most self-conscious around Alana even though she was sweet too. Alana the Beautiful was almost too gorgeous to look at. She was the perfect shape and every single male wanted her. Isis was short and not as curvy as the other females were.

“Good morning," Isis greeted them as she sat down.

“Good morning," both Alana and Sersan said.

“You guys look like you are in a good mood." She noticed the other two females seemed to be bubbling with excitement.

“We are excited. There is going to be a concert tonight at the spaceport we are docking within a few hours. Our favorite band, the Galactic Led, is playing. We have an extra ticket. Would you like to come with us?”

“I wish I could but I have a date," Isis told them. She jumped when she heard something heavy hit the table behind them. She turned and saw Torch glaring at her.
What was his freaking problem
? She faced her friends. “Sorry, what did you say?”

Sersan asked, “Who are you going out with?”

“Nigel.”

“Oh…my," both Sersan and Alana went on and on.

“What is it?" Isis felt like she was missing some vital piece of information.

“It’sss jussst that every female on thisss ssship hasss been ogling Nigel, drooling over him, wondering who will be the lucky girl he finally doesss the nasssty with.”

“Every girl?" Isis flushed with nervousness.