Galactic Champion 2

Galactic Champion (Book 2)


Dante King


Copyright © 2019 by Dante King
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
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Chapter One
I woke up to one soft, warm body in front of me and one behind me. Beatrix gently stroked my ear with one of her tentacles. Yaltu was pushed up close under my arm. I knew it was her without moving or opening my eyes because of her scent. Maybe it was pheromones, maybe it was just her. I was glad to be alive, even if all three of us were lying on a thin blanket on the hard ground with nothing more than a light sheet, damp from the fog.
A gentle breeze played across the surface of the nearby lake, making little waves splash against the shore. Small bug-like creatures danced in the air. I absently wondered how many Skrew had eaten.
I could have stayed there all day, but we needed to keep moving. We were, after all, responsible for destroying large sections of a major city, Brazud. The dragons had probably done immense damage to the infrastructure and buildings, and we were the ones who’d turned them loose.
I didn’t feel bad about it, though. Not even a little. The dragons had been subjected to a kind of torture I couldn’t even imagine. They’d been implanted with tech used to control their minds and their actions. It wasn’t done professionally either—not even close. The implant points had still been oozing blood when the dragons fought in the arena against Reaver, Beatrix, and me. The mighty creatures were in pain and couldn’t do anything about it. Until we set them free.
The citizens of Brazud had a lot to worry about without coming to look for us, though. Many, if not most, of their guards had been killed in the battles and skirmishes throughout the city. I didn’t see any fires when we left, but it wouldn't have surprised me if there were some now. They had power, and when electricity met brute force, dragon teeth, and crashing hoverships, fires were bound to break out. In fact, at that moment, I thought I could smell smoke—and we had to be at least six miles away.
Yaltu stirred, turned her head, and kissed my neck. Her lips on my skin sent shivers down my spine. Beatrix’s long fingers stroked my chest a couple times before she sat up and stretched. She’d wanted to reward me for rescuing her from the arena, and I’d been all too happy to oblige.
I’d changed a lot since first earning the name Paladin, and even more since arriving on this planet, which Yaltu in the post-reward calm of our makeshift bed had said was called Druma. Gone was my vow of approximate celibacy, and I now found myself with three beautiful women. And there was another elsewhere on the planet: Enra the Ish-Nul woman. I intended on reuniting with her. I at least wanted to give her the chance to join me, or say goodbye if she chose to stay behind when we left Druma.
I sat up, my head still-groggy, and discovered the smoke wasn’t coming from Brazud. Reaver was cooking meat, skewered on sticks over a small fire. She chewed on the purple fruit Yaltu was fond of, and there was more on a small stack of wide leaves she was using as plates.
“Just in time.” She tossed a piece of the local fruit to me. “Breakfast is almost ready.”
“Thanks.” I bit into the sweet fruit. I tore the flesh free and leaned forward to keep the juice from running down my entire front. I chewed a few more times, with a question on my mind that I couldn’t ask until I swallowed.
“What’s this?” I pointed to the meat on the sticks. “You finally had enough of Skrew’s shenanigans?”
She looked where I was pointing and scowled. “I wouldn't eat him! He’s probably nothing but gristle. Plus, with what he eats, he’d be gamy and gross.”
“And he’s a member of the team,” I added with a smile.
Reaver rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Yeah, he is.”
Beatrix got up and sat down near the fire. “Good morning.” She looked at me. “You made me feel things I have never felt before.”
I smiled. “Can’t say I’ve ever slept with a tentacled woman before.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” Reaver said with a wink. “I sent Skrew looking for more fruit, mostly to keep him busy. He wanted to scold all of us for… well… last night. So, he’s out doing something useful.”
“Last night?” Yaltu asked as she walked up. “Whatever do you mean?” She made a show of grabbing my ass. I must have made a surprised expression because all three women giggled. Even from two badass Void-touched warriors and a dragon tamer, it was adorable.
Yaltu stopped laughing and pointed to our left. Skew was emerging from the woods, all four of his arms burdened with fruits, some royal purple like the one Reaver had given me, others shades of red and yellow.
“Oh, poor thing,” Yaltu said. “Some of those aren’t ripe and won’t be for several more days. I’ll go help him.”
A moment later, Skrew was back at camp and had dumped all the fruit he was carrying across the big leaves Reaver had set out, much to her annoyance.
“Jacob was awesome!” he breathed. “Jacob kill king of Brazud. Smash to ground!” He shoved a small red fruit in his mouth and chewed vigorously for no more than a second before his face twisted into a knot.
“What is the matter?” Beatrix asked him, grinning mischievously. “A little