It took one full day in the hospital for me to finally recover from the aftershock burns on my body. The wound that Leslie had inflicted on my side was surprisingly the smallest compared to my shoulder and hand and the pain from those were nothing compared to the sudden shocks I experienced every few hours paralyzing me from head to toe. 

I am lying down on my good side when a nurse comes in with a happy looking Asta. I sit up slowly when I see her and focus on the small container she holds in her hands. Asta has been missing ever since my first week as a fighter, I'd sort of forgotten about her.

Seeing her now brings back memories of my conversation with Stela and Cassandra about the paramours having handlers and Rosie telling me about the fixers who arranged lovers for the Plutonians. 

I barely know Asta and she's been nice to me so far but the little that I do know about her put me on edge. It makes me highly suspicious of her being here especially since she hasn't really bothered about me since my first match. 

"Hi dear," She chimes in a cheerful voice as she places the green container on the table next to me. "I've brought you some powerful tonics for your health."

"Thank you." I put my weight on my elbows and sit up slowly to face her. 

"How are you feeling?" Asta drags the unused visitor chair and sits down in front of me. "You were great yesterday by the way. I bet against you to be honest but as usual you blew me away with your performance. It's like you were made for the pits." 

Her series of back handed compliments came off to me as insults instead and I shifted uncomfortably. I didn't feel the triumph of winning against Leslie yesterday and being made for the pits wasn't exactly a thing to be proud of. The truth is I couldn't wait to be done with the fights and the tiresome politics surrounding it.

I study her dark almond shaped eyes that were pinned on me wondering what was her purpose of coming here. 

"Umm thanks?" I reply after an awkward pause of silence. 

Asta stares at me for the longest time before she finally speaks. 

"I just came to check on you and to tell you how proud we humans are of you. You know being the first human to join the army after your first three matches as a fighter. The last time that happened was about a hundred years ago. It's really quite the feat and we both know you'll be nominated by your Plutonian master so your last match is really just a formality," She says and her words shock me. 

I sit up straighter now, the dull ache in my hand and shoulder just a minor irritation compared to the pain from yesterday. 

"What? You mean the last time this happened was a hundred years ago?"

"More or less. It's been very very long." She nods her head while looking at me in admiration. I wonder if she knows about Lucian undermining Leslie's confidence just a day before the match but the way she is ogling me makes it seem like she doesn't. "And the crowd absolutely loves you. The humans and Plutonian's are obsessed with you. You've become their regular poster girl."

Her words make me think of the fanatical chanting after my match. Is it true? Did they love me because I won my first three matches after becoming a fighter?

"Umm, Asta? I'm sorry but I just really need to be alone right now," I say honestly as a wave of depression washes over me.

"Okay, I understand. It must be overwhelming. I'll see you soon, Aria." Thankfully she doesn't look offended as she gets up and leaves the room but the silence that ensues does little to make me feel better.

All those years of watching the matches with the determination to be like those courageous and strong fighters feels unreal like a distant dream. I remember watching them and wanting to be exactly like them or better. I never knew the lies and the manipulation that went on behind the scenes, that the matches were manipulated and the influence of the Plutonian's was what actually mattered. 

The whole thing just made me feel so utterly powerless. Did I win on my own accord? The only match I can confidently say I won was the first one. 

A knock on the door draws my attention and I look up to see one of Lucian's drivers walk in. Phillius immediately starts packing my clothes and the tonics Asta had given me.

"Mistress Aria, you have been discharged and Master Lucian is expecting you at home now."

I sit up slowly and slip on my shoes. Of course I have to go back home but why do I feel so hesitant?

Thinking about Lucian made me feel so conflicted. There is a side of Lucian I find impossible not to like- his vulnerable and accommodating side who treats me like a an equal instead of his slave - but recently I've been exposed to a side of him that terrifies me.

The blatant abuse of power with Leslie and the fact that he feels good about bringing thousands of children here to be made slaves angers me immensely. Truth be told I don't really want to face Lucian anytime soon.

But of course what the Plutonian's want, they get.

Phillius escorts me to his glider and we reach Lucian's sprawling mansion within minutes. Cyscus greets me the moment I cross the threshold and leads me down a corridor I am unfamiliar with. 

"This isn't the way to Lucian's room," I state. I've never been through this side of the house before and the endless hallway with rooms scattered on either side makes me wonder just how large Lucian's house really is. 

The walls on both sides are plastered with pictures of the large galaxy, I feel like a space ship passing by an infinite amount of planets. After passing three doors Cyscus stops and opens a large steel one. 

"Master is inside." He holds the door open for me and I walk in slowly, not knowing what to expect. 

I step onto a narrow metal platform with metal railings that overlook a large marked course. It is like a mini version of our training center with numerous life sized targets, shooting ranges and work out equipment. 

Out of curiosity, I lean against the railing and see Lucian's silver head right below me. He closes his eyes and in one swift motion throws three heated knives at moving life sized targets about fifty feet away. My breath catches in my throat when I see those heated knives embed into three moving targets directly in the chest. 

I look back at Lucian and my jaw drops when I see that his eyes are still closed. Another older looking Plutonian who has muscles bulging from his neck down to his toes walks up to the targets and inspects them.

"Not bad. But this one is five percent off target," He pulls it out of the targets chest and looks back at Lucian. "I wouldn't fret about it though. It's not as important as target shooting and your accuracy there was perfect. All at an accuracy of hundred percent."

Lucian walks up to the target to stand next to him. Sweat drips down the side of his face as he stares at the target. 

"I can't afford anything less than a hundred percent." He frowns and I wonder if they are looking at something different because what I saw just now was incredible. I've never seen anyone with such skill.

"You're being too hard on yourself. Even I can't hit like that. You're already a step ahead from the rest. You need to relax," The bulky man states and Lucian shakes his head in disappointment. 

The metal squeals under my weight as I adjust my feet and two silver heads whip around to look up at me. 

"Aria, you're here," Lucian's face brightens immediately and I notice his shoulders slump in relaxation. He walks up the rows of metal stairs with the large man close behind. 

"This is my trainer, Osis," He gestures to the burly man with bushy silver eyebrows next to him. 

"Consider me a huge fan, Aria. If you would be so kind, my partner would be ecstatic to have your autograph," He holds out a hand and I quickly shake it. 

I shoot Lucian a querulous look. "A what?" 

Lucian laughs and tugs on my arm gently, leading us out of his training room. "He wants your signature. He will get one if I achieve a perfect record tomorrow, deal?"

Osis simply laughs in agreement and walks out of the room with us. He says goodbye and heads down the hall the way I came in. We don't follow him, instead Lucian leads me to a room right next to the training center. 

The moment we walk in I am assaulted by a mixture of scents all exotic and weirdly pleasant. The air is humid and I notice a few lockers in front of us. 

Lucian hands me a small swimsuit, something that I haven't worn since I was on Earth. I hold it in my hands and stare at him as he takes off his sweat laden training shirt. My cheeks burn as I take in his bare chest and arms at such close proximity. The steam around us settles on his smooth pale skin making it gleam with sweat. 

Up close I can't help but notice that his physique is much more attractive than the sculptures in his foyer. Thoughts of Stela complimenting the Plutonian's and Trinity suddenly come to mind and a small part of me might just agree. Even though I have barely noticed, I don't remember any human fighter having a body like Lucian's. 

When Lucian turns my way I quickly stand straight and my eyes widen in guilt. I can't believe I was admiring him like that. A Plutonian of all things. 

"You're supposed to wear that," He says and I hold up the flimsy suit feeling extremely conscious. It's barely anything, he would be able to see my arms, legs and worst of all my ugly back. 

"Do I have to?" My fingers run along the smooth material and the low back line that would expose my entire back with it's hideous patched up skin. 

"We're going to soak in my healing pool so I would prefer if you wore a swimsuit. Unless you want to go in naked. It's up to you."

My head whips up and I look at him wondering if he is joking but he looks dead serious. Naked? Suddenly the suit doesn't seem so bad. 

"But my back. I don't really like showing it to anyone." Especially not to someone who looks like him but Lucian closes the distance between us the moment I voice my insecurities, making me gulp in response.

He holds the suit up to my shoulders and looks down at me with such sincerity that I forget my train of thought. 

"Your back is beautiful, Aria. It is one of the most beautiful things about you."

I gulp in response, the anger I have for him slowly dissipating into the steam around us. The clouded air drowns out everything else until all I can see is his intense gaze. 

"You can change here. I'll change next door and will wait for you in the pool. Don't take too long, we need to talk." He then walks away leaving me with shaky legs and a burning face. 

Heyy hope you liked this chapter and the literally steamy scene at the end lol.