Conquered by the Alien Warrior

by Hope Hart

  Teriez smiles. “A female doesn’t fret this much over the well-being of a male unless he is hers.”

  I wrestle with that while Teriez leaves to send her message. I can see how she’d get the wrong idea about Korzyn and me. But it’s just basic loyalty. I’d worry about anyone I’d left alone in that cave.

  I chew on my lip. Maybe I should’ve waited. But if the Dokhalls had found us in that cave, we would’ve been in big trouble. At least this way, we have a chance of slowing them down so we can get back to camp.

  I dunk my head and scrub my hair. The water turns a light brown, and I wince. Gross.

  I’m drying myself and reaching for the clean dress when Teriez returns. Her smile makes the corners of her dark eyes crinkle as she runs her gaze over me.

  “Well, you look cleaner.”

  “I feel like a new woman.”

  Her gaze lingers on my lower legs, and she gasps. “That looks painful.”

  I shrug. “Thanks for the bath.”

  She waves that off and leads me back to the fire, handing me a comb for my hair. I manage to work through most of the knots and tie it back in a braid while we wait for Urox.

  A braid…

  I turn to Teriez. “I have an idea.” I tell her what I need, and she nods, leading me out of her house and to the forest. She stops and points to the long, dry branches of a tree that’s similar to a weeping willow on Earth, only the branches are much thicker and stronger. I run my finger along one of them and smile. Perfect.

  I climb the tree, knife in hand, and slice through the long leaves so Teriez can catch them below me. She cocks her head, and I grin at her as I shuffle and slide back down the tree.

  We drag the branches through the back of the forest and behind Teriez’s house—away from prying eyes. Then I sit outside in the afternoon sun and braid the branches into a rope.

  It certainly isn’t pretty, but hopefully it’ll work for what I need.

  When I’m done, Teriez offers me more food, but I’m too nervous to eat, my stomach tangled in knots as I sit back down near her fire.

  The sun is going down when Urox arrives, taking off his boots at the door.

  “I found the pods,” he says. “Are you ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be. Listen, I have an idea, but I’m scared the fire will get out of control and burn everything to the ground.”

  Urox smiles at me. “You’ll find that the trees in this part of the forest are remarkably resilient. Their leaves may burn, but it would have to be an extremely hot fire to damage their trunks.”

  I raise my eyebrow at that. “What if it spreads to the town?”

  “Did you happen to notice the charred ground between the river and this forest?”

  I smile. A natural firebreak. Thanks, Dragix. The dragon may not have been around when I needed to use him as a flying taxi, but he’s proving helpful after all.

  “And on the other side?”

  “An open plain between this forest and the Seinex Forest. You’ll likely remember crossing it when you were on your way to the Colossal Water last time.”

  He gives me a dismissive wave of his hand, and I narrow my eyes. That’s the exact gesture I make when I’m about to start some shit. Urox is clearly looking for some action.

  “What exactly do you do for a living anyway?”

  He grins. “I’d tell you, but I’d have to ensure you could no longer speak any secrets to anyone.”

  That sounds a lot like “I’d tell you, but I’d have to kill you.” And that’s my line.

  I shrug it off. “All righty then. Let’s get this party started.”

  Korzyn

  My heart pounds as I search through the forest for the little hellion. She is small, and from the struggle in her quarters, it’s clear she is bleeding. Whoever took her will not need her for long. Just long enough to ensure her cousin cooperates.

  I curse. If she had trusted me, perhaps I could have helped her.

  I ignore the little voice in my head that insists she was right not to trust me. She is loyal to her fellow human females, and I am loyal to my king. Neither of us have room for anything else.

  I break into a run. Her captors didn’t have time to take her far. With every entrance and exit to the castle monitored for the banquet, the only way they could have gotten her out is through one of the not-so-secret passageways, through the garden, and into the forest.

  Unless they somehow managed to smuggle her into a hydro and down the river.

  Or they’ve already killed her.

  Why do my hands fist at the thought? She is a human female—nothing to me.

  Footsteps sound, and I draw my sword, frowning at the pained gasps breaking the silence of the forest. I move away from the main path and almost collide with Sarissa.

  I stare at her, the relief overwhelming. She’s covered in dirt, with a bruise on her cheek and blood dripping down her arm.

  “Of course it would be you,” she mutters, and I shake myself.

  “Why am I not surprised that you’re bleeding and running through our forest?”

  She smiles at that, and I can’t help but stare.

  The forest fades around me.

  I’m watching as she dances with one of the guards, an honorable male who I would trust at my back. She twines her arms around his neck, smiling up at him, and I grit my teeth.

  “Commander?”

  A beautiful female is offering me a cup of noptri, and I take a deep gulp. She raises one elegant eyebrow, her eyes dark and fathomless.

  “Something wrong?”

  I smile at her, and she blushes under my attention—a demure female.

  “Nothing is wrong,” I murmur. “In fact, many things just became right.”

  Her blush deepens, and I smile, charmed.

  “Would you like to dance?”

  She nods, and I spin her around the dance floor until Arix announces that Seva has begun. The female talks of trivial things and court gossip I have no interest in. Her laugh is light, however, and her dress is cut in a way that pleases the eye. It’s dark, formfitting, and not at all like the crimson dress worn by the hellion, still grinning up at my guard.

  I hadn’t realized he was so amusing.

  “I will go get a cloak,” the female says. “Meet me outside?”

  “Of course.”

  I find a secluded corner, realizing I don’t know the female’s name. I shrug, staring up at the shooting stars. I will ask her name, and perhaps I will tumble her this night. Maybe it will take the edge off the emptiness.

  I pull my eyes from the sky as the female sits down, her cloak wrapped securely around her. She sighs up at the stars, for once not speaking, simply enjoying the moment.

  When she leans into me, I’m hit with a bolt of lust, and when her lips touch mine, I find a part of me that has long been missing.

  Laughter breaks the moment, and the female rears back. I frown, but she seems to feel suddenly shy as she gets to her feet, rushing away.

  I stand, trailing her through the crowd, but she’s gone.

  I toss my head, feeling the hard ground beneath me. I need to get out of this cave. Need to go after the female.

  She leans over me, tears in her eyes.

  “If I don’t come back, tell the other women I’m sorry. Tell Vivian…tell her I went out with a knife in my hand.” She smiles, but it’s sad. “And tell them all to have good lives. Lives they’ll be proud of.” It’s Sarissa’s lips on mine now, the kiss somehow apologetic, hinting at regret.

  She walks away, her feet thudding on the cave floor with each step.

  “Don’t you dare leave me,” I roar, pulling at the rope.

  I come awake as my hands hit me in the stomach. The rope holding them snaps, and I let out a growl of relief.

  I sit up, and the cave lurches around me, but I reach for some water, gulping it down. It’s dark, and the thudding wasn’t Sarissa’s footsteps at all. In the distance, something is exploding.

  I clos
e my eyes. What has the minx done now?

  I manage to get to my feet, swiping up my sword on the way. My steps are surprisingly sure as I make it out of the cave. How long have I been asleep?

  I untie the mishua, and she snorts. “I know you’re hungry,” I murmur. “So am I. But we need to go find my hellion.”

  Sarissa

  BOOM.

  I grin from my hiding spot next to a huge tree. On the other side of the Dokhalls’ camp, Urox has started his part of the plan. Both of us insisted that Teriez stay behind—me because I don’t want to be responsible for anyone else getting hurt, and Urox because he said she had no stomach for death.

  The Dokhalls do exactly what most people would do in this situation. They panic. Most of them run south, away from the explosions, many of them changing direction when Urox lets another pod loose on the west side of their camp.

  But the biggest threats will be running toward the explosions. They’ll be sent to neutralize whoever is threatening the camp.

  I blow out a long, nervous breath. I hope Urox is safe. Truthfully, he seems like an adrenaline junkie who’s finally getting a fix.

  I’m happy to be able to help him with that.

  I wait until most of the Dokhalls have cleared out around this part of the camp, and then I loop the rope around my arm again and again until it’s no longer dragging on the ground.

  The climb is tough. I usually have pretty good upper-body strength, but after climbing so many trees, my hands are covered in cuts and blisters.

  I aim for a branch that’s high enough to get the job done but sturdy enough that it looks like it’s unlikely to snap under my weight.

  Don’t look down.

  I focus above my head instead, at the canopy of dried dirt and poop that has helped hide these guys from Dragix’s eyes—and nose.

  On Earth, dried animal dung is used as a fuel source in many countries. From how dry the leaves on this canopy look, that poop has been baking in the Agron sun for days. That means it should be highly flammable.

  I reach my branch and take a seat, one hand clutching at the tree above me. Sweat begins to drip into my eyes, and I lean my face down, wiping my forehead on my arm.

  This part of my plan seemed a lot easier in my head.

  I pull most of the rope off my other arm and shuffle out along the branch until there’s nothing between me and the canopy. Then I begin to swing the rope like a lasso. All I need is for it to hook onto the canopy, and the rest will be easy.

  I miss.

  And then I miss again.

  And again.

  More explosions sound from the west—a warning. If I don’t hurry this up, the Dokhalls will likely realize Urox is just a distraction and head this way. Or they’ll find and kill him.

  Stay cool. Panic will get you killed.

  I hadn’t thought about how hard it would be—not just the physical part, but the smell of the smoke beginning to drift into my nostrils, the crackle of fire in the distance. Memories crawl toward me, tugging at my concentration and urging me to pay attention to them.

  I force myself to focus, to stay in the here and now, and to try again.

  I get closer to the canopy this time, but it takes me a while to gather the rope again as it falls. I’ll try once more, and then I need to move to plan B.

  There is no plan B!

  I let go of the branch above my head, wobbling dangerously as I tense the muscles in my stomach and use them to balance. I throw the rope, and this time I manage to get it inches from the canopy above my head before it falls, the weight of it unbalancing me.

  I slam my free hand into the side of the tree as the ground spins below me.

  That was close.

  “What,” a low voice growls, “do you think you’re doing?”

  I turn my head so fast I almost get whiplash. Below me, standing next to my tree, the commander glowers up at me, his teeth bared.

  “Korzyn?” I hiss. “What the hell are you doing here? How are you even on your feet?”

  He ignores that. “Move.”

  “What?”

  My eyes are glued to his body as he begins his climb. The strain shows on his face, but he makes it close to me, jerking his head in a clear order for me to get out of his way.

  Another explosion, this one closer, and I flinch, handing my makeshift rope to Korzyn as he climbs onto a branch higher than mine.

  I hold my breath, certain the branch will snap beneath his weight, but he doesn’t look concerned.

  “Get down on the ground,” he says, and I roll my eyes but start climbing down. Someone’s still grumpy about being drugged and left in that cave. Such a drama queen.

  Hope flutters in my chest as he swings the rope, hooking the end of it in the canopy on his first try.

  Show-off.

  He’s obviously on the same page as me with this plan because he nestles the other end of the rope into a crack between his branch and the tree.

  He climbs down until he’s eye level with the end of the rope, pulls a coil from his pocket, and holds it against the rope.

  I begin moving faster until I can jump down from the tree. I close my eyes at the feel of the ground beneath my feet before opening them at the thud of boots next to me.

  Korzyn’s face is a mask of cold rage. I open my mouth, but he reaches out, his hand fast as a whip as he buries it in my hair, pulling me to him.

  His mouth crashes down on mine, and I go instantly hot all over. His arms surround me, his mouth hard and dominating, and for the first time since I left him in that cave, I feel…safe.

  He pulls away, his expression still full of wrath, but his eyes are burning with promise.

  “Get on the mishua.” He jerks his head behind me, and the moment is gone.

  “Urox is in trouble. I’m not done yet.”

  I reach into the wide pocket of my dress and pull out a pod the size of a small coconut. Korzyn closes his eyes briefly, as if reaching for patience, before opening them and immediately surveying our surroundings. Above us, the canopy catches fire, the crackling sound making me flinch, and Korzyn growls.

  “Who’s Urox?”

  “My contact.”

  He struggles with that for a moment. “Where?”

  “East of here. We need to give him a chance to get away.”

  “Fine. Get on the mishua.”

  I don’t argue. Korzyn stumbles once on his way to the mishua, and I reach out a hand to steady him before pulling it away as he glowers at me.

  He’s still weak.

  He probably feels like shit.

  But he came for me.

  Chapter Ten

  Korzyn

  I allow Sarissa to get off the mishua long enough to throw her pod. Despite myself, I smile at the savage grin that spreads across her face as it explodes.

  Dokhalls are sprinting in all directions. One of them comes close, and I swing my sword, beheading him before he sees me.

  “Nice,” Sarissa says, and I grab her hand, pulling her up on the mishua in front of me.

  “We leave now.”

  “I need to go to our meeting point.”

  I frown. “Who exactly is this contact?”

  “Urox is a friend’s brother. He put a lot on the line to help us, Korzyn.”

  I grind my teeth but follow her directions. We wait for a few minutes, and I open my mouth to tell the hellion the male is likely dead.

  A half-breed Braxian steps through the trees.

  “Thought you weren’t going to make that last explosion.” He grins at Sarissa, and she grins back.

  Their own little private moment. Delightful.

  She jerks her head. “Urox, meet Korzyn—the commander. He’s the one who threw the rope in the end. Turns out I was overly optimistic about my abilities.”

  Urox gives her a slow smile. “I wouldn’t say that.”

  Three seconds. I could dispatch him in three seconds. Two if I jumped off the mishua, using her back for leverage.

  S
arissa slides down before I can stop her, my mind still visualizing removing the male’s head from his body as she strides over to him.

  “Thank you so much,” she murmurs. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  That’s enough of that.

  “We need to leave,” I say, and she glances up at me but nods.

  “Anytime.” Urox grins at her as if I didn’t speak, and I ignore the burning sensation in my chest at the interest in his eyes. “Feel free to come back and visit once all this is over,” he says. “A female like you would keep life interesting.”

  “The hellion is leaving this planet,” I say, and Sarissa gives me a dirty look, then shifts her attention back to Urox.

  “I’ll send you guys a message when I get to Rakiz’s camp and we’ve taken care of the Dokhalls,” she promises.

  Urox hugs her goodbye, and I grit my teeth. He smiles at me over her shoulder, but the smile falls from his face at whatever he sees in my eyes.

  Sarissa steps back, and Urox swings a bundle from over his shoulder, handing it to her.

  “Food from Teriez. She said to make sure your commander eats some meat.” He flicks his eyes at me, and I tamp down the urge to tell him exactly what he can do with that food.

  “Please thank her for me,” Sarissa says. She steps closer to the mishua, and I offer her my hand, pulling her up in front of me. The male meets my gaze, challenge clear on his face, and I bare my teeth. His face hardens, and he gives me a short nod before he turns and walks away.

  “What was that about?” Sarissa mutters as I direct the mishua into motion.

  “You left me to attack the Dokhalls with a strange male you had never met.”

  She doesn’t look back at me, but I can feel her rolling her eyes. “And?”

  “If you don’t know why this doesn’t please me, then you’re not as intelligent as I had imagined.”

  “You know, you recovered remarkably quickly once you were forced to rest. Those maradoza berries obviously did the trick.” She turns her head and smiles sunnily over her shoulder at me. “You’re welcome.”

  I let out a low growl. “Do not believe your actions helped me, female.”

  She sighs. “Korzyn…about that kiss in the cave…”