Conquered by the Alien Warrior

by Hope Hart

  “Forget it. You believed you were about to die. Emotions were high. Besides, I am still committed to finding my female.”

  “Your female? You mean the mystery woman you had one kiss with? You sound like a stalker.”

  I smile. “How do you know it was one kiss?”

  “You said it was.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  She opens her mouth, but I slap my hand over it as the mishua goes still beneath us. Sarissa pries my hand off her face but stays silent, both of us waiting for the attack.

  We don’t have long to wait.

  Four Dokhalls surround us, likely one of the scouting groups sent ahead.

  Heli lowers her head, horns glinting in the moonlight. One of the Dokhalls waves his stick weapon at us threateningly.

  “Dismount,” he orders, and I laugh.

  “Do not think to tell me what to do,” I say, and Sarissa snorts.

  “Throw me at that one,” she mutters.

  I can see her plan, and I tilt my head. “No.”

  “Divide and conquer,” she whispers as the Dokhalls advance toward us. “You have to trust me at some point.”

  I grind my teeth, but she’s right. She has proven she can fight the Dokhalls and prevail.

  “Fine.”

  She pulls up her feet, tucking herself into a ball, and I throw her over the Dokhalls’ heads. She lands on her feet, rolls, and rises with a long knife in her hand.

  The Dokhalls attack.

  Sarissa

  Three of the Dokhalls leap at Korzyn, while one of them bares his teeth and jumps at me. I drop and roll out of the way. He falls, immediately turning toward me again, and I wince at him as I get a good look at his horns.

  “Already broken one of your horns, huh? That must’ve hurt.”

  I glance at Korzyn, who jumps off the mishua and draws his sword, slashing it at one of the Dokhalls. Another attempts to attack at the same time, and Korzyn punches him in the face, swiping his stick from his hand and beating him with it.

  “So,” he says between blows. “While I am helpless as a babe in that cave, you find another male to attack the Dokhalls?”

  I gape at him, narrowly missing being jabbed with Broken Horn’s stick. I duck, roll, and slice up with my knife, catching the Dokhall in the thigh.

  He howls, falling back, and I jump to my feet.

  “It wasn’t like that, Korzyn.”

  “What was it like?”

  “I was trying to save you!”

  “I believe you mean you were trying to save the females back at your camp.”

  I glance at him, but he’s not looking at me. Instead, he’s advancing on the largest Dokhall, who finally has the good sense to look afraid.

  Broken Horn attempts to use his stick as a sword, and I dodge, striking out with my fist.

  “What do you care? You’re only doing this so you can get back to your mystery woman.”

  He laughs but not like it’s funny. “You’re right.”

  Jealousy shoots through me, and I take it out on Broken Horn, slamming my knee into his groin. He groans, dropping his stick as he folds, and I pick it up, smashing it down on his head.

  “She can’t be that great if you left.”

  Not only am I jealous of myself, but I’m talking shit about myself too. Awesome.

  “It was worth leaving to find her name.”

  That’s it.

  The Dokhall rises with a snarl, and I kick him in the face. His eyes roll back in his head, and he hits the ground with a dull thump.

  Korzyn’s still fighting the largest Dokhall, but it seems as if he’s playing with him, smoothly dodging each of his strikes, hammering him with a punch, and then dancing backward.

  “I’m the mystery female, you idiot. So you can stop looking!”

  His grin is savage, practically radiating pure male arrogance. “I know.”

  My mouth drops open. “You know?”

  He obviously gets tired of taunting the Dokhall because he pulls a knife free, stabbing him in the gut before using his sword to smoothly behead him.

  “How could you possibly know? Why would you take this trip if you knew?”

  “Oh, I didn’t know then. I suspected the moment you kissed me in that cave. And then I had a very interesting dream that helped me put it all together. Tasting you again in the forest…well, that just confirmed my suspicions.”

  His low voice makes something in my stomach clench.

  He swipes his sword on the Dokhall’s shirt, cleaning the blood off it. Then he narrows his eyes at me, and it’s evident he most definitely doesn’t forgive me for not telling him I was his mystery woman. Or for leaving him in the cave.

  Fine, then.

  I step toward him until I’m close enough to reach out and remove my earring from his shirt. It’s little more than rags at this point, and he’s moved the earring from the spot I first placed it to a more secure location, where the material is stronger, between his shoulder and his neck. I meet his eyes, and he stares at me, pulling away once I’ve slid my earring back into my ear.

  Not the most hygienic thing I’ve ever done, but I’m not taking any more chances.

  Korzyn is watching me, likely silently judging each move I make. I sniff and stalk over to the mishua before hauling myself onto her back.

  I blink as Korzyn climbs up behind me, a grunt leaving his throat, and I crane my neck.

  “Your arm is bleeding.”

  “It’s fine,” he rumbles.

  Silence is heavy between us for the next few hours.

  The commander refuses to stop at Urox’s cousin’s, and I can’t blame him. As much as he needs to rest and recover, both of us are itching to get to Rakiz’s camp so we can warn everyone about the Dokhalls.

  Besides, asking the paranoid commander who has just been poisoned to spend the night in the home of someone he doesn’t know?

  Not a good idea.

  Now that we’re no longer actively fighting, the bitter scent of smoke is making my stomach roil.

  I hate the smell of smoke. To me, fire doesn’t represent warmth and comfort. It represents death and horror.

  No matter what I do, and no matter where I go, there’s no escaping one horrific fact.

  My sister is dead.

  Claire never got to live. She never got any real adventures. And it’s all my fault.

  We travel all night, and I eventually fall into a light sleep before waking up with my head resting against Korzyn’s chest. He doesn’t comment when I move away, blinking at the wide plain in front of us.

  I can no longer smell smoke, so I hope that means the fire is no longer raging through that forest.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  The commander hesitates, and I can practically feel him radiating suspicion. “Yes.”

  “Where’s your family?”

  He tenses behind me. “I’m from a tribe on the outskirts of Heriast. When the king and queen were murdered, Arix needed a guard with no political ties or aspirations. One from a family that was unknown at court, with no history, no weaknesses that could be used for bribery or blackmail.” He shrugs. “I was well known in my tribe for my strength and speed with a sword.”

  He doesn’t say it like he’s proud. He says it as if he…regrets his talent.

  “How old were you when you left your tribe?”

  “I had seen fourteen summers.”

  “So young.”

  He shrugs again. “I was larger than most males my age. Besides, I had to be trained…molded into a guard that could protect Arix with his life.”

  “So you were all alone? With no family?”

  “Yes. So was Arix. He had his uncle, but we were unable to trust him, given that he would be next in line for the throne if Arix was murdered.”

  I keep my eyes on the horizon as I think about what he’s said. A few hundred feet in front of us, the forest beckons, leading us back toward Rakiz’s tribe.

  “Do you have siblings?”
>
  He shrugs. “My mother was pregnant when I left. I don’t know how many children she had after me.”

  My heart twists in my chest for him.

  “Do you see your family now?”

  “No.”

  The word is a low growl, and I drop the subject.

  When he realizes I’m not going to pry, he seems to relax, leaning back in the saddle.

  “And your family?” he asks.

  “I don’t see them either.”

  “Why?”

  “I had a sister, and she died.”

  The smell of smoke, thick in my nostrils, choking off my air. The flames, dancing so close, and my voice, turning hoarse as I scream for Claire…

  “Hellion?”

  I shake it off. “When she died, I couldn’t look at my parents, and they couldn’t look at me. I left.” I smile, but it feels fake on my face. “I guess we’ve got that in common.”

  We’re silent as we enter the forest, both of us brooding. I know I’ll have nightmares tonight.

  They say some memories are ghosts of your past. Mine are zombies. There’s nothing that can stop them when they come for me.

  By the time we reach the first sentries close to Rakiz’s camp, Korzyn is slumping behind me. To be honest, I’m still stunned he made it to me, given he could barely move when I left him.

  The sentry is one I recognize, and he nods at us, letting us through. The next sentry stares at us, eyes wide, and I realize we must look like we’ve been through some shit.

  I’m covered in dirt from our fight and wearing a dress I cut off at the knees so I could fight. Korzyn stripped off his shirt and had a quick wash in a stream when we stopped to refill our water, but other than that, he hasn’t bathed in days and his clothes are little more than rags.

  “Sarissa?”

  We’ve made it to the camp gates, and I grin at Zoey, who runs toward us, concern in her eyes. “What happened to you guys?”

  We dismount, and Korzyn puts out a hand to steady me as my legs wobble. He’s turning gray, and it’s evident he needs to lie down.

  I send him an “Are you okay?” look, and he ignores me.

  Fine.

  I give Zoey a rundown of the last few days as we walk toward Rakiz’s tashiv.

  “You haven’t seen Dragix either?” Zoey chews on her lower lip.

  “No. If he was anywhere near that forest, he would’ve seen the smoke and likely come to investigate.”

  “He’s been gone for days,” Zoey says in a low voice. “Charlie is a wreck. She’s convinced that a group of Zintas managed to hide their scent from him long enough to build some kind of trap.”

  Dread sits heavy in my stomach.

  Korzyn clears his throat behind me. “Which direction did he fly when he left?”

  Zoey points, and Korzyn nods. “It’s likely he’s still hunting to the northeast, then. We came from the west. It’s not surprising we haven’t seen him.”

  It’s still bad news that he hasn’t returned. Dragix never would’ve left his pregnant mate for this long without communicating if he wasn’t in trouble. But a tiny part of my heart melts at Korzyn’s attempt at reassurance.

  I freeze as a strange furred animal stalks closer.

  “Don’t move,” I snap at Zoey, and her eyes widen. I pull my knife, and Zoey slowly turns her head.

  She laughs and then glances back at my face. “Don’t mind the beastie. His name is Harry.”

  Harry has sharp teeth, which he bares at me, but after Zoey scolds him, the furred creature prowls close enough for me to pet, nudging my hand when I stroke his ears.

  We’ve traveled all night, and it’s not yet dawn. While Rakiz will need to be woken, I’m tamping down my urge to wake up Alexis and give her the chip. That would be a dick move, even if I am desperate to hand it over.

  Rakiz has obviously already been informed about our arrival because he opens the door to his tashiv himself, waving us in.

  He glances toward his bedroom door and raises one finger to his lips, signaling that Nevada and Danica are sleeping. I’ll keep this quick.

  “We were waiting for Dragix to arrive. When he didn’t, we left Heriast to bring the chip back here. But someone poisoned our food. While the commander was recovering, we found a camp of Dokhalls who had managed to hide their scent from Dragix.”

  Rakiz’s expression is terrible. “How far?”

  I glance at Korzyn, who gives Rakiz the directions he needs.

  “We set fire to the canopy, and the camp was in chaos when we left. That might slow them down for a while, but it may also spur them into action. They know we know they’re there now. If I were their commander, I’d order them to immediately march on your camp.”

  “There’s another thing,” I say. “The Dokhalls had set up a trap on the main road leading from the mishua pen on this side of the water. If Arix comes through with his army, they’ll be spotted and attacked. They won’t kill them all—Arix has a large army, and they’re brutal. But it’ll probably be enough to slow them down.”

  Rakiz lets out a low growl, the only sign of his rage, and then his expression turns thoughtful.

  “We have been planning to tell the Dokhalls they can have the ship,” he says. “This way, the word will spread, and instead of dealing with multiple attacks over a long period of time, we will take them all out at once.” The tribe king turns to pace, then glances out his window, his eyes hard as he watches his camp. “We need to spread the message so that all Dokhalls know about it—not just those at the camp you found. That way, we’ll be able to hold them off for a few more days as other groups gather forces. It’s likely they’ll engage in a struggle for power.”

  Korzyn rubs his hand over his face. “I believe some of the Dokhalls have made alliances with the Zintas and Voildi in exchange for a place on the ship. They’ll soon learn there are too many Dokhalls still alive and wanting to get back to their planet—and the ship is unlikely to be big enough to take them all.”

  I tilt my head. “You guys think some of the Zintas and Voildi will abandon the Dokhalls?”

  Rakiz smiles. “I have been making friendships and alliances on this side of the Colossal Water for many years, and yet I still have to be my most charming self when dealing with our Braxian allies. Each interaction involves give and take—strategic moves where each of our tribes feels as if they have won something. The Dokhalls have split into multiple groups, each with a different leader. Now they will have to work together. It will give us more time to make arrangements.”

  I clear my throat. “One problem. Why would the Dokhalls believe we’d hand over the ship? We’ve been actively guarding it from them this whole time.”

  “That’s a question Zoey and her friends began pondering back when Nevada was kidnapped. We believed we might one day need to gather all the Dokhalls into one place, so we allowed rumors to spread about my fury at my mate’s kidnapping and how I was no longer willing to protect the females under my care—or the ship itself.”

  I stare at him. “That’s genius,” I breathe.

  Rakiz nods. “I am,” he says, and I laugh. His expression turns serious. “We need to summon our allies.”

  “And we need to get a message to Arix,” Korzyn says. “He needs to be ready for the attack.”

  My heart pounds in my chest. If I know my cousin, she’ll insist on coming with her mate. Vivian’s face flashes before my eyes, so still and pale as she lay in a coma for days after Arix was betrayed.

  I can’t handle the thought of something happening to her.

  Someone knocks lightly on the door, and Rakiz opens it.

  Terex glances at us and then back to Rakiz. “What do you need?”

  “Messengers.” Rakiz scans us. “Arrange for kradis for Sarissa and Korzyn and then have four of our strongest warriors sent to me.”

  Terex nods, and I barely notice as he leaves, my mind foggy with exhaustion.

  “We need Dragix,” I murmur. “If he can clear the way, Arix can
get here faster.”

  Rakiz sighs. “Once Arix banned any Zintas from his side of the water from allying with the Dokhalls, they had to make a choice. Some of them were lured into an alliance with the Dokhalls simply because they want the chance to board the ship with the Dokhalls and travel to a new planet.”

  I snort. “If they believe the Dokhalls will hold up their end of that bargain, I’ve got a bridge I can sell them.”

  Rakiz’s brow creases at that, and he shrugs. “While the Dokhalls are a threat, the Zintas are able to provide them with information they would find extremely helpful. Dragix has been hunting a pack of Zintas that allied with the Dokhalls and then went north, planning to attack Tecar’s tribe.”

  “When did he leave?” Korzyn asks.

  “Nine nights ago.”

  I wince. No wonder Charlie is freaking out. Since Dragix realized she was pregnant, he’s been even more overprotective, refusing to leave her side for more than a few hours at a time. Nine nights must have felt like an eternity.

  The door opens, and Terex nods at Rakiz, gesturing for us to follow him. I mumble good night to the tribe king and trail after the huge warrior.

  Korzyn murmurs something to Rakiz before following us, and we walk in silence until Terex points to Korzyn’s kradi.

  The commander gives me a look I can’t quite read before nodding at Terex and stepping into his kradi.

  The sun is beginning to rise in the cloudless emerald sky, the hazy glow of light dancing across the roofs of the kradis.

  “I will have Ellie bring you a dress from one of the other females,” Terex says. “She is an early riser now.”

  His eyes turn cloudy, and my throat tightens at the frustration on his face. I haven’t been on this planet for long, but one thing I’ve learned? There’s nothing more difficult for a Braxian male than to be unable to help his mate if she’s struggling. The Braxians’ protective instincts seem to be continually in overdrive when it comes to their mates.

  “How is she doing?”

  He shrugs. “The babe is still not here. Moni is insisting it isn’t too big for Ellie to birth it, but my little mate is small.”

  “Human women give birth to surprisingly large babies on Earth,” I say, and he nods.

  “That is what Zoey says.”