Conquered by the Alien Warrior

by Hope Hart

  Ellie is on her feet, moving toward the bathing room between contractions.

  I give her a quick hug. “You’re going to do great.”

  Tears roll down her cheeks. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

  “Me too. You’ve got this, mama.”

  I hug Moni, and then I’m out the door, sprinting toward the catapult I designed with Zoey and Nevada.

  The Dokhalls aren’t getting into this camp. They’re not getting their hands on the women and babies in that tashiv.

  Not as long as I’m still breathing.

  I haul ass through the camp until I reach the line of catapults. Beth is here, her face pale, her lips a thin line.

  “Nevada?”

  “No can do. Ellie is in labor.”

  Beth’s mouth drops open. “Just once, I’d love for someone to go into labor on a boring, quiet afternoon.”

  “Preach.”

  We begin loading up our catapult, and I glance around me, finding the other women doing the same—all of us careful not to touch the pods with our hands.

  The pods have been dipped in poison and then dried so they’ll still explode. When they do, anyone hit by the shrapnel will get a dose of poison.

  That means these catapults are our last resort, and they’re also the last step in our plan. If the Dokhalls still have the numbers to be a threat, the Braxians will fall back and get the hell out of the way so we can aim our deadly bombs at the approaching army.

  Makayla hands me a pod, nodding a greeting. Her green eyes burn bright with determination, and she has a canvas bag slung over one shoulder as she works. Clearly, she’s excited to get on the ship.

  “Are we ready?” I ask, and Beth nods at me.

  “We need to know how far the Dokhalls are.”

  Nerves flutter in my chest, but I ignore them. “I’ll go.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yup.”

  Women begin ducking behind their catapults, getting into position. Blaire gives me a nod, her face cold and determined.

  Now all we need is to know how far away the Dokhalls are. Ideally, they wouldn’t break through the trees at all, but we need to be prepared if they do.

  I sneak back through the trees until the sounds of battle are so close that it feels like it’s on top of me. I shuffle up a tree and peer through the leaves.

  Dragix soars above me, Charlie on his back. She’s covered from head to toe in dragon scales, including a helmet. That helmet led to a glorious fight, which entertained most of the camp a few days ago. Charlie said it would mess with her field of vision. Dragix said she wasn’t flying with him unless she wore it.

  Unsurprisingly, the dragon won.

  They’re flying toward the Dokhalls still marching in the back. The plan is for Dragix to thin their army as much as they can so that when the Dokhalls, Zintas, and Voildi in the front go down, there won’t be as many fresh fighters ready to replace them.

  On the right, arrows fly, most of them hitting their targets. Simple scrapes with the poisonous arrows have the Dokhalls dying in a way that even makes me wince.

  Those who manage to dodge the arrows are faced with enraged Braxian males—most of them on mishua. The Dokhalls swarm, their sheer numbers leveling the playing field as the Braxians fight to keep them from breaking through.

  My heart is in my throat as a Braxian warrior roars and falls, immediately crushed by Dokhalls—one of them slitting his throat on the way. Horror rises, but I battle it down, scanning the clearing for Korzyn. He refused to fight on a mishua, stating that he spent his life fighting on his feet and this battle would be no different.

  I catch a glimpse of him, fighting next to Dexar, and I can suddenly take a full breath again.

  Someone lobs a pod into a chunk of the Dokhalls’ army—taking out twenty or so Dokhalls and Zintas. Through the trees, I catch a glimpse of blue. Urox.

  From the wide grin on his face, he’s having fun.

  In spite of the experienced warriors on our front lines, the Dokhalls have numbers we couldn’t hope to match. They begin breaking through—a few at first—quickly cut down by the Braxians. But it’s only a matter of time before the Braxians are overrun.

  We’ll need the catapults.

  I slide down the tree and pump my arms, sprinting through the forest. I trip on a tree root but throw out a hand and slam it against a tree, barely preventing myself from going down.

  Don’t brain yourself before the Dokhalls can even get close to you. That would be humiliating.

  “They’re coming!” I yell as soon as I reach the catapults, which are neatly lined up. I can only hope the Braxians can ignore the urge to sprint after the Dokhalls. If they succumb to a killing rage and forget about our little surprise, we’ll be taking them out as well.

  I duck behind my catapult next to Makayla, who flicks me a glance as she crouches. These catapults don’t have wheels, so we’re limited by how much we can aim them. Right now, a tribe king called Khax and his barbarian warriors should be creeping through the forest and settling in behind us, ready to kill any Dokhalls who happen to make it close to us.

  My hands begin to sweat, and I take a deep breath, blowing it out slow and steady.

  A bush shakes in front of us, and Beth holds up her hand.

  “Ready,” she says, her voice low as the first Dokhall steps through.

  “Hold,” she orders, and Makayla practically vibrates next to me.

  “Hold.” Beth’s voice is firm.

  Now I’m the one on edge, clenching my teeth as more Dokhalls run toward us.

  There must be fifty Dokhalls heading our way before Beth finally lowers her arm.

  “Fire!”

  The pods explode, the poison escaping as more Dokhalls crash through the edge of the forest.

  Those that aren’t hit in the explosion are quickly wiped out by the poison. All it takes is the smallest fragment to touch their skin and they’re slumping to the ground.

  Where they stay.

  Bile rises in my throat as we reload the catapults again and again. I’m shaking as the Dokhalls continue to advance.

  If this many of them got past the Braxians…

  Could they have killed them all?

  Minutes creep by. Blood drenches the grass in front of us. Behind us, Khax is ordering his warriors into place, ready to step in when we run out of pods.

  Makayla hands me another one, wrapped in a thick cloth. I gently place it down, careful not to touch the pod itself. She pulls the cloth away, dumping it on the ground with the others to be burned later.

  “How many left?” I ask.

  “Three.”

  Shit.

  “It’s okay,” a voice says, and I turn. Nevada is standing behind us, tears in her eyes. “Arix is here.”

  “What?”

  She nods, and it’s then I realize more Dokhalls are running this way, but they no longer look determined. They look…terrified.

  Makayla loads another pod. “I’m definitely going to have nightmares about this!” she yells over the noise.

  “You guys need to go,” Nevada says. Two Braxian warriors take over our catapult as others wait behind them, ready for the moment all the other catapults are out of pods and it’s their turn to rejoin the battle.

  I blink. “Go?”

  Nevada jerks her head in the direction of the ship. “Arix brought a huge army with him. Any Dokhalls that aren’t dead are fleeing. It’s time for you to make your move.”

  “Where’s Korzyn?”

  Nevada gives me a look as Makayla begins sprinting between catapults, spreading the word. “He’s on his way. You’ll get to say goodbye.”

  “Ellie?”

  “She’s fine. The baby is fine. It’s a beautiful baby boy.”

  Relief rushes through me. It’s over.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sarissa

  I stare at the ship. At everything I’ve wanted since the moment I landed on this planet. It represents hope. Ve
ngeance. Retribution. Home.

  “I’m going to miss you so much,” Beth says next to me, and I throw an arm around her.

  It takes me a moment to swallow around the lump in my throat as I tear my gaze away from the ship.

  Most of us are gathered here. Even Ellie sits on an overturned tree, her baby in her arms. Terex sits next to her, the look on his face making it clear he would prefer for her to be in bed.

  Nevada stands on the ramp leading to the ship, Rakiz by her side. The tribe king is bloody and bruised, but he clutches Danica in his arms like he’ll never let her go.

  “It’s time,” Nevada says. She glances at me. “Arix and his army are taking care of the remaining Dokhalls. Let’s get you guys on this ship.”

  Vivian.

  My chest hurts so much that I feel like I can’t breathe. Nevada has my letters for Vivian and Korzyn, but…

  Rakiz said Korzyn is okay. He said the last time he saw him, he was fighting on the front lines. If he doesn’t make it in time, at least I’ll know he survived.

  Arix will stay in place—his army cutting down any Dokhalls who still think to attack.

  And Vivian…

  It doesn’t seem real. The fact I’ll likely never see her again.

  I feel like a zombie as I hug Alexis, Zoey, and Ivy. All of them have tears streaming down their faces, but my face is dry. I feel oddly numb—as if I’m not really here but I’m floating somewhere above my body, looking down as it goes through the motions.

  I make my way to Ellie, leaning down and giving her a hug. She lets out a sob, and Terex wraps his arm around her, his face hard. I nod at him, and he nods back as I smile at their tiny son.

  “He’s beautiful.”

  Nevada finishes her goodbyes with the other women and stalks toward me. “I’m going to miss the hell out of you.”

  “Right back atcha.” My eyes are wet now, but I hold back the tears.

  Charlie and Dragix are next. Charlie is pale as she stares at the ship. They’ve decided not to come with us—unwilling to risk their baby—but I know she’s wondering if she’s made the right choice.

  “You have family here,” I whisper in her ear as I hug her. “Your baby will be so, so loved.”

  She smiles at me, her eyes sparkling with tears, and Dragix slaps me gently on the shoulder.

  Korzyn bursts through the trees, and I let out a strangled sound from somewhere in my throat. He looks like he’s been bathing in blood, but we stare at each other, neither of us able to make the first move.

  “It’s now or never,” Nevada murmurs, and I jolt into action.

  Korzyn strides toward me, wrapping me in his arms. I manage to hold back the sobs that want to escape from my chest, breathing in the scent of him beneath the blood and dirt.

  Our kiss is gentle, tender, and far too short. Nevada tugs on my arm, and I give him one last shaky smile. He nods back at me.

  Time to go.

  I just need to take the first step. And then the next. After that, my body will be in motion, and it’ll be easier to keep walking.

  I turn, following Blaire. Her face is wet, and one of Rakiz’s warriors curses and stalks away.

  I hadn’t realized she was seeing anyone.

  One step.

  Two steps.

  I can do this. Just keep moving.

  You’re making a mistake.

  A huge, glorious, unfixable mistake.

  A mistake you’ll regret every day for the rest of your life.

  You’ll look back and remember this moment.

  You’ll wish with everything in you that you could turn back time.

  I glance back at Korzyn. He’s standing by the others, face blank, shoulders back, head raised. But his eyes…

  He nods at me, pretending it’s okay. Pretending he understands.

  I don’t even understand.

  I can hear the whoops of the other women as they walk up the metallic silver ramp, the celebrations already beginning.

  I’ve never felt less like celebrating in my life.

  Korzyn’s eyes are empty…remote. His voice rumbles through my head.

  When you walk onto that spaceship, don’t look back. Don’t hesitate even once. Because if you do, I won’t be able to let you go. I find that it’s…important to me that you get what you want after you fought so hard for it.

  Both of us are secretive, impossible for most people to understand. And yet he’s always had the uncanny ability to know what I’m thinking.

  And I’ve always been able to tell what he’s feeling.

  I stop walking.

  Hope flares in his eyes.

  You liar. You were willing to let me go—not because you wanted a temporary mate but because it was what I wanted.

  I turn, ignoring the gasps that sound. Distantly, I can hear Zoey let out a choked sob, but I only have eyes for the man who makes me feel completely, undeniably out of control.

  In all the best ways.

  I touch my face, staring at my hand as I realize it’s wet.

  And then I let out a sob.

  I’m suddenly sprinting toward him. His mouth drops open, shock and joy painted across his face.

  Get ready for a long life of making that exact expression.

  He takes three huge steps toward me, and then I’m pressed against his hard chest, sobbing against his mouth as he kisses me, his arms clamped around me like he’ll never let me go.

  Because he won’t.

  It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I know I should want to get on that ship. It’s not too late for me to change my mind. To go with the other women and get the revenge I so desperately want.

  “I’ll go with you,” Korzyn suddenly says, and I blink up at him.

  “What?”

  “You want to go, we’ll go. Both of us. Now.”

  He gently pushes me aside and takes my hand, and within seconds, I’m trotting next to him toward the ship.

  “Wait, wait, wait!”

  He glances at me and slows, coming to a stop at whatever he sees on my face.

  “I can’t let you do this,” I say.

  He raises his hand to my cheek, his eyes warm. “You want me enough to stay with me.”

  “I do.” I take a deep breath. “I’m in love with you.”

  His smile is both joyous and uncertain, as if he’s been given a beautifully wrapped gift but he’s too scared to open it in case it’s a trick. “I’ve been in love with you since the moment I saw you chasing your cousin with a pillow,” he says, and I let out a wet laugh. “I don’t care where we are, as long as I’m with you.”

  “I’m staying. We’re staying. I…thought I was doing the right thing, but if it was the right thing, my intuition wouldn’t have been screaming at me like I was an idiot.”

  This time, his smile is blinding. He wraps me in his arms, and a feeling of such relief envelops me, making my knees shake.

  “Sarissa?”

  I pull slightly away from Korzyn and brace myself as Clara and Makayla walk toward me.

  “I’m happy for you,” Clara says, and I blink. “You deserve this. I’m sorry for what I said about being a true leader.” She flicks a glance at Makayla, who winks at me. Obviously, Mak has had a stern talk with her.

  “It’s okay. You guys don’t need a leader, you know. Look at everyone here—they all use their unique skills and work together. If you guys can do that, you’ll thrive.”

  Clara’s face lightens in relief. “We’ll all look after each other, and we’ll get in touch if we can.”

  I reach out and hug her. “Thank you.”

  She nods, smiles at Korzyn, and walks back to the ship, her head high, her steps sure. She doesn’t look back.

  Makayla throws her arms around me. “I’m gonna miss you guys.”

  “Ditto. Be careful, okay?”

  She sends me a slow grin, and I laugh. Mak is hell on wheels.

  Harper is next. “Not gonna lie, I wish you were coming with us.” She
cracks her knuckles and sends the other women a suspicious glance. “But you made the right choice. Good luck.”

  I grin. “You’ll do great. Just be honest.”

  “That’s not my best thing, but I’ll try.”

  She turns and follows the other women onto the ship. A humming noise sounds, and the ramp begins to rise. Korzyn glances at me, and I smile at him. “I haven’t changed my mind.”

  At the very back of the ship, a head pokes up, a small, delicate hand waving at me through one of the round windows.

  Lace. She got my message and managed to sneak onto the ship after all. I grin at her, careful not to wave back in case I draw unwanted attention to her. That girl is going to start some shit.

  The Grivath don’t know what they’re in for.

  Zoey lets out a strangled gasp, and I glance at her as Korzyn wraps his arms around me from behind.

  “Lisa has a flower tucked behind her ear.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Zoey begins trembling, her face pale. “It’s toxic. She must have got it from my poison kradi.”

  I stare at her. “How toxic?”

  “Toxic enough that breathing in the pollen can cause erratic behavior, unconsciousness, and…death.”

  With that flower in a confined space, who knows how many women will be affected?

  My stomach clenches at the thought.

  Zoey curses and begins sprinting toward the ship, screaming at them to stop.

  The other women have already moved back, likely to take their seats. I can’t see Kate, but the silver ramp has already been pulled up, white lights appearing beneath the ship. She obviously can’t see Zoey, since she’s likely focused entirely on getting the ship into the air.

  The ground around us shakes as the ship prepares for takeoff. We watch as the ship rises until it’s no more than a dot in the sky.

  It’s too late.

  Zoey looks agonized as she walks back toward us.

  “They’re smart, Zo,” I say. “They’ll figure it out.”

  “I hope so,” she mumbles. Tagiz wraps his arm around her, and she buries her face in his chest.

  We’re all silent, as if unsure what to do now. The clearing feels empty with so many of us suddenly gone.

  Nevada grins at me from across the clearing. “Glad you stayed.”