Captured by the Alien Warrior

by Hope Hart

I give him a shaky smile, and he studies my face. Then he shakes his head.

  “I am Dragix,” he says. “And Charlie is under my protection. Anyone who harms her will answer to me.”

  Zoey frowns at that. She’s a small woman, about my height, and she’s standing alone while a Braxian warrior hovers near her, occasionally glancing at us but always returning his gaze to her face. “I’m not sure I understand,” she says softly.

  “It’s a bit crazy,” I admit. “I’d never have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself. But there you go.”

  Dragix shifts on his feet, a slow roll of his muscles. Suddenly, it’s clear that he may have been pretending to be unthreatening, but in reality, he’s the biggest threat here.

  The Braxians are instantly alert, studying Dragix as if they’re weighing up killing him now.

  Shit.

  I did this. I let them see that he has a more vulnerable form.

  I step in front of him, glaring at Rakiz. Nevada seems to find this amusing because I can see her grinning out the corner of my eye.

  “Not only is Dragix the only remaining dragon after your people slaughtered his family, but he is my friend. If anyone here even thinks about hurting him, I swear I’ll make them pay.”

  I glance around, meeting the eyes of every warrior around us. More have joined us, obviously drawn to the tense group who are currently staring at me as if I have two heads.

  The warriors don’t exactly look scared at my threat. That’s okay. I’ll still kill them if they hurt him.

  I blink at that. I’m a pacifist. Other than Ben, I’ve never thought about hurting anyone in my life. But for Dragix…for Dragix, I’d burn this whole world to the ground if I had to.

  “I am…your friend?”

  “Of course, Dragix. You’re more than that. You know that.”

  He’s silent for a long moment as everyone around us gets tenser. “I haven’t had a friend since…”

  Since his family was slaughtered. By these people. Oh, I know it wasn’t these Braxians. But I never should have brought him here, amongst people who have always been his enemies.

  “You know what,” I say, “this is a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here.”

  “Wait,” Ellie says. “It’s just a lot to take in, Charlie.” Her voice is low and soothing, and I realize I’m acting like a crazy person. But I won’t allow these warriors to look at Dragix like they’re wondering how difficult it would be to kill him.

  It’s not that they necessarily want him dead. I can tell by the way the Braxians are slowly shifting their bodies so that the women are behind them. They think they need to protect the human women from him.

  The problem is that Dragix has always been the bogeyman to these guys. The huge beast flying overhead. Now I’ve shown them that he has a much more vulnerable form.

  “I need you to shift.”

  Dragix turns his gaze to me. He doesn’t look at all worried. Maybe that’s why the Braxians are acting like he’s a threat. He’s surrounded by enemies, and he’s as cool as a cucumber, safe in the knowledge that he could kill them all in moments.

  The only way to resolve this is to make them see that he’s not prey. That he could easily kill them but he’s choosing not to. Because if they ever do attack him, even if they think that they’re doing it to protect their women, Dragix will turn this place to ash.

  “They will be frightened. Is this what you want?”

  “They’re not frightened enough right now. They’re spooked, but they’re wondering if they can kill you before you shift forms. I want them to see that you came here in your most vulnerable form and didn’t attack. That you can either be an ally or an enemy.”

  “This will make it difficult for the other females to trust you.”

  “I don’t care.”

  His gaze is steady on my face, and then he finally nods.

  “You guys need to back up,” I say aloud. “You don’t believe this is Dragix? He’s going to prove it.”

  “It’s okay,” Ellie soothes. “We believe you, Charlie.”

  I shake my head. “Your warriors are already reaching for weapons, wondering if they can kill him before he shifts. Maybe they need to see how fast that shift happens.”

  “Charlie,” Nevada says, and her face is pale. I ignore her and turn to Dragix.

  In the blink of an eye, he’s a dragon. People stumble back, and the entire camp comes to a halt. Swords are drawn, and I step in front of him.

  “Move, little two-leg. They cannot hurt me in this form. Their swords will not penetrate my scales. But I do not like you shielding me.” His voice is gentle, soothing, and my eyes heat. What’s wrong with me? I’ve somehow made this entire situation worse.

  His shift was faster than I’ve ever seen it. I didn’t realize he could shift within a second, and I’m guessing he had to reach deep to do it.

  Dragix runs his gaze over every face around us. The air is tense with fear, the women pale as they stare at him. The Braxians are baring their teeth, ready for his attack.

  He lies down, curling up like a cat. He even places his head on the ground, looking for all the world like he’s about to take a nap.

  Some of the tension eases.

  “Were you expecting him to slaughter you all?” I ask, eyeing the Braxians, the swords still in their hands.

  “That’s enough,” Nevada tells me, elbowing Rakiz aside. He growls at her but allows her to step closer. “I understand that you’re feeling protective of your huge, lethal dragon, but you need to take it down a notch. This is a giant predator. One that you have brought to our home. These men are simply reacting to the threat.”

  “He’s not a threat.”

  “And how would we know that?” Nevada smiles at me, but her eyes are serious. “Let’s all take a moment here. The dragon—Dragix,” she says as my eyes narrow, “is obviously chill. So let’s all relax and put up our swords, hmm?”

  My eyebrows shoot up as the warriors all obey her. Dragix moves behind me, raising his head, and I stroke a hand down his snout.

  “I’m…sorry,” I apologize to everyone, my cheeks heating. “It’s just…Dragix has kept me safe. He’s not some ravaging monster who’s going to kill you all. You’re right. I was feeling overprotective.”

  Zoey smiles at me, but it’s Nevada that steps closer.

  “Men can make even the most logical women lose their damn minds,” she says. “I get it. Now that we’ve all cooled down a little, welcome home.” She hugs me, and I finally relax, hugging her back.

  Chapter Twelve

  Charlie

  Dragix follows me into the tent that Nevada refers to as a kradi. It’s large and welcoming, and I slump down on one of the many huge pillows on the floor. Dragix lounges next to me. His pants tore into shreds when he shifted, and I reach for a pillow, placing it in his lap.

  He gives me a look but allows it.

  Ellie walks in, smiling at me. “Are you guys hungry?”

  I shake my head, but she gestures to a long table against one of the kradi’s “walls.”

  “Help yourself if you feel peckish.”

  She sits down and examines me, and I examine her back.

  “So,” I say, curious as hell. “You’re pregnant, huh?”

  Ellie bursts out laughing. “I sure am.” She holds out her arms, displaying gorgeous bracelets that look like woven gold threads. “These are mating bands. They mean that I’m basically married to Terex.”

  “Congratulations. So you’re not planning to leave?”

  She shakes her head, and I examine the women who have arrived while we were talking. Ellie isn’t the only one with the gold bands—I can see some on Nevada’s wrists as well, and I saw gold glinting on Ivy’s arms when she was cuddled up with a grim-faced warrior earlier. He looked like he wanted to kill something until he gazed at Ivy, and his face softened into something like adoration.

  “I am,” one of the woman says, and I glance at her. “I’m Vivian. I’m planning to
get off this planet. So is Zoey.”

  I raise my eyebrow at Zoey, and she stares back at me. She’s the one who the huge warrior was hovering around earlier. She nods silently, and I glance at the others.

  “Anyone else?”

  Nevada shifts, drawing my attention to her. “Alexis is mated to Dexar, another tribe king. They were supposed to be here earlier, but they’re obviously running late. Beth is coming with them, along with Zarix. We’ve been planning this meeting for a while, so it’s great that you happened to arrive today.” Her eyes shift to Dragix, and I reach for his hand. She smiles faintly, and then we all turn as someone steps into the kradi.

  “Hello, hello!” Alexis looks like she was born to wear the gauzy mint-colored dress that clings to her body, swirling around her ankles. Behind her, a woman I don’t recognize steps gracefully into the tent, her movements like she’s floating on air. By process of elimination, I’m guessing that this is Beth.

  “Charlie!” Alexis says. “It’s so good to see you. And who is this?”

  I open my mouth, but it’s my dragon who speaks. “Dragix,” he says, and Alexis blinks.

  She stares at him. “I recognize your eyes,” she says softly. “From when we saw you by the river.”

  He nods, and she gives him a wide grin.

  “If you’re on our side, we could really use some help moving that ship in the river.”

  I frown at that. “How come?”

  “There’s a chance that the fluid leaking from it may be responsible for the low birth rates of female babies amongst the Braxians.”

  Dragix is tense and quiet next to me, and I can practically hear him thinking that it would be a good thing if the Braxians were to die out naturally.

  The silence stretches, turning to awkwardness, and I sigh. “How about we figure out what do with those purple aliens if they really are returning?”

  Alexis nods. “That’s why we’re late,” she says. “We decided to check out the ship on the way here.”

  “And?” Nevada asks, her eyes sharp.

  Alexis blows out a shaky breath. “And it’s no longer flashing at all. The light is just continually red.”

  I pull another pillow close and hug it to me. “What does that mean?”

  “I think it means that they’re almost here. I’d bet money that it’s some kind of beacon, and I think that their ship is so close that they could be here any day.”

  We’re all silent at that. I glance at Dragix, and he’s staring at the kradi entrance, his mind obviously elsewhere.

  If they really are returning, we need to be prepared. “Okay,” I say. “What are we going to do about it?”

  Nevada sits up. “Rakiz and Dexar are working with some of the other tribes, attempting to convince them to help us fight. The problem is that they don’t have any real reason to put everything on the line for us. There aren’t any human women at risk in their tribes.”

  Beth clears her throat. “A few of the other tribes have agreed to fight as part of their alliance, but they’re not happy about it.”

  I frown. “We need to convince the other tribes that they’d be at risk too. If these aliens are returning, it’s likely that they’re going to take a look around and grab anything they find interesting, right? Who’s to say they wouldn’t take the Braxian women?”

  Ellie nods. “That’s what we’re trying to tell them.”

  Ivy speaks up. “I think we need to go across the water and talk to the king on the other side.”

  I raise my eyebrow at that, my mouth dropping open as she explains how she was kidnapped by the Zintas and taken across the Colossal Water to an actual city. Maybe this planet isn’t as undeveloped as I thought.

  “What would make him want to help us?” Nevada asks. “He didn’t seem to give two craps that you’d been kidnapped, and then he showed up just in time to tell us to fuck off.”

  Ivy chews her lip at that and shrugs.

  We’re all silent for a long moment, depressed.

  Ellie gets to her feet. “I’m sure you guys are tired from traveling. Why don’t we settle in and meet again tomorrow morning? We can brainstorm overnight and discuss our ideas when we’re feeling fresher.”

  The other women nod and change the subject, some of them filing out of the kradi. Nevada makes her way over to us.

  “I’ve had a kradi set up for you guys,” she says, and Dragix stiffens next to me. “I’ll show you where it is.”

  We follow her out of the kradi, and Dragix freezes as he stares at the Braxian next to Beth. The Braxian is smiling down at her, and Dragix shakes next to me, the rage pouring off him in waves.

  “What is it, Dragix?”

  “That male. He looks exactly like the Braxian who killed my sister.”

  I flinch at the banked rage in his voice.

  Nevada is standing next to us, her expression puzzled. “Do you know Zarix?”

  Dragix stares at him for another long moment, and I can see death in his eyes. I never should have brought him here. Never should have asked him to stay. This is a special kind of torture for him.

  “No,” he says, turning away, and Nevada stares at him for one long moment and then turns to lead us to our kradi.

  Dragix

  I must leave this place. Everything about these people makes me feel on edge. That Braxian…he looked so much like the male who killed Ezra. The one who speared her with his fire stick when she was too weak to fight back.

  If I stay here…I fear I will kill them all.

  “Will you stay with me tonight?” Charlie asks softly, and I study her beautiful face. I should go. But I find I cannot leave without one more night with her. One more night of stroking her soft skin, kissing her lush mouth, losing myself in her incredible body. One more night of her hands on me, her blue eyes gazing up at me like I hold the answer to all her questions.

  “I will stay tonight.”

  She nods, giving me a trembling smile. “This is goodbye, isn’t it?”

  “It was always goodbye, little two-leg. You will be safe here.”

  She nods again but not like she accepts my words. She is still considering some way to convince me to stay for longer. She opens her mouth, and I lean down, pleased as her lips soften under mine, her mouth opening.

  I lift her into my arms and take her to the large pile of furs in the corner of the structure the Braxians refer to as a kradi. I may not want to be in this place with these people, but I can acknowledge that they have provided Charlie with comfort and warmth.

  I gently lay her down on the furs and stare down at her flushed face.

  For a moment I want to howl. To roar. To ask her why she would want to stay here with these two-legs. Why she won’t instead come back with me. But she wishes to be with the other females of her kind. Wishes to fight against the purple males who think to take her on their metal ships.

  I growl at that, and Charlie blinks up at me. I have become too close to my little two-leg. When I leave here tomorrow, I must force myself to stay away. Otherwise, I fear that I will take her with me, chain her to me for the rest of her days.

  Already, what I feared the most has happened. My immortality has drained away to almost nothing. If I do not leave tomorrow and revert back to my winged form, I will…die. I knew—when the Zintas attacked and managed to wound me—that I was becoming weak. That I risked losing my extended life span. And I stayed in two-leg form anyway. So I could spend more time with Charlie. I stare down at her and force myself to use my logic.

  I am the last of my people. When I die, we are gone. Forever. The Braxians will have succeeded in eradicating us. I will never let that happen. Once I have said goodbye to Charlie, I will stay in winged form for the rest of my life, if that’s what it takes.

  Charlie’s blue eyes are examining my face. “What is it?”

  “Let us not talk now. Let us be together.”

  She frowns at that, and I reach down, brushing my thumb over the soft lines between her brows, smoothing them
away. Then I take her mouth, delving deep as I run my hands up her body, desperate to touch every inch of her skin, to imprint myself on her.

  I may be leaving her, but I will ensure that she will never forget me.

  She makes soft, urgent sounds beneath me as I move my mouth from hers and trail it down her neck. I breathe in her scent, and just like that I’m ravenous for her as I pull her tunic over her head.

  Gods. She is so soft, so smooth, her breasts fitting perfectly in my hands. I squeeze them gently and then brush my thumbs over her nipples. She shudders, her head falling back, her eyes blurred, and I do it again. And again.

  “Dragix…”

  Her voice is a plea, and I can’t deny her. She wriggles out of her pants, and within moments, my own clothes are in a pile next to hers.

  If this is the last time I will touch my little two-leg, I will make the most of it. I will go slow, memorize the feel of her.

  Her hand slides down, clamping around me, and I see stars.

  She laughs at my low growl, and any thoughts I had of drawing this out are immediately pushed from my mind.

  I feel a savage need to pound into her, to mark her as mine. To make it so that no other male will ever compare to what I can do to her.

  The idea of another male touching her is enough to make me snarl, and Charlie’s eyes widen. But I am large, and I would never hurt my tiny female.

  I slide my hand down and gently brush against the small nub of nerves that makes her moan. I push one finger inside her, watching as her eyes flutter shut.

  “I need to be inside you,” I murmur.

  “Yes. Inside me now,” she says, twisting her hips against my hand.

  I replace my hand with my cock, pressing it against her. Then I’m pressing into her as she whimpers, angling her hips so I can slide deeper.

  I sink in, harder than I’ve ever been, groaning at the heat of her as she squeezes around me. And then I’m deep within her, pelvis to pelvis, and she meets my gaze with a moan.

  I begin to thrust, her walls gripping me, and I fist her curly hair, kissing her the way she taught me, thrusting my tongue deep and claiming her mouth.