The Alien Warrior's Heart : A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Plutonian Warriors Book 3)

by Nelia Alarcon

The grotesque image of Chozo bursting open on a table in some grimy lab made Simone want to thump her chest.

  “Do not be upset for me.” Chozo held her hand. “Because all my dreams came true.”

  “Chozo…”

  “I got to ride a Plutonian zapten. I ate something other than bland food created to keep my blood clean for the tests.”

  “From now on, I’m going to stuff you with tasty treats. I heard Emma’s great with desserts and I’m a boss at making a feast with very little ingredients.” Her stepfather expected a five-star cuisine when he came home, even if he’d barely given her enough money to buy groceries. At least something about that time in her life would come in handy. “I’m warning you, Chozo. I’m going to get you fat.”

  “Will you?” Chozo asked hopefully.

  She nodded.

  “Thank you, Simone.”

  “What are you thanking me for?” She wiped the tears that spilled down her cheek and scoffed at her own weakness. Two cry sessions in one day? How weak had she become here on this planet?

  “Can I… hug you?”

  “Of course.” Simone threw her arms wide.

  Chozo hesitantly inched up to her. She dragged him closer and wrapped him in a warm embrace.

  His body felt so strange against hers. Zar was the first alien she’d wrapped her arms around, but he was more humanoid and so it always felt like she was touching a human with rough skin and a tail.

  With Chozo, there was no reference for her to draw on. With his mask, his boneless torso and his thin, reed-like arms, he was completely new. And that made him completely special.

  “You should go back to sleep,” Chozo said.

  Simone scooted to the side and gestured to the space on the mat beside her. “You want to bunk with me?”

  “Zar won’t like that.”

  “Zar doesn’t control me.”

  “Just for a little then,” Chozo said, falling next to her.

  Simone cuddled close to the alien and patted his back.

  When she was a child, she used to crawl into bed and imagine that her mother was there, soothing her and rubbing her hair. Those imaginations were hollow. She’d always longed for someone to comfort her for real.

  Zar did that for her tonight.

  Now, Simone would do the same for Chozo.

  Her fingers drummed against his shoulder, as soft and steady as a gentle rain. Quiet swallowed the room and, soon, her eyelashes fluttered. The pull of sleep tugged her under and, eventually, her exhaustion won.

  What felt like minutes later, she heard footsteps and woke with a start. She glanced in front of her and saw that her arms were empty.

  Chozo must have gone to the bathroom or something.

  Simone sat up, her curls falling into her face. She brushed them back, tucking them behind her ear where they only sprung free again. Yawning like a cat, she noticed the light inching into the room.

  It wasn’t fully bright yet, which meant that she was up just before dawn.

  Zar walked through the door, his face grim.

  “Morning,” she said, her heart pounding fast. Memories of his hot lips on her neck and his body thrusting her into the bathroom wall pierced her. Simone smiled shyly as she stood. “Why didn’t you come to bed last night?”

  Zar’s expression remained sober. “Si-Moon.”

  “And did you see Chozo?” She covered her mouth as another yawn cracked her jaw. “Is he with Sara?”

  “Chozo is gone.”

  Zar’s words were harsher than a cold bucket of ice over her head.

  Simone stared into her mate’s face.

  A dark premonition swept over her. “Gone? What do you mean gone?” Simone frowned. “What the hell did you do with him?”

  Twenty-Nine

  Zar

  His mate stared at him with eyes so piercing that, were they daggers, he would have been impaled.

  “Answer me,” Si-Moon growled. “What did you do?”

  He searched her eyes with his own burning glare.

  Zar had stayed up all night searching for a way to fulfil the Heronas’s demand while making his mate happy. And this was what he got?

  Her fury?

  Her suspicions?

  Her hate?

  “Nothing,” Zar snapped.

  “You expect me to believe that?” Si-Moon strode forward, her eyes sliding away from his to search the hallway. “Chozo?” She moved with purpose, like a warrior heading into battle. If Zar knew what was good for him, he would move out of her way.

  But something kept him standing there in the doorway.

  Jealousy? Exhaustion? Annoyance?

  Whatever it was, he knew how foolish he was being and yet he did not reject his folly. He embraced it whole-heartedly and remained in the doorway.

  Si-Moon bumped against him. Stumbling back, she lifted her chin so she could glare into his eyes. “Move.”

  “You treasure that Heronas more than you do me?”

  “I said move, Zar.”

  “You believe I am a liar.”

  “I know your hatred is more powerful than you can control.” Si-Moon’s beautiful eyes shifted between his, growing darker by the minute. “I know you can’t separate it from reality. I know your crusade means more to you than me.”

  “Oh, you know this?”

  “Where is Chozo, Zar?” Si-Moon crossed slender arms over her chest.

  Zar gritted his teeth, refusing to answer. Even if he told her the truth, his mate would not believe him.

  Frustration made him scowl. Had he not held her in his arms while she cried over the pains of her past? Had he not assured her that she was safe with him and that he would lay down his life for her?

  Had he not branded her with his hardness and plunged into her heat until her knees buckled and her body convulsed with pleasure? What more did this female want from him? What could she possibly need for him to prove that he would never harm her nor deceive her?

  “I have given you no reason to doubt me,” Zar said, his heras throbbing with disappointment. He pulled his anger more securely around himself, choosing to fall back into the familiar rather than reveal his true scars.

  “I know you.”

  “You know nothing,” he snapped.

  Si-Moon’s eyes narrowed.

  Zar breathed out through his nose and tried to wrangle the anger back. It was a slippery slope and he did not want to startle Si-Moon. She was already sensitive to those with a temper.

  Denizi.

  Zar’s fingers tugged into fists as he struggled to calm himself in the face of her accusations and mistrust.

  Si-Moon’s gaze landed on his hands. “Go ahead.”

  “Stop it.”

  “What are you going to do with those fists, Zar?”

  His nostrils flared.

  Si-Moon was baiting him. Though he knew this, Zar could not stop himself from sliding into the trap. Anger snapped through his body, lashing at him like metal whips.

  This female.

  This stubborn, head-strong human woman…

  Si-Moon shook her head, her voice cracking. “I’m going to look for Chozo and if he is not in this house safe and sound, Zar…”

  “What?” Zar narrowed his eyes. “What will you do, Si-Moon? Will you run away from me? Do you think you can?”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “I will hunt you down. Wherever you go.”

  Her chest heaved. “I am not your property.”

  “You are my mate.”

  “So you can control me?”

  “You are mine. When I invaded your heat, I took you as my mate for life. You cannot run away from me.”

  “I don’t care what we did. Sex doesn’t give you permission to own me. It doesn’t give you the right… you bastard.” She glared at him. “I take care of myself. I always have and I always will.” She poked a finger in his chest. Right over the tattoo on his left pec. The one her tongue seemed to favor as, both times he’d mated her, she’d sucked there.


  It felt like a flame was burning between them. Out of control. Hotter and brighter than he could tame. Than he could stop.

  Tell her you care for her. Listen to the hurt beneath her words. Tell her what really happened to Chozo and end this madness.

  Zar ignored the voice in his head that sounded like his father’s during training. Neh. He would not grovel before Si-Moon again. He would not expose his heras only to have her stomp on him.

  Anger.

  More anger.

  More fury.

  It kept him strong.

  He needed to pull it closer.

  Si-Moon shook her head. “I am done.”

  “Neh.”

  “Get out of my way.”

  He folded his arms over his chest. “You stay here.”

  “Screw you, Zar!”

  “Did you just curse at me?”

  “I don’t need anyone.” Si-Moon’s dark glare pulsed through him. “I don’t need you.”

  “You do not mean those words.”

  “I do.”

  “Si-Moon…”

  “Where is Chozo?”

  He growled. “Gone.”

  Si-Moon stepped back. “I’m done.” She threw her arms up and yelled, “I’m done, Zar!”

  His heras flogged a hole in his chest, beating faster than he could control.

  Tell her the truth. Tell her what happened. Tell her that you will protect her. That you will die for her. That you do not control her. Tell her that her heras and her body are safe in your hands. That she is all you think about and you are willing to do whatever it takes to keep her happy.

  Zar roared.

  He chose anger instead.

  More of it.

  All of it.

  For so many sun cycles, he had chased down the Heronas. He had sought nothing but vengeance. And now that Zar had finally gotten a taste of a better life, of something sweet, of a future that he could build with Si-Moon, the Heronas swept back in and stole it from him.

  His glare darkened and he saw Si-Moon staring at him. Saw the fear flicker in her eyes as his countenance devolved into a fierce, furious mask. He saw her hands tremble and the little step back that she took.

  Zar, you are scaring her.

  The rational voice sounded farther and farther away.

  This was the Heronas’s fault.

  “Z-Zar…” Si-Moon inched back some more.

  Every last one of those blasted beasts would die.

  “Look, just calm down and—”

  He would tear them apart if it was the last thing he did.

  Turning, Zar strode from the room. He heard Si-Moon’s footsteps hurtling behind him, but he did not turn to her.

  His mate was angry with him.

  She did not trust him.

  He could lose her.

  The thought spurred him on. Made him stride faster. Made him leave Si-Moon behind.

  He had to fix this. If she left, if she really meant those words, he would be alone. All he would have was his hatred. The loss would break him and so, Zar would break every Heronas he could get his hands on before that happened.

  Korben strode toward him. “Zar, we—”

  He marched right past the terros, his eyes on the exits. His mind travelled to that moment right after he’d tasted Si-Moon’s sweet places for the first time. Right after he’d allowed himself to consider that his future might not be as dismal as he’d always thought.

  That was the moment Chozo popped his head out of the bush.

  If they had not met the Heronas in that foliage, this never would have happened.

  Since the beginning, the Heronas had made his life miserable. They had stolen, pillaged, and kidnapped. They turned everything they touched into pain and torment.

  They killed his father.

  And he would never let it go.

  Never.

  “Zar, stop!” A hand clamped on his shoulder.

  He wrenched it free, shifting his weight forward and pulling the attacker over his shoulder. Korben landed hard on his back, the wind knocked out of him. His eyes were wide, and he stared at Zar as if he didn’t recognize him.

  Without stopping, Zar headed outside, climbed on his zapten and flew away.

  Thirty

  Simone

  Footsteps pattered towards her. The scent of flowery shampoo and soft touches on her back told her that the women had gathered around her. Simone’s senses were flooded with their concern, but her eyes didn’t see anything. They lingered on the doorway where Zar had disappeared.

  “Simone, are you okay?” Sara asked, but her voice sounded distant. Like it was coming out of a tin can. She felt hands grabbing her shoulders and straightening her out.

  Her fists remained on the sides of her head as frustration billowed through her mind. Like the acid rain that had crept up on them a few days ago, she felt the sting of it burn everything in her head.

  The women leaned with her, holding her upright.

  “Korben!” Sara screamed. “Korben!”

  Korben appeared and crouched low in front of her. Simone barely registered his long hair, his purple eyes and his square jaw.

  Zar was all she could think about.

  “Si-Moon,” Korben said her name softly.

  She breathed hard. “He… Chozo…”

  “Si-Moon, what happened?”

  She opened her mouth, but no words came out. The world was spinning around her. Shadows danced with red. The red of Zar’s rage. Of her own pain. Of the words she’d hurled that had pierced him.

  She’d seen the moment she hurt him. She saw it as if she’d thrown a long spear and stabbed him through the chest. His entire body had jerked when she threatened to leave him. His chest had caved in and he looked like someone had stepped on his head.

  But I had to. For Chozo…

  “Give her some space,” Korben said, gesturing to Emma, Lilliana and Kia. When Sara started to move back, he gripped her wrists. “My heras, you stay.”

  The other Plutonians joined them, forming a circle around her. From the corner of her eye, Simone saw Kia turn into Pin’s chest.

  She knew she probably looked like a madwoman.

  She knew she was scaring everyone.

  If she could stop this pain, she would.

  If she could grab a knife and carve Zar out of her mind, out of her heart, out of her soul, she would do that. Just to end this insanity.

  Another pair of knees hit the ground. Sunlight glinted against a soft white tunic and dark brown skin.

  Sara’s quiet voice slipped beneath the chaos. “Simone, you need to breathe.”

  “I… can’t,” she broke out in a tense voice.

  “What you’re feeling is the mate connection,” Sara explained.

  “What?” She moaned.

  “The technology used to connect a Plutonian’s thoughts to their zaptens was inserted into your neural connector. It channels the bond between mates like a conduit.”

  “No.”

  “Simone, listen to me. The more you fight the mate connection, the more it will hurt. You have to accept it. You have to embrace it.”

  She trembled. “If I do… I’ll get hurt.”

  “It’s okay to be scared. Love is scary. It’s the most frightening thing in the world to be so vulnerable with someone. To give them your heart hoping that they’ll take care of it when you’ve seen so many other people who’ve gone down that path only to end up with broken hearts and regret. It doesn’t matter if you’re on earth or on an alien planet, trusting someone to be there for you, to honor their vows, to protect, cherish and honor you… that’s nerve-wracking. No, it’s insane.”

  She gasped for breath, her palm flat on the floor and Zar’s anger pulsing through her. “What… are you… saying?”

  “That it’s easy for them.” She glanced at Korben with a small smile. “It’s easy for them to accept the mate bond because they’ve heard about it all their lives. Their fathers trained them to be males who would pro
tect their mates and they choose a lifestyle of integrity and faithfulness. With me and Korben, it was the same thing. He accepted me easily and I fought it. Sometimes, I still do.”

  “She’s right.” Kia approached them hesitantly. “It’s a lot, having someone’s feelings in your head. Sometimes, it’ll surprise me. I’m still not use to that kind of connection. And it just gets deeper with time.”

  Simone glanced up and saw Pin watching his mate intently, as if he would jump into the fray and drag her back if he saw even a hint of danger.

  But Simone didn’t want to hurt anybody.

  She just wanted the chaos to stop.

  “If you want the pain to stop, you have to accept it, Simone,” Sara said gently. “You chose him. You agreed to be his mate. The mate connection only forms when there was a choice. When both parties made the commitment. You can’t run away. You have to...”

  “I can’t!” Simone roared.

  Both Kia and Sara blinked rapidly.

  Simone trembled as she held her head and flattened her face against the floor, hoping the position would bring some relief. “He took Chozo.”

  “What?” Sara exclaimed.

  “He took Chozo,” Simone muttered, rocking as waves and waves of Zar’s hurt, pain and anger washed over her. “He took Chozo. He took him.”

  Kia’s voice was piping hot as she snapped at her mate. “Pin, explain this. Where the hell is Chozo?”

  “Neh, females.” Korben frowned. “You have it all wrong.”

  Simone straightened slowly. “What do you mean?”

  The terros exchanged a look with his warriors. Lans hovered close to Emma, standing in front of her with his broad shoulders tense and his frown severe on his roughly handsome face.

  Lilliana hid behind Tiegan who was staring at them with an indecipherable expression.

  Clavas stood to the side, his arms folded over his chest as he stared at the ground with a troubled look.

  Pin knelt beside his mate. “When we rescued Clavas from the Heronas, we thought we had made a clean getaway.”

  “But we didn’t,” Lans filled them in. “The Heronas sent drones to follow us. They scouted our dwelling and made camp to the east to spy on us.”

  “What?” Sara gasped. Her head whipped around. “Korben, why didn’t you tell me this?”