by Hope Hart
Saved By The Alien Warrior
Hope Hart
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Epilogue
Chapter One
Beth
Four weeks earlier
“I need a break.”
I turn and wince as my eyes meet Charlie’s. While none of us are looking our best after being abducted, crash-landing on this planet, and being forced to walk for hours, Charlie looks like she’s half dead.
Blood covers her face, and she’s so pale that she looks like a ghost.
Karok frowns, and I eye him. After the crash, all of us human women were trapped in a cage on the ship. The Voildi showed up and killed the surviving purple aliens who’d bought us after we’d been abducted from Earth by the Grivath and sold on a slave planet.
Karok seems to be the leader of this group.
From the look on Ellie’s face, I’m not the only one who finds this rescue a little too convenient. The Voildi are a pale-yellow color, and they’re almost naked except for the thin, dirty loincloths they’re wearing. A few of them are carrying long spears, and one of them keeps turning his head, scanning the area warily.
“We must keep moving if we are to make it to our camp by nightfall.”
Nevada shifts, her eyes narrowing as she examines the Voildi. From the expression on her face, it’s clear that she’s not impressed by what she sees.
“Charlie isn’t feeling well,” she says. “We can take ten minutes.”
We all stop, and I move closer to the edge of the clearing as a few of the other women huddle around Charlie. Most of us were in our pajamas when we were taken, and we’ve used some of the material as bandages and slings. Charlie’s wound has bled through the makeshift bandage though, and I lean closer to Ivy.
“I’m worried about her,” I murmur.
Ivy nods. “She has a concussion,” she says. “Her pupils are dilated, and she’s been puking into bushes along the way. She needs to rest.” Ivy’s dark eyes scan the group. “We all do.”
None of us are looking good. Truthfully, we’re lucky that we all survived the crash.
Ivy shifts on her feet, wincing. “Wish I was wearing shoes when I was kidnapped,” she mutters. She glances at my feet and raises her eyebrows. I curl my toes, embarrassed.
“I’m a dancer,” I say. After hours of walking barefoot on sharp stones and sticks, most of us are cut and bleeding. But my feet are covered in older bruises, two of my toenails are black, and one of my cracked toes is still covered in a dirty bandage.
She nods, and Ellie steps forward.
“Please,” she addresses Karok. “Do you know where we can find some water?”
Ivy tenses beside me, and I glance at her, but she’s staring at Karok, who has a weird smile on his face.
He shakes his head, and Ellie scowls.
The thought of water makes my hands shake I want it so badly. My tongue keeps sticking to the roof of my mouth, and I have the kind of headache that only comes from dehydration.
“Oh my God!” Zoey screams. I turn, stumbling back as three giant men suddenly jump out of the bushes where they must have been hiding. They’re roaring as they attack the Voildi, and my mouth drops open as I take them in.
Ivy reaches out and pulls Zoey toward us as we move further back. The men are huge—likely at least seven feet tall. One of them has ripped his shirt, and his shoulder and chest make it evident that while the men are certainly male, they could never be mistaken for humans.
Scales, I think distantly as I stare at the blue-green pattern on his skin. I’m pretty sure those are scales.
All of them have longer hair than I’m used to seeing on Earth, and more importantly, they’re all carrying huge swords. The Voildi let out high-pitched growls, immediately surrounding them.
One of the huge men laughs, baring his teeth as the Voildi draw their own swords.
Karok’s head hits the ground.
It happens so quickly that I almost miss it, one of the huge men slashing his sword lightning fast.
I lean over and puke, my eyes watering as I gag on what little is left in my stomach. I lift my head, and a scream rips from my throat as a hard arm encircles my waist and pulls me back.
I throw elbows, but someone’s lifting me. The arm is yellow. Yellow like the Voildi who were just taking us to safety. The arm is clamped around my waist like a vise, and no matter how desperately I claw at it, it’s not budging.
Are these Voildi rescuing us from the fight? If so, why didn’t they help the other women too?
When I was younger, I had panic attacks. I would be walking to dance class or on the bus, and suddenly I’d be certain I was going to die—right then, in that moment.
Doctors call it a feeling of impending doom. All I know is that there was nothing worse than suddenly feeling that something was very, very wrong.
This is that same feeling. I know with complete certainty that something terrible is going to happen. And I sure as hell shouldn’t be separated from the other women.
“Help!” I scream, lifting my head. I catch a flash of Ivy’s red hair out the corner of my eye. How many of us have been taken?
No one’s coming to help, and the fighting continues. I choke out a sob, struggling uselessly as thin tree branches hit my face.
I pound my hands against the Voildi’s back, but it’s as if I’m a bug. Blood pounds in my head as he begins running.
I scream again, and this time, the Voildi makes a sound of displeasure. Ivy’s yell reaches my ears, and another woman is shrieking like a wailing cat as we’re carried through the forest.
Splashes sound, and I raise my head slightly. We’re walking through water. It’s torture to see water so close as we cross the small stream, and I’d do anything to be able to reach down and grab a handful.
The alien takes large strides, and I realize we’re going up a hill. We reach the top, and I groan as I’m unceremoniously dumped on the ground.
“Ow, fuck!” I glare up at my captor and freeze.
He’s a Voildi. His skin is the same shade of yellow as the others’, his teeth sharp and pointed as he bares them at me. I glance around as a scuffle sounds, and Ivy elbows one of the Voildi in the face. Unfortunately, he’s fucking fast. His hand lashes out and slaps her hard enough that she drops to her knees, cursing as she stumbles back up to her feet.
Zoey is dumped next to me, and we both watch as Ivy dances back from the Voildi.
I blink as I stare at him.
These Voildi are dressed differently than the others, and they’re wearing actual clothes, without a loincloth to be seen.
My eyes widen as I hear a roar in the distance. We’re still close to the other women. And these assholes aren’t our rescuers at all.
I meet Zoey’s eyes, and both of us open our mouths, screaming. If the others can hear us, maybe they’ll be able to—
A Voildi grabs me by the hair, pulling me to my feet and slapping his hand over my mouth. Zoey trembles next to me, while Ivy takes another slap to the face, and the Voildi she’s fighting pulls o
ut a cloth, gagging her with quick movements.
Her eyes meet mine, and I almost flinch at the rage in them. I struggle, but I’m hopelessly outweighed.
The Voildi may not be oversized and muscled like the massive sword-waving aliens who attacked, but they’re strong and still larger than us.
One of them mutters something to the others, and they hold us still for long moments. Ivy is doing something with her hands, and my eyes widen. I glance away, checking that none of the Voildi are watching.
She’s ripping her pajamas. They’re bright pink, with Mickey Mouse printed on them. I blow out a breath. Thank God Ivy is with us. While I’m freaking out, she clearly has some kind of plan in mind.
She crumples up a small piece of material in her fist, and then we wait.
The Voildi tense as voices sound, and I struggle wildly as a low one reaches us. Whoever those giant alien warriors are, the other women have obviously decided to trust them. And since they’re not the ones holding us here against our will, I’m more than ready to trust them too.
Tears prick my eyes as the voices fade. The other Voildi relax, and then Zoey and I are gagged too before we’re all thrown over their shoulders again.
I reach for my gag, and the Voildi behind us slaps my hand away.
“Take it off, and we will tie your hands,” he says.
The Voildi carrying me seems to take the lead, and we travel for hours.
I try to keep track of where we’re going, but every time I lift my head, all I see is the Voildi carrying Zoey. He likes to smirk at me, and I memorize his face. When I get free…
I snort. Yeah, that’s real likely.
I’ve always been a big believer in karma. We live in an unfair world, and when someone chooses to be a dick, sometimes the only thought you have to cling to is that one day, karma will rise up and slap them across the face.
What goes around comes around.
So how and why did this happen to me? I keep to myself. I’ve never murdered anyone. Sure, I tell a few white lies, but I don’t cheat or steal. I’m a good person, goddamnit.
I’ve worked hard my whole life to achieve what has just been ripped away from me.
Whatever I did in a past life must’ve been a real doozy. ’Cause that bitch karma has just hit me real hard.
Zarix
“You’ve only been at camp for three days. If you want to leave already, why don’t you join Varish’s hunting party?”
I scowl at Dexar, who raises his eyebrow as he sits languidly on his throne.
“You know I prefer to hunt alone.”
“The others are talking. ‘Why does Zarix get to hunt alone?’ they ask.” He’s obviously mimicking one of his advisers. “‘Why won’t he take a mate?’”
I feel my frown deepen. “You are the king. Who are they to question you?”
Dexar smiles, but I’m not stupid enough to believe he will be content with the stroke to his ego. Dexar was once a warrior himself, and his strategies in battle and defense have ensured that our tribe is the largest of all the Braxians’.
We own more land and wealth than all the other tribes combined. Our warriors are well fed, and while we suffer just as other tribes suffer from the shortage of females, we have only one true enemy.
The Voildi.
My blood heats, and I fight to keep my rage from showing on my face. If Dexar believes that I am on the edge, he will refuse to allow this mission.
“They’re making plans,” I tell him, forcing my voice to remain even. “I believe they are planning to attack a Braxian tribe.”
All amusement disappears from Dexar’s face. “What makes you believe this?”
“My sources say that some of the Voildi packs have been seen meeting in private. They have never done this before.”
Voildi hunt in small numbers, taking food back to their packs, which are usually made up of fewer than fifty of the creatures. For this reason, they have never been a true threat to Braxian tribes. Even the smallest tribe would have enough warriors to fight off an attack from a Voildi pack—likely without taking any casualties themselves.
But if the Voildi are cooperating…
My hands fist, and I take a deep breath as I force them to relax.
Dexar examines me with cool eyes. “You believe they are working together?” he asks.
I nod. “I think the small thefts and scuffles have been nothing more than diversions as they take note of our defenses and examine how each tribe operates.”
He stands and waves away a servant who offers him a plate of food. Dexar jerks his head, and we move through the crowd and out of the huge kradi where he holds court.
We enter the meeting room, and Dexar gestures for me to sit as he takes a seat himself.
In spite of the seriousness of our conversation, I feel a jolt of amusement. Dexar lounges in this chair as if it, too, is a throne. If I asked his mother, I would bet that she would tell me that he came out of the womb with an imperious, slightly bored expression on his face and let out a heavy sigh as he took in all the fuss.
“Rakiz has told me that they, too, are seeing an increase in Voildi attacks,” he says. “One of them managed to steal a mishua from their pen.”
I raise an eyebrow. Rakiz’s tribe is one of the largest, and his warriors are to be feared. If the Voildi have dared to steal from them…
“They’re getting braver,” I say.
Dexar nods, his eyes on me. “If it is as you believe and they’re working together, we must know which tribe they’re planning to attack.”
Triumph hits me, and I fight to keep it from showing. Dexar is well aware of my need to make the Voildi pay, but if he believes I am unable to focus on the task, he will send someone else in my place.
“This will require stealth,” I tell him. “Which is why I need to go alone.”
He gives me a long look, and I meet his eyes without looking away. Finally, he nods.
“Find out everything you can about how many Voildi are working together and the tribe they’re targeting. Once we know, we can prepare the tribe and lay a trap.”
I bare my teeth in what I’m sure is a feral smile. “And finally take care of the Voildi for good.”
Chapter Two
Beth
I groan as I hit the ground again. My mouth is so dry that if I wasn’t gagged, I’d be begging our captors for water.
We’re in another clearing—this one much smaller than the last. I pull my legs close and watch as Ivy and Zoey each fall to the ground with a thump.
Zoey turns sheet white, and I wince for her. We were taken by the Grivath to a slave planet and sold. Zoey tripped and fell when we were being loaded onto the ship by our new “owners,” and one of them kicked her in the ribs. Hard.
She looks out of it, her face gray and her forehead covered in sweat. Ivy pulls herself up onto a fallen tree, and we watch as the Voildi huddle, ignoring us as they talk amongst themselves.
The Voildi have been careful to erase their tracks—going as far as to head in one direction and then walk backward before switching to another direction. They must be pretty scared of the huge warriors if they’re making such an effort.
Ivy shifts, and I almost grin as she stuffs another piece of material inside the log. Her pajamas are nothing but rags now, but if anyone comes looking for us, maybe they’ll be able to spot the clues she’s left behind.
I put my hands behind me and begin ripping up grass as one of the Voildi rolls his shoulders.
“Let’s switch,” he says loudly, glancing at me. “I’ll carry the skinny one.”
I frown at him, and my hand comes up almost of its own volition as I wag my middle finger at him.
Ivy laughs around her gag, and even Zoey winks at me. The Voildi examines me for a long moment before finally turning away dismissively.
Good to know these guys are struggling. They’re not much taller than Ivy, and while they’re fast on their feet, it takes serious muscle to pick up a human and carry them for
hours.
The Voildi lift us again, and I slump, letting myself become deadweight. We’re not going to be able to escape anytime soon, so I may as well make it as difficult for them to carry me as possible.
I glance up at the sky, watching as the green darkens. It’ll be night soon, and our chances of freedom decrease as we get further from the others. I grind my teeth as the Voildi murmur about what to do with us.
“Not much flesh,” the one carrying me says, pinching the back of my thigh. I wiggle, trying fruitlessly to knee him, and he laughs.
“More bone than anything else,” his friend agrees from behind us. “This one looks juicy.” He slaps his hand against Zoey’s ass, and I gag.
Are they talking about…eating us?
“You know what Killis said. Bring them back alive. He has plans.”
Zoey is silent, and I crane my head, but all I can see are her legs. She must be in excruciating pain upside down. I’m sure she has at least one cracked rib after the kick she took from that purple motherfucker on the slave planet.
When we walked off the crashed ship, I saw him slumped over, dead next to the stairs.
See? Karma.
Finally, their steps slow, and I flinch at the sound of laughing.
“I knew you’d find them. All we had to do was follow Atar’s pack. Where are the rest?”
The Voildi carrying me growls. “Braxians,” he says, and his friend curses.
Once again, my ass hits the ground, and I glance around.
We’re in a large clearing, staring at a cave entrance, and all eyes are on us. There must be twenty or thirty Voildi here, and more are coming out of the cave.
“Get up,” one of them says, and I slowly get to my feet. Zoey’s face is bloodless as she makes it to her knees, and one of the Voildi steps forward, raising his hand as if to hit her.
