The Alien's Challenge: A SciFi Alien Warrior Romance (Drixonian Warriors Book 6)

by Ella Maven

  I did. Thinking of how Varnex treated his females and how they feared him showed me how I treated Tabitha was nothing like that. It wasn’t as dishonorable as I’d made it out to be in my head. The truth and rightness of what we shared together clicked into place. “You belong to me, Tab,” I whispered, my lips skimming her jaw. “And I belong to you.”

  “Yes.” She ran her hands through my hair. “Give and take.”

  “I want to very much give you my cock right now and watch you take it.”

  She huffed a laugh before sobering quickly. “Please? Just in case…” She let her words fade. She didn’t have to say them. I knew what she meant. In case tomorrow you die.

  “I can’t spread you out as much as I’d like,” I nibbled her lips. “The guards are nearby. I don’t want them seeing any of you. I’ll take you properly after I crush Varnex’s head beneath my fists.”

  She moaned and her hips rolled against me. “Ugh, why is that hot?”

  I chuckled as I pressed my lips to hers. When her breath hitched, and her mouth opened on a gasp, I delved inside tasting every area of my Tabby I could reach with my tongue.

  “Let me make you come, my Tabby,” I whispered.

  “Like I’m going to say no,” she breathed.

  Beneath the furs, I hiked up her dress and pressed against her center, finding her slick already. My cock jerked in my pants, seeking her heat, but it would have to wait. I refused to come inside her for the first time while chained to a tree. I plunged my fingers inside of her, and she moaned as her hips jerked.

  Her breasts bounced against me, and I freed a nipple to tug into my mouth. “Oh,” she breathed, her hair tickling the base of my horns and the sides of my head. “Love the way you touch me, Xav.”

  The guards had to have known what we were doing, despite our effort to keep quiet. Tabby was a noisy thing and I didn’t want to miss out on hearing the pleasured sounds roll off her tongue.

  When she came, her inner walls rippled around my fingers, and her little teeth latched onto my shoulder. I tugged my cock from my pants and on a long, low groan I came in my fist.

  The scent of us filled my nose, and I was still hard despite coming.

  She stared into my eyes, her soft hands stroking my face.

  With my come-covered hand, I rubbed my release all over her cunt. I should have asked first, but other than an initial jolt when I touched her, she remained in my lap, her eyes half-closed. When I felt she was sufficiently coated with me and I’d marked her enough, I withdrew my hand.

  With a wicked smile, she grabbed my wrist and licked my palm. I nearly came again. “I like knowing you’ll smell like me tomorrow.”

  Her cheeks reddened in the dark. “Me too.”

  She didn’t leave my lap, and I was reluctant to separate from her. Eventually she slid down my chest to curl up in my lap like a welf pup. As tired as I was, my mind wouldn’t calm as I thought about what the next rotation held.

  My eyes had finally closed when I felt the hair on the back of my neck prickle, and I didn’t have to turn around to know who was there. “Hello, Sherif.”

  Leaves rustled behind me, and Tabitha made a little snort in her sleep, but didn’t wake.

  He crouched beside me, and I turned my head to see him signal to the guards to leave us. They ambled away quickly.

  “I would not have chosen to take your cruiser down.”

  I didn’t expect him to admit that was the work of the Kaluma. “What’s done is done.”

  “Waste of resources,” he muttered.

  “How did you come to possess a long-range weapon?”

  “We bought it off-world, back when we used to travel.”

  We fell silent, and I ran my fingers through Tabitha’s hair. Sherif’s gaze strayed to my sleeping mate. He swallowed and clenched his jaw in a rare sign of emotion.

  “Did you decide whether you want me to win or your father?” I asked.

  “Who he is now is not my father.” He tapped a stick on the ground. “If you win tomorrow, I will give you an audience to hear why you sought us out. But I make no promises we will honor your request.”

  I inclined my head. “Fair.”

  “Varnex will insist on a spiked club for a weapon. You’ll have your machets.”

  Again, I nodded.

  He finally met my gaze, the glowing orbs studying me in a way that made me way to squirm. I resisted.

  “He has fought Drix before. He will go for your eyes and your neck first. Then your gut.”

  He didn’t want to tell me this. Despite his cold eyes, the set of his lips told me every word pained him. No matter if he believed his father was no longer himself, telling an enemy how to beat him still must have felt like the ultimate betrayal.

  “He will act fast before he wears out. Stay the course. It’ll be long and bloody.” Without another word or my acknowledgement, he blanked out before my eyes. I could barely detect a slight shimmer in the air as he walked away. Still, I called after his retreating form. “You’re doing the right thing.”

  Silence met my words, and I figured he didn’t hear me, until I heard the words drifting through the night air. “We’ll see tomorrow at sundown.”

  “Yes, we will,” I whispered into the dark. I fell asleep holding my Tabby close.

  Tabitha

  The flickering lights from the torches cast eerie shadows over the arena. The mood was electric as dozens of warriors lined the fence, some sitting on top while others perched in tree branches from above. It felt like something out of a Mad Max movie—the Mel Gibson versions.

  I stood next to Xavy along one edge of the rectangular fence as we awaited the arrival of his opponent. If the arena had been a football field then Sherif would have stood outside the fence at the fifty-yard-line, and I found that quite interesting, as if he wanted to appear neutral. Xavy had told me about his visit the night before, and my heart went out to him.

  He looked anything but vulnerable now. He stood with his feet braced apart, arms crossed over his chest. Only a few other warriors were larger than him. His hair hung down to his back, small braids interspersed in the long locks. His scales glowed in the flames, making him appear like a golden god. If I didn’t already have a mate, I would definitely be writing some sexy fantasies about Sherif.

  I’d been struck by his presence from the beginning, and it made me mourn for what Varnex had become. If he’d been anything like Sherif in his prime, then he must have been a well-respected leader. Now he was nothing but a madman bully, lost to his grief.

  Of course, I couldn’t imagine what it had been like to lose a mate and son, but he had another son right here, who clearly loved him despite his insanity. This was a beautiful settlement, rich in crops, and he was throwing it away.

  Standing to the side of Sherif was Bosa, who Wensla told me was in charge of the settlement’s defenses and close friends with Sherif. I remembered him as the one who’d appeared before us in the jungle right before one of his warriors clubbed Xavy in the head.

  Wensla said he wasn’t fond of Varnex, but that he’d never been great with authority. Above all, he detested outsiders, and that made me nervous. I worried that even when—I refused to think if—Xavy beat Varnex, would we still be able to plead our case? Would we be able to leave without harm? Bloodlust hung in the air like a vapor, and I could nearly taste the iron tang in my mouth.

  A shout arose from the other side of the fence followed by a steady drumbeat and chanting. The crowd there parted to reveal Varnex leading a pack of warriors. One flew a tattered golden flag over his head while another pounded the heels of his palms on a small bongo-like drum.

  Varnex strode forward with big dick energy swagger that made me gag. The entire thing was like a UFC entrance and it was so over the top, I rolled my eyes. “Who does this guy think he is, Conor McGregor?” I muttered under my breath. But even I had to admit the sound was a bit intimidating.

  Varnex had been oiled down, his feet bare, and besides the shiny ki
lt covering his man bits, he wore an elaborate fur vest with various golden adornments. The pelt belonged to what looked like a salibri relative, since its head was still intact, the open jaws and false eyes low over Varnex’s forehead.

  I shivered at the awesome effect. His braid hung over one shoulder. Bringing up the rear of his pack were his women. His harem. Wensla was in front, and she’d clearly been told to look the part, as her eyes were lined in black. They all wore jewelry in the same color as their necklaces.

  I met Wensla’s gaze and she gave me a sharp shake of her head—that meant she’d been unable to drug Varnex. My heart sank.

  I didn’t really get this display. Who was it for—Xavy? I glanced at him, but his expression held nothing. He’d been like that all day. Gone was the charming Xavy full of jokes.

  He worked out all day as best as he could tied to that damn tree. He ate and was kind to me, but I could tell his mind was on the fight the entire day.

  And now, he watched Varnex, though he didn’t seem to be focused on the pomp and circumstance of it all. He watched his opponent curiously, like I would watch a strange dog—cautiously to see if it were friendly, or if it would bite my head off.

  Varnex entered the arena through a small opening, two guards flanking him, which was another show of power. The guards weren’t going to fight for him, but he intended to intimidate. I wanted to throw up my hands and ensure him we were all thoroughly intimidated, and it would be nice if we could just get this fight moving.

  “I, Varnex Hawka, pardux of the Kaluma IV settlement, challenge this Drixonian invader to the death for property rights to the human breeder.”

  My stomach flipped over, and every hair on my body stood on end. Human breeder. I had no name; I was only a womb to him that he would own. I could have wept right there, and I almost did, until Xavy’s fingers found mine in the dark.

  He clasped our hands together and squeezed tightly.

  Our eyes met, his purple irises swam with love and confidence, two things that made me want to go to my knees and worship him. What had I done in this life to deserve him? Nothing, but I refused to believe his Fatas would give us our perfect match and then rip it away.

  “I believe in you,” I mouthed.

  His inhaled deeply, as if he wanted to suck the oxygen from my words. Then he gave me a brief nod before turning to Varnex. “I accept.”

  I glanced at Sherif, who watched his father with unveiled contempt. I shivered at the orange blaze reflected in his cloudy blue eyes.

  Varnex took his time removing his fur vest and handing it to a guard behind him. The drums continued to beat. A pardux, pardux, pardux chant remained at a lower volume.

  Once Varnex was divested of all his ridiculous accessories, the guards left the fence, and the pardux lifted his hands. The drumbeats and chants fell silent.

  I turned to leave, but Xavy gripped me around the back of my neck. I squeaked right before he planted a solid kiss on my lips. “Stay near Sherif,” he whispered.

  I nodded and blurted out the first three words that came to mind. “I love you.”

  His eyes warmed for a split second before Varnex made a grunting sound. Xavy’s pupils went dark. “Go.”

  I didn’t waste time. I ran to the side of the fence where Sherif stood and slid under the lowest rung. He didn’t touch me but gave me a chin lift in acknowledgement. Bosa shot me a caustic look, but another large warrior—I remembered him as the one who had grabbed me in the jungle—stepped up at my back to cage me against the fence. I glanced back, worried for a moment, but his expression was kind as he gave me a brief nod. I gripped the top bar of the fence and faced the arena.

  There was no announcer yelling “Let’s get ready to rumble!” or a referee. Just two warriors standing on either side of the arena facing off against one another. The ground was packed solid with dirt and had been cleared of debris.

  Xavy hadn’t let on he was still hurting from his beating, but when he didn’t know I was looking, I’d been able to tell he favored his ribs and wrist. However, now he stood tall and strong, his tail merely twitching as he held it off the ground by a few inches.

  “When are we doing this Varnex?” he called. “I’m ready to take my mate on a proper bed. I heard yours would be nice after a decent cleaning.”

  I groaned quietly. Of freaking course Xavy couldn’t help himself and had to trash talk.

  Without warning, Varnex blanked. Just…gone. Xavy tensed immediately dropped to a crouch, his machets out and his wrists crossed in front of his neck. His chin was lowered, only his eyes visible above his fists. His tail swept the ground all around him as if feeling for something. He went still a split second before his body was yanked to the side and he went sailing through the air. Sailing. Through. The. Air. Xavy was probably six-foot-five, two hundred and forty pounds, and Varnex had tossed him like he weighed nothing.

  I couldn’t breathe as he crashed into the fence with a wooden creak before landing on the ground with a thud. Shouts and cheers went up from the spectators. They viewed this entire fight as entertainment while I saw it as what could possibly be the end of my life. With a slight shake of his head, Xavy was back on his feet, arms crossed at his neck. He peered into the darkness, but I could tell he had no idea where Varnex was as his eyes darted from place to place.

  With a grunt, his body folded, and he fell onto his back before completing a backward roll onto his feet. The fight was fully engaged now, and the hits kept coming as Xavy sought to evade an invisible enemy.

  I could see when the blows connected, as his head rocked to the side or his leg was swept out from under him. It was like the scene in Fight Club when Ed Norton was punching himself, and it was the most surreal thing I’d ever witnessed. The noise was deafening around me, warriors jeering the “weak Drix.”

  Each time Xavy got up, I grew more and more anxious. He hadn’t gotten a hit in, not one. In fact, he’d been doing nothing but defending himself.

  “How is this fair?” I whispered. “How much more can he take?”

  Xavy spat on the ground, and the black liquid coloring the dirt made me nauseous. When he gritted his teeth, his fangs were stained with blood. He had a cut on his cheekbone, and the skin of one of his forehead nubs was split open, leaking blood into his eye.

  He was limping now, and his tail had all but fallen still. His crossed arms at his neck continually slipped lower, like he couldn’t hold them up, and I met Wensla’s eyes from across the arena.

  She didn’t even hide the trickle of tears leaking from her eyes. Gurla clung to her, weeping softly.

  Sherif hadn’t moved an inch. He stood watching carefully, his arms crossed over his chest. Bosa spoke to him in low tones while throwing me glares, but I ignored them. I wouldn’t let Xavy be out there alone.

  “Come on, Xav!” I shouted. “Focus. You can do this!”

  If he heard me, he didn’t acknowledge it. And that was when his head rocked back violently, and he crashed to the ground on his back. “Xavy!” I screamed as dread creeped down my spine to swirl in my gut like acid.

  He didn’t move.

  Fourteen

  Xavy

  I hated losing. Not because of the pain—I liked to fight, so pain always came with it. The taste of blood in my mouth was familiar, and I prodded at the cut on the inside of my cheek where my fangs had sliced into the thin flesh.

  But losing? Losing pissed me off. I had a lot of pride, maybe too much. Bu tonight, I had to lose, at least for a little bit. Varnex was tired. He might be invisible, but he was not silent.

  His breathing was fast and hot.

  I’d worked hard to tire him out. Every time I rose from one of his blows, I’d make him chase me. I had him doing laps around this arena without him even realizing it.

  I hadn’t told Tabitha my plan. I needed her emotions to be genuine.

  She had to believe I was hurt, but still the sound of her screaming my name in absolute terror was torture.

  This was all nece
ssary and part of my plan. Even down to the blood in my eye and coating my tongue. By now, I could just barely detect a slight shimmering and blurring of the background to clue me into Varnex’s body. I’d been studying this entire fight—gauging how close he had to be before I heard his breathing, when exactly I could see a brief outline of his form, which was when he was moving fast to strike.

  So that was when I knew he was coming to finish me off. I could just barely hear his labored breathing and feel the whoosh of air as he swiped his claws, aiming for my throat.

  I grinned.

  Rolling to the side, I heard the thud of his fist hitting the packed dirt, as well as the crunch of his knuckles. He roared in pain as I swiped my tail where I knew his legs were. When he hit the ground, I slashed my machets across his belly.

  A foot hit me in the thigh, and I stumbled back, but not before his body flickered before me. Dark blood puddled on the ground and I swiped at my bloody eyes. His scales clicked, and he rose before me as a visible warrior, panting hard with one hand wrapped around a massive gash across his stomach. Blood seeped out from between his fingers.

  He growled at me, and his scales flickered, but only a few clicked, and I saw the first glimmer of fear on his face. He couldn’t blank.

  I’d worn him out and injured him.

  “Now the fight really begins,” I spat at him and crouched in a fighting stance, my wrists crossed in front of my neck.

  “Pik!” he shouted, and someone outside the fence tossed him a spiked club. I cracked my neck. I’d expected this. The crowd was more jittery now, and when I risked a glance at Tabitha, she stood motionless, a pale vision against the backdrop of the bronzed Kaluma.

  Varnex swung his club at me, but I sidestepped it easily. His chest heaved, and his oiled body was covered in dust. His braid had come undone, so his hair hung in dirty tendrils around his shoulders.

  He pointed his club at me. “I was going to make your death quick. But now I think I’ll take you apart limb by limb and make the human watch.”