She stared at the blue alien as he brought his metal dinosaur to land in a thick grove of trees. A small creek ran nearby, producing a happy, gurgling sound effect.
Two moons sank in the horizon. They shed a purple cast that speared the darkness and dispelled the stars. Day would break soon. And then where would she be? What would she do?
It wasn’t like this alien warrior had volunteered to be her protector. They’d broken out of prison together. Big whup. He probably had things to do. Aliens to see.
She only had herself to depend on.
Always.
She needed to make some plans, but to do that, she needed to communicate with this big guy.
Lifting her chin, Simone strode up to the blue alien warrior. He turned swiftly to her and, for a second, fear flashed through her body.
He’d saved her at least twice in the last hour, but who could blame her for being cautious? This blue alien was a hunk of pure, bold muscle. The tattoos that covered his blue skin looked menacing. His thinning hair was long and blew freely in the wind, but even that couldn’t soften him up. He was too big. Too muscular. Too… much.
Too much alien for her to handle.
Not that she wanted to handle him.
Her eyes dropped to his pants and then darted back up.
She meant…
Simone’s heart started racing as she struggled to catch her breath.
Insane.
She was officially insane.
Why on earth would she even think about this alien sexually? He probably wasn’t into humans. Of course not. And even if he was, he would never be into her. After all, she was the reminder of that horrible time in the prison. Of the shock collar. Of the pain.
Running a hand over her cornrows, Simone licked her lips.
Focus, girl.
“Hey,” she strode up to him, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt, “can you drop me off somewhere safe?”
He blinked steadily at her.
“Saaafe.” She drew the words out. “Preferably with other humans.” From the organized way the octopus aliens had captured them, Simone had a dark feeling that they’d kidnapped humans before. Plenty of them. Those octopus aliens had been too calm. Too in control. Too knowledgeable.
She hated the thought, but she also knew that humans were scrappy and resourceful. They might have built their own colonies here. Hopefully, not every woman on this planet had been locked in cages and forced to endure harrowing…
No.
She wouldn’t think that.
There had to be survivors.
And if there wasn’t, she’d be the first.
She already was a survivor on earth anyway.
The blue alien just kept staring at her.
“Hey.” She waved a hand in front of his rugged face. Where this confidence was coming from, Simone had no idea. But he hadn’t hurt her yet and she’d bank on the fact that he wouldn’t do so in the future. “Mr. Alien? Yes. You with the tail. Is there some way—?”
Her words got caught in her throat when his big thumb landed on her cheek. She stopped abruptly, her entire body shutting down and focusing on the gentle sensation.
The alien tilted his head and brought his thumb up between them. She winced when she saw that he’d scraped off blood from her cheek. Simone rubbed her skin and more blood caked off her.
The alien’s eyebrow nubs pulled together. Thin lips pressed into an angry line. She saw the blaze sparking to life in his purple eyes and it made her smile.
“It’s not mine,” she said, holding her cheek up for his inspection. “See?” She scrubbed harder and the rest of the blood came off. “It’s from the fight. It’s evil alien… spatter.”
He turned abruptly and walked away.
“Hey!” Simone followed him. “Look, we need to talk.”
The alien flipped open another one of his cool boxes that expanded at his touch. His back muscles rippled in the early morning light. Cords and cords of muscles.
Goodness.
She pulled her eyes away from the sight. “What do you plan on doing with me?”
The alien pulled something out and strode to the creek. He crouched low, dipped it into the water and rose slowly.
Simone slapped her hands on her hips as indignation built in her chest. “I know we can barely understand each other, but we have to try.”
The alien grunted and whirled on her. She pulled back on instinct, but he caught her wrist and yanked her closer. Cradling her chin in one hand, he lifted a small, damp cloth and gently grazed her face with it.
Simone’s breath caught in her chest. It wasn’t just his kindness that stunned her. It was the fact that this huge, brutish blue alien touched her with such gentleness. It was almost as if he were afraid she would crack like glass. Like one firm squeeze would shatter her.
The alien swept the cloth over her face. Down her neck. Over her arms. Her elbows. In between each of her fingers. Simone stood there, only loosely tethered to her body. She felt like she was floating. Like some haze had come over her. She was locked there, and she wouldn’t be able to escape this time.
The alien lifted her hand and inspected it like some sculptor with his prized painting. In a low, deep voice, he said, “Zar.”
“W-what?”
“Zar.” His eyes flicked up. Hard. Firm. So, so sexy. He tapped his chest. “Zar.”
Oh. His name.
A rattled breath escaped her lips. “Simone.”
His eyes narrowed.
She lifted a trembling hand and pointed to her face. “See-moan.”
“Moon.”
“No. Moan. Moaan.”
“Si-Moon.”
She laughed softly. “Guess that’ll work.”
His expression softened when she laughed. She saw the shift like it was magic. The hard planes of his square jaw, the deathly promise in his eyes, the unbending line of his lips, it all softened a smidge. Like someone had turned a harsh light to a softer, more mellow glow. The light was still bright, still a little too bold and dangerous, but it was easier on the eyes.
She held his gaze, her own heart fluttering like crazy.
Zar released her hand and Simone almost cried out in disappointment. Stepping back, he went to the smaller box again and pulled out a flask.
“Si-Moon, dama.”
“Dama?”
He uncapped the top and took a swig. “Dama.”
“T-thanks.” She drank the water and it tasted a little more bitter than the one on earth. Still, she was thirsty and consumed as much as she could.
He swept his gaze over her body and shyness stole over her. It made her duck her head and rub her fingers nervously over her cornrows. She usually wore a wig during the day, so her hair was braided flat to accommodate that. She didn’t go to bed with her extensions and now she wished she had.
Simone could just imagine what a sight she was. Hair braided back and frizzing. Dark circles under her eyes from exhaustion. Shapeless tunic hiding her best physical asset—her curves.
And why do you want Zar to notice your best physical assets?
Yeah. She wasn’t touching the answer to that question with a ten-foot pole.
Zar folded his massive arms over his chest. “Si-Moon, ez reet meh.”
“What?” She scrunched her nose. “I don’t understand.”
He stepped towards her. Something in his eyes made her tremble. Made her ease back.
Zar kept coming.
Simone kept retreating.
Until she couldn’t anymore.
Until her back hit a tree.
The breath left her body in a whoosh and she glanced up as Zar stepped so close to her that she could see every black fleck in his purple irises. Her chest heaved and it brushed against his. The soft contact caused heat to flash through her body.
“Zar, what are you doing?” she whispered, hating that her voice trembled with something that sounded a little too close to need.
His eyes dropped to her li
ps and stayed there.
Simone’s heart flipped over.
Was he going to kiss her?
Eight
Zar
What was he going to do with this female?
The question pounded through his mind, aching to the rhythm of his hardness.
It had been a mistake to touch her face. Zar knew that now. The line he had crossed was a small one, but it was great in his eyes.
He knew what Si-Moon’s skin felt like.
He knew its scent.
Sweet. Light. Unfamiliar.
He’d grazed his fingertips over her soft flesh. So delicate. So fragile.
Why had Destin made a creature so susceptible to the elements? To injury? To pain? Si-Moon’s skin was holo-thin, he could see the venas swimming beneath it. Dark threads that formed the tapestry of life beneath her flesh. That gave blood to her heras.
An enemy could simply rake his claws out and shred her. Tear her to bits. It would not even require much effort.
The thought of Si-Moon in such an enemy’s hands made Zar’s jaw harden. What was it about this human female that brought out these strong instincts?
He did not give his loyalty easily. Zar had been a lone Plutonian since his father’s death. He had joined a tribas only recently after being rescued from a Heronas raid by Korben and his warriors.
His heras had been closed off to all others.
Until her.
Until Si-Moon.
Which was a problem.
Zar had a mission. The Healer had been taken by the Heronas three sun-rotations ago. Their only chance of getting him back was to bring a human female in exchange.
The very key to his species’ salvation had stumbled into his hands. He had no choice but to present Si-Moon as a sacrifice for the good of all.
And yet his heras rejected that plan so firmly, he knew that it would not be so.
Never.
He would never turn her over to the Heronas.
Zar would rather die first.
But simply leaving the Healer to perish did not appeal either. His species depended on the Healer’s abilities to keep them alive. Since the Red Death where all the females had perished, the Plutonian species had access to near immortality with the Healer’s gifts. If the species lost him…
Neh. It could not be.
But neither could he avoid the trade for the Healer’s life.
He needed a solution.
Now.
Zar approached Si-Moon determinedly. She turned skittish, her eyelashes flapping like a winged creature and her bare feet shuffling back into the dirt.
Mate her. The thought latched into his mind and burrowed deep beneath his skin. If he slicked her with his heat and made her his own, Korben would not be able to offer her up to the Heronas.
In the Plutonian culture, a male’s duty—above that of his tribas—was to his family. The female was the priority. Always. No exceptions. And it was the male’s responsibility to ensure the success of the union.
It was a principle that had caused most of their couplings to be happy and last decades. At least, before the Red Death wiped out all Plutonian females.
This case was slightly different. Zar did not expect Simone to carry his young. This was not about the procreation of his species; it was about keeping her safe.
Are you sure this is not about your desire, Zar?
The thought breezed through his head just as Si-Moon’s back hit a tree. She gasped softly and his pants tightened in response.
He was attracted to her. She was an intriguing female, capable of unlocking a Heronas torture device and stubborn enough to lift a heavy laser sword. She made his heras tremble and his hardness rise and throb.
Zar’s gaze dropped to her lips. He had never sucked on a female’s mouth before. Whispers of what it was like had run rampant in the traveling camps.
Drunk on spirits, lone males from different species would gather around the fire and speak of what a female tasted like when she was dripping with desire, the way it slid down her thighs and coated a male’s heat with pleasure.
Zar growled low and shook his head to clear the thought.
Once.
He would only mate with her once.
Just to claim her.
To keep her safe.
It would not be a means to explore her body. To taste her sweetness. To see just how accurate those tales of female pleasing had been. It would simply be his unique brand of protection.
Of course, it all depended on Si-Moon. His idea was half-baked in any event. Perhaps she would not want to mate with the male whom the Heronas had intended to harm her.
Zar dropped his thumb on her bottom lip and felt the slight tug of her skin against his flesh. She trembled and he studied her intently. The way her eyes darkened. The way her fingers dug into her dress. The way she responded to him…
It was not as one with fear.
He knew fear. He could instill it simply by appearing.
This female was not afraid of him.
Neh.
She was shaking because of something else.
“What should I do, Si-Moon?” He rubbed her bottom lip the other way. Denizi. It was so soft. So unbelievably tempting. “To lift your tunic and pin you against this tree would mean binding you to me for life.” His hardness twitched, begging to walk out his words.
He gritted his teeth to keep from falling prey to his desires. Deliberation. Thought. He still needed to think this through.
“We cannot understand each other and thus you will not understand what such a mating would mean.” He sighed heavily. “And yet if I turn you over to Korben, you may face a fate much worse than binding your life unknowingly to me.”
Was there another option?
Perhaps he could deliver her to their allies. The Zahranians? Or…
Neh.
Zar knew not why he felt this way, but he needed this female close. His eyes needed to be on her, to ensure she was safe. To protect her with his life. To be her shield.
Would any other being have such an inclination? Would they gladly trade their lives for this female?
Neh.
It would be irresponsible to leave her behind.
It would be unthinkable to give her back to the Heronas from whom they had just fled.
Mating was the only option.
“Zar…” Simone’s voice was a whisper.
His thumb paused on her lip.
The female leaned into him but before their lips could meet, her eyes darted over his shoulder and widened in terror. “Zar!”
He heard the bullet too late.
It flew past his head and hit the bark of the tree, so close to Si-Moon’s ear it might have burned her. She screamed and the sound dragged him into action.
His spine dagger unleashed in a second, tearing out of his neck in a sharp spike. Mouth open on a furious roar, Zar broke off the dagger and spun to face the bastards who would dare to endanger the female he had just vowed to protect.
She had distracted him.
Si-Moon.
With her tempting fragrance and those plump lips that begged for his touch. With those eyes that did not fear him and those smiles that could plunder his heart.
If he had not been so caught up in her, he would have heard his enemy’s approach. They were not quiet.
Zar’s temper ignited, not only at the bastards who dared to attack him, but at himself for losing his senses to the human female with the dark skin and darker hair.
He spun completely, expecting to see the Rulari in their hovercrafts. Shaggy creatures with metal manes and thick black armor met his eyes instead. His eyes widened and he felt a moment of hesitation. The Heronas had not come after him themselves.
They had sent the Rulari.
Nine
Simone
Simone didn’t know what shocked her more—the fact that she almost kissed an alien or the fact that they were interrupted by lion aliens with sword-guns blazing.
One ma
tter was, obviously, more urgent than the other. But Zar fondling her lips had already spiked her adrenaline and now they were facing yet another life-threatening event. Yay me. Simone wasn’t sure if she was more disappointed that the danger wasn’t over or that she didn’t get that kiss.
Zar spun and faced the guards. The roar that trembled from his mouth caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand at attention. He was so dangerous. And the fact that she felt such a magnetic attraction to him terrified her.
She heard the trod of boots on the grass and peered past Zar. A troop of lion aliens rose above the plains. She counted at least twelve pairs of beady eyes peering past thick manes.
Simone didn’t need to be a programmer to understand the math here.
One Zar.
Twelve lion aliens.
Odds were definitely not in their favor.
Suddenly, Zar yanked her by the hand and pulled her around the tree. A rain of bullets started again. She squealed, ducking into Zar’s chest and hiding from the barrage.
One bullet bounced against his skin.
She literally saw it bounce. The shot that could squash her lungs simply fell back like a dazed child who just hit a glass door.
Simone’s jaw dropped.
Zar held her shoulders tight and shook her. “Si-Moon, taye het.”
She winced. “I don’t…”
“Taye!” He jabbed a finger at the exact spot where she was standing. “Taye.”
Simone stiffened. From the way he was jamming his finger and the strict tone of his voice, he was asking—no instructing her to wait behind the tree.
She didn’t know why she felt so insulted by that. Technically, Zar was the one with the bullet-repellent skin and she certainly did not have that superpower, but did he forget that, just a few hours ago, she helped create the diversion that got them out of the evil alien prison? Why would he treat her like a misbehaving dog when the owners were leaving the house?
Simone, stay. Stay. Be a good girl.
She scoffed, watching as he darted around the tree, eyes hard as flint and fists clenched. Self-preservation warred with her anger. She wanted to live. Her best chances of surviving this lion alien scrimmage was to hide. But something about that irritated her. She was more than some damsel in distress.
The Alien Warrior's Heart : A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Plutonian Warriors Book 3) Page 4