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I pivoted, sighted, and fired in one fluid motion. The branch disintegrated.

“The stone by the water’s edge,” Khaaz suggested, his voice holding a note I hadn’t heard before—approval?

I hit it dead center, the stone cracking neatly in two.

“Impressive,” Zehn said, and the pride in his voice made something warm unfurl in my chest. “Your aim is exceptional.”

“It’s easier without the recoil,” I admitted. “But thanks.”

“Here,” Khaaz handed me a holster from the pack. “It attaches to your thigh or hip, whichever you prefer.”

I strapped it to my thigh, sliding the pulse pistol into place. It felt right there, a comforting weight against my leg.

“Rodinian females are fierce warriors,” Zehn said, watching me adjust the holster. “It is one of our most valued traits. Astrong mate who can defend herself and her young is highly prized.”

I glanced up at him, unsure how to respond to that.

“It is an honor when such a female yields to a warrior,” he continued, his amber eyes holding mine. “Her strength makes her submission a gift, not a weakness.”

My cheeks heated again, but not from embarrassment this time. Something about the way he said it—like he was including me in that category of strong, fierce females—made me stand a little straighter.

“I’m not sure how fierce I am,” I said, “but I can definitely shoot.”

Khaaz approached with another weapon, this one longer, more like a rifle. “This has greater range and power,” he explained. “The principles are the same.”

For the next twenty minutes, they taught me how to use the rifle, adjusting my stance, showing me how to compensate for distance. To my surprise, I was good at it—really good. Each shot hit exactly where I aimed, the weapon’s lack of recoil allowing for a precision I’d never achieved with Earth guns.

“Keep them both,” Zehn decided, watching as I disintegrated a fruit hanging from a distant tree. “And these.” He handed me three knives of varying sizes, each with a blade that seemed to shimmer with an inner light.

“Molecular edge,” Khaaz explained, seeing my fascination with the blades. “They’ll cut through most materials with minimal effort.”

I carefully stored the knives in the pack and the holsters they provided. For the first time since being dragged into this mess, I felt something close to confidence. I might not be a seven-foot alien warrior, but I could contribute. I could defend myself.

“We should move,” Khaaz said, scanning the sky. “We’ve been in one place too long.”

We broke camp quickly after that, leaving no trace of our presence. Zehn took point, leading us through the dense jungle with a silent grace that belied his massive size. Khaaz brought up the rear, his luminous eyes constantly scanning for threats. I walked between them, the pulse rifle slung across my back, the pistol secure against my thigh.

The jungle was alive around us, filled with sounds and scents I couldn’t identify. Strange birds called from the canopy, their cries like nothing I’d heard on Earth. Small creatures scurried through the undergrowth, some with too many legs, others with none at all. Under different circumstances, I might have found it fascinating. Now, each unknown sound made me tense, my hand drifting to the pistol at my thigh.

We moved in silence, the two aliens communicating through gestures and looks I was slowly beginning to decipher. Every hour or so, they would change positions without a word, Khaaz taking the lead while Zehn fell back to guard our rear. It was clearly a practiced routine, and I wondered how much of that was due to instincts.

The day wore on, the alien sun tracking across the sky. Despite my office job and general indoor lifestyle, I kept pace better than I expected. Maybe it was adrenaline, or maybe something about this planet’s gravity was different from Earth’s. Either way, I managed to follow Zehn’s punishing pace without complaint, determined not to be dead weight.

As the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of purple and orange that reminded me how far I was from home, Zehn signaled a halt. He and Khaaz conferred quietly, their deep voices too low for me to catch more than a word or two.

“We’ll make camp here,” Zehn announced, gesturing upward. “The canopy is thick enough to provide cover from aerial surveillance.”

I looked up. The trees here were massive, their trunks wider than cars, their branches creating a dense network overhead. “We’re sleeping in the trees?”

“A hide-high,” Khaaz confirmed. “I’ll secure the perimeter while Zehn constructs it.”

I watched, amazed, as Zehn scaled one of the trees with ease, his claws digging into the bark. He moved through the branches with a grace that seemed impossible for his size, weaving together a platform using materials from his pack and the natural resources around him.

Within half an hour, he had created a sturdy structure nestled among the thickest branches, complete with a small covered area for shelter. He dropped a rope ladder, securing it to a branch.

“Can you climb?” he asked.

I eyed the ladder dubiously. “I think so.”

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