Page 19 of Tempted By the Alien Warrior

“You didn’t,” I growl, pulling her back away from the edge. My grip on her arm tightens for a moment before I force myself to let go, though my instincts scream to keep her tethered to me. “One slip and you would have gone over.”

“I’m fine.”

“You keep saying that,” I mutter as I scan the terrain. The incline here isn’t steep enough to kill her, but an injury this far from a medic could be dangerous. “Does it mean something else in Humanish?”

She exhales sharply, her hands balling into fists at her sides. “I’m not helpless, Vrok.”

“No, but you’re human. You’re weak, and this jungle doesn’t care about your stubborn pride,” I reply. My voice is edged with the frustration that makes my heart pound out a beat like it’s a drum.

Her lips press into a thin line. “And I suppose you think I should just sit down and wait for you to carry me through it?”

My gaze flickers over her before I can stop it. Over the rise and fall of the two orbs that protrude from her chest, the soft curves of her hips and backside. My cock twitches beneath my loincloth.

Wrenching my gaze away from her, I clear my throat. “If that’s what it takes to keep you alive, then yes.”

The air between us shifts, thickening with something unspoken. She opens her mouth to say something, but before she can, a low, guttural growl rolls through the trees. And just like that, every thought of her curves, her fire, and her infuriating stubbornness is erased.

My muscles go rigid as my hand instinctively moves to the blade at my side. Emily freezes beside me, her gray eyes darting around in fear, looking for the sound that sent a shiver of foreboding through the air. Just behind us, Dania snorts, and the muscles along her back quiver with agitation as she comes to a sudden halt, refusing to move another foot.

“What was that?” She whispers.

“Stay here.” I step in front of her. My eyes sweep over the terrain and my ears swivel, straining to determine the location of the growl, but the steady rhythm of my pounding heart is the only other sound I hear.

Until another growl cuts through the stillness that has fallen over the jungle. It’s louder this time. And closer.

Tilting my head back, my gaze narrows as I catch a flicker of movement in the shadows above us. It’s a young magnis, judging by its size and reckless boldness. It slinks between branchesheavy with hanging vines, dislodging small stones and clumps of soil that tumble down the slope in a quiet cascade. The underbrush rustles in a warning that comes a heartbeat too late.

Almost as soon as I’ve sighted it, the creature leaps. Its massive form is silhouetted against the dappled light as it descends with terrifying speed before landing with a deafening thud on the rocky trail in front of us, kicking up a cloud of dust. Its knife-like claws scrape against the rock, sending a high-pitched screech into the stillness.

Behind me, the little female gasps.

The magnis stands at least twice my height, its sinewy frame is a map of scale-covered muscles that quiver with the urge to lunge. Its slick blue and black mottled hide gleams with a faint iridescence in the dappled light. It lifts its head slowly, its nostrils flaring wide as it scents the air. The creature’s elongated snout twists into something that looks like a grin, and its unblinking yellow eyes fix on us with hungry intent.

“Vrok,” she whispers.

The fear trembling in her voice nearly breaks my focus. For one irrational heartbeat, the urge to turn around and comfort her rises inside me. I want to tell her everything is going to be alright. But I don’t do that. Instead, I keep my gaze on the beast in front of me.

“Stay behind me,” I order, locking eyes with the magnis. With one fluid motion, I draw my sword.

At the movement, the magnis releases a deep, rumbling snarl. Its jaw gapes open, revealing rows of jagged teeth stained with old blood and bits of flesh wedged between them. The rancid odor of spoiled meat drifts to me. Two drooping blue antennae twitch on top of its head, while its long, blue tail, studded with sharp spikes, whips back and forth in agitation.

I take another step forward, planting myself firmly between the little female and the creature. The rocky path beneath myfeet is uneven and littered with loose gravel and larger stones, and to my left, the ground drops away into a steep ravine choked with twisted roots and thorny undergrowth. There’s no room for error. One wrong move, and I won’t just lose the fight, I’ll fall.

The magnis lowers its head, and its muscles coil tightly beneath its scaly hide as it prepares to strike. The guttural rumble from its chest deepens, and I recognize the signs of a young, overconfident male. An older magnis would have the good sense to steer clear of a Laediriian warrior armed with a blade, but this one is foolish enough to test me.

With a roar, the creature lunges. It’s nothing but a blur of claws and teeth hurtling toward me, its talons aimed for my chest. I twist aside just in time, my boots skidding on the loose rocks, and pivot into a counterstrike. My sword swings upward in a swift, precise arc.

The steel of my blade meets the creature’s thick hide with a sickening crunch, driving deep into the creature’s hip. The impact reverberates through my arm like a hammer blow, but I hold firm. The magnis lets out a piercing screech and staggers back as thick, dark green blood pours from the gash.

The magnis thrashes its head from side to side as if it’s trying to shake off the pain. Saliva flies from its open mouth, landing on me. Then it rears back onto its hind legs, and emits a deafening roar that echoes through the trees. Yellow eyes gleam, wide and wild, as they focus on me, and I know the beast is going to seek its revenge.

The creature lunges again, faster this time. I dodge to the side. A gust of air brushes past as its claws miss me by a hair.

Out of the corner of my eye, sudden movement draws my attention. It’s the little female. She’s stepped closer, and I watch as her hand darts down to the ground and her fingers curl around a rock. I start to shout, to tell her to stop, but it’s already too late.

With a yell that stuns even the magnis, she pulls her arm back and lets it fly loose. The stone strikes the magnis in the snout with a loud crack, stunning it mid-lunge.

The beast lets out a surprised snarl and whips its head around toward her.

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