Page 20 of Tempted By the Alien Warrior

A cold wave of fear tears through me.

But the little female doesn’t flinch. Instead, she picks up another rock and hurls it. This one hits the beast directly in its large unblinking eye.

An eye that’s now focused directly on the human standing just paces away. She stands her ground, her chest rising and falling in rapid breaths.

The foolish, brave, infuriating female.

But it’s exactly the opening I need. I surge forward and bring my sword down, slicing through the sinewy muscles of its hind leg. Dark green blood pours from the wound, splattering across the ground. The beast lets out a furious screech as it rears back in pain. Before it can recover, I pivot and drive my blade deep into its soft, exposed belly. Blood sprays out, splattering across my face and chest as the magnis staggers forward, its strength beginning to falter.

I pull my sword free, then plunge it one last time, deep into its large heart. The magnis lets out a final, rattling cry before it crashes to the ground. Its body shudders once, then goes still.

Heavy silence settles over the jungle. The only sounds are the rasp of my breath and the faint rustle of leaves stirred by the breeze. Then?—

“Vrok!” Her voice cuts through the quiet around us.

Before I can react, she crashes into me, throwing her arms around me and burying her head against my chest.

I freeze. She’s so much smaller than me, and yet the warmth of her body pressed against me hits me harder than the magnisever could. I feel her breath hitch against my skin as she draws in a deep, shaking gulp and lets it out in a muffled sob.

“You’re okay.” Her voice is muffled as she speaks, but I can still hear the relief in every syllable of her words.

The warmth of her touch seeps through me, disarming me. I’m not used to this—this softness. This closeness. For a long moment, I don’t even know what to do with my hands. I awkwardly hold them up like a fool before letting one settle hesitantly on her back.

“I told you to stay back.” My voice comes out in a growl, but it lacks any real bite.

“I thought it was going to win,” she says before pulling back just enough to look up at me. Her gray eyes glisten with unshed tears, and for a heartbeat, my chest clenches in fear that she’s been hurt. But then I realize they’re tears of relief. Of happiness that I survived, and my chest unclenches.

“When that thing jumped, I thought—” Her voice breaks, and she shakes her head like she can physically banish the thought.

Our eyes lock, and it almost feels as if I can see her spirit in those deep, expressive eyes.

I shrug my shoulders. “I’ve fought worse,” I say gruffly, trying to brush it off.

She lets out a shaky laugh. “You’re unbelievable.” She brushes a strand of her golden hair from her face with trembling fingers.

“You didn’t really think I’d let something that small kill me, did you?” I ask.

Her eyes roll skywards in that strange human gesture I still don’t fully understand. But there’s a flicker of something in her expression that I don’t recognize. Something that makes my heart pound faster and louder. She takes a step back, but her hands linger on my chest before they drop to her sides.

I instantly feel the loss of them.

“Maybe you’re not as fragile as I thought,” I murmur without thinking. I don’t know why I say it, but I do.

She chuckles quietly. It’s a weak sound, but by the Goddesses, it’s the sweetest thing I’ve heard. It makes something clench in my chest and sends a wave of warmth through me. Warmth I’m not used to feeling.

“And you’re not asinvincible as you think.” She reaches out and pats me on the chest, right over the spot where my dormant amoris heart lies. “Maybe try to remember that the next time you throw yourself at a giant lizard, big guy.”

Her tone is light and teasing, but there’s a flicker of worry in her eyes.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, my voice softening despite myself.

She exhales slowly, and her whole body visibly relaxes. But she doesn’t remove her hand from me. Instead, her fingers curl against my skin. Heat shoots straight to my cock, hardening it in an instant.

Her touch wasn’t meant to arouse. I know that. But she’s so close, and she’s warm and alive and flushed with concern for me. Her lips are parted and her eyes are bright, and her sweet scent fills my lungs.

When her hand finally falls away, I can still feel the burning imprint of it as if her touch is seared into my flesh. Her cheeks are flushed pink, and her chest rises and falls too quickly.

Her gaze drops to my mouth. Just for a heartbeat. Then, it jerks back up to meet my eyes. Her tiny, blunt teeth bite down onto her plump bottom lip, and I nearly groan out loud.

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