Page 71 of Tempted By the Alien Warrior

At the gate, Vrok pulls it open just wide enough for us to pass through. He turns to me, his expression unreadable. “Get her outside and stay hidden.”

I blink at him, startled. “What? You’re not coming?”

“There’s something I need to do.”

Before I can stop him, he’s already gone, vanishing back into the village.

I tighten my grip on Lily, adjusting my stance to better support her. “Come on,” I whisper, guiding her through the gate. She stumbles with every step, her legs barely holding her up, but she doesn’t say a word.

We duck behind a dense patch of fern-like plants just beyond the wall. I ease her down slowly, and she sinks to the ground with a soft gasp. Her body trembles as she leans against me, resting her head against my shoulder.

I keep my eyes fixed on the gate, watching it like it might disappear if I so much as blink. My heart is still pounding against my ribs, harder now because he stayed behind. Because I don’t know if I’ll see him again.

What is he doing?

Lily stirs beside me, murmuring something I can’t catch, and I pull her closer, trying to steady my breath. Every second that passes feels like an eternity.Come on, Vrok. Don’t make me come in there after you.

Then, it happens.

A sharpcrackshatters the night followed by a low, rumbling groan, like some ancient beast waking from its sleep. A secondlater, flames shoot up into the sky, leaping higher than the village walls. The night explodes in vivid streaks of orange and red, lighting the sky like a second sunset, and thick, black smoke pours upward, curling toward the moons.

The heat reaches us even from here.

Shouts erupt from inside the village along with the clang of metal and the unmistakable chaos of warriors running toward a disaster they didn’t see coming.

My stomach twists with anxiety.Oh, God, Vrok. Please be okay.

Then I see him.

He strides through the back gate like he’s out for a casual stroll in the park. Firelight frames him in a halo of smoke and flames. His sword is still in his hand and there’s a wild gleam in his eyes that sends a rush of adrenaline through my veins.

He looks like he just stepped out of an action movie.

I scramble out of our hiding spot as he approaches. “What the hell did you do?”

His gaze locks with mine, and one corner of his mouth lifts in the closest thing to a smile I’ve ever seen from him.

“I set the armory on fire.” His tone is so calm and casual, he might as well be telling me what he had for supper.

But behind him, the flames soar higher. More shouts rise over the village wall, and the chaos is only growing.

I stare at him, stunned. “You set it on fire?”

He just nods, looking way too pleased with himself for a male who just committed arson in the middle of enemy territory.

Lily’s eyes are wide as she stares up at him, the firelight dancing across her tear-streaked face. She doesn’t say a word.

I shake my head, the corner of my mouth turning up in a grin, despite everything. “Remind me never to piss you off.”

21

Vrok

Smoke billows thickand black into the sky behind us. The flames are spreading fast, just as I intended.

My sword is still drawn, but I don’t sheathe it. And I won’t. Not until we’re far away from this cursed place.

“We need to move while they’re distracted,” I say, my eyes scanning the terrain around us.

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