Page 11 of The Alien Warrior's Mate

Korben

The female had gone very still.Her small back was rigid and her shoulders tense. She eased away from him, wiggling closer to Enthara’s spikes to keep their bodies from touching.

You fear me, human?

He wrapped his arm around her small waist and dragged her back until she was flush against him. The female had no problems rubbing flesh when he’d saved her from the Rulari, so he saw no reason for her shyness now.

Did you save her, Korben or just delay her destruction?

He pushed the thought from his mind. As of this moment, he had no reason to hurt her. But she didn’t know that.

The human shouted at him in that strange language of hers. “Hooo aaa ye?”

He tapped his interface with his free hand, growling in frustration. He had no idea why the technology had jammed. Perhaps he needed to update it. In any event, he was stuck with a female he could not communicate with.

Denizi.

“Calm down,” he told her, keeping his tone gentle despite the annoyance he felt.

Korben’s efforts were in vain. The human kept rattling her tongue at him and squirming on Enthara’s back. The powerful machine grumbled, glancing back and glaring at them with red eyes.

The female shrieked and jumped back into his lap. Her soft body scraped against the hard planes of his. The surge of heat he’d felt in the beluda when he first looked at her consumed his venas again.

Why did his body respond to her? She was a fragile creature and he was the Plutonian sentencing her to a grim end. He could not see her as anything other than a package to be delivered. The key to his brother’s freedom. A necessary sacrifice for the greater good.

Simple things became far too complicated when lines were crossed. He’d learned that lesson from a very young age. The world remained balanced when traditions were maintained and species kept to their own kind. It wasn’t for his sake, but for the good of all.

Oblivious to his thoughts, the female glared at him. “Puuut eh dun.”

“What do you want, human?” Korben huffed.

“Puuut eh dun!” She pointed to the ground.

For such a little thing, her voice packed a powerful punch. She twisted violently to the right and Enthara veered, scraping the tops of the trees with her sharp, metallic claws.

He cursed and tried to gain control of his zapten without losing his grip on the female. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he barked, his scowl fierce. “Human, settle down.”

She went stiff with fear.

Korben had not meant to startle her, but at least she’d gone quiet.

The open wounds on his back throbbed. He had to apply his pulp sooner rather than later. If he left the injuries untended, neither he nor the female would survive the night.

To apply the last of his medicine, he would need to ground Enthara, but would it be prudent? Korben studied the female. Given her fear of him, he doubted she would stay still long enough for him to take a piss, much less see to the damage done to his body.

It went against his grain to tie her up, but perhaps he would be forced to. If he left her to her own wiles, she would beat a hasty retreat. On her own, she would not survive.

Korben descended in a small alcove bordered by thick trees. He maneuvered Enthara to the ground and climbed off her back. Next, he reached out to help the human dismount. She remained glued to Enthara, her dark fingers wrapped around the machine’s neck.

Korben watched her curiously and jerked his palm, insistent that she take it. In a sudden rush, the female hopped off Enthara and shoved him. He was barely knocked back a step and even so, it was his surprise that threw him off balance.

Denizi. She really was the running type.

The female took off, faster than the most lauded Plutonian sprinter. Her hair bounced up and down as she zigzagged in a near comical attempt at escape.

She darted left.

Changed her mind. Darted right.

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