Page 20 of The Alien Warrior's Mate

Korben rummaged through the box from last night and handed her another pith. With a sigh, she placed the fruit into her mouth. The pith went down well and soothed her upset stomach.

Next, he handed her the pouch of dama. She thirstily drank the water, her eyes following him as he strode over to the slumbering dinosaur. Korben placed his thumb on the side of the metal box. Immediately, it began to spring and shake. The metallic whir filled the air and gears began moving, slanting down and snapping into place. The dinosaur transformed in a blink.

Sara wondered if it would expand to its full height and break through the roof. If it did, slabs of rock would fall on her and crush her like an ant. But the metal dinosaur was smart enough to open up only halfway.

“That will never get old,” she mumbled, staring at the glowing wires beneath the dinosaur’s metal frame.

Korben gestured for her to join him and she did. He pointed to the dinosaur. “Enthara.”

“Pretty.” Sara wiggled her fingers and gave a friendly smile. “Hey there, Enthara.”

The metal dinosaur bent its head to the tune of a hundred quiet gears spinning and folding. Smiling from ear to ear, Sara reached out and petted the metal beasts’ snout. Its red eyes flashed a pure blue. She stepped back, her eyes on Korben. Why was Enthara’s eyes changing?

He seemed to read the question in her face, but he gave no answer. Instead, he slanted Enthara a thoughtful look. When his gaze returned to her, it was with a stare so intense that shyness stole through her body.

Was he growing more aware of her too? What was he thinking? Sara wished she could get into his brain and figure him out.

Korben was the one to look away first. He grabbed Enthara’s handles and gestured for her to get on. She wondered how he expected her to do that. The last two times she hadn’t mounted Enthara at all, Korben had just tossed her on like a potato sack.

Sara eyed the raised saddle and pressed her bare feet against the flat spike near the side of Enthara’s head. Hiking herself up, she tried to toss her leg over and failed miserably, sliding down to the ground.

Enthara huffed, moving even closer to her and slightly nudging her back in encouragement. Sara tried another time. Still more flailing limbs and no coordination.

Korben was behind her in an instant. She felt his presence. Felt the air charging as he hovered close to her, stealing her ability to breathe.

“Sah-ah.” He pointed to Enthara’s spikes and then pressed his hands together. She reached for his shoulder, careful of his lightning strike injury, and slipped her bare feet into his hold. He cupped her foot gently and hiked her up so she could mount the dinosaur on her own.

Her smile was shy when she found his eyes. “Thanks.”

His stare turned intense again and his hand lingered on her ankle. Korben shook his head as if to clear it and then climbed behind her.

Enthara sauntered out of the cave and into the open. She did not immediately take flight, instead her body shook like a dog drying its fur. Her tail unfolded in a spread of glittering metal and joints as she expanded to her full length.

Sara stared at the final transformation in amazement and then turned around to catch Korben’s reaction to the incredible sight. Instead of a smile, she found the blue alien holding extremely still, his eyes darting out toward the trees.

“What’s—?” Before she could finish, he grabbed her by the neck and slammed her head forward. Cursing under his breath, the alien covered his body with hers just as the first explosion set the nearest tree aflame.

Nine

Korben

Had he been alone,he would have heard the Rulari guards.

But he didn’t.

He didn’t hear or see anything but Sah-ah. His many years of training in the Plutonian defense did not prepare Korben for distracting humans. One distracting human in particular. A female who could make his heras buck wildly. A female that made his mating instincts demand release.

His body had hummed with pleasure at the sound of Sah-ah’s girlish laughter. Just looking at her made his mind tilt and bend. One smile from Sah-ah could unleash a thousand batas in his chest. A brief brush of his fingers against her leg stopped his breath.

She filled his mind to the point of erasing everything else in the world.

It was a dangerous state.

Especially here on this planet.

Especially when they were running from the Rulari.

He heard the high-pitched wail of the sword too late and only had time to pick Sah-ah up and shelter her behind Enthara before a pair of Rulari guards charged out of the shrubs and sprinted straight for them.

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