Page 100 of The Alien Warrior's Vow

Emma didn’t wait around for them to alert their friends. She exchanged a glance with Simone. The other woman nodded, her exoskeleton head dipping slightly.

In tandem, they rushed the warriors.

Metal clashed against bone, ringing like a giant gong in the cavernous hallway. She recalled every move that Lans had taught her in the training field.

The Plutonian swung his tail, trying to sweep her feet from under her. She caught him by the throat and stepped on his tail, pressing it down until she felt something snap.

The Plutonian cried out in pain and she sent him flying into his friends.

They went keeling over like bowling balls.

Emma strode ahead, but froze when she saw an insurgence of Plutonian warriors, probably drawn by the sounds of their troops being defeated. There were too many of them. They needed help.

Lans.

She tried to connect to his emotions.

A wave of his fear, anger, and helplessness crashed into her.

Instead of offering strength, it only reinforced how totally out of their league they were.

Dizzying fear slipped through her veins.

She stumbled back, starting to ease into that familiar vein of hopeless thinking.

No.

Emma forced herself to step forward.

She wouldn’t back down.

If Lans didn’t have the courage, she’d give him some of hers.

No more running away.

Not anymore.

Emma heard a clank and saw Sara standing beside her.

Another clank.

Kia joined up.

Another.

Simone stood at the far end, her eyes flashing between the slats of her exoskeleton husk.

“Ladies,” Sara said, “let’s show these gentlemen what we’re made of.”

Together, they roared and clashed with the Plutonian warriors.

Emma fought with all her might, throwing punches and slamming as many warriors as she could into the walls. But the Plutonians were more experienced and too numerous for her to keep up with.

Fighting ten of them, she managed to subdue five, but the other five sawed at her exoskeleton.

She heard a slashing sound.

Metal creaked.

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