Page 21 of The Alien Warrior's Heart

And yet his heras rejected that plan so firmly, he knew that it would not be so.

Never.

He would never turn her over to the Heronas.

Zar would rather die first.

But simply leaving the Healer to perish did not appeal either. His species depended on the Healer’s abilities to keep them alive. Since the Red Death where all the females had perished, the Plutonian species had access to near immortality with the Healer’s gifts. If the species lost him…

Neh. It could not be.

But neither could he avoid the trade for the Healer’s life.

He needed a solution.

Now.

Zar approached Si-Moon determinedly. She turned skittish, her eyelashes flapping like a winged creature and her bare feet shuffling back into the dirt.

Mate her.The thought latched into his mind and burrowed deep beneath his skin. If he slicked her with his heat and made her his own, Korben would not be able to offer her up to the Heronas.

In the Plutonian culture, a male’s duty—above that of his tribas—was to his family. The female was the priority. Always. No exceptions. And it was the male’s responsibility to ensure the success of the union.

It was a principle that had caused most of their couplings to be happy and last decades. At least, before the Red Death wiped out all Plutonian females.

This case was slightly different. Zar did not expect Simone to carry his young. This was not about the procreation of his species; it was about keeping her safe.

Are you sure this is not about your desire, Zar?

The thought breezed through his head just as Si-Moon’s back hit a tree. She gasped softly and his pants tightened in response.

Hewasattracted to her. She was an intriguing female, capable of unlocking a Heronas torture device and stubborn enough to lift a heavy laser sword. She made his heras tremble and his hardness rise and throb.

Zar’s gaze dropped to her lips. He had never sucked on a female’s mouth before. Whispers of what it was like had run rampant in the traveling camps.

Drunk on spirits, lone males from different species would gather around the fire and speak of what a female tasted like when she was dripping with desire, the way it slid down her thighs and coated a male’s heat with pleasure.

Zar growled low and shook his head to clear the thought.

Once.

He would only mate with her once.

Just to claim her.

To keep her safe.

It would not be a means to explore her body. To taste her sweetness. To see just how accurate those tales of female pleasing had been. It would simply be his unique brand of protection.

Of course, it all depended on Si-Moon. His idea was half-baked in any event. Perhaps she would not want to mate with the male whom the Heronas had intended to harm her.

Zar dropped his thumb on her bottom lip and felt the slight tug of her skin against his flesh. She trembled and he studied her intently. The way her eyes darkened. The way her fingers dug into her dress. The way she responded to him…

It was not as one with fear.

He knew fear. He could instill it simply by appearing.

This female was not afraid of him.

---