Page 47 of The Alien Warrior's Heart

Simone accepted it. Dropping to her knees, she gently caressed Zar’s hand. “I know you’ll be mad at me later, but I believe this will work. It has to.”

His breathing became shallow and his blue skin turned pale.

She was losing him!

Tearing the cap off with her teeth, Simone held the needle up. Her hands shook too much. She paused, twisted around and tried again. Still, her hand shook.

Simone turned away, unable to plunge the needle into Zar’s neck. She wasn’t a nurse and the nerve-racking thought of failure paralyzed her.

They had only one serum.

One shot.

Zar’s breathing had stilled and she knew in her heart that he wouldn’t make it if she didn’t get herself together. The pressure of the moment crashed in on her. Needles were her weakness.

Especially now.

The thought that she might hurt Zar in an effort to help him scared her. Simone’s hands couldn’t stop shaking.

“Do you want me to do it?” Chozo asked.

Simone looked at him. He was still, technically, Zar’s enemy. And they hadn’t really sifted out his intentions. Not before the acid rain fell.

Zar didn’t trust Chozo and though she did a little, she knew that it was prudent to be cautious. The rest of the Heronas definitely hated her and Zar. Would Chozo be any different?

“I will not hurt him,” Chozo promised quietly.

Simone stared into his eyes and went with her gut. Handing over the needle, she whispered, “Please.”

He took it from her. With still, almost clinical movements, he pressed his hand against Zar’s neck, found the vein, and stuck the needle in. Simone let out a little squeak at the sight, but she dug her fingers into the sand to ground herself.

The amber liquid went down, down, down.

Finally, there was not even a drop left.

Zar gasped, his eyes bursting open.

She glanced at Chozo as tears of relief ran down her face. The alien was smiling, his little lips tilted up and his hands holding tightly to the serum.

“Thank you.” Simone wrapped her fingers over his wrist.

“I know you do not trust me, human.” Chozo nodded at her. “And I know why the Plutonian hates me.” He stared at the ground and slipped his hand away from hers. “My species did many horrible things…”

“But you didn’t,” Simone said.

“No.” He sniffed. “But I am still a product of their deeds.” He met her eyes and she saw maturity there. The kind of maturity born from a child growing up too fast and seeing too much evil from an early age. “Do not fight with him because of me.”

“I won’t.” She promised. “But I will never stop fightingforyou.” Simone held his hand. “My family was horrible too and I turned out sorta okay.”

“Sorta?” Chozo tilted his head.

Simone smiled.

Just then, Zar coughed and began to sit up. She rushed to help him. There were still burn scars on his back and his movements were hesitant, but at least he wasn’t dying.

Zar mumbled something in a hoarse voice.

Chozo translated. “He wants to know what happened.”

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