Page 76 of The Alien Warrior's Heart

Simone cuddled close to the alien and patted his back.

When she was a child, she used to crawl into bed and imagine that her mother was there, soothing her and rubbing her hair. Those imaginations were hollow. She’d always longed for someone to comfort her for real.

Zar did that for her tonight.

Now, Simone would do the same for Chozo.

Her fingers drummed against his shoulder, as soft and steady as a gentle rain. Quiet swallowed the room and, soon, her eyelashes fluttered. The pull of sleep tugged her under and, eventually, her exhaustion won.

What felt like minutes later, she heard footsteps and woke with a start. She glanced in front of her and saw that her arms were empty.

Chozo must have gone to the bathroom or something.

Simone sat up, her curls falling into her face. She brushed them back, tucking them behind her ear where they only sprung free again. Yawning like a cat, she noticed the light inching into the room.

It wasn’t fully bright yet, which meant that she was up just before dawn.

Zar walked through the door, his face grim.

“Morning,” she said, her heart pounding fast. Memories of his hot lips on her neck and his body thrusting her into the bathroom wall pierced her. Simone smiled shyly as she stood. “Why didn’t you come to bed last night?”

Zar’s expression remained sober. “Si-Moon.”

“And did you see Chozo?” She covered her mouth as another yawn cracked her jaw. “Is he with Sara?”

“Chozo is gone.”

Zar’s words were harsher than a cold bucket of ice over her head.

Simone stared into her mate’s face.

A dark premonition swept over her. “Gone? What do you mean gone?” Simone frowned. “What the hell did you do with him?”

Twenty-Nine

Zar

His mate staredat him with eyes so piercing that, were they daggers, he would have been impaled.

“Answer me,” Si-Moon growled. “What did youdo?”

He searched her eyes with his own burning glare.

Zar had stayed up all night searching for a way to fulfil the Heronas’s demand while making his mate happy. And this was what he got?

Her fury?

Her suspicions?

Her hate?

“Nothing,” Zar snapped.

“You expect me to believe that?” Si-Moon strode forward, her eyes sliding away from his to search the hallway. “Chozo?” She moved with purpose, like a warrior heading into battle. If Zar knew what was good for him, he would move out of her way.

But something kept him standing there in the doorway.

Jealousy? Exhaustion? Annoyance?

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