Protected by the Alien Warrior Hope Hart (books that read to you .txt) 📖

him to send us some backup so we can rescue Zoey.”

“The trading post is not open every day,” he says. “Today it was open, but tomorrow it is not.”

I rub at my face in frustration. Of course.

The sun is going down, and I shiver as a cool breeze sweeps over us.

“You’re cold,” Vrex murmurs. “I will show you my tashiv.”

He strides forward and unlatches some kind of mechanism on his door. Then he gestures for me to precede him, and I step inside.

This is obviously the Agron version of a living room, and there’s a pile of wood stacked next to a firepit in the corner. I glance up at the roof. It even has a cleverly constructed chimney to let out the smoke.

A few wooden chairs sit near the fire along with a pile of furs. I can see Vrex relaxing here after a long day of lumbering around doing whatever it is that huge warriors do on this planet.

“Bathing room,” he says in a gruff voice, gesturing to a doorway. He strides through another door, and I trail after him, finding a large mattress sandwiched between two painstakingly carved wooden tables. I move closer, running my fingers over the top of the one closest.

“This is a dragon,” I murmur.

It’s gorgeous. The scales have been so intricately carved that it looks almost lifelike, and it must have taken weeks to complete. On Earth, this thing would sell for thousands.

“Did you make this?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. You’re seriously talented.”

Vrex shifts on his feet, the first sign of discomfort I’ve seen from the stoic warrior. Weirdly, his awkward reaction to my compliment is kind of endearing, and I feel something in my chest relax.

“Thank you,” he says gruffly. He stalks across the room to where a huge chest sits beneath a window. My breath catches in my throat as I gaze at the view.

The water is a bright cerulean blue, the river winding between huge trees. Here and there, huge stones and boulders peek up from the water, surrounded by white froth.

“What a view,” I murmur.

Vrex lifts his head from where he’s using his good hand to rummage through the chest, surveying the picturesque scene in front of us. His shoulders relax as we both stand and stare at the water for a moment.

“This is why I chose this place for my home,” he says.

I open my mouth—to say…I don’t know what—but he’s already returning his attention to the chest. He pulls out a few large furs and strides back into the living room, throwing them on top of the pile. Then he runs his gaze over my body clinically before returning to the chest and throwing a few more furs on the bed.

“I will sleep there,” he says, pointing to the furs on the floor in the living room.

“Oh, you don’t need to do that,” I begin, but he ignores me, gesturing for me to follow him into the bathroom.

I’m treated to the same view out the window, but I’m immediately entranced by the huge tub that dominates the room. It looks like it could fit two warriors the same size as Vrex, and my skin practically itches with the need to get clean.

“Would you like to bathe?” he asks.

“More than just about anything.”

He nods, and then I’m once again trailing after him as he moves back outside. A huge metal container sits next to the window, a firepit beneath it. He lights the fire and then reaches inside the window, pushing and pulling some kind of lever.

It’s a pump, and I grin as water begins to flow into the bath. The grin leaves my face as I glance back up at Vrex, whose face has turned gray.

“Here, get away from that thing. I can do it. That arm needs to be in a sling.”

Surprisingly, he moves out of the way, and I continue to pump the water into the bath.

“I will go check my traps,” he says, and my stomach lets out a rumble at the thought of food.

His eyes are the color of good whiskey as they lighten at the sound. He hesitates.

“You will stay here,” he says.

I nod, ignoring the commanding tone. I’m always pissy when I’m hurt as well.

“I’ll take a bath while I wait for you.”

He stares at me for one long moment. Finally, he nods and turns, ambling away.

I blow out a breath as I watch him leave. Even with the amount of pain that I know he’s in, with his arm held at a ninety-degree angle, he walks with a long, easy stride, head high, shoulders back.

No, Ivy. No perving at the giant, scarred warrior.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that “happily ever after” isn’t for me. But if I’m not careful, I may end up rebounding with tall, scarred, and deadly.

I snort. The only emotion the guy has shown in my presence was a hint of frustration when he was convincing me to follow him here and a moment of grim resolve that told me he’d be throwing me onto his weird lizard creature if I didn’t make the right choice. Oh, and a tiny shard of amusement when my stomach rumbled earlier.

Other than that, he’s basically a robot.

Vrex

This female threatens my control.

I am under no illusion as to what my life holds. A future with a beautiful female is not for me.

I run the back of my hand along the scar that winds across my forehead. A gift from my mother’s brother after she died.

Exquisite, delicate females are for other warriors. I learned young that my oversize body and clumsiness, combined with the vicious scar on my face, made the females of mating age shiver in fear.

“You will be alone,” a voice hisses in my ear. “Just like your father.”

I push Hevi’s voice out of my head as I check my trap, pleased to find an udazin that succumbed to my trap recently, the beast still warm to the touch.

Truthfully, my bone aches and throbs. If I move too quickly, black