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

The old man returns, a huge sack in his hands. He gives it to me, and I open it before frowning in confusion as I pull out a dress.

“These were my daughter’s,” he says, his mouth trembling for a moment before he firms it. “She was traveling with her mate when they were unlucky enough to come across a pack of Voildi.”

“Are you sure we can’t eat them?” Jasit’s words run through my mind along with the stark hunger in his eyes as he looked at us. I flinch at the thought, and Ilax nods at me.

“The clothes are of no use to me now, and Avix would want you to have them. She was always kind to those who needed it.”

I swallow around the sudden lump in my throat. “Thank you so much.”

He shifts awkwardly, and Vrex gets to his feet.

“I must check my other traps,” he says, and Ilax nods, glancing at me and then gesturing toward Vrex.

“Make sure he returns for that tonic tomorrow,” he murmurs, and I grin.

Vrex

Ivy is quiet as we walk back to my tashiv. She refuses to let me carry the clothes, baring her teeth like a feral karja when I attempt to take the bag from her.

Strangely, I find my lips almost curving in a smile. This is surprising enough that I ponder the feeling. For the first time since my mother was alive, a female is not afraid of me.

Because she believes you to be a heroic, honorable male. What will she think when she learns that her rescue was none other than one more assignment in a long list of assignments, most of them bloodier than the last?

I scowl at the thought.

“Are you okay? How’s the pain?”

I meet the female’s gaze, my eyes traveling down to the shoes I made her when I woke this morning, no longer able to sleep through the pain. For some reason, I couldn’t stand the thought of her delicate feet being hurt by the forest floor.

“I am fine.”

She raises her eyebrow but doesn’t press the subject, her head high as she gazes around us. Somehow, I know that she is attempting to memorize our route. This female may be smaller and more delicate than any Braxian female I have ever seen, but she is incredibly resilient, seemingly taking each challenge and setback she has faced in her stride.

“I was thinking,” she says, and I glance at her.

“Yes?”

“Do you have a weapon I can borrow?”

This female continues to surprise me at every turn.

“You would like a weapon? Do you believe I cannot protect you?”

She sends me a look as if I’m behaving like an unreasonable child. “No. You sure kicked ass when we were in the prexas. But it’d make me feel safer if I had a weapon too.”

I consider this. “A sword this size will be too unwieldy. However, I do have a large knife that could work.”

She nods, grinning at me, and I have to look away from her sparkling eyes. They’re an interesting color—not green and not brown, but they seem to change depending on the light.

My tashiv appears through the trees, and I lead Ivy inside before opening the large chest near my fire.

“Whoa,” she murmurs, staring down at the weapons. “Are you preparing for a war or something?”

I shrug my good shoulder. “Do you have any experience with fighting?” I ask, shifting a crossbow aside as I search for the long knife I had in mind for her.

“I have a black belt in karate. That’s a martial art on Earth,” she says. “Let’s just say that I’m quick on my feet but I’ve never actually fought for my life before. At least, I hadn’t until I got to this planet.”

Her mouth twists slightly, and I find that I don’t like seeing her eyes dim.

“You were obviously successful if you managed to escape a pack of Voildi,” I say, and I’m rewarded with her grin.

I hand her the knife. “If you’re quick on your feet, this should be a good weapon for you.”

She smiles, taking the knife from my hand. “Thanks.”

She should look ridiculous, her fiery hair clean but still tangled—I forgot to give her a comb, I realize—while dressed in nothing but my shirt, which swallows her, even as she clutches the large knife in her hand.

Instead, she looks strangely endearing, her smile inviting me to smile back.

I don’t. Instead, I lean down and take her mouth with mine.

The shock of need is instant, hitting me like a punch to the gut. It slams into me, taking over, until I want nothing more than to strip my shirt off her body, to run my mouth over every inch of her creamy skin.

My blood pounds in my ears like thunder as Ivy lets out a broken moan, her hands coming up to clutch at my shoulders, her mouth softening under mine.

I want her desperately. And it’s the craving for her, the sheer need, that makes me pull my mouth from hers, makes me frown as I look down into her eyes, blurred with pleasure.

This brave, kind female is not for me.

“This is a mistake,” I say. Her eyes clear, the expression on her face cooling as she steps back. My hands instantly fist as I force myself not to reach for her.

She doesn’t protest. Instead, she simply turns and walks away.

Ivy

I manage to bully Vrex into returning to Ilax the next morning. He seems amused by my nagging, and we walk over to his neighbor’s tashiv as soon as we’ve eaten a quick breakfast of fruit.

Ilax seems pleased to see me wearing one of his daughter’s tunics with a pair of soft leggings underneath, although his eyes turn sad for a moment as he stares at me.

“You combed your hair,” he says finally, and I grin at him.

“I sure did. It was so difficult that I was about ready to hack at it with my knife.”

Vrex whips his head to glare at