Conquered by the Alien Warrior Hope Hart (electric book reader .TXT) 📖

each of his strikes, hammering him with a punch, and then dancing backward.

“I’m the mystery female, you idiot. So you can stop looking!”

His grin is savage, practically radiating pure male arrogance. “I know.”

My mouth drops open. “You know?”

He obviously gets tired of taunting the Dokhall because he pulls a knife free, stabbing him in the gut before using his sword to smoothly behead him.

“How could you possibly know? Why would you take this trip if you knew?”

“Oh, I didn’t know then. I suspected the moment you kissed me in that cave. And then I had a very interesting dream that helped me put it all together. Tasting you again in the forest…well, that just confirmed my suspicions.”

His low voice makes something in my stomach clench.

He swipes his sword on the Dokhall’s shirt, cleaning the blood off it. Then he narrows his eyes at me, and it’s evident he most definitely doesn’t forgive me for not telling him I was his mystery woman. Or for leaving him in the cave.

Fine, then.

I step toward him until I’m close enough to reach out and remove my earring from his shirt. It’s little more than rags at this point, and he’s moved the earring from the spot I first placed it to a more secure location, where the material is stronger, between his shoulder and his neck. I meet his eyes, and he stares at me, pulling away once I’ve slid my earring back into my ear.

Not the most hygienic thing I’ve ever done, but I’m not taking any more chances.

Korzyn is watching me, likely silently judging each move I make. I sniff and stalk over to the mishua before hauling myself onto her back.

I blink as Korzyn climbs up behind me, a grunt leaving his throat, and I crane my neck.

“Your arm is bleeding.”

“It’s fine,” he rumbles.

Silence is heavy between us for the next few hours.

The commander refuses to stop at Urox’s cousin’s, and I can’t blame him. As much as he needs to rest and recover, both of us are itching to get to Rakiz’s camp so we can warn everyone about the Dokhalls.

Besides, asking the paranoid commander who has just been poisoned to spend the night in the home of someone he doesn’t know?

Not a good idea.

Now that we’re no longer actively fighting, the bitter scent of smoke is making my stomach roil.

I hate the smell of smoke. To me, fire doesn’t represent warmth and comfort. It represents death and horror.

No matter what I do, and no matter where I go, there’s no escaping one horrific fact.

My sister is dead.

Claire never got to live. She never got any real adventures. And it’s all my fault.

We travel all night, and I eventually fall into a light sleep before waking up with my head resting against Korzyn’s chest. He doesn’t comment when I move away, blinking at the wide plain in front of us.

I can no longer smell smoke, so I hope that means the fire is no longer raging through that forest.

“Can I ask you something?”

The commander hesitates, and I can practically feel him radiating suspicion. “Yes.”

“Where’s your family?”

He tenses behind me. “I’m from a tribe on the outskirts of Heriast. When the king and queen were murdered, Arix needed a guard with no political ties or aspirations. One from a family that was unknown at court, with no history, no weaknesses that could be used for bribery or blackmail.” He shrugs. “I was well known in my tribe for my strength and speed with a sword.”

He doesn’t say it like he’s proud. He says it as if he…regrets his talent.

“How old were you when you left your tribe?”

“I had seen fourteen summers.”

“So young.”

He shrugs again. “I was larger than most males my age. Besides, I had to be trained…molded into a guard that could protect Arix with his life.”

“So you were all alone? With no family?”

“Yes. So was Arix. He had his uncle, but we were unable to trust him, given that he would be next in line for the throne if Arix was murdered.”

I keep my eyes on the horizon as I think about what he’s said. A few hundred feet in front of us, the forest beckons, leading us back toward Rakiz’s tribe.

“Do you have siblings?”

He shrugs. “My mother was pregnant when I left. I don’t know how many children she had after me.”

My heart twists in my chest for him.

“Do you see your family now?”

“No.”

The word is a low growl, and I drop the subject.

When he realizes I’m not going to pry, he seems to relax, leaning back in the saddle.

“And your family?” he asks.

“I don’t see them either.”

“Why?”

“I had a sister, and she died.”

The smell of smoke, thick in my nostrils, choking off my air. The flames, dancing so close, and my voice, turning hoarse as I scream for Claire…

“Hellion?”

I shake it off. “When she died, I couldn’t look at my parents, and they couldn’t look at me. I left.” I smile, but it feels fake on my face. “I guess we’ve got that in common.”

We’re silent as we enter the forest, both of us brooding. I know I’ll have nightmares tonight.

They say some memories are ghosts of your past. Mine are zombies. There’s nothing that can stop them when they come for me.

By the time we reach the first sentries close to Rakiz’s camp, Korzyn is slumping behind me. To be honest, I’m still stunned he made it to me, given he could barely move when I left him.

The sentry is one I recognize, and he nods at us, letting us through. The next sentry stares at us, eyes wide, and I realize we must look like we’ve been through some shit.

I’m covered in dirt from our fight and wearing a dress I cut off at the knees so I could fight. Korzyn stripped off his shirt and had a quick wash in a stream when we stopped to refill our water, but other than that, he hasn’t bathed in days and his clothes are little