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

dead, desperate for water, by the time I arrive.

Rakiz’s sentry stops me before I get close enough to see the camp walls.

“I need to see Rakiz,” I tell him. “He owes me a favor.”

The sentry’s eyes widen as he realizes who I am, and then he nods, allowing me to pass. This is repeated with four more sentries, and I raise my eyebrows as I find Rakiz waiting for me.

“Your security is impressive,” I say as he crosses his arms, leaning against the camp wall as if he could not care less that I have arrived with no warning. The look in his eyes is hard, however.

“My queen insisted that we make some…adjustments,” he says, and his eyes warm as the female—Nevada—approaches. He wraps his arm around her and nods as my eyes drop to the slight bump of her stomach.

“We have been blessed by the gods,” he says softly, sliding his hand along her stomach.

She elbows him with a laugh. “That’s one way to put it. I wasn’t feeling all that blessed when I couldn’t eat my breakfast this morning.”

Her tone is light, but it’s obvious that the tribe king and queen are filled with joy. Envy hits me like a punch to the gut.

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Nevada says as Rakiz nods at me. “Sooo, where’s Ivy?”

“That’s why I’m here. I need help.”

Rakiz stares at me for a moment, openmouthed. “I had never thought I would hear those words from your lips,” he says.

“I never imagined I would say them.”

Rakiz gestures for one of his men to take Nari to eat and rest, and then I follow him and Nevada to their tashiv, ignoring the eyes on me.

The female who steps into the main room stares at me curiously, and Nevada smiles at her.

“Arana, would you mind bringing some food and water for our…guest?”

She nods and sends me a smile, and Rakiz gestures for me to sit before being seated himself. He pulls Nevada close, and she sits on his knee, resting her head against his as she gazes at me.

“Is Ivy okay?” she asks, her voice serious.

“She has been taken.” I almost choke on the last word, getting to my feet to pace.

“Why don’t you tell us what happened?”

I feel time running through my fingers like water. Where is Ivy now? Is she okay? Are they hurting her?

“Vrex.” Rakiz interrupts my thoughts. “Start at the beginning. When did you find Ivy?”

I race through the events of the past days, stumbling over Ilax’s murder. I push away the memory of the hurt look in my little Flame Hair’s eyes when she learned that I had been sent to find her.

I will find her once more. And then I will never lose her again.

Distantly, I realize that I am falling apart. My hands clench and unclench as I tell Rakiz of the Zintas and the contraption they used to cross the Great Water.

“They had a boat?” Nevada gets to her feet. “How did I not know that people had boats on this planet?”

Rakiz reaches for her hand, stroking his thumb along her palm. “I know of one male who has attempted to build similar contraptions,” he says to me. “But he is a member of Thane’s tribe.”

“Thane? His camp is not next to the Great Water.”

“No, but Thane has given this male permission to live next to the Great Water while still being under the protection of his tribe. He is hoping to be able to cross the Great Water and trade, just as the Zintas have been doing.”

I nod. “We must leave.”

Rakiz raises one eyebrow. “We?”

I nod again. “I am calling in my favors.”

“Which favors?”

I narrow my eyes at him. What use are my favors if my little Flame Hair is in danger?

“All of them.”

Ivy

I stare at the town in front of me as the Zintas drag the boat onto the shore.

And it is a town. The buildings are several stories high in places, and while some are similar to the wooden buildings in Sebe, many of them also seem to be made from some kind of brick.

We only sailed for a few hours, so I’m assuming that we’ve either crossed a lake or traveled from the tip of one continent to another. But wherever we are now, it’s different from anywhere I’ve been on Agron so far.

The Zinta grabs me, pulling me onto the shore, and I stare at the dock a few hundred feet away. A larger boat—one similar to what I’ve seen in fishing villages on Earth—is currently docking. An alien with four arms steps forward to help with a fishing net.

I blink, stunned. It makes sense, of course. Even on Earth, some countries are more developed than others. But I’m still struck by the hustle and bustle of this place compared to the area where our spaceship crashed.

“Move, human.” The Zinta pulls me after him, and I whip my head from side to side as we leave the dock and move through the town. Several Zintas stay behind and begin unloading the boat, and I scan the area. I need to get back here and steal that boat at the first opportunity.

The Zintas seem more relaxed here, although they travel in a tight group, their voices low as they joke with one another.

We walk down a narrow street, and I stare at the people around me. They’re living their lives, not at all surprised to see a group of Zintas “escorting” a strange alien woman through the streets. I lock eyes with a woman who looks similar to a Braxian female, only she has purple skin. Her brow lowers as she sends me a sympathetic look, and then she skedaddles out of the way before she’s pushed aside.

A few minutes later, one of the Zintas moves ahead and unlocks a huge wooden door. It swings open, and my eyes slowly adjust to the dim light.

Inside, the building is larger than it appeared from outside. Most of the Zintas disappear through a door to the left,