Captured by the Alien Warrior Hope Hart (interesting books to read for teens .txt) 📖

I realize I’ve paid no attention to where we are. We’re in a small clearing close to a forest, and he transforms as I watch.

“The other two-legs are through there,” he says, pointing.

I’m not ready to leave him. “Will you…come with me?”

He studies me, and I wonder if he’s internally cursing me for making this even harder. But he nods, reaching for my hand.

“Wait. Maez gave me these for you.” I reach into my sack of clothes and beneath the precious scales I’ve collected. Finally, I find what I’m looking for, and I hand Dragix the pants. I knew that small line would appear between his eyes. That his lower lip would jut out just the tiniest bit. Not a pout but a clear sign of his displeasure.

“Come on, Dragix,” I wheedle, holding up the pants. “Don’t you want to see where I’ll be staying? To meet the other women?”

He hesitates, staring at the pants, and then meets my eyes. “This is what you want?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” I sigh. “Honestly, I’m not ready to say goodbye to you yet.”

That makes his gold eyes lighten slightly, and he looks at me for a long moment. “If this is what you want, I will come with you.”

“I realize I’m asking you to get close to your enemies. If you don’t want to do it…”

He angles his head as he gazes at me. “I would like to see these other two-legs. To know that you will be safe with them.”

It makes my heart hurt, but I nod, and he takes the pants, pulling them on. It feels incredibly weird to see him clothed—like watching a tiger put on a pair of shoes.

I thought it would make him look more civilized, but the way he tilts his head, looking down at his pants in distaste, makes it obvious that he’s not exactly a fan of clothes.

“Thank you,” I say.

He nods, and I take his hand as we walk in the direction he pointed.

It’s not long before a Braxian approaches, his eyes widening as he sees me.

“A human female,” he manages to get out, stuttering a little. “You are the one who has been missing.”

I nod. “I’d like to talk to the other women, please.”

He stares at Dragix, and I glance at him, almost laughing. The dragon has obviously decided to attempt to look unthreatening. His hands are by his sides, and he’s ducking his head, avoiding the Braxian’s eyes.

The Braxian waits for one long moment and then turns. That’s when Dragix raises his eyes, and I catch the look in them.

Pure, unwavering fury.

I must make some sound because he shifts his gaze to me, and his eyes soften slightly.

“You know what? We don’t need to do this,” I say. “This was a dumb idea, I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head. “I find that I need to see that you will be safe here,” he says.

My chest tightens. How could I have ever thought that Dragix would harm me? Not only is he giving me my freedom, but he’s getting close to his enemies just to make sure I’ll be safe.

I nod and squeeze his hand. And then we’re following the Braxian into a huge, sprawling camp. There are tents everywhere, and while Dragix explained that the Braxians are usually nomadic, nothing about this camp looks temporary.

“Charlie?”

I turn, and my mouth drops open at the woman who is trotting toward me. Her bump is small, but she’s still visibly pregnant, and she beams at me as a huge Braxian follows her, his gaze scanning me and then landing on Dragix, where it lingers.

“Ellie, right?”

She nods, and it’s hard to reconcile this happy woman with the one who had a broken arm and looked like she was about to pass out when we were following the Voildi.

“We’ve been looking for you for weeks.”

“Wow, it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.”

“Nevada,” Ellie calls over my shoulder, and I turn as I see another woman standing near a pen of weird scaled creatures that would be similar to horses if they weren’t bright green and horned.

Nevada turns, and her eyes widen as she spots me.

“Well hell,” she calls as she strides toward us, and I feel a moment of envy for her long legs, showcased in tight leather pants. “Here we are coming up with plan after plan to find you, and you end up strolling right in the front door.”

I remember this woman. She was the one who told the Voildi we were going to stop so I could rest. She grins at me and then gestures to some of the other women.

It’s a little overwhelming, having the same conversation over and over again as the other women appear. Apparently, some of them are at another tribe, also coupled up with their Braxian warriors. I feel like I’ve entered the twilight zone. I imagined that these women were working their butts off to get off this planet, but most of them seem more than content to stay.

Dragix is silent next to me, but he tenses each time one of the Braxians comes close. I stroke my thumb over his hand, and he tolerates the men, but I can tell he’s not happy.

“How’d you escape the dragon?” Nevada asks. “And who’s this guy?”

This is awkward. I glance at Dragix. We didn’t discuss whether he wants everyone to know what he is. And that he has a more vulnerable form. My head is spinning at everything that’s happening, and I take a moment to think.

Nevada is standing next to a Braxian who introduced himself as the tribe king, Rakiz. He wraps an arm around her, and she smiles up at him before returning her attention to me.

I suddenly don’t feel comfortable allowing these strangers to know Dragix’s secret.

“Uh, he’s, uh, a friend.”

The look he gives me is not pleased, and out the corner of my eye, I catch the other women glancing at each other doubtfully.

I haven’t attempted to use our mental pathway