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

while Aroth gestures to the Zinta holding me.

“Clean her up and then put her in the hole. We will sell her tomorrow.”

I grind my teeth, wishing I could wipe the smug look off the furry bastard’s face.

Patience, Ivy. Wait for the right time.

The Zinta drags me into what I’m assuming passes for a bathroom. “Wait here.”

I use the facilities while he leaves, locking the door behind him. When he returns with a bucket of water and a small rag, I wipe my face and limbs, unwilling to take off my clothes while he’s watching.

He seems unconcerned, and he simply reaches out when I’m finished. I flinch as his hand wraps around my arm once again. That arm is going to be covered in bruises.

He leads me through another room, which is currently empty, but from the low armchairs, it seems like some kind of living room. I raise my eyebrow as he opens a door, and then he’s dragging me toward a hole in the ground.

A heavy metal grate sits next to it, with a bunch of huge rocks likely used to keep the grate in place.

Oh, hell no.

I forget about my plan to pretend to be compliant. I forget about waiting for the right moment and not letting them see I can fight.

I forget everything as I stare at the hole. I punch the Zinta in the face, following it up with a kick to the balls as he folds.

Huge arms come around me, picking me up like I’m a sack of flour.

“Enough,” Aroth growls. “You will either hold onto the rope and be lowered down or I will throw you down and listen to your bones as they snap.”

I freeze. My tunic is riding up, and if I’m not careful, these guys will see the knife I’ve worked so hard to hide.

My eyes dart, but I’m surrounded.

“Fine,” I croak out, and Aroth gestures to the Zinta that was holding me.

“Get the rope.”

My eyes sting as they lower me down, but I won’t let them see me cry. I let go of the rope when I’m on the ground, and they pull it up before slamming the metal grate closed.

I stare up at the grate as their footsteps fade away. I’m guessing I’m about twelve or thirteen feet down, and from the look of the smooth walls, getting out of here is going to be a bitch.

I sit on a rock, which has been pushed up against the wall. There’s a rust-colored stain on one half of it, and I can’t even let myself think about who else has been held down here and what happened to them.

I feel painfully, achingly alone, and I let my head fall back against the wall as I picture the look of retribution on Vrex’s face as he struggled to get to me. He came for me. He would’ve gotten to me too if they’d taken just a little longer to load that boat.

“You deserve the silent treatment,” I told him. “You let me think that you just so happened to be close by, and you decided to help me because you were a good man.”

What is wrong with me?

Vrex didn’t deserve that. Even if he was sent to find me, he still saved me, still helped me over and over again. I wasn’t mad because he was sent for me. I was mad because he didn’t tell me. Because I wanted to be someone he wanted to be around. Just like he is for me.

He is a good man. The kind of man who looks after an old man in the forest. The kind of man who makes shoes for a stranger because her feet are cut up. And the kind of man who almost drowned attempting to save me on the shore.

I’ve been abducted, kidnapped, and kidnapped again. By now, it’s likely that I’ve lost my career, and this planet has been one near-death experience after another. But amongst all the heartache and fear, I’ve known that as long as Vrex is around, I’ll be okay.

And as soon as I find a way out of this hole, I’m going to tell him that myself.

Vrex

It takes longer than I would like for messengers to travel to the tribe kings who owe me favors. I manage to sleep for a few hours but wake when my arms reach for Ivy to pull her close.

By the time the sun has risen, I’m pacing the kradi, and as soon as I hear the camp come to life, I head back to Rakiz’s tashiv.

He meets me outside. “Thane has replied. He’s more than happy to give you access to his subject in return for owing you one less favor.”

I nod, relief hitting me in a rush. “I will go there now.”

Rakiz examines me. “We will go with you. Dexar has also replied, and he says he knows of Thane’s water-obsessed subject and his location. He will meet us there.”

I nod. “Thank you.”

All this time, I thought I was saving my favors as leverage. That they would ensure that I could be left to live my life alone. But fate had other ideas. I was saving them so that I could use them to help my little Flame Hair.

Although, I will not be at all surprised if she has already freed herself and is waiting on the shore across the Great Water, tapping one of her small feet impatiently.

My lips curl slightly at the thought, and Rakiz raises one eyebrow. He opens his mouth, but the door to his tashiv opens, Nevada striding out.

“I’m coming with you.”

From the look on Rakiz’s face, this is the last thing he wants, and I turn away, watching as Rakiz’s warriors saddle their mishua for the trip to the Great Water.

Nevada and Rakiz are hissing at each other in low voices, but from the sound of Rakiz’s deep sigh and Nevada’s throaty laugh, it’s evident that she has won their argument.

I turn back as Rakiz growls. “You will not