Rescued by the Alien Warrior Hope Hart (literature books to read TXT) 📖

She’s trusting us to save their lives. Even after we allowed them to be taken.

For a moment, my throat is so tight I can’t speak, and my voice is hoarse as I struggle for control.

“We need to split up.”

Vrex nods. “Ivy and I will go with Rakiz toward the east. You take some of the guards and go west. We’ll divide everyone else we can spare and send them to canvass the area just in case the tracks are an attempt to distract us.”

I don’t hesitate, gesturing to Jozet, Makil, and Grez. Kroniz has managed to get to his feet, and while his steps are wobbly, he insists on joining us.

“We will set a fast pace,” I say.

He nods. “I will keep up.”

I don’t argue, simply moving toward the east. We find more tracks, and I shudder at the thought of Zoey at the mercy of those who have none.

I will kill them all.

Zoey

I’m pretty sure Nevada is in real labor. She’s leaning over, holding on to a tree and panting as one of the Dokhalls sneers at her, grabbing her arm in an attempt to make her move.

She strikes out with her fist, and he raises his stick. The sight makes my heart pound, and my mouth goes dry. He waves it threateningly, and Nevada ignores him, groaning.

He growls, pointing the stick at her, and Nevada’s hand lashes out, faster than I could’ve imagined. She pulls the stick from his hand, slamming it into his head. The other Dokhalls immediately advance on her, and I thrust my body between Nevada and them. They’re not hitting a pregnant woman on my watch.

“Get out of the way, Zoey.”

I ignore that. Out the corner of my eye, I can see a spark of blue light from the weapon in her hand as she advances on the Dokhalls, but the light quickly fades.

Nevada laughs bitterly. “I’m guessing you guys need the ship to charge these things. We noticed after the battle that the ones we took from you no longer seemed to work so well.”

One of the Dokhalls snarls. “We will soon have our ship back, and you will be in our cage, your spawn sold as a slave, human whore.”

Oh no, he didn’t.

Nevada dodges around me, and this time, she throws the weapon like a spear, hitting the Dokhall straight in the face.

Blood flows from his flat nose like a river, and he lets out a sound remarkably close to a squeal. Nevada snorts and then groans, obviously struggling through another contraction.

One of the other Dokhalls steps close, and I lash out, aiming for his balls as he grabs my hair. He’s too fast, and he shakes me, my scalp burning as Nevada holds on to a tree again, panting.

“I may not be able to kill you until after we have our ship, but I can kill this human to teach you a lesson.”

I wince, my eyes hot as he pulls on my hair. Nevada nods, straightening, and her eyes are resolute as they meet mine.

“Fine.”

We walk silently after that, surrounded by the Dokhalls. Nevada has to stop multiple times, and I count between her contractions, feeling the blood draining from my face.

Three minutes.

Three fucking minutes.

“Hurry up.”

I scowl at the Dokhall, and he looks unimpressed. When Nevada starts walking again, she glances at me, and I can see the knowledge on her face.

She might be having this baby today. Her contractions seem too strong for Braxton-Hicks, but I won’t know until I can examine her.

My hands begin to shake. I’ve helped deliver babies before, but never solo. I’m not an ob-gyn, or even a doctor, and I have none of the instruments I’d need to get Nevada through this.

Please, God, don’t let it be the real thing. You took my mom away when I was nineteen. You let me be abducted by aliens and almost killed. You owe me.

We stop at a cave. By now, Nevada is damp with sweat. From the look of the cave, these Dokhalls have been planning this for some time. There’s a collection of furs on one side, a pile of badly carved utensils next to them. Further back, a large, wooden bowl sits on the dirt floor, likely carved from a fallen tree. It’s filled with water, and I’m suddenly desperately thirsty.

The Dokhalls push us toward the back of the cave, close to the water, but I don’t dare reach for it. I bet they’d kill me before allowing me to give Nevada some water.

We sit with our backs against the cave wall, and Nevada closes her eyes, her knuckles turning white as she clenches her fists. The Dokhalls huddle close to the cave entrance, likely making more plans to ruin our lives.

“Listen to me,” she gasps afterward, and I lean close. “If this is the real thing, and I’m having this baby, you’ll need to take it and run.”

I squint at her, and she reaches out, burying her hand in the front of my dress as she pulls me close, eyes wild.

“I’ll distract them. You do whatever it takes to get my baby to Rakiz. Promise me, Zoey.”

“No. You’re both making it through this.”

She bares her teeth at me. “I saved your life, you bitch. Save my baby.”

I smile as I reach out and push her hair off her face. “And you were worried about your maternal instinct. Listen to me. Listen. I’m going to make sure you get out of here. If I can’t, I’ll get the baby out and come back for you. So if it comes to that, and I end up hauling ass out of here with your newborn, don’t do anything stupid in the meantime.”

We’re only a few miles from camp. These guys aren’t planning to keep us hidden for long. They want to threaten Nevada’s safety and get Rakiz under their control. It’s not like they can post a ransom note. They need to be able to send someone back to