Enticed by the Alien Warrior Hope Hart (the giving tree read aloud .TXT) 📖

I scream, but so does he.

Zoey promised me the poison would be fast-acting, and she was right. Bevix leans down and claws at his foot, then he throws his head back, another scream leaving his throat.

He raises his sword, turning toward me, and I switch the knife to my other hand as he advances on me, the rage in his eyes making it clear he’s got nothing left to lose.

I throw the knife, savage pleasure filling me as the blade buries itself in his throat. Bevix makes a choking sound and falls to his knees.

“Hey, look, my party trick had a purpose after all.”

Arix slams his sword into Bevix’s chest and then kicks the other male away, leaving him to bleed out.

The way I’m bleeding out.

Arix pulls me into his arms, and I cough, a metallic taste in my mouth. That can’t be good.

“For what it’s worth,” I manage to get out, “we were never going to allow you to be hurt.”

Anguish flashes through his eyes, although it’s quickly replaced by the steely determination I know so well.

“I know. Be quiet and conserve your strength.”

I laugh at that but quickly stop when it makes the pain worse.

I reach for Arix’s hand and squeeze. “Listen to me. Please.”

It’s the “please” that does it. He leans down, pressing his forehead against mine.

I take a deep breath, needing to get this out. “My whole life, I’d thought my only worth was in my looks. And beauty is fleeting, which meant I had to hold on to that beauty as tightly as I could, for as long as I could. I thought no one would truly want me. I thought I was unlovable.”

Tears are streaming down my face, and Arix moves back slightly so he can brush them away, his midnight eyes dark with sorrow.

I force a smile. “So I pushed people away first. I was willing to betray you at first because I knew you were never going to be able to love me for me anyway. So I might as well use you to help us all get off this planet.”

I can hear footsteps running toward us, and I know I don’t have much time. It’s getting harder and harder to speak.

“Except you’re a good man. An incredible ruler who cares about his people. And when I’m with you, you make me feel like…more. I’m not just the girl who’s only good for posing in front of a camera. With you, I feel smart. I feel funny. I feel seen.”

He brushes his mouth against mine, the movement gentle.

“So thank you, Arix. And I’m sorry. I never would’ve let them hurt you. I hope you know that now.”

I force another smile, but he doesn’t smile back, his expression a picture of grief.

“Don’t you dare give up,” he says through his teeth, glaring down at me. “You belong to me.”

Tears fill my eyes at the words I’ve always wanted to hear. They’re bittersweet. Why is life so unfair?

“Will you hold me? I’m so cold.”

Arix’s enraged roar is the last thing I hear as my eyes slide shut.

Chapter Sixteen

Arix

“Why hasn’t she woken up yet?” I demand, almost unable to look at the human female who is lying so still in my bed.

The healer gives me a sympathetic look. But she doesn’t lie to me. Her honesty is the reason she is the healer I trust with my own health.

“She may not wake, Your Majesty. Humans are much smaller than Braxians, and their bodies are much less efficient at replacing their own blood. Severe blood loss can lead to brain damage and organ failure.”

“She was talking before she lost consciousness.” I don’t mention that she seemed to be mumbling to her human friends, who were obviously nowhere near the tunnels where we were.

The healer sighs. “The cava berries can only do so much. Even Dragix said his healing may not work due to the amount of blood she lost. For now, you must bargain with the gods.”

That I can do.

Fury makes my hands shake as I stare down at Vivian’s face, so pale against the dark blankets.

Korzyn’s paranoia once again proved to save us. The healer had alerted him that Bevix’s men had set fire to our cava berries—obviously to ensure our deaths. But hadn’t counted on Korzyn, who secretly—and illegally—harvested berries of his own a few months ago. They’re currently growing close to my mother’s garden.

“Why isn’t she waking up?”

I turn at Sarissa’s voice as she pushes open the door. Her face is pale with grief, and her arm is covered in bandages. She refused any cava berries when Korzyn found her lost in the forest after she’d killed her captor and freed herself. She insisted the berries go to those who had more serious injuries, curling her lip at Korzyn when he threatened to shove them down her throat.

I glance at my commander, whose gaze is fixated on the bandages wrapped around Sarissa’s arm, his eyes hard. I send him a look, and he returns his attention out the window, although I have no doubt that his entire focus is still on the female who is currently holding back tears.

“The healer said her brain may have been damaged,” I mutter.

Sarissa lets out a choked sob, and I can practically feel Korzyn’s rage as he slowly turns his head in my direction, likely unhappy with my brutal honesty. I ignore him, stepping closer to Vivian and taking her cool hand in mine.

“She has to wake up,” Sarissa says, firming her lips. She brushes her tears off her face and leans close to her cousin. “Enough with the dramatics, V. It’s time to rejoin the land of the living. We need you.”

We all watch Vivian intently for a moment, but she gives no indication she has heard us. Her eyes don’t flutter; her fingers don’t twitch. I press a kiss to her hand before gently laying it back down on the bed.

“I need to go talk to Dexar,” I