Page 8 of Claimed By the Alien Barbarian

“Then they’re someone who doesn’t want you to be able to ID them.”

I didn’t know what ID meant, but I nodded.

“You’re lucky you found me,” she said. “Lucky you’re still alive. I’m still not convinced you’re going to survive, but the fact that you’re awake and talking coherently suggests you might pull through.”

“Zuldruxians are strong.” I bristled at her subtle slight. “I’mstrong.”

Her lips quirked up before smoothing. “Not from where I’m standing.”

I struggled to rise and nearly let myself sag back onto the ground when agony barked through me. “I’ll show you.”

With her free hand outstretched, she took another step closer. “Stay where you are, you fool. Your body raged with a fever for the past two days, and I doubt you’ve healed enough yet to do more than twitch your fingers.”

“I live because I found you.”

“That sounds sweet, but I’m not buying yourZuldruxianpick-up line, assuming that’s what it is.”

More confusing statements that almost made sense if I let them skim across my mind and didn’t try to analyze them.

I somehow got myself up to a sitting position and, with multiple repressed groans, worked my way over to lean against the tree. I hated how this small amount of effort wore me out. But I lived, and I’d stumbled upon my gods’ given bride while trying to outrun someone determined to kill me.

They were after me, though I had no idea who it might be. If they were only after my pack and weapons, they would’ve taken them and fled, not followed me to make sure I died.

The woman’s gaze followed me, and even when she could see I had no hope of hosting even a paltry effort against her, she still didn’t relax her pose.

Urgency flew through me.

“I . . . um.” I gestured to my cock.

“You need to pee.”

I didn’t know what pee was. “Yes.”

“If you promise not to touch me, I’ll help you.”

“How can you help me if we don’t touch?”

With a sigh, she cautiously laid her bow on the ground. A slick rang out, and a tiny knife appeared in her hand. She approached me. “I could gut you with this in one second, so no wrong moves.”

It took more from me than I liked to get to my feet, let alone take a few steps into the woods behind the tree. There she spun around while I unhitched my pants and found relief. I fumbled, but finally secured them once more.

“Done,” I said.

“Wonderful.”

She helped me back to her campsite where I sunk down again, leaning against the tree. I hated how my body shook and the pain that kept stabbing through me, but I still lived. Alive, I could still clear my name.

And win the heart of my new mate.

“Do you have water?” I mumbled past my swollen tongue.

Her bow in hand again, she lifted a pack and tossed it to me. It landed beside my left thigh. “Inside, you’ll find a flask. Feel welcome to drink all you want. I can refill it at the river. I wish I had purification tablets, but they were in the larger pack I threw at the robocops. What a waste that was. They leaped over it and caught me in seconds. They brought me here. Dumped me here, I suppose.”

“Our gods brought human females here after we pleaded with them to send us mates,” I said. “You must be one of them.”

“Gods? Mates?” She scowled, and I even found this expression pretty. “Wait. Wait. You said human females with an s, so meaning more than just me?”

“There are many human females here.”

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