Page 14 of Claimed By the Alien Barbarian

“How long have you been here?”

“Seven days.”

How had she survived this long? It horrified me to think she was scared, that she’d had to protect herself with no one to stand by her side. What were the gods thinking when they placed her here with almost no provisions and without a strong male to defend her?

“You’re right,” I said. “These beasts also won’t run from fire.”

She jerked her chin to the tree behind me. “I’ve climbed that one whenever anything comes near.”

“I’ll help you if you’ll let me.” I held out my hand.

She brushed it aside and approached the tree. After strapping her bow to her spine and adding the arrow to a sheath she’d crafted from thin strips of bark, she jumped up and grabbed onto the lowest branch.

Within an instant, she’d scrambled onto the limb and was climbing higher.

This woman did not need me.

She was relatively safe by herself.

But I was still going to insist that she come with me when I left.

Chapter 7

Kerry

Islept on a limb above Nevarn, something I’d insisted on after he scrambled up the tree behind me. He’d jumped me, and if my mom was here, she would’ve chastised me for hours that I’d let down my guard enough to allow it to happen. How had I been lulled into believing he was too injured to cause me harm?

And then his damn cock had started stiffening. While I’d flailed and bucked up against him, shouting for him to release me, something hot and wild had shot to my core. I could feel myself getting wet. It had taken at least a few blinks of my eyes before I could grab onto my sanity and tell him I’d kill him if he tried to do it again.

After a long, sleepless night, dawn cracked open the horizon and released golden light into the sky. Birds started cheeping, and the small, fluffy squirrel-like things began tossing nuts at me, something they’d done each morning. I’d collected them, roasted them, then lifted a toast to the furry beasts as I ate the food they’d provided.

“You’re awake,” Nevarn said from the limb below mine. He looked up with too much cheer on his face. “We should leave soon.”

“This is my home now.” Not really. I still planned to build a shelter, though I wasn’t sure I’d be able to craft something that would keep this world’s predators out. How long would I survive here on my own?

As long as I could.

“Whoever tried to kill me will not give up,” he said.

“I’ve watched, but no one’s come near. Maybe it was a rogue lizard person.”

“I saw their blue skin. Their silver hair. They were Zuldruxian.”

“Why were they trying to kill you?”

“It’s just a suspicion on my part, but I believe whoever killed my first mate, Weela, doesn’t want me returning to my old clan to investigate the crime. If they kill me, they’ll get away with her murder forever.”

“How would they know you were coming?”

“Not long ago, I attended a clan gathering and there, I met with some of my old clan. Now that my banishment has ended, I was told I was welcome to visit. I decided then that it was time I proved my innocence and discovered who murdered her.”

“That sounds like a good thing to do, but how do I come into all that?”

“I want you to . . .” He scowled and swallowed hard. “I ask you to come with me. You’ll be safer with me than remaining here alone.”

I scoffed, though he was probably right. Two sets of eyes keeping watch was better than one. And I was tired. Worn out from stress and struggling to remain alive. Even if I could build a shelter, I was facing inevitable death-by-wild-creature.

My urge to tell him yes had nothing to do with my attraction to him.

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