Page 12 of Claimed by an Alien Warrior

“Because you’re still a living being, and…and you clearly cared for those you’ve lost.”

The passenger seat creaked as he grasped it with two hands — tworighthands — and used it as an anchor to pull himself into a partial sitting position. He filled the back seat completely, making it look like it had been designed for children. How hadn’t she noticed him when she came back to her car? She’d made a point of checking! Had she been so preoccupied with her emotions that she’d failed to notice the huge, green alien ducking behind her seat?

“That notion does not seem to be shared by many of the humans I’ve encountered,” he said.

“I guess you’ve met our government.” She frowned. “What will they do if they get you again?”

“Restrain me, lock me in a dark cell, and question me incessantly between theirexperimentsuntil my eventual death.”

“Experiments?” Of course they’d experiment on him. He was analien. “What…what did they do?”

The glow of his eyes flashed in the mirror for a second. “More than you would care to know.”

Even if she’d never watched theX-Filesand wasn’t familiar with conspiracy theories beyond the one about the Illuminati runningeverything, she’d seen enough movies to have an idea of whatmighthave been done, and her imagination took it far enough from there to send a shudder through her. Had some of his people died during such experiments?

“Okay.” She took in another deep breath, stretched her aching fingers, and shifted on her seat. This situation was beyond belief, and a small part of her still insisted it couldn’t be real, but…she wanted to help him. Hell, what did she have to lose? Everything else had already fallen apart. “If you swear you won’t hurt me…I’ll help you.”

“I told you I’ll keep you safe if you do as I say.”

“That’s not really the same as promising you won’t hurt me in the process. Safe could just mean…alivefor as long as I’m useful to you. I need a promise.”

Her seat tipped back slightly as he clamped a hand on it and drew himself forward. She couldn’t help but lean away to keep some space between them. She wasn’t exactly in a position to make demands, yet here she was, throwing one out there like she had all the bargaining power.

“On my honor as an aekhorablessed by theHalvari,” he said, his low, rumbling voice sending a strange thrill through her, “I will do you no harm,andI will keep you safe, so long as you do not betray me.”

She had no idea what those alien words he’d used meant, but the solemnity in his words told her anaekhora blessed by the Halvariwas something very serious and very important to him. Her tension diminished, and she eased back against her seat.

“Thank you,” she said.

Zoey squinted against the brights of an oncoming car, shifting her gaze to the rearview mirror. The fleeting light teased her with a glimpse of the alien’s sharp, angular features, and his reptilian pupils shrank to slits in the glare. His eyes were a vibrant green. Her favorite color.

“Are you willing to tell me your name, yet?” she asked.

He lowered himself onto his back, dipping into the darkness.

“Rendash,” he replied after a long pause.

Chapter Four

Rendash shifted to lay in the shadows, bracing two hands on the floor. The sounds of air rushing around the vehicle, the thrumming engine, and the wheels humming over the road were constant indicators of movement, but looking at the night sky through the far window almost created the sense that they weren’t moving at all. Those unfamiliar stars hung motionless; they stared at him, mocked him, twinkled with cosmic mirth.

Detachment.

Those old teachings could only go so far now. He’d won some room to rest, even if the inadequately sized seat forced him into an uncomfortable position with arms and legs folded up awkwardly, but how far could he truly hope to get?

He had no allies, no weapons apart from his own body, no idea of where he was, and only a vague direction in which to head. He and his Umen’rak had often operated on alien worlds without reliable intelligence, but there’d always been some enemy to face, some invader to repel.

Earn the trust of the locals if you have a common enemy.

That wouldn’t work here. His only enemies here were human, and there was a chance, however small, that they were theonlyspecies on the planet. He couldn’t fight them all. At the moment, he couldn’t even handle a few. He needed human assistance to navigate their world, but why would any of them betray their own on behalf of a stranded aligarii warrior who’d already killed several of them?

And yet here was this human — thisZoey. She’d regained her composure quickly despite her apparent fear and had already gone so far as to demand assurance from him as though she had leverage in the situation.

But shedoeshave leverage. Even if she doesn’t fully realize it, I’m athermercy, not the other way around.

She didn’t conduct herself like any human he’d met — she was certainly nothing like the people who’d held him captive — and she possessed an internal strength that seemed rare in most intelligent species.

And herscent! It was alien and familiar at once, bearing a hint of the fragrant flowers that blossomed in the jungles of his youth. It was alluring, provocative, and had subtly dominated the air inside the vehicle since he’d moved close enough to smell its fullness.

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