Page 35 of Claimed by an Alien Warrior

“The connection to mynyrosonly rekindled when they were relocating me. They skipped the injections, and my body had adapted just enough to take advantage, but the chemicals haven’t yet left my system entirely. They no longer block mynyros, but it takes an immense amount of effort to utilize it.”

Zoey frowned. She couldn’t imagine all they’d put him through. “I’ll do whatever I can, Ren, to stop them from capturing you again.”

He met her gaze, and his smile was visible even in the darkness. “I do not doubt your fierceness for a moment, little human.”

She snorted. “That’s just a nice way of saying you believe I’ll try my best, but you doubt my ability.” Zoey glanced at him. “That’s also the second time you’ve called me little. There’s not muchlittleabout me.”

“By your own standards.”

Before she could respond, a flash of light caught in the corner of her eye and she turned to look behind them. “Car!”

But Rendash had already vanished. Zoey turned and walked backward, raising her arm with her thumb out. “Come on, come on.” The vehicle drove by without slowing, blasting her with chilled wind. “Damn.”

“There will be others,” Ren said.

A few more cars passed as time went by, but none of them stopped.

When another vehicle approached, Zoey turned again, only to realize at the last moment how close the car was driving to the shoulder. She jumped back with a shriek. The car sped by less than a foot from where she’d been standing as she stumbled and fell on her backside in the snow.

“Assholes!” she yelled.

Ren materialized and darted forward; somehow, she understood what he meant to do and caught the tail of his coat before he was beyond her reach. His momentum dragged her forward, her butt skidding over dirt and snow.

“Ren, stop!” she shouted, losing her grip on his coat.

He came to a staggering halt and twisted to look back at her. For several moments, he said nothing, and then he seemed to shake whatever mood had overcome him. He kneeled. She reached toward him to accept the hand she expected him to offer, but instead he slipped his upper arms beneath her armpits and lifted her off the ground, depositing her on her feet.

He’d picked her up as though she were as light as a feather. Afeather!

“Are you all right, Zoey?”

Cheeks heating, Zoey brushed the snow from her chilled backside. “My ass is soaked, but yeah…I’m fine.” She eyed him. “No more chasing after cars.”

“They nearly struck you!”

“But they didn’t, and you shouldn’t reveal yourself, remember?”

He scowled, and Zoey had a feeling that there wouldn’t have been anyone left to report the sighting if he’d caught the car. It was an unsettling thought.

But if the bastards had hit me, maybe they deserved it.

Ugh, begone dark thoughts!

She bent down and righted her suitcase, which had fallen over. When they continued walking, Rendash positioned himself between Zoey and the highway.

It was a small gesture, but she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit it warmed her heart.

Headlights from behind had Zoey turning again. She stuck her thumb out, and the vehicle — a big, red pickup truck — slowed as it passed them.

“Yes!” she exclaimed as the truck pulled over on the shoulder ahead. “Remember, climb into the back of the truck as carefully as you can.”

The only signs of Rendash’s presence were the ghostlike boot prints that appeared in the snow beside her as she hurried toward the waiting truck.

The window rolled down when Zoey approached the passenger-side door.

“Need a lift?” a man asked from inside.

Zoey looked into the dark cab. The faint light from the dashboard bathed the man’s face in a soft green glow. Though it was difficult to tell because of his facial hair, he looked to be in his late thirties. He had short-cropped blonde hair and a neatly trimmed beard. Heat pulsed from inside, which explained why he wore a t-shirt, one muscled arm draped over a fold-down armrest beside him. His jacket lay on the passenger seat.

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