Page 66 of Made For The Alien Warrior

Heat blazed in his cheeks. “It was a small addition made later.”

“You wouldn’t have known I was coming to the planet and would be able to use your zapten,” she mused. Then her eyes narrowed to slits. “Did you get these human modifications for Leel?”

Tiegan glanced over her head. “Sida cannot wait in this state for long.”

Sim-pony scowled at him and stomped toward Sida. He heard the metal stairs clanking with every step. Gruffly, Sim-pony took her place inside the zapten.

“Now, you close it with the comms and…” Before he could finish the instruction, the metal slats surged together, closing up the zapten.

Tiegan sprang back when the exoskeleton’s metal arm came charging at him. The arm embedded in the ground, leaving a mark in the soft dirt.

His eyes widened. “Denizi, female.”

“This isn’t so hard,” Sim-pony said from behind the exoskeleton. “If I punch, Sida punches.”

Tiegan gritted his teeth. “Were you trying to kill me?”

“Oh? Am I bad at this? Am I not as good asLeel?”

“Why would you speak of Leel? I have…” He jumped out of the way when Sim-pony balled her exoskeleton’s fist and let it fly in his direction. “Human!”

“I think I’ve got the hang of this.”

He thought so too. “Have you fought before?”

“I played a lot of video games. Because I had only one arm, I learned to be super fast at the controls. This alien comms is like child’s play for me.”

Tiegan sensed her ire and yet he could not stop his smile. His female was so attractive, even when she was furious and trying to harm him with his own zapten.

“Very well.” He lifted his fists. “Let us see what you can do.”

Twenty-Five

Symphony

Symphony lurched backas Tiegan’s fist connected with the outer husk of the exoskeleton. The holograms around the bracket he’d given her glitched on impact.

Sweat rolled down her temple and slid down her neck. She peered through the slits of the exoskeleton. The strong metal shards made her feel like she was looking through an alien football helmet.

Symphony fell to her knees, surprise making her gasp. “Hold on a minute.”

“The rebels will not wait for you to catch your breath,” Tiegan said, stepping calmly around her as he waited for her to rise. “You cannot make such impulsive decisions in battle.”

Annoyed, Symphony rose. The exoskeleton made a mechanic moan as it straightened to its full height. Gritting her teeth, she curled her fingers into fists and heard the answering clank of steel as the exoskeleton did the same.

Tiegan surveyed her calmly. “Your earthen video games are a poor substitute for combat training.”

Blood pounded through her veins as she glared at him. Not only had Tiegan admitted to making amendments to his zapten—a Plutonian’s most prized and intimate possession—for Leel, but he didn’t seem apologetic about it in the least.

“That was just a warm up,” she said, cracking her neck. The zapten moved its neck too, tilting it to the left and then the right. “I was getting a hang of the controls.”

“Have I not already proven that you need instruction, Sim-pony?”

She hated that little smirk on his lips. What did he think was so funny? Lifting her fists, she watched as the exoskeleton’s metal arms rose with a whirr. “The only thing you’ve proven is that you need a butt-whupping.”

Tiegan sighed. “Very well.”

She ran to him, watching the way he stood stock-still as if waiting for her to collide. Symphony raised her fists, aiming a punch in his direction.