Page 11 of The Alien Warrior's Heart

Zar smirked as the guard came into view. He was pressing the button on a small, digital remote. Cursing under his breath, the Heronas mumbled, “Why isn’t this working?”

Zar let the collar drip from his fingers. A loudcrackechoed through the room. The guard froze in the doorway when he heard it. Zar stepped on the device, and it shattered beneath his feet.

He gave the guard time to make the connection, inhaled and then sprung into action. Dragging the guard into the comm’s blind spot, he released his spine dagger, snapped it off and slashed the guard’s throat.

Blood poured from the Heronas’s neck and he slumped to the ground.

The female shrieked, covering her mouth in horror as she watched the guard’s lifeless body. Was she afraid? Did she not want revenge for what the Heronas had done to her?

The guard’s blood slipped down Zar’s arm and mixed with the sweat on his fingers. Ignoring the mess, he grabbed the female’s hand and dragged her through the open door.

She stumbled behind him, her chest heaving and her lips clenched tightly. He could feel her disapproval, but it mattered not. All Zar cared about was escaping alive.

Footsteps thudded in the distance.

More guards.

He turned. “Stay in there.” He gestured to the prison. “Stay.”

The female widened her eyes.

Zar shoved her towards the open cell. There was no time to explain as one of the Heronas attacked him with the butt of a sword. He slapped it out of the guard’s hand, bringing his tail around to crush his head against the wall.

As he went down, the Heronas fired his weapon. It glowed and spit out a bullet close to the human’s head.

She shrieked and ducked.

Zar shouted at her, “Get to safety!”

Guards rushed toward him.

There were too many of them.

They kept pouring down the stairs.

He roared as one sliced his arm with a sword. Blood seeped profusely from the wound. It did not slow his movements.

Yet.

But it would.

There was only so much adrenaline he could use to maintain his energy. After being held captive for two sun rotations and excreting every ounce of food he’d been given, Zar was severely malnourished.

He roared, sinking to one knee. Anger still pulsed in him, but it could not hold him up.

He would be overpowered.

In that moment, Zar heard the female shriek. “Geeeet dun!”

He whirled around and caught her hurling a deconstructed sword at the fray of Heronas. They all paused and watched the weapon sail through the air. It made a perfect arc before plunking in the midst of the guards.

Zar waited.

Nothing.

The guards began to laugh, and one kicked the weapon to his comrade. At that moment, the weapon exploded with enough force to knock him back. The Heronas were flung away.

Zar felt small hands tugging on his arm. He peered through the spots in his vision and saw dainty shoulders and a slim body covered in a tunic.