Page 37 of The Alien Warrior's Heart

Zar roared loudly. He ran toward the alien, unsheathing a knife from his pants and raising it high.

Simone’s eyes widened. “No!” She ran as fast as she could, pumping her arms at her sides to outpace Zar. Skidding in front of him, she threw herself in front of the alien child and spread her arms out wide, shielding the creature with her own body.

Zar’s momentum carried him forward. She saw everything in slow motion. The sweat running down his upper lip. The surprise glinting in his purple eyes. The wicked point of the dagger as it came barreling towards her head.

Simone bent her neck and grimaced, bracing herself to get stabbed by the alien who’d just made her entire body explode in pleasure. Her head rushed with warning bells. Blue and silver flashed before her eyes in a whir of motion that could not be stopped.

And then… nothing.

She slowly peered up and her nose brushed against the hilt of the dagger. Zar held it in his palm, his chest heaving as he stared at her. He’d managed to stop himselfjustin time.

Simone wilted to her knees, the shock and adrenaline pouring out of her in one swoop and taking her strength with it.

“Si-Moon!” Zar caught her before she hit the ground.

“I’m fine,” she said wearily. “I’m fine.”

Zar glared at the alien child as if he were personally responsible for everything that had gone wrong today and would go wrong tomorrow.

The small alien looked at them both and then burst into big, fat tears.

Fourteen

Zar

“Step away from the Heronas, Si-Moon,”he growled, keeping his eyes locked on the beast.

Si-Moon gave him a defiant look and stood her ground. Her slender arms were stretched out to her sides and her chin tilted up, catching the sunlight.

Zar’s eyes narrowed. Hatred and anger built in his chest. It would not be contained. It cried for retaliation. “Si-Moon.”

“Zar,” she snapped. Her feet planted deeper into the ground.

Denizi.

This stubborn female…

“Move,” Zar demanded.

The Heronas offspring whimpered.

Zar scowled harder in response. What kind of act was the bastard trying to pull? Was he a scout? Had he been sent by the Heronas to lure them somewhere dangerous?

Zar imagined Si-Moon following this Heronas into the foliage and getting surrounded by guards. They would drag her back to the prison they’d escaped from and force her to endure a fate worse than death.

Neh. He would die first.

Gritting his teeth, Zar lurched forward, intending to drag Si-Moon to safety and finish the Heronas off.

“Dun cree pur babee.” Si-Moon swung to the Heronas and wrapped her arms around his filthy body.

Shocked, Zar careened to a stop and stared at her. Si-Moon rubbed the Heronas’s bald head in the same, gentle manner he’d shown her beneath the tree. In a soft voice, she cooed to him until the leaking liquid dried from his eyes and his body stopped shaking.

Zar scowled. “Si-Moon, get away from him. He could be—”

“Dun.” Si-Moon pinned him with a dark look.

Zar stopped mid-step.