Page 48 of The Alien Warrior's Heart

“You fainted.” Simone pointed to Chozo. “And he healed you with this.” She lifted the needle. “Chozo saved you.”

Zar scowled when Chozo repeated the words to him. Instead of thanking them, he seemed angry. Simone resisted the urge to smack the stubborn alien warrior. One near-death experience had done nothing to calm his anger. He’d come out from his unconsciousness grumpier than before.

Zar got up and headed straight for her. He inspected her hands and legs, stroking his fingers down her tunic as if he wanted to start something.

Simone eased back. “Hey, big guy. We have an audience.”

Zar grunted.

Simone’s body melted with each brush of his hands and her voice got breathy. “You wake up from getting fried in acid rain and suddenly, you’re handsy.”

“He’s checking to make sure I haven’t hurt you,” Chozo explained quietly. “He’s also accusing me of poisoning him with the Zahranian serum.”

“Oh.” Simone froze. And then she narrowed her eyes at Chozo. “Did you?”

Chozo balked. “No. It’s a healing serum. The only one I had.”

Simone nodded.

Zar pressed a soft, tender kiss to her head and pulled her into a tight hug. Immediately, Simone’s frustration, fear, and panic melted. She closed her eyes and the world drifted away, leaving her tethered only to Zar.

Eighteen

Zar

In search of privacy,Zar stepped deeper into the cave, making sure not to venture too far. He intended to stick close enough that he could hear the female call for him if she needed to.

His interface glowed, alerting him to a comms from his tribas. As he slid his fingers over the device to awaken it, he thought of what the Heronas had done.

Chozo saved you.

Saved him? Zar wanted to laugh bitterly, but he kept his mouth shut. There was no universe, no reality, where a Heronas would help a Plutonian. Hate ran through their venas. They were trained in bitterness and war, just as Plutonians were trained in the ways of honor, commitment, and integrity.

The Heronas were incapable of good.

Si-Moon must be mistaken.

Shehad helped him on her own.

She’d promised to protect him and she had.

Zar made a decision in that moment. He cared not what Korben would do to him. He cared not if he were banished from his tribas and sent away to live on his own. The female stayed with him.

Zar lifted his interface and saw that there was a new message from Lans. Lans was Korben’s right hand. Whatever he said came directly from the terros himself. His comrade probably wanted to know the status of his mission.

I have a female, but I cannot hand her over to you.Could he truly say those words? Zar thought of the way Korben, Pin, Tiegan, Lans, and Clavas had all rescued him that fateful day. He’d joined their tribas because he saw their honor. They would never turn their back on a comrade.

And he’d responded to that.

Longed for it.

They’d welcomed him and given him a place to belong.

And now he was sealing Clavas and the Healer’s fate.

Zar ran a hand through his hair and breathed deeply. A memory of the Heronas footage showing Clavas bound and naked in their clutches burst through his mind.

Since he had also been taken prisoner by the Heronas and subject to torture and mistreatment, he knew what Clavas was experiencing.