Page 17 of The Alien Warrior's Mate

She nodded. Smiled. Uttered a word that he assumed was her language’s ‘thank you’. Korben turned away and disposed of the residue from the leaves. He desperately needed to find a way to communicate with her. It was tiring to lack comprehension.

Why go to all that trouble? You’re turning her in to the Heronas anyway?

True.

He was supposed to turn her over.

But he didn’t want to.

Denizi. He’d made a mistake when he learned her name. At the last minute, he had restrained himself from sharing his, but it didn’t matter.

Sah-ah.

The name was beautiful.

Whatever it meant.

And it was hers.

Now she was more than a bargaining chip for his brother’s life.

Her name had changed things.

Sah-ah.

Korben felt a small hand on his side. Sah-ah’s eyes bore into his face and he saw no fear in her expression. Was that it? Had it taken the act of healing her to earn her trust?

She pursed her lips and awkwardly repeated after him. “Denizi. U aangi?”

He sensed her concern for him and gently eased away. “Sleep.”

Her delicate brows furrowed.

Striding ahead, Korben gathered long, scattered leaves that had blown into the cave mouth and fashioned a mat on the floor next to the torch. He could build a proper fire, but it would only attract attention. He didn’t want any wild animals sneaking into the enclave while they were asleep.

Korben was sure he could protect himself, but it would be harder to do so while taking care of Sah-ah. She was a vulnerable female. And yet, she was also incredibly brave.

He remembered the way Sah-ah had picked up the Rulari’s sword and taken aim. Though her shot had been worthless, the fire in her eyes told him that if she’d gotten the right training, she would have blasted the guard’s head off. For some reason, Korben felt immense pride when he thought of that moment, almost as if Sah-ah was his prized pupil.

Shaking off the feeling, he pointed at the matt. “Sleep.”

She seemed to understand, but she made no moves to lie down.

This female…

A sigh of exasperation blew through his chest. “What is the problem now?”

She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

Korben peered outside. The storm was wreaking havoc on the desolate land and the strong winds were sending a stiff breeze into their cave. His skin was thick enough to survive the dropping temperatures, but Sah-ah’s fragile flesh would offer no heat preservation properties.

With another sigh, Korben assured her. “I will keep you warm.”

Her eyebrows relaxed. She seemed to understand that he would be accommodating to her. She got on her knees and tested out the mat before lying down and putting her hands under her cheeks.

Korben checked on Enthara and then tapped his interface to seek a connection one more time. Still no signal. He needed to contact his comrades—Tiegan, Pin, and Zar. But he could not communicate tonight.

Korben returned to the mat where Sah-ah was lying down. Her gaze slipped from his empty hands to him as he got closer. She squirmed back, her mouth pressing tightly together.