Page 9 of The Alien Warrior's Mate

It was too far away.

Damn.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the blue warrior in motion. He moved fluidly, quicker than her eye could keep up with. A dagger shot out of his back and he grabbed it, literallybreaking a bone.The dagger glinted in his grip and he brought it down with such force, it shot clean through the lion guard’s chest.

The alien roared in agony. The blue warrior didn’t even flinch. Without missing a beat, he stabbed his bone-knife into the other lion’s gut. The alien shrieked and fought back, leaving Sara alone.

Now was her chance!

She scrambled forward, crawling on her hands and knees. Her fingers trembled when they snagged on the hilt of the sword and pulled it into her lap. The weapon felt heavy in her hands and she could barely lift it. Hefting it up with her knee, she struggled to her feet and pointed it at the aliens.

The blue warrior and the lion guard both froze.

Sara swung the weapon.

Breathed.

Squeezed tight.

Tiny neon bullets shot out of the sword. The buck surprised her and knocked her clear off her feet. Since when could swords spit bullets? As the sword-gun went off again, it made a deafening sound—almost like a pop with a hint of a clap of thunder. She eased her head up and saw the bullets miss the guard completely.

Damn it. She’d never touched a glowing weapon before in her life, but all those episodes ofStar Warsmade her think she could just wield and shoot. The lion guard’s angry huff warned her that she’d made a fatal mistake.

He lifted his sword and pointed it at her head. One bullet skidded right by her cheek, singeing one of her curls. She could only imagine what it would do if it embedded in her chest or her leg. Her head swung back and forth, searching for cover, but there was none.

She was a sitting duck.

A prisoner in front of a firing squad.

There was no way she would get out of this alive. Sara squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the end as bullets flailed through the air.

Any minute now…

Any…

Wait.

What was going on?

The lion guard was emptying his sword-gun on her, but she didn’t feel a thing. Confused, Sara opened her eyes and saw a shadow falling over her body. Glancing up, she realized the shadow belonged to the blue warrior. He hovered over her, his teeth bared and his eyes firm and determined. Both arms were outstretched, and the bullets bounced against his skin with a metallic clang.

It was at once the most horrifying and coolest thing Sara had ever seen.

She stared at her inhuman shield.

Their eyes met.

For a second, her lungs squeezed tightly. A current of heat shimmered between them and awareness thrummed through her veins.

It didn't matter that they were in the middle of a battle.

That she was trapped on an alien planet.

That, at this very moment, her life was in danger.

Time stopped while they studied each other.

But it was just for a moment.