Page 96 of The Alien Warrior's Vow

His species.

His comrades.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, his fingers loosening on the dagger.

The Healer’s voice rose above the chaos. “Why don’t we sit down and discuss this calmly, Tanek? There is no need for your weapons or your threats.”

Tanek shuffled ahead of the army, his eyes locked on the Healer. “The time for calm discussion was sun rotations ago, when the Heronas first demanded humans in exchange for Clavas’s life!”

Grumbles broke out behind him.

Clavas scowled. “Would you have left me there to rot, Tanek?”

“I am not saying that.” Tanek spoke through gritted teeth. “I am only asking for the humans.”

“We cannot give them up,” the Healer said.

Tanek’s eyes flashed darker. “My father lies in his resting place. He is gone to meet Destin.” His voice cracked. “For what purpose?” Tanek turned and pierced Lans with a dark look. “For females that we have no business mating? Females who have brought monsters in spaceships and death to our doors?”

The crowd roared in agreement. Angry cries lifted to the ceiling. Boots thumped the ground, shaking the ceiling until rocks fell and skittered near his feet.

Lan’s nostrils flared. “Put your weapons down, Tanek. Do not do something you will regret.”

“Regret?” Tanek pursed his blue lips. “The only thing I regret is that I never got to tell my father goodbye before the Ungazi turned him into ash in onesnap.” His spine dagger grew out of him and he tore it off. “I do not want to do this. None of us do. But we will rid ourselves of this curse before the Ungazi come for us all.”

“Tanek, put your weapon down.”

“Move the Healer out of harm’s way,” Tanek growled, jutting his chin at the two warriors on his right.

They swept forward, grabbing the Healer by the arms.

“Release him!” Clavas cried. “How dare you put shackles on our last remaining elder?”

“We do this for his own protection,” Tanek said.

Lans saw more warriors jumping on the Healer. Despite spending most of his time in the sacred damas, the Healer was also a trained and skilled warrior. His legs scrambled beneath him and he tried to wrench his body free, but the Plutonians had something that they didn’t.

Numbers.

Lans’s eyes swept over the warriors standing behind Tanek.

Unease tightened his stomach.

“I beg of you, comrades,” Tanek whispered, “let us do this the easy way. We know the females are here. We know that you have mated them. We know this is what has brought the wrath of the Ungazi on our heads.” He took another step. “Hand them over to us and there need not be any bloodshed.”

Lans heard daggers snapping off. Heard the shuffle of feet. The whisks of sharp blades knifing through the air. His comrades spread out in a line, preventing the army from stepping deeper into the cavern.

“To get to our females, you will have to kill us first,” Lans growled.

“Very well.” Tanek roared and sprinted toward them.

The army ran behind him.

Lans grabbed a warrior by the neck and yanked him back, slamming him in the face with a fist. The Plutonian groaned and Lans shoved him away rather than slicing his neck with the dagger.

He did not want to harm his own species.

He did not want to…