Page 10 of Guardian’s Heart (Space Guardian’s Mate #1)

NOVA

I heard the slight crack when my trap engaged. I even knew which one had been activated. I would catch that silver alien and put an end to his stalking me.

Rubbing my hands together in glee, I made my way quietly to the trap. When I didn't see him dangling, I creased my brows. Had I been mistaken? Carefully, I pushed the branches of the bush hiding me aside to get a better look.

An instinct that had been trained in me years ago made me look up just in time to see him come flying at me. With a squeal, I threw myself to the side, but his arm was still long enough to catch mine even as he fell and missed me. With a thud that announced all the air being pushed out of his lungs, he leveled the bush I had hidden behind.

I tried to pull away, but even as he lay there, stunned, his grip was like iron around my arm, not letting me go.

Fine!

He wanted it the hard way?

He would get it.

Instead of fighting against his grip, I moved into it, aiming my foot at his face. With a curse, he managed to move his head to the side so my foot glanced against his temple instead of his nose.

"You little starbane," he shouted, pulling me down and against him.

My elbow hit his kidney.

"You don't know when to give up, do you?"

"You have no idea," I hissed, aligning my elbow for a second round.

He was faster. He rolled us over so he was on top of me. With one of his hands, he grabbed my wrists, pinning them over the top of my head.

I kicked out, but he simply sat on my hips, and even my dirty fighting skills couldn't do anything against his brute strength and weight.

"Quit struggling, female." He chuckled. The bastard was enjoying himself.

"Nova," I pushed out.

"What?"

"My… name… is… Nova," I gasped. He was cutting my air off, but damn him if I was going to show him any weakness.

"Zaarek." He grinned.

"Get off… me."

"Not on your life." He was still grinning when dots floated in front of my vision. I would not give in. I would not.

"Nova?" His voice sounded concerned but so far away.

"You frygging stubborn female." He finally got off me, shaking me. "Nova?"

I struggled to keep conscious while gulping in deep lungfuls of air.

"Are you alright?"

His concerned expression took form in front of my vision. Had I not been so weak, I would have used this moment to kick or slug him, but as it was, I could barely move my arm.

Effortlessly, he picked me up and carried me through the bushes back to my small little camp. Fuck him. Now, I would have to start all over again. I was so mad at him that as soon as I had some strength back, I backhanded him.

He let go of me.

Unprepared, I landed on my ass on the ground. "Ouch."

"Do I need to tie you up?" he challenged.

"If you don't want me to run, probably." I glared up at him.

"I came to save you." He sounded exasperated.

"Well, consider myself saved and be gone then," I snarled.

"Impossible female," he cursed.

"Nova," I corrected, and we glared at each other some more.

He hunched down in front of me, tempting me to kick his balls and making him fall backward, but something stopped me. With everything that had happened between us so far, he hadn't really hurt me. Not intentionally. If I was being honest, he had gone out of his way not to hurt me. He had several weapons on him that he could have used to shut me up permanently. It was worth giving it at least some thought.

"I was hired to bring you and other humans to safety," he filled me in when he realized I was listening.

I bit out a sharp laugh. "Safety? What's that?"

"Far away from the Cryons." His gaze turned a few shades of caring. "To a planet called Astrionis in the Pandraxian Empire. Lord Protector Garth took a human mate, and he is building a refuge for humans there."

A refugee? I arched an eyebrow.

"No thank you."

He blinked a few times. "Come again?"

I shook my head. "No. Thank. You. I have no intention of living in some sort of refugee camp, begging for clothes and food."

"It's not like that," he contradicted.

"Sure it's not." I rolled my eyes.

"You know what?" He rose and threw his hands in the air. "I'm done with you. You want to live out here in the forest? Be my—Argh." Suddenly, he bent over, his face contorted in pain.

"Zaarek?" Carefully, I moved away from him. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. The part of me that was, despite everything, still human, wanted to go to him, help him, but the survivalist part in me screamed for me to keep my distance. There was no telling what was wrong with him. It could be conta—

A wave of pain hit me as if my arm was being seared off.

"Fuck!" I yelled, bending away.

Zaarek was on his knees, breathing hard and staring at his arm, where black lines appeared over the silvery skin.

Another jolt of pain moved over mine, and I swiped his cape to the side. "No!"

The same black lines were appearing on my arm.

More pain radiated out from my hip, and I curled into a ball, unable to even have a coherent thought.

"No-va?" he pressed out, crawling over to me, hunched over as he was. "Nova?"

As always, my willpower was stronger than my pain; I lifted my arm with clenched teeth to show him.

He collapsed next to me.

"What is this?" I panted.

"I have no idea," he pushed out, and that was the last I heard before I blacked out for real this time.