Page 26 of Xefe (Nozaroc Alien Warrior #1)

“N othing- thing special so far. The-the earthers may be a disappointment after all,” the supreme declared, high atop his viewing stage.

His assistants adjusted his cape behind him for maximum effect, while others preened his oversized feathers.

“I- I shouldn’t have bothered to attend.

These initial games are beneath me- me . ”

Untruth. Xefe didn’t say it aloud, but the supreme hadn’t shown this level of interest in many syads , and he was fascinated with the earthers.

Xefe was surprised the leader’s words evoked a flare of…

annoyance. Thankfully, the overdose of Glrtsstlllloroggg did its job.

After his shameful actions in the lab, Xefe had consumed every drop he’d possessed.

The magical golden substance flowed through his veins, numbing his emotions.

He no longer felt, perceived, or acknowledged the distractions.

He was back in his controlled state, saved from cravings and want.

At this moment, Xefe had returned to the warrior who prioritized the supreme, his fellow warriors, and nothing else.

The Aavvee cheered in the stands. Their high-pitched screeches echoed off the mountain walls.

This was Primary Field Three. It was a surprise that the supreme would allow a qualifying race in one of the main arenas.

Massive and oval-shaped, it dwarfed the group of competing aliens.

They looked inconsequential in the state-of-the-art stadium.

But the real show was the spectators. The Aavvee had come out in droves, outnumbering the participants a hundred to one.

They all wanted to see the new competitors.

The earther’s reputation had preceded them.

Xefe wondered if that had anything to do with Loxo and his endless need to speak about them.

Their beauty. Their intelligence. Xefe sighed, realizing there was a method to his Second’s madness.

Loxo understood how things worked: interest from the crowd guaranteed interest from the supreme.

Wind whipped through the stadium. It flowed through strategically placed openings along the endless stone walls of the mountain. They couldn’t completely remove the force field because of the Guardians. The massive wind tunnels were relentless, always waiting to destroy. They kept a constant vigil.

“Let- let us see if these earthers live up to their promises.” The squat leader settled into his oversized throne. His personal guard hovered behind him while his concubines settled around his feet.

BAM. The plas-pistol fired, but Xefe refused to watch the race. He could not. Not because he was worried. Not because his carefully constructed walls would crumble if Hermosa was hurt. No. He must focus on his only priority. Protecting the supreme.

To cover his unease, Xefe stretched his shoulders.

They felt tight, encased in his battle uniform.

The heavy outfit wasn’t ideal for the arena.

It hampered his speed, but he needed to cover his markings.

The supreme, and certainly Tontoh, would see that the black design on his arm had grown across his back and chest. The Aavvee would never stop testing him if they discovered the change.

I will never allow that. His need for the earther, and the mistake he’d made, would not jeopardize everything he’d worked for, everything he lived for. Supreme First! The chant automatically slammed through his mind.

After the incident in the laboratory, the interrogation by the Aavvee had been relentless.

They poked and prodded, questioned him through the night, only allowing him to attend the Great Race at the supreme’s order.

Xefe had much to prove. His only blessing?

They’d missed the earther completely. Had not seen her touching herself as she watched him from above.

There were no monitoring devices outside of the lab.

Xefe didn’t think the Aavvee had any idea those tunnels existed.

The sheer number of portals and pathways on Nozaroc was countless.

The Aavvee eventually concluded his violent reaction had something to do with the extraction process, and he reinforced that assumption.

Xefe owed them nothing. The deception held weight because his warriors had reacted similarly after he’d attacked the removal tubes.

The anarchy in the lab protected him and, more importantly, allowed the earthers to compete in the prequals.

Because if the scientists ever discovered reproductive compatibility between Nozarocan warriors and the earthers, they would be doomed.

Dissected and experimented on relentlessly.

He would not allow that to happen to them.

To her. Hermosa.

The name was a whisper in the deepest part of his mind. The Glrtsstlllloroggg protected him, covered him in a shield of ice, blocking any feeling that might begin to erode his carefully constructed walls. Nothing would deter him again, not even the remembered pleasure of holding her in his arms.

“What- what say you, First?” The shrewd supreme studied him far too closely, his head feathers ruffling in agitation. “Your- your earthers compete in front of your eyes and you refuse to look their way.”

He noticed? “My concern is for you at all times, Supreme. They are no threat to your safety.”

“How are- are you so sure?” He whirled away, surrounding himself with his fawning harem, exchanging fluid with their questing tongues. The stench permeated the stage. “I heard of your tantrum in the labs- labs . Tontoh wanted me to give you to him. To experiment, I’m sure.”

Xefe refused to respond. It wouldn’t matter if he did. The supreme made his own decisions. Xefe wouldn’t be here if his leader planned to give him to Tontoh. And because of the Glrtsstlllloroggg , it didn’t affect him one way or the other.

The squat leader flicked open his cloak, clearly agitated. “I-I forbid you to see them.”

Xefe’s gaze slowly turned to the Aavvee, and he fought the urge to lash out. Keep me from her? A slow burn ignited in Xefe’s chest, slowly eroding his control. “Supreme?”

“Your- your lack of focus, your actions in the lab. They- they are connected. To when the earthers arrived. I will not have your attention divided- ded !” He squawked, and his elite guard surrounded him in a whirl of feathers and claws.

Xefe eyed the gold and teal warriors, their metallic wings as sharp as knives. If the three of them ever engaged Xefe, the battle would be deadly. For all of them. So, he chose peace. To prove his fealty, Xefe tipped his chin down to his supreme.

“Yes- yes . Your main focus is me! And this facility- ty .” The supreme spluttered and eventually shooed away his guards.

But Xefe couldn’t forget the supreme’s words. He forbids it.

His leader dared keep me from her! The Glrtsstlllloroggg burned inside of him, but instead of a cold slide of relief, it torched a path through bone, through his soul, awakening instincts he never knew he had.

Before the feelings swept away the hard-fought calm, Hermosa’s words whispered in his mind, “You’re different now.

You can feel. They went through a lot of trouble to keep you emotionless.

You don’t know what’ll happen when they find out otherwise. ”

Bam! The mid-pistol fired, indicating half the race was completed.

His body reacted before his mind. His eyes automatically found Hermosa.

No matter how he fought it. Xefe’s gaze zeroed in on the tiny earther flanked by three other fighters.

Her team. They looked dwarfed by the competition. How would they win?

Xefe took the time to steady his thoughts while he watched them compete. Hermosa fought hard and fast. She hadn’t used her speed yet, the one he’d witnessed when she almost killed Tontoh, which was smart. If she peeked too quickly, she would exhaust her Glrtsstlllloroggg and collapse mid-race.

“They- they bore me! When will they—”

The spectators exploded in sound, cutting off the supreme’s words.

Hermosa had sprung up behind one of the green aliens—the Verders, a champion race—cut her legs under her knees and pushed the competitor off the launch beam.

The move was unprecedented. No one ever attacked the Verders directly.

The competing teams were too terrified to even look at the champions.

Pure, unadulterated pride filled Xefe, along with fear.

The Verders would never let this slight pass.

To quell the rush of emotions, Xefe tore his gaze from Hermosa.

It became vitally important not to hyper-focus on her, or he would begin to feel .

The tendrils of desire would subtly grow and spread through him, centering on his rod.

He could not awaken him while dealing with the supreme.

At this moment, Hermosa could not be his focus.

Xefe had seen enough to ensure she’d made it across the beams. Hopefully, they’d heeded his warnings and found a way to traverse the floating stones.

Xefe had a new target. His supreme. His leader would not stop him from seeing her.

He would not! Figure this out. Xefe would not lie, but he would use Hermosa’s advice to get what he wanted.

Monitoring these volatile earthers was top priority.

The absence of emotion allowed him to remember his goal.

He would mislead his supreme, not to harm him, but to protect him from the earthers.

In case they still proved a threat. Xefe decided to catch his leader off guard. “They possess many secrets.”

“Secrets- rets ?” The supreme extracted his large tongues from the mouths of three different concubines, and continued, “What- what secrets?”

Xefe heard the earthers scream in outrage below him on the field, but he refused to look.

Instead, he tried to manipulate no… lead the supreme into what Xefe wanted him to do.

To protect him, Xefe reminded himself silently.

But he also had to honor the vow he’d made to Hermosa.

Not to betray all of her secrets. “They have more abilities than just speed.”

“Do- do they? I see none of that at the moment- ment . Although…” He leaned forward in his seat.

“They do seem to have a death wish- wish . They attack the Verders as if they have a chance to win.” The supreme screeched and clicked his large beak in laughter.

“Maybe- be they are more interesting than Tontoh suggested. He- he wants to use them for research.” His large eyes cut into Xefe. “What abilities do they possess- ss ?”

Xefe wracked his brain to give the supreme a taste. “They are quite inventive.”

“Yes- yes . I know this.”

Xefe thought about the one who fought the most with Hermosa.

“The one with pearl-white hands can sway beings with her words and actions. And the mop-headed one,” he couldn’t remember their names, “is deadly with spears and knives, constantly training every waking second. But…” He forced the slightest bit of emphasis on the last word.

“Yes- yes !

“There is more. Abilities seem to grow by the day. They are fierce despite their small size. I was close to finding out more. But no matter.” He paused and watched his leader fixate on the games.

“I live to serve the supreme. If they hold no purpose. I comply.” Xefe would not outright lie.

Everything he said held truth. But he would maintain both vows to Hermosa and the supreme.

Why he held her in the same regard as his leader, he would think about another day.

The supreme narrowed shrewd eyes. He had not ascended to power by being stupid. “If- if she does not display her special powers, why should I let her live? I want you away from her- her . Tontoh begs me for her every day. It is exhausting- ing .”

“If you wish. But it was Tontoh’s blunder in the labs that caused all of the problems yesterday.

” Xefe had no trouble finding the kernel of truth in these words, knowing full well the Aavvee scientist constantly lied and manipulated the supreme.

“I have heard told he’d adjusted the machines right before extraction.

Something went wrong. Many of my warriors and I reacted in self-defense. He is clearly responsible.”

“I was not told this- this .” He snapped the plume of feathers atop his head and pushed his harem away.

Xefe crossed his arms. He remained detached and spoke without emotion, “If you trust Tontoh to learn the earther’s secrets. I will end my investigation.”

A roar went up in the crowd, and both Xefe and the supreme turned toward the Great Race in unison. Hermosa and the other earthers, along with the purple-haired alien—one of the Tattats—had made it to the penultimate stone. They defended their space fiercely but couldn’t traverse the last floater.

A crack formed in his chest, a fissure that expanded under the weight of extreme emotion.

It threatened to break through his chest. Fear for Hermosa almost reduced him to a roaring flame of need.

He willed the last of the Glrtsstlllloroggg in his system to smother those feelings.

He had to remain calm in the face of the supreme. These emotions would not rule him.

“They- they have captured the crowd’s attention.

Maybe you will study them- them . A bit more.

But- but your first priority is me. Do- do you hear?

” The supreme clacked his beak. “But- but here this, First. If they serve no purpose for entertainment, we will study them other ways. On a cellular level- vel . Rip- rip them apart, piece by piece.” He returned to his harem, like a child seeking comfort from his mother’s teat.

“If they don’t get off that stone soon, none of this will matter anyway- way . Three- ee other teams have traversed.”

Truth. The supreme’s words rang true. He was Xefe’s priority.

He would follow his leader’s decree. Only interact with Hermosa—no, the earther—when necessary.

Use her to gather intel. Nothing else. It would return equilibrium to his life, and it would protect her.

It didn’t matter why it was important that she stay safe, but no matter how much he wanted her, Xefe would resist to protect them both.