Page 31 of Xefe (Nozaroc Alien Warrior #1)

M eet me at practice field X.

Xefe contacted Loxo through the comm unit in his suit.

Nime needed help. According to him, the earthers were useless and hadn’t spent any time preparing.

Xefe was tired of his Third’s inability to motivate them to train, although Xefe admitted it was an insurmountable task.

Trying to get those stubborn aliens to do anything proved impossible.

I haven’t seen her in sonas.

Xefe has spent his time shadowing his supreme for information.

News on the Great Race. It would have been unheard of a short time before, but it was clear Hermosa had affected Xefe deeply, made him suspicious of his leader.

Before the prequals, he’d taken every last drop of Oro in his possession.

So far, it continued to hold, and he should be able to deal with the hot-headed earther without temptation.

Untruth.

He’d fought himself. Had almost gone to retrieve her. Every night. His room felt empty without her large presence. How could a tiny being take up so much space?

Xefe strode up behind Nime and the earthers who were supposed to be doing weapons training. Not one of them had a stick or a staff in hand. Unfortunately, Nime seemed even more frustrated with the bored-looking aliens.

“Earthers. You are lazy!” Nime spoke in stilted English. “Less time talking. More time fighting.”

Hermosa barely acknowledged his Third. She pretended to study her nails and asked, “Hey Nime, where do we get one of those cute outfits?”

Nime had reached his limit. “Outfit? Do you mean my uniform ? Only warriors are allowed the use of these.”

“But those stupid green losers have them. Why can’t we? We’re just as talented as they are.”

“Do you mean the Verder racers? They are from champion lines. Their pedigree earned them those suits.” Nime switched into the warrior’s tongue, knowing Hermosa spoke every language on the planet.

“Why do you stand around? Do you have no sense of self-preservation? When you get in that arena, it will be life or death.”

“How can we practice if we don’t know the event?” Querida spoke up, and her teammates looked shocked.

Xefe himself was surprised. One of the few things he’d noticed about the one with the dead eyes was that she didn’t bother with idle chatter.

And she brought up a good point. They had no idea what to prepare for.

That was why Xefe had spent so much time trying to gather information.

Unfortunately, the supreme had not made any decisions about the Great Race yet.

Or if he had, he hadn’t shared it with Xefe.

“Earthers, it is, I, Loxo. My First and I are here to help you train.” Loxo jogged up beside him, and Nime and the racers turned in unison.

“Thank the stars, First. They are your problem now. Infuriating. I wash my hands of them!” Nime slammed his staff on the ground and stormed off.

“Warriors choose actions, not words.” Xefe stood in front of them. “Why are you not practicing?”

“Nice to see you too.” Hermosa’s gaze burned a hole through his chest.

He found her eyes so fascinating, multicolored, black and brown, surrounded by a sheen of gold.

“It’s always so much fun when you tell me all about my inadequacies.”

Inadequacies? Xefe could never let her know his true feelings.

She was an addiction. Now that she was in front of him, challenging him, he feared the Glrtsstlllloroggg would fade, making him vulnerable to his depraved needs.

He’d dreamed of little else the last few days.

Her impossibly soft body, her delicious scent.

Her talented hands coasting up and down his rod.

These thoughts had been on an endless loop in his mind, which infuriated him.

He didn’t want to feel this way about her.

“I speak truth. The Verders are the best in our quadrant. They have trained their whole lives. Some planets even breed them for the honor of winning these fights. You must focus!”

“The Verders? You mean your champions that we beat in the race?” Intense emotions played across Hermosa’s face, but the Glrtsstlllloroggg in him caused the meaning to slip past him.

He shouldn’t want to know her thoughts because they ignited his own.

Got him distracted. But he could stare at her fiery face for an eternity.

“The Verders you tied with were not our champions. They were qualifiers, just like you. The competition will be much harder during the Great Race,” Loxo added. “You must practice as if your life depends on it. Because… it does.”

“Don’t worry.” Hermosa cocked her hip and gave one of her insincere smiles. Which meant she was not as sure as she seemed. “We’ll take them.”

“Where would you take them ?” Xefe said. “You have not paid attention to my instructions. You are to fight them.”

“You must train, beautiful earthers. Your charm and talents will only take you so far.” Loxo swept his hands wide, indicating the dilapidated training field.

“Again, as Querida pointed out, how are we supposed to train when we have no idea how to fight these aliens? We are at a disadvantage because you have us training out here alone. We need to see the other fighters, study more of their strengths and weaknesses,” Nieve said.

“Truth.” Xefe walked over to one of the designated fighting areas.

It was rectangular, about the size of a dining room table, and electrocuted neon beams outlined the frame, rising and falling in slow progression.

If a competitor touched the beams once, it would shock them enough to raise their hair.

Twice, they would double over in pain. Three times… and they stopped breathing.

“That is why we are here, earthers. To train you.” Xefe tossed his staff on the ground. When he saw Hermosa eyeing it, he said, “Touch that and you will work soup duty for the rest of your life. No competing ever again.”

Hermosa held up her hands, and a genuine smile appeared for the briefest time. Perhaps she liked it when he challenged her. “A girl can look, can’t she?”

“No. Loxo and I are versed in the fighting styles of all of the aliens you will encounter. Who will battle me first?” Xefe stood upon a fighting square. “The rest will observe and learn.”

Of course, Hermosa was the first to volunteer. She sauntered over as if she had all the time in the world, torturing him. She didn’t understand he was impatient for her. She had no concept of how deadly the Great Race would be. She stepped onto the board in front of him.

“There will be no force fields today. I disabled them. Nor weapons. Just hand-to-hand battles.”

Hermosa took her time, stretching and running her eyes over Xefe’s body, refusing to be rushed.

She threatened to break his control, and she knew it. It was exasperating. “How are you so confident? You’re the smallest and weakest aliens on this planet.”

“Yet, here we stand. Above all those other teams. We have talents you couldn’t conceive of.” She strolled around him, close but not touching. Just enough to leave him wanting. “We’ve got this in the bag.”

The girls cheered.

“Nieve is fast. Querida can shape her body into any configuration. Nheenya is hella strong. And me… I have my magical powers.” She winked and blew him a kiss.

Now she mocked him. He hated her untruths. “Magical powers? Like the high priestesses of the Aavvee who brush our bodies with bits of leaves, professing their ‘magics.’” He shook his head once. “I don’t believe in such things.”

“Who the hell is touching you? And where can I find her? To beat her ass ,” she whispered to herself.

“Get back on track, Hera. You’re losing the thread,” Nieve called.

Losing the thread?

“You know what? She’s right. Ignore that last part. I got a little off track.” Hermosa grimaced. “Just know, buddy, I have ‘magics.’” She wiggled her fingers in front of him. “It’s my superpower, and it has nothing to do with leaves. It centers around one small part of my body.”

At that moment, Xefe studied her, didn’t avoid seeing her. He began to understand this was how she played, connected. And the way she swayed her body in front of him meant she had a scheme in mind. He couldn’t resist asking, “Where are these magics ?”

She leaned in close enough that her heated breath brushed his cheek. “My mouth.”

Xefe froze and zeroed in on her lips. He loved her talented mouth. A few beats later, he breathed in deep and took a step back. But his gaze never left her face. “How?”

She strolled around him, running her eyes over his entire body, leaning in until her lips settled next to his ear. “Since you don’t believe in any of that stuff, I won’t bore you with the details. Let’s get back to fighting.” She pulled away.

“Why are they not fighting?” Loxo asked.

Nieve shushed him.

Xefe whipped around so his back was to the spectators. “What game do you play? Do you lie to me, female? Again?”

“How can you accuse me of lying when I haven’t even told you what I can do with my magical mouth?”

I have to know. “Tell me.” She refused to answer, and he almost felt… disappointed. “I’m waiting.”

“I can get people to do whatever I want, with just the sound of my voice.”

He huffed. “If that were the case, you wouldn’t be here. Would you?” He could tell his words hit the mark.

Her furry brows slammed together. “I can prove it. I can make you move, without touching you. With the power of my—”

“Magical mouth.” He didn’t care about her words, only wanted closer to her dewy lips. He remembered how he’d plundered her heat and warmth. “How?”

“Don’t you worry about that. But I can get your body to do my bidding without ever touching you. And I can prove it.” She shrugged and looked away. “But if you’re too frightened, I understand.”

“Frightened?” A spark of anger thrummed under his skin. “Show me.”

“You know that’s not how it works, Sunny.” She licked her bottom lip. “What do I get when I prove my superpower?”

Impossible promises. Mind games. It all made Hermosa fascinating yet dangerous. “What do you want?”

“I want a uniform. Just like yours.”