Page 37 of Xefe (Nozaroc Alien Warrior #1)

X efe supervised the construction of the final games for the Great Race.

The supreme had finally made his choice.

It would end up being EnRedo —an intricate and lethal maze, the deadliest of all the games.

Everything about this event was dangerous.

Starting with its location. To move the giant maze into place, Xefe had to lower the force fields.

When that happened, the Guardians appeared, and this time, they arrived faster than ever before.

As if they sensed the blood lust, the tension connected to this event.

Xefe and his warriors had to rush the delivery before the tornadoes destroyed the arena.

Xefe watched the dome close, impossibly slow. He stood with several other warriors, including the supreme’s personal guard, a triad of deadly soldiers. There was little communication between him and these fighters, but they respected each other.

Poised for battle with staffs in hand, they all watched for danger.

The Guardians weren’t the only worry. Brutoos—massive, scaled beasts with eight legs and razor-sharp claws—roamed this part of the planet.

Winds buffeted them. The Guardians bombarded the shields, but the dome closed before they could do too much damage.

Xefe heard the lone howl of a brutoo, signaling he’d found prey.

May it be a quick death.

The brutoo were relentless, cruel, and had been known to keep their prey alive for tics at a time, to ensure a fresh meal.

Once the danger passed, Xefe accessed the control panel on his uniform.

He had readouts on every being wearing a uniform.

His daily checks had expanded to include the earthers.

They may not have communication, but he could still monitor their whereabouts.

All were accounted for. Except Hermosa.

His body moved before his mind caught up. He palmed his staff and ran for the nearest portal, one that would bring him to the prisoner quarters. He accessed his communication device, and said, “Loxo? Nime? Do you have a visual on the earthers?”

“No, First. I am doing rounds in the lower quadrants.”

“No. Thank the stars. They are not on duty. They are in their quarters along with the other workers,” Nime said.

Xefe leaped and slid into the portal, which cut off communication temporarily.

The portal ghosts, as he’d named them as a child, howled for him, tore at him, as if urging him on.

It confirmed something must be wrong with Hermosa.

She was connected to them, to this planet, because of the Oro inside her.

“First! Are you there? Has something happened to the earthers?” Loxo sounded frantic and on the verge of exploding.

“Loxo. Calm. That is an order.” Xefe ran across the bridge, seconds after the stone formed under his feet, and accessed the force field locking in the workers. “I am here now. I need you to join me. All of the earthers are accounted for except Hermosa. I am assessing the situation.”

Feelings bombarded him. So foreign and overwhelming—he hated being this out of control. He had to focus, or else he’d destroy anyone in his path—anyone who would take her from him.

The scene that greeted him was pandemonium.

The majority of aliens, hundreds, were hissing and throwing rocks at the cluster of Verders.

The earthers were screaming at the top of their lungs.

Nheenya held a sobbing Querida, and Nieve was pacing and pointing at one of the Verders. “You better go in there and get her.”

“If you’re so worried about your friend, you go in.” One of the Verders replied.

“Nheenya, what’s in there? Should I go?” Nieve wrung her hands.

Tears welled in the eyes of the Tattats, the purple alien. “You must not . No one ever returns from there. It is not a two-way portal. If you go through, you cannot return.”

“What goes here?” Xefe came up on the Verder, the one who’d been fighting with Hermosa during the prequals. He lifted the green alien by the throat. “Tell me now before I break your neck.”

“Sunny! Gracias a Dios que estás aqui! That bitch, right there—” Nieve pointed at the Verder hanging from his hand—“beat Hermosa and made her go through there.” She sobbed and pointed at the portal.

An ancient gateway. Deadly. Unsurvivable. It led straight outside to the brutoo’s hunting grounds. The supreme had never bothered to block it because anyone who dared escape would either get eaten or taken apart by the Guardians.

Xefe remembered his swift prayer from earlier, for a quick death.

Could I have been wishing for Hermosa’s demise?

He threw the Verder across the room and roared.

He dove through the portal. The ghosts welcomed him, shot him up and over the cliff.

The high arc gave him enough time to pivot and land on his feet.

What he encountered made the organs in his body seize—frozen in terror.

A huge male brutoo towered in front of him.

Xefe’s head only came to its shoulder. Its purple scales glinted off the searing sun as it dug for its target.

Xefe understood with a deep knowing it was Hermosa under those rocks, his almax , his reason for breathing.

She didn’t have much time before it reached her.

Xefe roared and issued his challenge. The brutoo whipped around so quickly, it was hard to track with his eyes.

But Xefe was ready; he would fight with his last breath to save his woman.

The brutoo roared and leaped in the air, his two right paws slamming down.

Xefe pulled on every ounce of Oro to evade the death blow.

He threw himself to the side, and the brutoo flew by.

Xefe took advantage of the near miss and jumped on the beast’s back.

It had deadly spikes lining its spine, similar to his own.

He latched on and held on for his life. “Run, Hermosa!” he shouted into the wind.

The beast fought, turning its head almost ninety degrees to slash him with teeth as long as his arm. Xefe took his staff and released the electrified rope but struggled to get it from the device.

The brutoo bucked, almost dislodging him, but he latched the end of the rope back onto his staff and pulled. The line cinched in until it was too tight to breathe. Xefe stood on its back, jumped off, and pulled the rope as he fell.

In one fell swoop, its head slid off, its eyes still blinking as blood flooded the area.

Xefe rushed to Hermosa, gently pulling her from the crevasse. Her beautiful face looked mottled, in varying shades of black and blue. Her lids were squeezed shut.

“Hermosa, open your eyes.” Xefe needed to see the amber brown surrounded in gold. When she watched him, saw him, every cell in his body came alive.

“Xefe?” she whispered, her hands shaky as she wiped the blood from her cheeks. “You came?”

“Always.”

“I swear it wasn’t my fault this time.” She tried to sit up and whimpered in pain. Giant sobs wracked her body and tears streamed from her eyes. “T-that thing was really scary.” She cried harder. “I have so much to tell you. And I never thought I’d see you again.”

“Every time I leave you alone, something happens.” He gently scooped her into his arms. “That means we can never be parted again.”

She continued to cry, her entire body seizing.

“I have you.” Xefe worried about how he would heal her.

She needed her strength for the Great Race tomorrow, but he’d used the last of his Glrtsstlllloroggg to numb himself.

Yet, the supreme would take it as a personal slight if she were too injured to compete.

“I need to find more Oro.” Could he break into the supreme’s supplies?

If he were caught, it would mean instant death, but Hermosa was more important.

“I have some.” She pointed to a vial peeking out from the puddle of blood. “Did it break? Is it okay?”

“No, it is intact.” Xefe picked it up and studied the vial and dispenser. “Where did you get this?”

“I didn’t steal it, I swear.” Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I used a little bit of it to repair my lung. That green bitch broke my ribs, but I need to save the rest.”

Fury slammed through Xefe. “I should have choked her to death when I had a chance.”

“You were choking her? For me?” More tears streamed down her face. “That is so romantic.” Her voice softened. “I guarded the Oro. I have to give it to the girls, and I need it to kill Freckles.”

Again, with that Aavvee. “I understand your need for revenge, but there is more you need to pay attention to. The Great Race is tomorrow.” He’d never been so grateful for a vial of Glrtsstlllloroggg .

“We must be quiet for a little longer. It is not safe out here. This is hunting grounds for the brutoo, and his mate will come along to enact revenge.”

She nodded and closed her eyes.

Xefe waited a moment to ensure she was conscious, but her head was tucked into his neck, and her arms remained taut around him.

He moved with stealth, following the path of the mountain.

He hadn’t traveled here often, but as soon as he found a portal with access into the mountain, he would know how to plot a course back to his place.

He accessed his communicator. “Loxo. Report.”

“The earthers are well. I will stay with them this evening to ensure their safety. How is Hermosa? Does she live?” All of the chatter around Loxo faded.

Xefe understood they all awaited his answer. “She lives.” Cheers exploded in the background of the call.

“Excellent, First. Do you bring her here?”

“No. We will reconvene tomorrow, before the race.”

Xefe moved quickly, spotting a portal and praying it led him back into the tunnel.

He heard a howl of a brutoo and dove through the swirling gateway that hovered a few feet off the ground.

Ghosts surrounded him, caressing Hermosa’s hair, whispering in his ear.

He’d never heard them before. It must be because of his earther.

Perhaps, it wasn’t only her mouth that was magical.

Please take us back inside the mountain. I want to take her home.

To his shock, they were deposited on the same level as his floor, into a familiar portal only a few doors down from his entrance. Impossible. He’d used that portal a million times and had never ended up outside.

The rumors are true. The portals are alive. Thank you.

He refocused on his injured mate. The worry almost immobilized him now that they were safe in his domicile. He stripped off her uniform and set it in self-cleaning mode. Afterward, he retrieved one of his shirts, a scratchy material but better than a sack.

He tore it into long strips, drenched it in his waterfall, and cleaned her up, every beautiful inch.

Her eyes never opened, and his stomach knotted.

Had she fallen into a healing sleep or was it worse?

He notched the vial of Glrtsstlllloroggg into the dispenser, wary of what amount to use.

Not because she wanted to save it for her teammates, but because if he gave her too much, she would become dependent, needing a constant amount.

He decided to administer it, drop by drop, until she improved.

He pierced her eye, refusing to become squeamish now. He’d administered it to himself, and his warriors, countless times. Why did this feel so different?

One drop. Nothing. Two, the same. Three, four, five…and she sucked in a breath. Her eyes went wide, and the small black circles swelled and swallowed the brown of her eyes, leaving a ring behind. She gasped and fought, screaming as it devoured her system.

He’d seen the process several times, but nothing felt as terrifying as this. He wanted her looking at him, using her smart mouth. Tricking and cajoling—teasing him. He wanted everything from her, and he swore he would tell her that if she would only get better.