Page 9 of Xefe (Nozaroc Alien Warrior #1)

L ucha. Lucha. Lucha! Fight. Fight…

The echo of the dream faded as I scrambled up, my heart racing.

The dark room came into focus. Someone had dumped me on the ground, but for the first time in forever, I had a blanket.

An itchy, spice-scented stretch of fuzz that made my thighs weak and my stomach quiver. It smelled just like… paraíso . Heaven.

Where am I? Back in a dark cell. Luckily, I hadn’t lost any memory because of the blackout. Alien planet, black mountains, rich-ass snobs, and bird-brains that wanted me to do manual labor. Was there ever a fate worse than that? Double diablo. These hands were made for fighting. Not working .

With no stinky dick-tongues in sight, I took a minute to study the sparsely furnished room. A large bed and a worn table were set against the wall. On the other side was a smaller alcove—maybe the alien version of a closet?

A deep grumble startled me, and I lurched back, landing hard on my ass. I looked up, and up, and saw the broad-shouldered alien from my dreams. He had been there, on the ship, when I’d been flying higher than a kite. In between one of the few pleasure cycles amidst all the pain.

Dios , had I really touched his face? Those eyes.

Swirls of orange and yellow edged in the deepest black.

No pupils amidst the swirl of color. Sunny.

He was still covered in the dark leather from his head down to the tips of his clawed fingers and double thumbs.

Vicious bony spikes protruded all over his body.

How many barbs stuck out of this guy? Several ran along his head, shoulders, arms, back…

the works. He looked like a bipedal porcupine.

I studied him but was alert in case he moved. Cognizant that he was allowing me to check him out, I took advantage of the opportunity. Why did I have such an urge to strip him down? Lick him from head to toe? Bathe in his delicious scent?

Damn. That alien Oro really must have scrambled my brain.

“Your recovery time was short.” The alien crossed his arms but remained seated.

Not sure how to respond, I fought the urge to talk to the golden bastard. As far as this guy knew, I was just a dumb pig-beast . Freckles had announced I was unable to speak, to learn—he must assume I didn’t understand him. No need to give away even the tiniest of advantages.

So, I played dumb.

I sat on the floor, clutching my blanket, and he sat in a rickety chair.

This place felt cooler than the cell I’d been kept in with Nieve and Querida…

lighter, calmer. The walls of the cell remained the same, but it didn’t feel as if the weight of the entire planet loomed over us.

There were no alien grunts or screams. It felt very secluded.

“You are covered in filth. Your stench fills my quarters.” He pointed at a corner of the room.

Wow. Not nice, but so true. I resisted the urge to sniff my pits. No need. My own aroma offended even me. Since he gestured, I figured it was okay to look.

He rose from the chair, and I darted back until my back hit the jagged rock wall. Wincing, I frowned when he chuckled for one beat, two…and then the sound quickly died. Unnaturally short.

That’s strike two, buddy. I’m tired of you being amused by my pain.

In fact, that was strike one hundred. Not only had he stopped me from killing that pear-shaped prick, Freckles, but he’d laughed at my fear.

I opened my mouth to blast him but quickly caught myself.

Keeping my big boca shut was proving a serious challenge.

The alien took a few steps but didn’t come near me.

Instead, he lumbered over to the corner.

He slammed his fist against the wall, and a section moved sideways, revealing a waterfall surrounded in stone.

Liquid rushed from top to bottom. It was large enough to fit the alien, but it wasn’t clear how far back it went.

He looked over his shoulder and straightened slowly.

He grasped two of the spikes on his head and tugged.

Holy hell. They were part of his armor .

A uniform. When the helmet came off, thick black hair flowed down his back, like an alien mohawk.

The sides of his head were bare and etched in black markings.

These seemed deliberate, but it was hard to get a good look in the dim light.

There must have been a button in the back of his uniform because the long-sleeved top fell off after he tapped his back.

His skin was a glittering gold that refracted off the dim lights.

Oro dust floated off his skin. And those muscles.

They made me feel faint. Never had I seen such definition, and I’d worked around fighters my whole life.

His shoulders were a masterpiece, so broad it looked like he had two sets of shoulder blades instead of one.

No human man could achieve those stacks of muscle because their proportions were different.

He was twice as wide as a regular guy. Interestingly enough, he wasn’t as tall as I initially thought.

He still topped me by half a foot, but it was his sheer bulk that remained intimidating.

Was that a black tattoo covering his right arm? Swoon. I was a sucker for tatts. He looked delicious.

Was I drooling again? Discreetly, I wiped the side of my mouth, which I was sure remained an aftereffect of the Oro and not my attraction to him.

Who the hell was I kidding? My lady-parts danced in delight.

I’d never felt this turned on—my lips slick with want.

I squeezed my thighs shut to hide the arousal and ease the ache.

When I could focus again, I noticed his blazing eyes eating up my expression. Well, pendejo, you wanted me to look, so I’m looking. My chin went up. I liked what I saw. So what?

When he turned to test the water, I saw four ivory spikes lining his spine. They remained on his back, a part of him, even after he removed the uniform. He also had a spike jutting above each elbow.

Next came the pants. Gracias Dios. I should have been terrified of what this meant, but I was too turned on to think. Why was my body so attuned to his? Then I realized it was the glittery Oro dust. It floated off his skin, surrounding the cave, and I was drinking it in. It made me crazed.

When he removed his boots and straightened, I studied his strong thighs. I almost slumped over. I’d never seen such thick, well-defined muscle. My eyes trailed up to two more pointy spikes pointing over his alien cock. Spiked junk? What the hell? Every lascivious thought flew out the door.

Total lady-boner killer.

I could lose an eye or pierce an ovary if I ever messed with him. The liquid fire throbbing between my thighs died an abrupt death with fatal immediacy. No way in hell his dick was worth getting gored.

But I couldn’t help taking a peek below. Let me know what I’m missing. Except… all I saw was a dark mound. No balls. No beautiful tree trunk-sized alien pito . What a waste. With that build, that height, he should have been loaded for bear—instead, nada .

That is so sad. Or really… I am so sad. For me. And my screaming vagina. Looked like he was a walking golden tease. No pito, no huevos. No pork or beans!

Pity cut through the fear—through the defiance. I looked down at my hands, admitting, maybe , that a tiny part of me was disappointed. I mean, if I had to be abducted, couldn’t I get a little down and dirty with the stacked alien?

He strolled into the waterfall shower, and I was amazed at the process.

Glittering water coated him, wetting glorious dark hair that fell to the middle of his back.

He pressed the wall, and a foamy substance mixed with the water.

It coated his golden skin, eating away at every speck of dirt.

It only took about two minutes. When he stepped from the waterfall, the last of the foam was gone.

He presses another button which sucked out all the remaining water that had pooled at his feet.

Another quick glance below the waist, because I’m a glutton for punishment, and all I could think was, What a damn shame.

“Clean yourself,” he rumbled.

My head snapped up, but I made my expression blank. I would kill to be clean. Literally kill him . I tapped my palm twice out of habit and wanted to cry when there was no response. I’d had a vid-phone since birth—being disconnected made me feel inconsequential, unimportant… Alone.

Where are you, Valentina?

“You are filthy.” He frowned, the bony protrusions over his eyes snapping down in what I now recognized as a frown. “Do all earthers live in such filth?”

I bit my lip to stop my response. I was insulted on behalf of all mankind. But instead of responding, I scratched my scalp.

“You understand me. I know you can speak.” He sliced his hand down. His bare fingers were tipped in sharp claws, all four of them and two thumbs. “If you will not negotiate, you are not as clever as I imagined. My supreme would be interested—”

My eyes flew up to his. That one got me.

His swirling eyes narrowed when he saw my fear. “Speak.”

“Fine. I may be able to understand a little bit.” I spoke in English, not ready to concede that I not only understood, but spoke, his growly language.

“Hmm, you know enough.”

I shrugged.

“What means this?” He lifted his shoulders.

“It means, maybe.”

“Do you not want to remove the infestation in your scalp? Eventually, your hair will have to be shaved even if you claim it is the source of your power.” He crossed his arms, clearly calling bullshit.

So, this wall-sized warrior had figured a few things out.

It wasn’t a surprise he’d be smarter than the ruling class.

No matter where you fought to survive in the universe, some truths always held true.

“No.” I reacted before I had time to consider whether it would piss off the giant alien. “We’re not shaving our heads. I would get lice all the time on earth. Just give me some olive oil and a comb, and I’m good.”

“I know not those words.”

“Okay, no olive oil but you must have a substance that’s smooth and oily that can smother the eggs while allowing me to pick them out with a comb.”

“There is no way to see the eggs. You won’t know if you’ve removed them all. If even one remains, you will become infested again. They are only visible when they mature to full-grown bugs.”

I dug my hands through the front of my scalp because it was friggin’ heaven, but also to prove a point. Hundreds of yellow splinter-sized eggs lined my palms. “Aren’t these them? I can get them out.” I held my hands up for his inspection.

He blinked and said, “I see nothing.”

I looked down at my hands. You don’t? Interesting. Why couldn’t he see them? Alien eyes must be very different. Not that I’d let him know that. “You’re right, Sunny. I don’t see anything either.” I wiped my hand on the dirt floor.

“Who is Sunny?”

“You is Sunny.” I smiled.

“No, I am called Xefe.” He squared his chest. “First to the supreme.”

“I like Sunny.”

“I do not.”

Okay, Sunny. Whatever you say. But instead of saying it out loud, I shrugged.

“What do I call you?” Xefe asked as he walked to a chamber in the back of the cave and returned wearing soft-leather pants and nothing else.

Que rico! His chest is amazing. “I go by Queen Buttercup of Earth, most powerful of racers from New Angeles. But you may call me Hera.”

“Hera?” He returned to his rickety seat. “How is that related to your title?”

“It’s an Earth thing.”

“No.” He cocked his head to the side and focused on my mouth, my smile. “Your words can’t be trusted. I feel it in my chest, an irritation when you speak. Yet I need information about earthers. You won’t even give me your name?”

“I did.” When he slashed a hand down in agitation, I amended. “Okay, the queen part might be an exaggeration, but it’s close enough.”

“Perhaps I need to bring one of the others. They may be willing to swap information.”

Ooh, that one got me. Made my skin burn to think of Nieve here in my place. That princesa would have him wrapped around her slutty finger in minutes. I wanted him wrapped around my slutty finger instead.

I took a deep breath, suddenly feeling even more vulnerable than when I first awoke. “My name is Hermosa Solis, but everyone calls me Hera.”

“Arr-mooos-aa. Air-mossa. Hair…no, Herrmosaaa . Yes.” He tapped his chest. “I accept this.” He backed off and sat back in his chair.

I slowly unclenched my hands and said, “I would like a shower.”

His eyes gleamed. He gave a quick chin-up motion toward the waterfall and crossed his arms. His frown deepened when I didn’t move. “Go. You have seen how it works.”