Rescued by the Alien Warrior by Hope Hart (motivational books for students .txt) 📕

instantly feel Tagiz’s eyes on me. I keep my own gaze fastened on Kroniz’s face, refusing to give in to the urge to look at the man who has caused me so much pain.

Turns out, sadness and rage are two sides of the same coin.

Kroniz grins, nodding as Hewex explains he can’t hang around. I eye Hewex. Is he trying to fix me up with Kroniz?

Kroniz seems to realize I don’t want to chat, and I get down to business as soon as we’re in the forest. I’ve forgotten my basket, so I pull a handkerchief from my pocket as I search for the tiny green berries.

Not for the first time, I’m thankful we were rescued by the Braxians. If we were left alone, starving on this planet, we probably would have resorted to eating anything we could get our hands on and been dead within hours.

I find the bright-green maradoza berries, examining them with a clinical eye. Just a few of these berries could mean certain death.

I shudder at the thought, wrapping them in my handkerchief and carefully placing them in my pocket.

“Zoey?”

I turn. “Oh, hey, Nevada. What are you doing out here?”

She shrugs, and I notice two warriors trailing after her. Rakiz is taking no chances with his pregnant queen. They stop and talk with Hewex, and I bend, looking for the leaves we use to make ortar.

“I wanted to take a walk. Can I give you a hand?”

“Sure. Help me pick a few of those dark-green leaves right there. The larger the leaf, the better.”

She nods, getting to work, but she rubs her back with a wince, and I narrow my eyes at her.

“Are you okay?”

Nevada rolls her eyes. “I’m fine. Back pain seems to go hand in hand with pregnancy. The miracle of life ain’t all that miraculous from where I’m standing.” I laugh, and she changes the subject. “How are you doing with everything, Zo? Still drinking that awful tonic?”

I examine her face. She has a good color, and she’s no longer wincing. The nurse in me wants to press her about the pain, but if there’s one thing I know about Nevada, it’s that she hates it when people fuss over her.

“I’m done with that, finally. You know, Moni reminds me of one of the charge nurses I used to work with. Her motto was ‘do no harm but take no shit.’”

Nevada grins at me. “Moni is scary. I’m convinced she’s at least a little psychic.”

My eyes widen as she tells me about her friend Jack and how Moni passed on a message from him. Seemingly from beyond the grave.

“Whoa.”

Nevada nods. “Yep.”

“What’s it like being pregnant here?” I ask, suddenly curious.

Nevada angles her head, wincing again.

“You know, I never thought I’d have kids.” She glances away, looking as vulnerable as I’ve ever seen her. “My mom was a drunk, and I never knew my father. My brother took off as soon as he could. I have no idea what a healthy family looks like, Zo. What if I screw this kid up? I don’t even know if I have any real maternal instinct.”

I’m not used to this kind of talk from Nevada. She’s one of the most self-assured people I’ve ever met. But I get it. Having a baby on an alien planet in the middle of a war? It’s got to be hard. Doing it without any understanding of what a functional family looks like? Even harder.

I choose my words carefully.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about this recently. My mom died when I was nineteen. Before that, it was mostly just the two of us. I think every parent wonders if they’ll screw their kid up. But no matter what happened in my life, I knew my mom was in my corner. I knew if the shit hit the fan, I could call her, and whatever problem I had, we’d figure it out together.”

I blink back tears, and Nevada straightens, her face sympathetic as she wipes her own eyes.

“Goddamn hormones,” she mutters, and I let out a wet laugh.

“I think that’s the best thing you can give a child, Nevada. The knowledge you’re on their team. That they’re never alone and that when they need you, you’ll be right there next to them, fighting beside them. And if there’s one thing I know about the kick-ass woman who rescued me from the Voildi, it’s that she’ll be that person for her kid. You’ll figure everything else out.”

I don’t know who is more shocked—me or Kroniz—as Nevada pulls me into her arms for a hug. Nevada is many things, but a hugger she is not. Kroniz’s mouth drops open as I make eye contact with him over Nevada’s shoulder, and the warriors next to him look just as shocked.

I feel a shudder run through Nevada, and I pull back as she winces.

“We need to get you back to camp,” I murmur. I’m beginning to get concerned her back pain may actually be contractions.

She nods, her face suddenly pale, and we both turn toward the guards.

I scream, jumping in front of Nevada as the clearing erupts into violence.

Chapter Ten

Tagiz

She left me.

And I can’t blame her.

The female I’m obsessed with. The female I need, would never put up with anything less than everything from her male. Zoey may be gentle and kind, but she is also strong. She has a core of fire.

I advance toward Rakiz, desperate to replace the aching in my chest with a different kind of ache.

Our swords are on the ground, and we’ve devolved into fists. No other warriors are even pretending to train anymore, choosing instead to place bets on the outcome of our match.

I duck beneath Rakiz’s fist only to lose my breath in a whoosh as his other hand slams into my stomach. I’ve seen that move before.

“You’ve been training with Vrex.”

Rakiz grins at me, his teeth bloody, thanks to the elbow I just smashed into his face.

“The Assassin of Agron has much to teach us about combat.”

I