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

And from the furious voices at the front of the cave, they’re deciding who that unlucky guy will be right now.

Kroniz managed to gut one of the Dokhalls when they attacked. The wounded Dokhall trailed after us for a while before he was unable to move any longer, and his friends decided to use his blood as a distraction, taking us in the opposite direction before we circled back around.

I know the Braxians, and when they find the blunt knife I dropped, they’ll immediately head in this direction. Nevada and I weren’t exactly being careful not to disrupt the forest around us as we walked through it. Each time she leaned against a tree, clenching her teeth through a contraction, she made sure to leave that tree with a little less bark. And I scuffed my shoes over every single fallen tree, kicked at leaves, and overturned rocks.

I know Tagiz too. And even with everything that has happened between us, I know he’ll be coming for us.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have dropped that knife,” I murmur to Nevada. “It was too blunt to be much use, but maybe I should’ve kept it.”

Nevada shakes her head. “After they switched paths, we had to leave some sign behind. I have a knife strapped to my thigh,” she whispers. “But it’s all I have. We need to take them by surprise.”

I almost laugh. Of course Nevada has a weapon hidden beneath her dress.

“Okay,” I say, blowing out a shaky breath as my mind races. “There are only four of them left. That little guy is clearly the runt of the litter, and it looks like they’re sending him back to negotiate with Rakiz. That’ll give us three.”

Three armed Dokhalls against a woman in labor and me.

Great.

I examine the Dokhalls, searching for any signs of weakness as they argue. After Kroniz slid his sword into that Dokhall’s abdomen, one of Nevada’s guards managed to cut another Dokhall. That one is favoring his right arm as his left hangs by his side, red with blood.

The Dokhall who seems to be the leader has the longest horns, and they wind back from his face, glinting in the sunlight. He hands a piece of material to One Arm, and the Dokhall wraps it around his shoulder, tying it with his teeth.

The third Dokhall glances at us, and he glowers at me as we make eye contact. His nose is definitely broken, and it must be painful because he winces every time he talks.

Karma is a bitch.

Chapter Eleven

Zoey

The Dokhall they sent to negotiate with Rakiz hasn’t come back.

It’s been hours, and I’m starting to panic. Soon after she became tribe queen, Nevada taught some of the warriors how to track through the wilderness without using their noses—which they previously relied on when they were hunting Voildi. But there’s no sign of any Braxians, and I’m not sure how they could’ve missed our tracks.

Nevada’s face is scrunched in pain as she pants through another contraction.

She meets my eyes as soon as it’s over. “My water just broke.”

“Okay.” My mouth goes dry. “We’re going to get through this, Nevada. It’s going to be okay.”

She ignores that, her eyes drifting around the cave.

“I was so excited when I learned I was pregnant,” she murmurs. “I was scared, sure. But I pictured the day I’d give birth, how Rakiz would get to see his baby born. How we’d always keep our kid safe.”

The Dokhalls begin to argue, muttering amongst themselves. They glance at me, and one of them scowls, gesturing for the other two to follow him closer to the cave’s entrance.

I have to do something. I have a plan, but the only way it will work is if the Dokhalls decide they’re thirsty.

If it’s the only shot I have, I have to make it count. I reach into the folds of my dress, wrapping my fingers around the rag in my pocket, still holding the green berries I collected earlier.

They will regret taking us from our home; oh yes, they will.

Long Horns points to something outside, and I know I’m not going to get another chance.

My stomach swims, but I lunge forward, squeezing the berries and straining the green juice through the handkerchief.

I stare at the water, squeezing as hard as I can.

Do no harm.

I squeeze harder, pleased when the juice begins to dissolve. I sweep the handkerchief through the water, spreading more of the juice.

But take no shit.

I scooch back to Nevada. One Arm glances back at us, and I do my best to seem innocent. He scowls, and I carefully avoid looking at the bucket of water.

“Listen,” I murmur to Nevada when her contraction is over. “I doubt they’re going to offer us any water, but if they do, don’t drink it, okay? Try not to even touch it.”

Her eyes widen, her lips trembling with the hint of a smile before she tenses again, reaching for my hand.

“You sneaky bitch,” she gasps out. “I knew you had it in you.”

I manage a tiny smile. “Do you want me to examine you?”

She glances at the Dokhalls. “We need to know how dilated I am, don’t we?”

“It doesn’t have to happen now,” I tell her. “But I should probably check soon.”

She leans her head against the wall of the cave.

“Rakiz will come for us,” she murmurs as her eyes slide closed. “He’ll come.”

Tagiz

I slice through the Dokhalls. Somewhere behind me, deep in the forest, Rakiz roars in fury.

These Dokhalls attacked with no warning. When we demanded to know where Nevada and Zoey were, they gave us blank looks. Obviously, the Dokhalls who managed to survive the battle have split into factions.

Unfortunately, this attack is preventing us from finding our females.

One of the Dokhalls darts close, his light-stick glowing blue. I dodge, but he makes contact. My entire body jolts, my hands going numb, and I drop my sword.

He grins, charging me, his stick held high.

His grin turns to dismay when the blue light disappears. I’m still unable to pick