Conquered by the Alien Warrior by Hope Hart (red queen free ebook .txt) 📕

person in my life even knew I worked for the CIA.”

“Vivian,” he guesses, and I nod.

“No one else could ever know, and of course she could never know what I truly did. I was sent to Thailand for six months, China for three years, and then Pakistan. It was an exciting life, but it was tough. I was lonely a lot of the time. When you’re living a false life, you begin to forget who you are.”

He’s silent for a moment. “This is why you were so good at making connections on this planet.”

I nod. “I’m trained to get the information I need. To make people like me.”

He bares his teeth in a fierce grin, and I stare up at him as his arm tightens around me. “You never used your skills on me.”

I nod. “I didn’t see the point. You were already suspicious of us.”

His grin widens, and I tilt my head.

“Why are you so happy about that?”

“Because everything that happened between us is in spite of our initial dislike and mistrust of each other. If you had befriended me, had used your skills to make me trust you…”

I swallow around the lump in my throat. “You’d wonder if anything we had was real.”

He nods. “But now I know my prickly, vicious female is with me in spite of herself.”

I laugh at that. “And that’s better?”

“Oh yes.”

When the sun begins to go down, we watch the sunset until Korzyn gets to his feet, offering me his hand.

“Will you come stay with me?”

I nod, smiling up at him, but my lips tremble, and he swoops down, pressing his mouth to mine. I drink him in until a cool breeze makes me shiver, and he pulls away, rubbing my arms with his hands to warm them.

Who knew the commander could be so…tender?

No one disturbs us as we walk back to his kradi. The light is dim, and he immediately takes my mouth, his hands going to the laces on the back of my dress.

His hands freeze. And he lowers his head, burying it in my neck. I clutch at his arms, and he shudders, regaining control.

I attempt to swallow around the lump in my throat. My face is wet.

Korzyn lifts his head, kissing the tears off my cheeks.

Neither of us speak, but he makes love to me for the rest of the night.

Chapter Fifteen

Korzyn

I’m standing in the training arena, barely stifling a yawn. I spent the night losing myself in Sarissa’s body. The exhaustion I feel today is more than worth it.

Never could I have imagined feeling for anyone the way I feel for my hellion.

“How are the evacuation plans going?” I ask Rakiz, and he sighs.

“We are fortunate to have such a large camp, but moving so many children and elderly is difficult. This battle will be our last stand. If they make it to the camp, we are done.”

People suddenly scatter, throwing down their swords and tools as they move toward the edges of the training arena. I glance up. Dragix is approaching, and he lets out a warning roar before landing in the middle of the arena, Charlie on his back. He immediately raises his huge clawed foot, and she hops onto it so he can place her on the ground.

Gold sparks fly around him as he transforms.

“It is done,” he says.

Charlie reaches into her pocket and hands Rakiz and me each a note.

“Arix knew you were poisoned,” Charlie says. “He had sent scouts after you only for them to be attacked by the Dokhalls lying in wait. Three of them were killed, but the fourth managed to get a message sent back to him. He’s been readying his army ever since, and he’ll be marching tomorrow.”

I frown. “And the Dokhalls?”

Dragix throws his arm over his female’s shoulder. “They will make it here before Arix. They’re traveling slowly, unused to moving such large numbers through the forest. Your fire helped with that—they have few places to hide.”

“It was Sarissa’s fire,” I say, and Charlie smiles at me.

I glance behind her to where Sarissa is building something with a group of human females and two of Rakiz’s warriors.

“We need the launch angle to be as close to forty-five degrees as possible,” Sarissa says, and I frown. What exactly are they working on?

Dragix and Charlie wander away, almost colliding with Dexar, who lets out an aggrieved sigh.

“I see our resident dragon still doesn’t believe in pants,” he says.

Charlie glances over her shoulder at the qatai and grins, while Dragix chooses to ignore him as they walk away.

“Our traps on the east side are almost finished,” Dexar says. “One of the human females—Clara—is requesting two warriors to guard the younger females in case they decide to get on the ship.”

Rakiz growls low in his throat. “Request denied. We need every available warrior to fight. Besides, we would be the ones left with young, furious human females.”

I frown. “What are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Rakiz flicks me a glance. “The females will likely be leaving on the ship during the battle.”

I must look stunned because he frowns at me. “It was Sarissa’s idea. The Dokhalls don’t know we have the chip, so they won’t be expecting it. And they’ll be under no doubt that the ship is gone.”

She didn’t tell me. My prickly female is leaving within days, and she hasn’t mentioned it.

I mutter something to Rakiz and walk away in a daze, a hollow laugh leaving my throat. I know better than this. I have gone my whole life without making any serious attachments—other than to my king—and it was a vicious, cunning female who brought me to my knees. She weakened me long enough that I almost forgot.

If you let people in, they will abandon you when you need them the most. I learned this lesson young, and somehow it was Sarissa who made me disregard all my rules.

“Korzyn?”

I turn, barely able to look at her as she frowns up at me. “I’ve been calling you—”

I have to