Hope for the Alien Warrior (Treasured By the Alien #12)

Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

L uxor drifted through a haze of pain, fragments of memory piercing the fog. Felicity’s face swam before him, her features blurred and distorted. Small hands touched his arm—Nina? He couldn’t tell.

The alert had come without warning. Zythrak’s security system had picked up unauthorized life signs in the cargo bay. His friend’s face had hardened as he checked the feed.

“Ruijin,” Zythrak spat. “I’ll gather the others.”

But he hadn’t waited. His legs carried him through the corridors at full sprint, heart pounding against his chest. The thought of Felicity and Nina somewhere in those passages with Ruijin hunters loose sent ice through his veins.

He remembered rounding the corner, seeing them trying to drag Felicity away. Her eyes had locked with his for a split second before he launched himself at the nearest Ruijin. The fight came back in violent flashes—the crunch of bone beneath his fists, the slash of claws across his chest, the hot spray of blood.

Someone dabbed his forehead with a cool cloth. The gentle touch anchored him briefly before darkness pulled him under again. He tried to reach for her but his arms wouldn’t respond.

“…lost too much blood…” A voice filtered through the murk. Miraj?

“Dada?” Nina’s small voice pierced the fog. He fought to open his eyes but couldn’t.

The memories dragged him back. The second Ruijin’s blade had found his side, sliding between his ribs. But he’d kept fighting, couldn’t stop until they were down. Couldn’t let them take his family…

Pain lanced through his side as consciousness crept back. The memory of Felicity in Ruijin hands blazed sharp and clear, but after that first moment, everything blurred. Fragments of the fight teased his mind—blood on his hands, Felicity’s voice calling his name. Or had he imagined that last part?

“Felicity?” His voice came out as a rasp, barely above a whisper. His tail thrashed against the bed sheets in frustration.

“I’m here.” Cool fingers brushed his forehead, and her scent filled his head.

His eyes snapped open. She sat beside him, dark circles under her eyes but very much real and alive. His tail curled around her wrist of its own accord.

“You are safe.” The words scratched his dry throat.

“Thanks to you.” Her fingers gently traced his jaw. “Though you nearly got yourself killed in the process.”

He tried to sit up but fire shot through his ribs. Her hand pressed firmly against his chest, keeping him down.

“Don’t you dare move. I just got the bleeding stopped.”

His lips twitched. Even worried, she managed to sound stern. “Yes, t’davi.”

Three days later, he watched Zythrak pacing the small medical bay. The constant motion made his head throb, but he refused to show weakness. While his wounds were healing, the enforced rest chafed at him.

“The Ruijin finding us changes everything.” Zythrak scowled furiously. “They’ll send more hunters.”

“How many Elorans are we talking about?” He shifted, testing the pull of healing muscle.

“Forty-three adults, nineteen children.” Zythrak stopped pacing and gripped the edge of the bed. “Most are still weak from the illness. We need somewhere remote, somewhere they can’t track us.”

He forced his aching head to consider possible locations. Few places remained truly hidden in this sector, but he’d spent years mapping the lesser-known trade routes.

“What about the Ketharian system?”

“Too close to established routes.”

“The mining colonies near?—”

“Already crawling with Ruijin sympathizers. There are a lot of miners who like the kind of ‘entertainment’ they provide.”

He growled in frustration, his tail lashing against the sheets as he pushed himself straighter.

“There is an abandoned terraforming project in the Outer Rim. It failed due to unstable atmospheric conditions, but the basic infrastructure remains. With some work, it could support a settlement.”

Zythrak’s eyes narrowed. “You’re certain?”

“I stored cargo there once when I needed to avoid official attention. The location is not on any current charts—I only discovered it by accident. In addition to the settlement on the surface, there is an underground area which was intended as temporary living quarters. You could even conduct trade on the surface while the Elorans remain hidden below.”

“Will you help us get them there?”

The question hung between them. He thought of his mate, of the way she’d thrown herself into helping these people. Of Nina calling him ‘Dada.’ His old instincts screamed to avoid entanglements, to protect himself first. But he wasn’t that person anymore.

“Yes. As long as my mate agrees.”

He thought there was little doubt of that and she quickly proved him correct.

“Of course we have to help them,” she said as soon as he told her.

His tail curled around her wrist protectively.

“The journey could be dangerous. No medical facilities, limited supplies?—”

“They need us.” Her fingers traced the bandage on his chest. “Miraj is one of the best people I’ve ever met, and I could learn so much from her. These people deserve a chance at peace.”

“I agree, but you and Nina could return to Trevelor where it is safe. Lauren may well be there.”

He forced himself to make the suggestion but she immediately shook her head.

“No. We’re not leaving you. I hope Lauren is still there when we return, but if she isn’t, I’m sure she will leave a message for me.”

He sighed. And much as he wanted them with him, this wasn’t the life he’d imagined offering her when he’d asked her to be his mate. She deserved comfort and safety—not a dangerous exodus across space with hunted refugees.

“This is not what I wanted for you,” he said, his voice rough. “You should have a real home, not?—”

She pressed her finger to his lips. “Home isn’t a place, Luxor. It’s where we’re together—you, me, and Nina.” Her blue eyes held his. “I don’t need anything else.”

His throat closed at the simple truth in her words. He pulled her closer, breathing in her scent. “You are certain?”

“Completely.” She settled carefully beside him on the bed. “Besides, they’ll need a doctor. And you need someone to keep you from being too reckless.”

His tail tightened around her wrist.

“I love you,” he whispered against her hair.

“I know.” She smiled against his chest. “Now rest. We have work to do.”

He obeyed, but that afternoon he pushed himself to his feet, his muscles protesting. The wounds pulled, but the pain dulled to a manageable throb. He’d spent enough time in that bed.

Nina’s face lit up when he entered the common area. She abandoned her toys and ran to him, wrapping her small arms around his leg. His tail curled protectively around her as he lifted her up, careful of his injuries.

“Careful!” Felicity’s hands fluttered near his bandages, but she couldn’t hide her smile.

They spent the afternoon together, Nina showing him the pictures she’d drawn while he recovered. His chest warmed at the crude figures—three shapes holding hands, one with a long curved line he recognized as his tail.

After they tucked Nina in for the night, Felicity crossed her arms.

“You need rest.”

“I will rest.” He caught her hand, drawing her closer. “As long as you join me.”

Her fingers traced the edge of his bandage. “Your wounds?—”

“Are healing well.” He pressed his lips to her palm. “Thanks to my skilled physician.”

She followed him to their quarters, her touch gentle as she checked his injuries.

“The swelling has gone down.”

“That swelling perhaps.” Her eyes widened when he guided her hand to his fully erect cock. “Not this one.”

“I guess you really do feel better,” she whispered breathlessly.

He pulled her onto the bed, his tail wrapping around her waist. Her cheeks flushed as his hand slid beneath her shirt, teasing the soft curve of her breast. She arched into his touch, her eyes half closed, but then she pushed gently on his chest.

“You need to rest.”

“I will. Later. Right now I intend to show you just how much I have recovered.”

He proceeded to prove it to her entire satisfaction.