Her shoulders slump as she glances at the other females, and I watch the exact moment she decides not to leave them.
I want to roar with rage. If we had not managed to track the Voildi, that decision would have cost the tiny female her life.
I force myself to look elsewhere, finding Asroz and Deraz in position. I signal to them, and they nod. The Voildi have become overconfident. If they were not so eager to get their prey back to their camp, they would have spread out around the clearing, guarding the females.
Their mistake.
We lunge into the clearing as one, roaring. The females begin screaming, jumping away from us—most of them moving further from the Voildi.
I meet the terrified eyes of the female with the incredible voice and growl at her fear. She was following the Voildi to certain death, and yet she bares her teeth at me and moves to protect the other females?
I force my attention away and draw my sword.
We’re immediately surrounded, and I laugh as the thrill of the battle hits me and the Voildi pull knives and smaller swords. While the Voildi are much smaller than us, they travel in larger packs, often falling on our warriors like rabid wolves. Their smaller size makes them fast, but they are no match for us this day.
I slash my sword and hear retching from the females as one of the Voildi’s heads falls to the ground. The next is not so quick to step into my path, but he falls just as quickly as the first.
“Help!”
Screams sound, and I turn, dodging a strike from a Voildi who has managed to sneak up behind me. The females are still separated, and more Voildi have appeared, taking advantage of the battle to take the females and run.
These Voildi are from another pack, with their skin a darker shade of yellow and an unusual style of dress—long pants and shirts instead of the more typical loincloths.
The Voildi we are fighting become incensed, growling at them even as we cut them down. The other pack of Voildi grin, each lifting a struggling female and disappearing through the trees.
Asroz snarls, attempting to go after them, but he’s surrounded, our enemies endeavoring to take his head.
The other females fight to get to their friends, but to cross the area where we are fighting the Voildi would be suicide.
Deraz roars, kicking out at a Voildi, driving him close to me where I slide my sword between his ribs before pulling it out as he slumps to his knees and beheading him in one stroke.
More retching from behind us.
Who are these females with their soft stomachs? Our females are used to seeing the realities of battle.
I grit my teeth as Deraz attempts to follow the stolen females, narrowly missing a knife to the gut.
“Focus,” I order him. “You are no use to the females if you’re dead.”
It takes time to dispatch the rest of the Voildi. Time we don’t have. Finally, though, all of them are dead, and I check on Deraz and Asroz before finally meeting the eyes of the tiny, light-haired female. She holds my gaze steadily before her eyes dart away to Deraz and Asroz as they move closer. I growl, needing her attention, and her eyes jump to mine again, even as an indignant voice sounds.
“Who the fuck are you guys, and why did you kill our rescuers?”
Chapter Three
Ellie
“My name is Terex, and this is Deraz and Asroz,” the giant alien growls. He’s huge, and his muscles flex as he takes a step forward. His hair falls to his shoulders, pulled away from his face in small plaits decorated with beads and pieces of leather. His shirt is ripped, and I can see what look like blue scales down one side of his shoulder.
In short, he’s both incredibly sexy and completely terrifying.
“You think they’re overcompensating with those swords?” Hand-Raiser murmurs, and Nevada snorts.
“We are your rescuers,” he says. “Those creatures are Voildi, and they would have taken you back to their camp, slaughtered you, and eaten you over the next few days.”
I feel the blood drain from my face.
“No wonder Ellie was so popular,” Lingerie says. “She’d be a meal and a half.”
“What the fuck, Vivian?” Nevada snaps.
I blush, turning away as I feel Terex’s eyes on me. All it takes is one insult, and I’m eleven years old again, listening to my mother bemoan the fact that I can’t fit into Amelia’s old pageant dresses.
I blow out a breath. Vivian, huh? We all deal with trauma in different ways, and maybe Vivian deals with hers by being a giant bitch.
“I told you guys there was something weird about them,” I mutter.
Vivian turns from where she was checking out the aliens and narrows her eyes at me. “Then why didn’t you grow a spine and fight harder?”
“Enough, Vivian,” Nevada says. “You were the one who shot her down when she said she didn’t trust them.”
Vivian opens her mouth but snaps it shut as Nevada’s eyes narrow at her.
Nevada turns to Terex. “Some of those Voildi took Beth, Zoey, and Ivy,” she says. “We have to find them.”
Terex exchanges glances with the other warriors while I scan the clearing. “You guys. Charlie isn’t here either. Did you see who took her?”
Blank faces. Shit.
“At the very least, she had a concussion. We need to see if she wandered off somewhere,” I say firmly. “Maybe she decided to hide.”
Thankfully, everyone agrees with me, and we begin checking the trees beyond the clearing. I search with Hand-Raiser, who tells me her name is Alexis, and we look for places Charlie might have curled up, hoping to hide.
The warriors help, and we call Charlie’s name until our voices are hoarse and the warriors shake their heads, herding us back into the clearing.
“We will take you back to our camp, where you can eat and rest,” Terex declares.
Alexis snorts. “You know, we’ve heard that before,” she says, and Nevada nods in agreement, her eyes widening as she glances at me.
“You think we should trust him?” Her voice is a murmur, and the warriors pretend to give us a moment to talk, but I have no doubt they can hear every word.
“That huge alien has kind eyes,” I say, ignoring Vivian’s snort. He does have kind eyes. They’re a light blue, almost violet, and they’re clear and honest. “Plus,” I sigh. “We’re all hurt and seriously dehydrated. At this point, we have no choice.”
“Okay,” Nevada says. “I’ll stay and look for the other women.”
Terex immediately shakes his head. “It is not safe.”
She gives him a look, and he stares her down.
“As soon as we get to camp, my king will send more warriors to find them.”
Nevada hesitates, and Terex gestures toward Alexis and me. Vivian is scratched and bruised, I’m pretty sure my elbow is broken, and Alexis is limping.
“Your friends need you,” he says, and Nevada bites her lip as she glances at us, obviously torn.
“Zoey has broken ribs,” she says. “God knows what those assholes will do to them.”
She’s right. Maybe we should all try and find them now.
Asroz strides forward. “Right now, the Voildi have a head start. If we attempt to track them with three injured women, they will simply prepare a trap with the rest of their tribe. It is faster and smarter to get back to camp and send experienced hunters who are fresh and well rested.”