The Alien's Equal (Drixonian Warrior #7) - Ella Maven Page 0,5

drawing crashing to the floor. “You knew that lantern thing was a lie, didn’t you? Why did you keep up the ruse?”

“Because that was the first time you willingly touched me.” I shrugged when her mouth dropped open and she sank down onto the edge of her bed. “I knew it was just to distract me, but I enjoyed it too much to tell you the truth.” I smiled. “And then I got to hear about Midnight, your sister, and your aliens. So even if it was all fake, it was the best night I’ve had in a while.”

She didn’t say anything, only stared at me with her lips parted and her breath coming hard and fast.

It wasn’t until I had one step outside the door when she finally spoke. “You’re not going to tell anyone are you?” I glanced over my shoulder to find her standing in the center of her room with her arms wrapped around her middle. “About the mingo?”

I shook my head. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Two

Justine

I didn’t see Nero for the next two days. Which was fine. Totally fine. Great even. Who needed his big body invading my space and his keen eyes searing into my soul? Not me. I certainly didn’t brush my fingers along my lantern every time I entered my room only to feel the ghost touch of his strong body at my back. I definitely did not stare a long time at my alien drawing, smiling like a loon at the image of him striking a pose next to it.

This was stupid. It’d been a long time since I’d let a man willingly touch me, and it would be a long time—hopefully forever—before I allowed it again.

If Fallon were here, she’d laugh at me. She’d just turned twenty-one, and we’d celebrated at a local winery where we proceeded to get wasted on Rosé and tacos. She liked men, although she was always the one using.

Me? Well, I’d been the one used, chewed up, spit out, then ran over with a car, and then buried alive. I’d clawed my way out of that Beatrix Kiddo-style. No way would I let another man crush me beneath his boot heel. And it didn’t escape me that Nero had some mighty big boots.

I ignored my bleeding heart which told me to look around and see the Drix treated women like royalty. All of my friends walked around with constant heart-eyes like anime characters. Objectively, I knew Nero was one of the best—loyal and respectful. But my brain convinced me otherwise. My brain reminded me the damage men could do. So forget it. Nero could take his soulful eyes and shove ‘em.

He was probably busy anyway. The atmosphere in the camp had been tense since the Drix had consolidated, but in the last few days, the feeling had intensified. Xavy and Tabitha had returned from their mission with a dozen Kaluma warriors—big, ridiculously attractive fuckers with bronze skin and the ability to camouflage to near invisibility. I’d seen one do it—a skill they called blanking—and it had been amazing. Their scales were sort of like those reversible sequin pillows.

The Drix were preparing for war with the Uldani, their enemies who had stolen us humans from our beds and dragged us to this planet to breed little Drixonian babies as slaves. The Drix also suspected the Uldani were behind the virus which killed all the Drixonian women on their home planet, as well as most of the elder men. So yeah, it was common knowledge the Uldani were evil and deserved what was coming to them.

I hadn’t seen an Uldani yet, but some of the other women had. When Val and Sax were held in the Uldani compound of Alazar, they’d been put on display like zoo animals. The very idea of it sent my blood boiling, so much that sometimes I watched the Drixonian warriors train, and I’d nearly asked to join. This was my fight too. I wasn’t getting back to Earth, a fact that had taken me a long time to come to terms with, so I refused to let anyone else decide my destiny in this galaxy.

As evening set in, I sat in my room two nights after my run-in with Nero. Bazel lay on her belly among my furs, kicking her feet behind her. She’d grilled me on what had happened with Nero, and I assured her Mozart would be fine. If Nero went back on his word, I’d smother him