Enticed by the Alien Warrior (Warriors of Agron #8) - Hope Hart
Chapter One
Vivian
We’re defined by our actions. By the things we do when no one is watching. By the way we behave when we’re only accountable to ourselves.
But most importantly, we’re defined by the steps we take when saving ourselves means harm to someone else.
What do you do when your back is against the wall?
Either way, I will be forever defined by the choice I’m about to make. And there’s one thing that no one tells you about those difficult, life-defining actions. Others may judge you, but they get to walk away. You’re the one who has to live with yourself.
Arix
I watch the small human females as they walk toward my castle. Vivian smiles, and I can’t help but stare. From the moment my eyes met hers so many days ago, I was entranced. Her beauty makes her seem cool, almost icy, but I have no doubt that beneath the composure she wears like a mask is a female who burns with the hottest blue flame.
“I don’t like this,” Korzyn murmurs. “I don’t trust them.”
I glance over my shoulder at where my commander is leaning against the wall, his eyes also on the two human females.
“You don’t trust anyone.”
He shrugs. “That may be true, but I especially don’t trust females who may have been planted here by your enemies. You have no true alliance with the barbarians across the water. What if they have been sent here to gather intelligence and report back?”
I wave a hand, turning back to where Vivian is throwing her head back with laughter at something the other female says. I have a sudden urge to lean out the window so I can hear the sound.
“What intelligence can they gather? I’ve assigned guards to them, and they won’t be walking around the castle unattended.”
“What if they’re here to kill you?”
As the females move into the castle and out of my view, I sigh, turning back to the male who has been staunchly at my side since the day my parents died and I picked up my father’s crown.
“You believe those tiny females could kill me?”
His frown deepens. “They could be used as a distraction.”
There have been numerous attempts on my life over the years. While my parents’ deaths are officially considered to be accidents, I know the truth.
They were cold-blooded murders. And I was supposed to be the third victim, leaving my throne up for grabs.
As much as I tease Korzyn for his paranoia, there’s no question that that paranoia has kept me alive more times than I can count. And if he has a bad feeling…
“I’ll be careful,” I say. “I swear it.”
All these years, and I still haven’t discovered who killed my parents. I have discovered traitors, of course. One of my first orders as king was the execution of the guard who was supposed to be by my parents’ side that night but was found attempting to escape my kingdom.
But I’ve never found the person responsible for making me king before my time. The thought of my revenge is the first thing that crosses my mind when I open my eyes in the morning and the last thing when I close them at night.
My gaze clings to Vivian’s face as I push the thought of my parents away. I want the little human. I’ve wanted her since the moment I laid my eyes on her. She’s beautiful and brave, and something about the way she holds herself makes me think she might be broken.
Like me.
But that’s all this is. I want to lose myself in her body, cut myself on her sharp edges. I want to roll her across my sheets and spread her hair along my pillow. And then, when I am finished with her, I will kiss her goodbye and send her on her way when she leaves my planet. Forever.
Vivian
My stomach is tense as Sarissa and I hug Zoey goodbye.
“Are you sure about this?” she asks again as Hewex and Tagiz frown disapprovingly.
I throw them a wink. “Positive.”
She looks doubtful, but if I’m going in, I’m going all in.
Sarissa raises her eyebrow at me, but she picks up what I’m throwing at her, giving Zoey a wide smile.
“This is an excellent idea. We’ll be in touch as soon as we’ve gotten this part fixed.”
Tagiz practically has to drag Zoey away, but she finally gives us one last hug, and my cousin and I are suddenly alone on the “other” side of the Colossal Water.