Captured By The Alien Barbarian: A Sci-fi Alien Romance series (Planet Atraxis Warriors)

Chapter 17

My knees slam painfully to the ground as I collapse. The edges of my vision turn black as adrenaline tingles across my scalp. My trembling fingers slip over my mouth, trying in vain to block the sob that escapes.

Several large men are walking through the colony gates. Green men. Carrying axes, spears, and swords.

Led by Taccit.

It doesn’t seem possible. It can’t be. But there he is. He strides with pride, standing tall and his chin high. He’s gone for the shirtless look, showing off his impressive muscles and tattoos. Fresh scars mar his chest, shoulders, and stomach. Anger flares through me at the sight, knowing he took each of those grueling wounds for me.

His expression is dark—a vision of fury, of vengeance. His eyes burn with an intensity that I’ve never seen before. His lips are curled back, baring his sharp pointed teeth to the crowd. There’s no denying just how dangerous my alien is at this very moment.

And all I want to do is run to him. I understand now that he’s no threat to me. In his arms, there is no danger, only safety and happiness.

His gaze scans the crowd like a laser, and against all odds, he actually spots me amidst the sea of faces. I cry out, my heart soaring. He’s alive. And he came for me.

The crowd doesn’t quite share my joy, however.

A woman screams. Then another, like some kind of contagious outburst. Suddenly, the air fills with shouts and panic as chaos sweeps through the marketplace.

In the confusion, my vision of Taccit is blocked when someone stumbles back into me, nearly knocking me completely to the ground.

An otherworldly roar vibrates the air all around us. It’s so terrifying that I’d almost faint if it wasn’t my dear Taccit making the sound.

Pushing past me, a distressed woman squeals. Hands wrap around my arm, yanking me away. I gasp and look over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of Maya’s petrified face before we’re separated again by the crowd. I reach out towards her, not wanting to be separated from my friend. My attempts to get closer are blocked as more bodies flow between us, knocking me about violently.

A hand grips my upper arm, digging so deeply that I want to cry out, and I’m pulled back against a solid chest.

“I have her!” Walter crows in my ear.

Several human males scurry past, wielding stun batons and laser pistols. Hunters. They charge towards Taccit and the other aliens, valiantly attempting to save the day. The air fills with the hum of their laser pistols charging up. They don’t care that they come dangerously close to hurting the people that flee, carelessly shoving each person aside as they march bravely towards Taccit and the other aliens.

“Take out the monsters!”

I whip my head one last time to search for Maya, but the horror mounts as I see James bearing down on her. She fights bravely against the flow of bodies, but there’s no denying he’ll get to her before she reaches my side.

“Run, Maya! Run!” I scream with all my might, which, admittedly, isn’t very mighty at the moment. Especially compared to the ear-drum breaking roars that the aliens make.

Her eyes go as wide as saucers, sharing our mutual disbelief of the horror-show we find ourselves in.

“Save yourself,” I say under my breath. We hold our stare for a few brief moments, time stretching out between us.

I watch as Maya snaps out of it and bolts, her tight curls bouncing wildly as she disappears into the chaotic crowd. Given the violence that’s building here, I can only hope that she won’t return.

Now that she’s gone, fleeing to safety, I have other pressing concerns—the fact that my valiant alien mate has shown up to rescue me with just a plain ol’ axe... against some rather advanced human technology. Talk about bad planning.

The sounds of a battlefield fill the air—screams of pain, clashing metal, and some rather pungent curses.

I try to shove Walter off of me, but his grip tightens to the point that I fear he’ll break my bones. He curses as my elbow jabs into his stomach.

“Come along, Ariana,” he drags me with him, my steps less than graceful.

Panic engulfs me as I realize that I’m being forcibly led further away from Taccit, from salvation.

“No!” I say as I desperately lock my legs and dig my heels into the ground. My free hand attacks Walter’s vice grip, my fingernails digging into his soft flesh as I attempt to claw my way to freedom. “Get your hands off of me, you monster!”

Walter turns on me, his hand slashes out and hits me across the face. The force of it sends me flying, landing with a crash onto the hard ground. My palms scrape against the rough surface.

I narrowly avoid his grasping hand in a surprisingly agile scramble to my feet.

Finally, I straighten and face him. This is what I planned for, isn’t it? Staring down injustice with ferocity.

“I’m not going with you,” I say. “I’m not leaving my mate.”

His face twists into something even uglier than before as he taunts me. “Oh Ari, Ari, Ari.”

He shakes his head in mock pity, his grotesque grin making me want to hurl.

“You find yourself a savage beast and think that you can be happy now? Safe? Better off? You brought that abomination to town! I offered you everything—everything!—but you chose this monster instead.”

Walter grins, and it’s absolutely terrifying. It’s not the kind of expression a human should be able to make—like one has completely gone insane and is willing to die for some misguided belief.

“I don’t need you. It’s an awful shame that these monsters here got to you before I could save you. No one will question me, the poor grieving widower.”

He fumbles with something at his belt as I begin to back away.

My heart stills when he holds his new object towards me: a laser pistol. The metallic barrel glints fiercely in the sunlight.

“Now come here, or I’ll shoot.”