Alien Soldier's Baby (Scifi Alien Romance) (Zoran Warriors) Read Online Free PDF Page A

her nostrils. Keeping her nose pinched shut, she throws the cup back, downing it like a shot, and instantly moans regretfully. Her face is scrunched up and she waves her hands around, as if she’s fanning the flames inside her mouth.
    “It’s so awful,” she groans. “It tastes like a muddy leather shoe!”
    Meanwhile, I can’t stop laughing.
    “It’s like molten glue,” she complains. “Oh god. Stop laughing!”
    Her hands clutch her stomach. “It’s like a war is taking place in my stomach now.”
    I wipe the tears from my eyes. This has been suitable payback for her little ruse earlier.
    “Nice, isn’t it?”
    Kelly groans. “It’s the most awful thing I’ve ever tasted.” Her cheeks are flushed bright red: the alcohol doing its work.
    “It’s an acquired taste,” I say. “You’ll learn to love it.”
    I grab her a cup of kuia , so she can get the taste out of her mouth. “Drink this, it’ll help,” I say. Kelly gratefully accepts, knocking the entire drink back in one go.
    “How do you feel?”
    Kelly burps, her face turning even redder, this time out of embarrassment. “I feel like I’m floating.”
    “I’m sorry,” I say, trying to keep from smiling. “I couldn’t resist.”
    “How strong is this stuff anyway?”
    “Pretty strong.”
    “How strong is that?”
    “Strong enough to knock a Zoran off his feet, if he’s not careful.”
    She looks at me, her blue eyes filled with disbelief.
    “You’ll be fine,” I say. “You earned your story. You handle your drink like a true warrior.”
    Except that Zoran warriors don’t look quite so cute with their faces all scrunched up.
    “Hoorah,” she says, her hands still rubbing her stomach.
    I get her another cup of kuia as I go over the details in my mind. Every time I see myself, I’m reminded of that fateful day when I saved Vinz’s life – and nearly paid with my own.
    “It happened on Cotonia VI.”
    I take another sip of cuhla , swirling it around my mouth, the spicy blend making all the synapses in my brain fire. I realize I’ve never actually talked about this day to anyone before. Vinz and I have an unspoken agreement, and no Zoran ever asked about my prominent scar.
    Sharing is not the Zoran way.
    “It was our first combat mission. The Ygg had invaded, without warning; without reason. They indiscriminately murdered thousands of Zoran. We underestimated those bugs… and thousands paid the price. You ever seen one?”
    Kelly shakes her head.
    “No, of course not. If you did, you wouldn’t be around. No offense. They’re tough bastards. Come in all shapes and sizes. Some of those insects are as small as a dog, and some as big as an elephant. Covered in armor plating, all jaws and fangs. Their mandibles can crush a man in two, and they can shoot acid that’ll melt through damn near everything. The winged ones are the worst – they can drop in at any moment.”
    Kelly’s eyes grow wide, and I realize I’m scaring her. Good. She ought to be terrified of them.
    “They seem to have a hive-mind intelligence. We dismissed them as mere bugs when Zorans first encountered them, but they somehow evolved the ability to travel through space itself. Life’s cruel joke.”
    Kelly watches me talk breathlessly. It feels good to get this all off my chest. I’ve had to keep it all stored away inside, and getting it all out there feels… relieving.
    “Vinz led our squad into battle. He was our captain. We were all anxious to give those bugs some payback for what they did. A lot of us had family on Cotonia VI.”
    I pause for another sip. I don’t feel comfortable sharing how I lost my mother quite yet. Maybe someday… but for right now, sharing one war story is more than enough.
    “However, we were outgunned. Outmatched. Our weapons couldn’t pierce their armor. Meanwhile, they cut through us like a knife through butter. It wasn’t a battle. It was a slaughter. Retreat was the only option, but Vinz was reckless. Overeager.