Alien by Tara Nina Jaid Black Leora Gonzales Laurann Dohner Read Free Book Online Page A

guy she’d ever seen who looked sexy wearing those
things.
    A twig snapped, making her jump as she jerked her head in
the direction of the sound. Holion stood feet from them, watching them with an
angry expression.
    “Coto,” he nearly growled the name, “Gar will clean and
bandage your injuries better now that we have set up camp. I have assigned
Kollen the duty of protecting us while we rest until morning light. Then we
will hunt for Vhon and the Collis.”
    Coto slowly stood, his body tense. “I give the orders.”
    The other man lowered his furious gaze as his head dipped. “You
were busy speaking to the Earther so I took charge.”
    Earther. Ah-ha. Holion had slipped up on that one.
Neither man seemed to notice the word he’d dropped by accident as Holion lifted
his head and they locked gazes. Coto growled, a deep, rumbling sound that
startled her just a little. It was a mean, harsh noise that the translator didn’t
give words for. She watched in rapt curiosity as Holion backed up, his head
dropped again and his hands clasped behind his back. It was a submissive
gesture that Lynn couldn’t fail to notice. Her gaze jerked to Coto and his
angry expression as he glared at the other man.
    Whoa, boy. Coto is the big dog in this pack. With her
job, she knew her alphas, and it was crystal clear who it was with these men.
Coto took a deep breath and then slowly expelled it. He took another, his harsh
expression softening a bit.
    “Do not take authority again, but your orders may stand.
Make certain that Kollen keeps to the high ground. I doubt they are expecting
us to have survived but they could be hunting us. I do not want the woman put
in jeopardy if they attack.”
    Rage was an easy emotion to read on Holion’s face as he
lifted his head and flashed a nasty look at Lynn before he met Coto’s gaze. “Our
mission is to retrieve Argis Vhon, not to protect a woman. Are you sure you did
not injure your head when you were attacked? I question your priorities and
your ability to clearly think.”
    In the blink of an eye Coto moved, nailing Holion square in
the chest. The other man grunted loudly from the impact of Coto’s fisted hands
as he was thrown back from the sheer force of the hit. He flew a good five feet
and landed on his back. Coto snarled, taking two steps before he halted, his
blue eyes flashing with emotion. His lips parted and his sharp teeth showed
clearly as he glared at the downed man.
    Lynn was shocked to the core at the sudden violence. She
couldn’t move and wasn’t even sure she breathed as she watched Holion struggle
to sit up. He pushed away from the ground, getting to his feet quickly. He
opened his mouth, growling viciously. His hands clenched into fists.
    “You think you can take me?” Coto moved to the right,
putting his body in the way so Lynn couldn’t see Holion anymore. “Try. The last
thing we need is for you to be injured since we may face an enemy when we find
Vhon, but if you want to do this, we will fight.”
    Lynn leaned sideways enough to get a view of Holion. As much
as she appreciated Coto putting his body between her and the angry alien, she
wanted to see what was going on. It was fascinating and horrifying at the same
time. It astounded her that they were such an advanced race if they used
violence to work out differences. She wondered briefly if Coto had moved to
protect her or if he just didn’t want her to see most of what was going on
between him and the other guy.
    “You are not acting rationally, Coto. You should be
discussing strategy with us to find Argis Vhon, but instead you are feeding and
coddling the woman.”
    “It is dark and we can’t hunt until their sun rises.” Coto
growled. “What I do is not up for your judgment. Were you raised with Vhon? He
is a brother of my heart and his life is everything to me. You question this?”
    Holion shook his head, his gaze dropping to the dirt between
them. “My apologies, Vartas Coto. I am stressed and angry.