Free The Arrival: A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Paranormal Romance by Ashley West Page A

missing spouses and children and friends. Apparently the Camadors hadn't been entirely idle, then.
    He spoke to a few of the humans, the ones he could convince that he wasn't there to hurt them, at least. Apparently they were all concerned about the appearance of someone like him, and he supposed he couldn't blame them. Not with what they'd been through.
    They pointed him to the base of the floating city.
    A ladder extended down from the massive structure, and really, that seemed too easy. Anyone could just climb up there and hopefully catch them by surprise, though he wondered if they had guard rotations posted.
    But that was just like Camadors. They would dangle the chance for revenge in front of people and then make them regret taking the chance. Luckily, Sorrin wasn't afraid of them.
    Unluckily, he wasn't thinking very clearly at all. How could he be, when this was so personal?
    Instead of taking the time to think about what he should do or to make any sort of plan at all, he climbed the ladder.
    Sorrin was as well armed as he could be, with a blaster at his hip and a sword at his back. He'd practiced with them both as much as he could, but there was little substitute for practicing against a person who was going to be fighting back. The Camadors would definitely be fighting back. But now Sorrin knew how to beat them. Before, he'd been younger, cockier, sure of himself and his team. And it had gotten most of them killed.
    Now he knew what he needed to do to get the upper hand, and he intended to do it.
    Of course, nothing was ever as easy as it appeared, and Sorrin got to the top of the ladder and then found himself surrounded on all sides.
    It was all wrong.
    The Camadors were just as he remembered them.
    They stared down at him with their cold golden eyes, and the one in the middle smirked slowly. "Take him to the cages. You know what to do."
    The last thing he saw was them closing in.
    When he woke, he was lying on something soft, his arms bound behind him. The side of his head ached, and he knew he'd been hit with something. Warrior training kicked in as his head cleared, and he waited before he sat up, listening to see if he could hear anything.
    There was breathing, the sound of someone else close by. If it was an enemy, it stood to reason that he'd be dead already, so he inhaled slowly and then cracked his eyes open.
    All he could see were bars at first, and when he shifted his muscles so he could sit up, it became apparent that he was in some kind of cell.
    Also in the cell, with her back to the marbleized wall was a human woman.
    She was interesting looking for a human. Pale skin, fiery hair that was shaggy and falling into her eyes. Her arms were wrapped around her drawn up knees, and she had her face pressed against them. Her clothes were dirty and ripped in places, and it was clear that she was a prisoner. Just as he seemed to be.
    Sorrin cleared his throat, and her head snapped up. Interestingly, her eyes filled with something like anguish when she saw him, but she glanced away before Sorrin could get a good look.
    "Where are we?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from cracking out like a whip. This was the second time he'd underestimated the Camadors and let his emotions get the better of him. If there was a third time, then he'd probably end up dead.
    The woman flinched a bit. "In their prison," she said softly. And then, "You're not human."
    "No," Sorrin replied.
    "Then...have you come to help us?"
    He opened his mouth and then closed it again, unsure of how to answer. Saving the people of Earth was a secondary goal if he was being honest. First and foremost he wanted to take down the Camadors, and if that helped the people here, then so much the better. His goal and his vengeance was what had brought him here.
    But he needed to get out of this cell, and he might need her help to do it, so he nodded. "Yes."
    To his surprise, she didn't seem overly enthused at the prospect.
    "How?" she asked. "If you're