Page 13

Zephyria

A few days later

Sonja stood at the edge of the crowd, watching Xeruvian warlords escort human women through the spaceport. Zoran had docked his spaceship at the hub near the top of Zephyria’s space elevator, a marvel that had fascinated several of the human scientists.

From there, they and their supplies had zipped toward the planet in a car large enough to hold nearly the entire human contingent. The view had been amazing, like riding a roller coaster through the atmosphere. As they approached the planet, individual features had sharpened into focus, giving the humans their first taste of their new home.

It was a bittersweet experience for Sonja. On the one hand, she loved being here with Aklan and was excited to start this phase of her life.

On the other hand, she hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye to her family. Oh, Mike had likely passed along news about her, though how he’d explained it, she couldn’t guess. How exactly did one go about telling parents that their daughter had zipped across the galaxy to live with her new mate?

That was one conversation she’d purposefully delayed, partly because first contact still wasn’t widely known. Video of the ship landing at CAH had been captured and shared on YouTube, but most people were calling it a hoax or a conspiracy theory. Eventually, the major players on Earth would have to spill the beans. Yes, aliens did exist. And yes, they had visited Earth and kidnapped a few women.

It sounded like the lead story in every trashy tabloid ever published.

Thankfully, that wasn’t her problem. She’d agreed to act as one of the liaisons between Earth and the Xeruvians, though Aklan would be doing the heavy lifting there. He was the seasoned diplomat, after all, and no one knew his people better than him.

In the meantime, she was excited to see his home and a little nervous to meet his family. They’d had plenty of time to talk on the ship, around making love every chance they got. She couldn’t keep her hands off him, and he had a hard time letting her go. Their time onboard had served as an impromptu honeymoon. She’d loved every minute.

The crowd thinned as the women were led away, some with the lucky Xeruvians who’d recognized them as mates, others to a complex where they would live until other arrangements could be made. Aklan had shared his private hope that all the human females would find mates among the Xeruvians, a hope she suspected the other warlords shared.

Now, he wrapped his hand around hers and tugged her toward a clutch of Xeruvians speaking quietly to one another near a set of glass-fronted offices. One male detached from the group and turned toward them, and Sonja’s eyes widened on a gasp.

The male looked exactly like Aklan, from the stone-like set of his broad shoulders to the bright gleam of his teal-colored eyes.

“That’s your brother?” she said.

“Is it not obvious?” he replied.

“Yes, but you didn’t tell me he was your identical twin. How am I supposed to tell you apart?”

But she knew the answer to that question before Aklan’s brother had crossed the spaceport’s lobby. With Aklan, she’d felt that zing of knowing right from the start. The mating instinct, he called it, what humans might call love at first sight.

Sonja pressed her lips firmly together, containing a grin. Definitely lust at first sight anyway.

But with his brother, she felt nothing. No pull, no zing, definitely no lust, just curiosity and a kind of reflected affection because of his role in her mate’s life.

When his brother stopped a few feet from them, Aklan introduced them in formal tones. She clasped his hand in greeting and offered him a cautious smile. “Aklan tells me you currently lead Clan Phyrz.”

Jalak nodded solemnly, reminding her eerily of his elder brother. “Indeed, milady. Would that I had been able to journey to Earth at my brother’s side. Alas, duties held my attention during his absence.”

“Maybe you can make the next trip. The women will need supplies.”

“I should like that. Very much.”

His gaze held a faint and familiar longing, one she recognized from her first meeting with Aklan. His eyes had held the same look, however briefly. He’d recognized her as his mate so quickly, it was a wonder she remembered the longing at all.

She threaded her arm through Jalak’s and guided him toward the exit, despite the low growl Aklan turned on her. This was important and she intended to do it right. After all, she had a debt to repay.

“You’re going to love Earth,” she told Jalak. “It’s very like Zephyria in some ways. And human women will love you.”

“Truly?” he said, his voice holding a touch of disbelief. “They will not think me monstrous?”

“Trust me, Jalak. You won’t have any worries there.” She slid a sly smile to Aklan. “I have a friend I want you to meet. Her name is Missy, and I think you two will hit it off.”

Aklan draped his arm around her shoulders, his eyes smiling down at her, and together, the three of them headed toward the place she now called home.

Up next…

After the twin horrors of natural disaster and plague nearly wiped out the Xeruvians' fertile females, warrior Zoran Kerus is faced with two choices: allow his people to die, or exchange advanced technology for a selection of Earth's unmated females. He doesn't count on finding his fated mate in human research scientist Mia Reynolds, or on the lengths he'll go to keep her.

The Alien Warlord’s Fated Mate

(The Warlords of Zephyria, Book 1)