Conquered by the Alien Warrior

by Hope Hart

  I grin back. Every step I took was with the overall goal of getting on that ship, and now that it’s gone without me, I feel…

  Free.

  “You chose me,” Korzyn says, and his voice is full of wonder. “You’re mine now.”

  “You’re mine too.”

  He’s silent for a long moment. “I’ve never been anyone’s before.”

  “Neither have I. We’ll figure this out together.”

  He pulls me close once more, and I snuggle into his arms.

  Looks like I just found my home.

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  Sarissa

  “How are you feeling?”

  Ellie beams at me, her son tucked against her shoulder as she gently pats his back. “Happy, exhausted, sad, scared, content, and in love,” she says. “You?”

  I smile. “The same.”

  Nevada watches closely as Danica crawls toward a large rock before using it to heft herself onto her feet. She shakes her little baby butt, dancing to a tune only she can hear, and then glances at us, waiting for us to clap for her.

  We applaud, and she rewards us with a grin and baby babble.

  We’re sitting on an overturned tree in the clearing where the spaceship once sat. Ellie has been keeping track of the days, and today is officially six months since the other women left.

  Ivy’s leaning against Vrex, her expression thoughtful as she gazes into the distance, while Zoey sits beside her, stripping leaves from a branch. Since the kids are here, she’s likely working on some kind of medicine.

  It’s quieter without the other women. There are fewer people to cook for, fewer arguments, and less laughter. All we can do is hope they get to their destination.

  The wondering is the hardest part. There’s no way to know where they are or if they’re even still alive. We’re all hoping they’ll find a way to get in contact with us, but there are no guarantees.

  Of course, some of the women stayed. And they’ve had culture shock to deal with, along with the knowledge that the choice they made is one they can’t take back.

  A few of them have talked about leaving to explore this planet. They want to see what else Agron has to offer.

  Alexis laughs softly at something Dexar says to her, elbowing him in the ribs. He grins and rubs his chest with a mock wounded look.

  They moved back to their camp a few days after the other women left, but they visit often.

  Alexis says she has the ship’s call signal—whatever that means. But Vivian has put the word out to traders that she’s looking for an old comm screen. If we can get our hands on one, there’s a chance we can get in touch with the ship.

  I catch sight of Vivian walking across the clearing with Beth, and they spot us, switching direction. Viv could barely look at me for a few days after I nearly got on that ship without saying goodbye. Finally, I gave her the letter I wrote for her. After she read it, she thawed a little, saying she understood but she was still sad.

  I get it.

  She sits down next to me, and we gaze at the brown grass—the dirt patch where the ship sat for so long. After a cold winter, new grass shoots are poking up from the ground. One day, there won’t be any sign the ship was ever here.

  I can’t decide if that thought makes me happy or sad.

  Korzyn and I have stayed here for the past six months, spending time with our friends and hunting any Dokhalls that attempted to attack us in retaliation. Now we’ll be heading back with Arix and Vivian. Korzyn has had some time to figure out who he is when he’s not responsible for Arix’s safety.

  “Badadadada,” Danica announces, and I turn my head, my chest squeezing as I meet Korzyn’s eyes. He grins as he and Rakiz walk toward us. Behind them, Charlie and Dragix follow, their newborn baby boy tucked in his daddy’s arms.

  “Yep, there’s dada,” Nevada murmurs. She grins at Rakiz as Danica throws up her arms. When he doesn’t reach her quick enough, she takes a step.

  We all collectively inhale.

  “Is she…,” Vivian whispers, and I nod.

  “Don’t spook her.”

  She takes another step, and Nevada’s hands fly to her face. Rakiz freezes in place, his eyes full of pride as he stares at his daughter. Behind them, Charlie grins at me as Dragix hands her their son, his eyes intent on Danica. As Nevada predicted, the baby has Uncle Dragix wrapped around her little finger.

  Another step. Danica looks surprised, and then she takes another four steps before falling on her butt.

  She grins at her father and claps for herself.

  Rakiz picks her up as Nevada gets to her feet, tears in her eyes.

  “She walked!”

  “She did.”

  “You’re so clever,” she coos as Danica claps some more. “My baby is a genius,” she announces, and we all laugh.

  Charlie plops down on the grass on my other side, dark circles beneath her eyes.

  “How are you doing?” I ask.

  “Oh, you know, I’ve always thought sleep was overrated anyway.” She grins at me as Dragix positions himself behind her.

  “Have you come up with a name yet?” I can’t help but grin as everyone goes quiet, waiting for Charlie’s answer. This baby has been called Bubba for weeks now while Dragix and Charlie made up their minds.

  “Meet Casix,” she says. “After Dragix’s dad. Cas for short.”

  “I love it.”

  Baby Cas opens his eyes as I lean over, and I gasp. They’re now a rich, bright gold.

  “His eyes have changed already?”

  “Yep. Now he looks even more like his daddy. This kid has none of me in him, I swear.”

  Dragix shifts behind her. “He has your smile.”

  “He’s three weeks old. That was gas.”

  “He has your gas face, then.”

  I feel my eyes widen as Charlie bursts out laughing.

  Javir saunters up to us, and Danica squeals. She’s obsessed with the teenager, much to his dismay.

  “Uppy!” she demands, and he rolls his eyes but picks her up, flashing a quick grin at her when she showers his face with kisses. He places her on the ground and sits next to Beth, who reaches out and smooths her hand over his hair.

  Danica stares at Cas, and he watches her. She babbles some more and crawls over to us, using my knee to pull herself up to her feet.

  “Do you want to say hi to the baby?” I ask her gently, and she leans forward, patting Cas on the head.

  “Bubuh.”

  “Yes, that’s—whoa!”

  A spark of gold, and Charlie is holding a teeny baby dragon.

  Danica lets out a squeal and falls back on her butt, her mouth a surprised O.

  Charlie’s face drains of color, and Dragix places his hand on her shoulder, keeping his voice low.

  “Don’t panic or you’ll scare him. He can’t fly yet, but he instinctively knows how to shift. This usually doesn’t happen for a few months.” He smiles at Rakiz in clear challenge, and I roll my eyes.

  “Are they seriously getting competitive about whose baby is cleverer?”

  Charlie seems to be recovering from her shock as she smiles down at Cas, stroking her finger down his tiny dragon nose. “Yep. And I’m not at all surprised,” she says absently. “Do I need to worry he’ll set his crib on fire?”

  Dragix grins and scoops up his son. “No. He won’t spit fire for years.”

  Charlie lets out a sigh of relief. “Well, we were wondering if he’d be a dragon. At least now we know.”

  Dragix is practically vibrating with pride, and I can’t help but laugh as he holds up his son, examining every inch of the tiny dragon—from his minuscule wings to his itty-bitty claws. Cas yawns—displaying a mouth that looks weird with no teeth—and then closes his eyes, settling into his father’s hand.

  A tiny puff of smoke escapes above his head as Cas lets out a snore.

  We’re all silent.

  “This place just gets weirder and weirder,” Alexis say
s, and Charlie removes her gaze from her son long enough to grin at her.

  “And you wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says.

  We spend the afternoon talking and reminiscing, sharing stories about the other women. Someone breaks out the noptri, and a few of the warriors organize for some food to be brought over. A fire is built right in front of us, and eventually, when the sun has gone down, the group begins to disband, wandering away to their kradis.

  I watch quietly, my mind elsewhere. According to my rough calculations, it will be the anniversary of Claire’s death in a few days.

  My nightmares have gotten better. I don’t know if it’s because I’m finally talking about what happened that night, or if it’s because I’m surrounded by the scent of my mate each night as I sleep.

  Korzyn takes my hand, lifting my wrist to his mouth and kissing the space beneath our mating bands. We had a quiet ceremony a few days after the ship left. Urox stayed to celebrate, and he and Teriez visit every now and then. I think Urox has a crush on Lana—one of the human women who decided to stay.

  I glance at Korzyn. “I have something for you,” I say.

  His silver eyes narrow with interest as he gets up and follows me back to our kradi. I blow out a breath, oddly nervous as we step inside.

  I reach into the small wooden box I keep near our furs. “I wrote this for you when I thought I’d never see you again,” I say. “Vivian was meant to read it to you after I left. I was going to throw it out, but…I figured you deserve to know what I wanted to say.”

  He takes the paper and sits on our furs, pulling me next to him. I peer over his shoulder and read the words to him.

  Korzyn,

  Sometimes, really bad things happen. The kind of bad things you never get over. The kind you can never really think about again because if you do, you’ll lose the ability to get up in the morning.

  Leaving you is one of those things.

  I hated you when I first met you. And I know you hated me too. It’s funny, sometimes, the way the universe works. How it can provide you with the perfect person only for you to waste so much time hating them that by the time you’re consumed with love for them, there’s no time left.

  When I first met you, my heart thumped a little harder in my chest. Colors became brighter. Tastes, smells, sounds, everything became…more.

  I thought it was loathing when really it was love.

  I dragged both of us through the ultimate power struggle because I couldn’t admit how I felt.

  You’re not innocent, of course. You did it too.

  That’s what made us so perfect for each other.

  I came close to asking you to come with me the other day. Came close to asking you to give up everything for me.

  But I’d never take you away from Arix. He’s your family. You deserve to be happy.

  I just want you to know I’m not leaving because you’re in any way unworthy. Your parents were wrong to let you be taken as a kid, and I hate them for what they did when you returned. If anyone’s unworthy, it’s me. You’re all that’s good in the world—yes, I hear myself, and no, I’m not drunk.

  You could’ve let yourself turn into a cold, unfeeling monster after what your parents did to you. But instead, you let it harden your outside while staying kind and honorable on the inside.

  It’s just one of the reasons I love you.

  And it’s why I’m able to let you go. Because when you truly love someone, you want what’s best for them. Even if it’s not what’s best for you. You’re going to go on and find a woman who’ll fill the void I’m leaving. She won’t be as cool as me, but really, who is?

  Arix will tell you the name of the noblewoman you were flirting with. Here’s a secret: I was staring daggers at both of you that night. I flirted with every guard in sight because I thought it would make me feel better.

  It didn’t.

  But even I can admit the noblewoman seemed nice.

  Every now and then, when you bounce Vivian and Arix’s babies on your lap, or when you watch the stars each year on Seva, think of me.

  ’Cause I’ll always be thinking of you.

  I hope you have an incredible life full of love and laughter.

  You deserve it.

  Your hellion.

  My throat is so tight I can barely finish reading the letter. Korzyn meets my gaze, and his eyes are burning with a combination of sadness, fury, love, and frustration.

  “If Vivian had read me this, I would never have allowed you to leave me. I would have gone to the marketplace and waged war until one of the traders took me to you. Wherever you were in the universe, hellion, I would’ve found my way to you.”

  My eyes are hot, and I let out a choked sob as I reach up a hand and stroke it over his jaw. “Tell me again.”

  He laughs, but the sound is rough. It’s a game we play—my grumpy commander and I. I adore hearing him tell me the words he’s never said to anyone else. And he pretends he doesn’t like saying them, but when he does…

  “I love you because you’re loyal. Because you make me question everything. Because I crave you. I love you because you’re mine. My mate. My everything.”

  I blink back tears. Neither of us know what it’s like to grow up in a healthy, loving family. We’re both…wounded. But together, we’ll make it work.

  He folds away his letter and carefully places it in his own box. Then he reaches for me.

  I wrap my arms around his neck, and he leans down, taking my mouth. He’s hard against me, and I moan at the feel of his body surrounding mine.

  He pushes me back against our furs, following me down. I let out a sigh as he strokes my hair back from my face, handling me as if I’m made of glass.

  He pushes up my dress, then pulls it over my head, leaving me in nothing but my underwear.

  I gasp as he immediately takes my mouth, his hands stroking over my skin, making me shiver and groan against him. How is it possible that he already knows my body so well? Knows exactly how to make me shudder with pleasure so encompassing it feels as if I’m about to go up in flames?

  I twine my fingers in his hair, holding him against me as his lips leave mine. I want to protest the loss of his hot, hungry mouth, but he’s already moving down, lashing one of my nipples with his tongue. He gently runs his teeth along it, then soothes the slight sting, sucking it into his mouth.

  I begin to sweat, my whole body on fire. My gasps must spur him on because he turns his attention to my other breast, nipping and sucking until I’m begging for more.

  “Tell me you’ll never leave me,” he orders, moving further down my body until he’s staring at the wet heat of me.

  I blush, but he raises his head until our eyes meet, the expression on his face demanding the only answer I’ll ever give.

  “I’ll never leave you.”

  His eyes flare in satisfaction, and then he licks me right where I need him. His hands slide beneath my butt, effortlessly lifting me until I’m positioned right where he wants me.

  He swirls his tongue over my clit, lashing at me until I’m on the edge of orgasm.

  “Korzyn,” I gasp, and that seems to encourage him further because he strokes his tongue right over the most sensitive part of me, again and again.

  I shudder and writhe in his hands, heat engulfing my body as I groan out my pleasure. He lets out a low growl of his own, moving back up my body as I blink at him. My legs automatically twine around him as he positions himself against me.

  He eases himself into me and then thrusts forward, making my eyes roll back into my head. He immediately retreats and thrusts again until he’s so deeply inside me that it feels like we’ll be joined together for the rest of time.

  I scratch at his chest, angling my hips for him, and he thrusts deeper, hitting my clit and making me tighten around him. Within moments, I’m trembling again, and it only takes a few more thrusts before pleasure is ripping into my body, sending me spinning over the edge.

  Korzyn’s eyes b
urn into mine as I come, and he thrusts again and again before following me over with a low growl. I’m panting as he hauls me into his arms, rolling until I’m splayed in my favorite position over his chest.

  I never could’ve imagined this is the way my life would have gone. An abduction, a crash-landing, a war. Choosing love over revenge, choosing to stay with the Braxian who makes my heart thump harder every time I see him.

  This may not be the life I thought I wanted, but I can’t imagine anything else. Can’t imagine never having met the women who understand exactly what it’s like to be stolen from your life only to fall in love with someone so different from anything you’ve ever known.

  Korzyn strokes his hand over my hair, and I run my nails over the scales of his shoulders, feeling him shiver against me.

  This love isn’t soft or easy. It’s deep and all-encompassing. It’s uniquely ours.

  And I’ll never take it for granted.

  The End

  Authors note:

  Thank you for reading Conquered by the Alien Warrior. This series has been a wild ride and I’ve loved every minute of it. While this series is finished (for now) the adventure continues with the spin-off series titled Society of Savages.

  The first book is called Wicked, and you can find it available here. While this series is a spin-off of Warriors of Agron, it also includes a few cameos by some of the Arcav. It has been SO much fun to write, and I can’t wait for you to read it!

  Want to be the first to know about new books, cover reveals, audiobooks and sales? Sign up for my free newsletter here.

  I’m also active on Facebook. Come say hi at Hope Hart Author.

  Also by Hope Hart

  The Arcav Alien Invasion Series

  The Arcav King's Mate

  The Arcav Commander's Human

  The Arcav General's Woman

  The Arcav Prince's Captive

  A Very Arcav Christmas

  The Arcav Captain's Queen

  The Arcav Guard's Female

  The Warriors of Agron Series