by Tamsin Ley
Every alien at the auction was positively scrumptious—if they even were aliens. She still had her doubts, though their blue skin looked amazingly realistic.
Extraterrestrials had supposedly landed in Beijing several decades ago, showed off for the cameras, talked to a few dignitaries, then disappeared without a trace. Most people believed the visit had been a hoax, but Georgie had insisted this Intergalactic Dating Agency thing was legit. Then again, Georgie’s mom used to tell stories about being abducted. Whatever. Lora was willing to go along with the cosplay to make money for the shelter.
Her date wore a navy blue suit and looked like a broad-shouldered member of the Blue Man Group, bald head and all. However, his stoic silence was giving her a bit of a creepy vibe.
“So, have you been to Earth before?” she asked, trying to initiate alien small talk. She pushed one of the champagne flutes toward him, wrapping Pepper’s leash tighter around her free hand. She regretted bringing the gangly coonhound along—the guy couldn’t seem to take his attention off the dog.
Her date turned his gaze to her, his eyes a solid black that took some getting used to. “No.”
A piercing scream erupted at a table behind her.
At almost the same moment, her date’s body seemed to quiver. Not like someone with a chill or even a person with palsy. He actually quivered, like his body was made of Jell-O. Then he collapsed inward, reduced to a pile of glistening blue slime in the seat of his chair.
Lora gaped, then stood to pull the hem of her crimson ball gown out of the way of the gelatinous sludge rolling off the seat toward her. Oh, hell no. Georgie had promised there would be no slime.
Her date—or what was left of him—landed on the grass with a plop.
More screams were coming from other tables, and she glanced around, heart pounding fast and hard. Everywhere she turned, blue-skinned aliens were dissolving. A white poodle darted past, dragging its leash. A woman ran after it shouting, “They have death rays!”
Most of the alien guests had looked like blue humans, but the two gray aliens with horns and wings had perched on the stage several yards away. Now one of them flew upward—actually flew!—and batted something from the sky.
Lora gaped, all doubt about these being actual aliens dispelled.
A drone smashed to the ground several yards away. A small red light blinked from its underside and letters on one of the rotor arms spelled Mini2. That’s not a death ray. Just some amateur trying to get footage of the soirée. And definitely not the cause of disintegrations. So who was attacking them and from where?
She turned a full circle, looking for a shooter as she dug for the cell phone she’d stashed in the bodice of her gown. She knew she shouldn’t have given in to Georgie’s insistence that a police uniform didn’t fit the theme for participants in the dating auction. Still keeping her curious dog from burying her nose in alien goo, she called dispatch.
An automated voice said, “All circuits are busy. Please try your call again later.”
“Fuck.” She shoved the phone back inside her bodice and watched as women in ball gowns tripped over toppled chairs, loose pets, and each other in their need to flee.
Towering well above the crowd, a singular set of broad blue shoulders and flowing navy colored hair was moving toward the park’s fountain. He appeared to be the only surviving blue alien at the party. Was he responsible for the attack, or trying to escape it?
Cursing silently at her four-inch heels, she followed him, threading between the abandoned tables. Pepper wanted to stop and sniff every toppled chair and discarded napkin, and she was forced to yank on the lead to make her obey. “Pepper, heel, or so help me—”
Overhead, a pair of helicopters came into view, spotlights panning the tables as they descended to the lawn behind the stage. Someone must’ve gotten the word to the authorities. But her intuition was tingling about the blue alien she’d seen fleeing.
She hurried along the path toward the fountain, following the strings of lights Georgie’d hung between poles to make the evening more romantic. Her poor friend must be beside herself over what was happening to her premier event.
Pepper spotted a loose dog and veered off the path, trying to drag Lora with her. Lora’d enrolled her in obedience school and had been training her to track scents, but the dog was willful beyond belief. “Damnit, not now.” Lora gritted her teeth, keeping firm hold on the leash.
She looked back up to find the blue alien striding toward her. He towered over her despite the added height of her pumps. Suddenly realizing she had no weapon, no cuffs, not even a radio to call for help, she held up one palm. “Springfield Police department. Freeze.”
He stopped a few steps away. His well-muscled chest was bare, narrow hips clothed in blue jeans, and the light stubble of a beard dusted his jaw.
Her mouth grew dry. She couldn’t tell where his solid black eyes were focused, but despite the surrounding chaos, it felt like he was undressing her with his gaze. Unbidden curiosity about how that stubble might feel against the tender flesh of her thighs filled her. Wrong moment, wrong guy, Lora. But damn if he wasn’t the sexiest man—alien or otherwise—she’d ever laid eyes on.
Curious as always, Pepper surged forward to greet the stranger.
The sudden change in trajectory made Lora stumble, ankle twisting in her heels. The leash was yanked from her grip and she tumbled forward, hands out to catch herself.
The alien averted the dog and somehow managed to catch Lora before she crashed to her knees. His big hands were warm on her bare arms, his naked blue chest right at eye level. Damn. He was ripped. He even smelled sexy, like warm spices with a hint of leather. Her knees suddenly felt weak from more than just the tumble she’d almost taken.
She lifted her gaze to meet his glittering dark eyes and swallowed. Stand up, you idiot. But her legs felt too wobbly to hold her weight.
“You are injured,” he said. His voice had a smoky depth that shot straight to her core.
What was wrong with her? This guy was turning her into a slobbering idiot. At least he didn’t seem to intend her any harm.
“I’ll be fine. I just need to take these shoes off.” Still leaning on his arm, she slid her injured foot out of the pump. But when she tried to put weight on it to remove her other shoe, pain rocketed through her ankle. She fell to one knee on the grass.
Pepper took that as in invitation to play and barreled into her, knocking her flat onto the ground. “Pepper, no! Stop.”
God, could this be more embarrassing? She wrapped one arm around Pepper’s neck to keep her under control and managed to push herself up to her knees, trying not to think about the grass stains she was probably getting on her expensive dress.
The alien suddenly stiffened, and she thought she was about to see another guy turn into goo. Instead, he lifted his arm, and just like in a sci-fi movie, a semi-transparent screen appeared above his wrist. Another alien’s blue face floated in the air, speaking a language Lora didn’t understand, then she heard a familiar voice. “Lora! Are you okay?”
“Georgie?” Lora let go of Pepper and grabbed the alien’s outstretched arm, dragging herself to her feet. “Where are you?”
The big blue man frowned and pulled his arm from her grasp so the screen once more faced him. After a few more words with the other alien, the screen disappeared.
Lora reached for his arm again. “That was my friend! What have you done with her? What’s going on?”
The alien tilted his head, as if taking a moment to understand. This close, she saw his eyes weren’t completely black, but deep blue with no whites. His nose was slightly crooked, as if it had been broken at some point. “Your friend is safe. She’s with the prince.”
“Prince?” Lora gaped. “What prince? What’s going on?” She took a hobbling step forward and gritted her teeth against the pain lancing through her ankle.
Without warning, the alien swept her into his arms and started carrying her back toward the stage where th
e helicopters could be heard winding down. “Someone tried to assassinate the prince. I must find out who.”
Lora clung to his neck. She wasn’t exactly a small woman, but he carried her as if she weighed nothing. “What sort of weapon turns people to slime?”
Before he could answer, a man’s voice called out, “Hey! You! Come with us.”
She twisted to see a pair of men in black suits approaching. Probably Feds. And here she was, being carried like a damsel in distress. Great way to represent the precinct. The guys were going to have a heyday when they heard about it.
She patted the alien’s shoulder. “Put me down, please.”
He hesitated, gaze concentrated on the men, then gently set her on her feet.
Keeping her weight on her good ankle, she reached into her bodice to retrieve her badge. “Springfield P—”
“Gun!” The shorter man drew his pistol…
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Intergalactic Dating Agency
Looking for more out of this world romance? Your local Intergalactic Dating Agency can help! These strong, smart, sexy aliens are on the prowl for mates, and humans like you are exactly what they’re after. Jump in with Book 1 of any standalone trilogy from our crew of rock star SFR authors and make steamy first contact! Warning: abductions may or may not be included!
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Also by Tamsin Ley
Galactic Pirate Brides series
*Galactic Pirate Brides Box Set (Includes first 3 books)*
Rescued by Qaiyaan
Ransomed by Kashatok
Claimed by Noatak
Taken by the Cyborg
Mates for Monsters
*Mer-Lovers Collector’s Edition (Includes first 3 books)*
The Merman’s Kiss
The Merman’s Quest
A Mermaid’s Heart
The Centaur’s Bride
The Djinn’s Desire
Khargals of Duras
Sticks and Stones
Alaska Alphas
Alpha Origins
Untamed Instinct
Bewitched Shifter
Midnight Heat
Wild Child
**POST-APOCALYPTIC SCIENCE FICTION WRITTEN AS TAM LINSEY**
Botanicaust
The Reaping Room
Doomseeds
Amarantox
About the Author
Once upon a time I thought I wanted to be a biomedical engineer, but experimenting on lab rats doesn't always lead to happy endings. Now I blend my nerdy infatuation of science with character-driven romance and guaranteed happily-ever-afters. My monsters always find their mates, with feisty heroines, tortured heroes, and all the steamy trouble they can handle. I promise my stories will never leave you hanging (although you may still crave more!)
When I'm not writing, I'll be in the garden or the kitchen, exploring Alaska with my husband, or preparing for the zombie apocalypse. I also love wine and hard apple cider, am mediocre at crochet, and have the cutest 12-pound bunny named Abigail.
Interested in more about me? Join my VIP Club and get free books, notices, and other cool stuff!
www.tamsinley.com
Contents
Description
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Glossary
Kirenai Fact Sheet
Reader Letter
Zhiruto
Intergalactic Dating Agency
Also by Tamsin Ley
About the Author
All characters in this book, be they supernatural, human, or something else entirely, are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, situations, or events are entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any form or by any means without explicit written permission from the author, with the exception of brief quotes for use in reviews, articles, or blogs. This book is licensed for your enjoyment only. Thank you a million zillion hearts and kisses for purchasing.
Digital version
ISBN-13: 9781950027408
Copyright © 2021 Twin Leaf Press