Mated to the Barbarian Heir: A Sci-Fi Alien Action Pregnancy Romance

by Abella Ward

  “Are you alright?” he asked me. “Are you hurt? Did anyone hurt you?”

  I shook my head and he breathed a sigh of relief.

  “We’re going to have to run. Can you run?”

  I nodded and then he took my hand and pulled me out of the tent. We walked out into the darkened camp without a backward glance. Our shoes crunched on the rough stone ground of X29. We stayed out of the main pathways of the camp. Instead, we hugged the shadows of the tents themselves. Moving as silently as possible we made our zig-zag way through the camp towards the western wall.

  We stopped at the western edge of tents. Detro stopped suddenly and I kept close to him as we looked up and down the road. It was technically still night, but X29 had no real night, only the portion of the day when the more distant sun shone. We were open and exposed. If even one person saw us we would be doomed.

  Detro crouched down and pulled me with him. Not far to our left were the Goseb guards. They were leaning against the western wall and didn’t look like they would be leaving for a while.

  “My sensor!” I hissed, as the realization hit me. “It will signal an alarm if I cross the wall,” I said, putting my hand on the back of my neck.

  “Don’t worry. My ship is right on the other side of the wall. I still have some friends on the orbiting ship. They’ve been covering for me on the scanners, but we don’t have much more time.”

  He looked over at the guards and then to the right.

  “We need a distraction,” I said, and he nodded.

  “Wait here,” he said.

  “No, I don’t want to be separated from you.”

  “It’ll be fine,” he said.

  I nodded and watched as he slinked back behind the tent. I sat on my haunches, looking up and down the lane for any more guards. There were pins and needles all over my body. It felt like I had been waiting forever, but it couldn’t have been longer than a few minutes.

  A commotion to the left. The sound of something ripping. The guards stopped their talking and looked towards the sound. The commanding officer nodded his head and the others fell in line to investigate.

  It had worked! Detro’s distraction had worked. Now I just needed to wait for him to come back and then we could climb over the wall and be gone. I looked for Detro but didn’t see him coming. I took the chance and stood up, but still there was nothing.

  Then I saw something straight ahead. It was two guards and, to my horror, I saw that they held Detro between them. He was wrestling and fighting, but they had his arms pinned behind his back and then they furiously threw him against the wall.

  Panic flooded my veins. I was frozen. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t scream. I couldn’t do anything but watch. And then my entire body began to shake. From head to toe, uncontrollable shivers ran down my body and I thought for a moment I might be sick.

  The baby. I looked around. I had to do something. This was our one chance. There were two guards with Detro, but where was the third? I crouched down and ran between the tents until I saw him. A Goseb guard in his faceless mask, lying face down on the ground. I needed his gun. Where was his gun?

  Carefully, I moved to his body. The Goseb guards weren’t far away. If they turned around, they would see me. I could hear them still scuffling with Detro. He wasn’t done fighting yet.

  I knelt down by the body and felt up and down his armor for his gun. But it wasn’t here. Then I saw the way he was awkwardly laying. His right arm was crossed underneath his body. Taking a deep breath, I put both hands underneath the guard and then with a heave I hefted him over and saw his gun still clasped in his hand.

  I pried it free of his already stiffening fingers and shakily stood up.

  I didn’t shout a warning. I just fired the weapon right at the back of the guard who had Detro. The other guard turned around in shock, reaching for his weapon. But he was too slow. I pushed the trigger button and in an instant, he was dead. A shock of electricity strong enough to put down a beast twice his size had just been shot into his body.

  Detro looked at me, his mouth hanging open. “The keys,” he said. His hands were cuffed behind his back. I could see the keys laying where they fell in the dirt. I grabbed them and raced towards Detro. I unlocked the cuffs and without a word he grabbed my hand and we headed towards the wall.

  The wall was short, only four feet. The prisoners had the sensors in their necks, but that wasn’t the only deterrent. There was nothing out here. A human might run, but he would be dead within a few days.

  Detro gave me his hand and helped me over the wall. Once on the other side I could see the faint shimmer of his ship.

  “Open the bay door,” he commanded and, as if by magic, a door lifted and I could see the interior of the ship.

  He made sure I was inside first and then he ran in and closed the door behind him. It was just a small shuttle, barely more than two chairs and a console. But the chairs were supply level and the air in here was fresh and cool. I collapsed into a chair as Detro took off. I could see the camp below us. The small white tents grew smaller as we left X29 behind.

  Epilogue

  We docked with the main ship. It was a smaller ship, meant to transport only a few individuals. He and I were the only two people on board. We docked, and from the shuttle he charted our course out of the system.

  “I imagine you’ll be excited to sleep in a warm bed tonight,” he said, caressing my cheek.

  “I have to tell you something,” I said. I took his hand in mine and stood up. He looked up at me in confusion as I led his hand down my body, stopping at the swell of my stomach. He blinked slowly, his mouth open.

  “I didn’t know until you left,” I said. He nodded, put both of his hands on my belly and then looked up at me almost in awe.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, standing up and pulling me into a hug.

  “For what? Saving me?” I asked. He leaned down and kissed me. I had forgotten the taste of his lips and the feel of his tongue. I had thought of nothing but him for the last few months, but all of my dreams were nothing compared to the real thing.

  “I found it,” he whispered. “The Sanctuary. It’s real. I’ve been there.”

  “How?”

  “I didn't go to the tribunal,” he said, with a shrug. “I headed toward Earth system and told the rebellion I wanted to join them. I’ve spent all this time getting them to trust me. They thought I had been sent by the Gosebs to trick them. But I told them about you and what I had done here. They had heard of me. I offered them everything I knew about the Gosebs. The only thing I wanted in return was to come back here and get you and then go with you to the Sanctuary.”

  “Our baby will be free,” I said.

  “And safe,” he agreed. I looked up into his purple eyes.

  He led me onto the ship. I showered. I have no idea how long I was in there. I let the hot soapy water cover my body and remove every last particle of dust. I got out of the shower and into the ship's lone bedroom. There was a closet and I opened it and saw a wide variety of clothes for a human my size. Dresses, pants, t-shirts, sweaters were lined up in all different colors. I could wear anything I wanted. I didn't have to wear a jumpsuit. I didn’t have to be anywhere. I touched the back of my neck where I knew the sensor still rested. That thing would never again get to dictate where I was allowed to go.

  Detro came in and wrapped his arms around my towel-clad body.

  “I missed you every moment of every day,” he said.

  “I missed you more,” I whispered back, and I saw him smile.

  I put on a loose green dress. It was the softest thing I had ever worn. The fabric felt smooth and wonderful against my skin. I walked up to the cockpit and sat down next to Detro. The screen above us showed our progress through the systems. The stars were nothing more than white lines shooting past us.

  “We’ll come back for the people at the camp,” I said.

  He nodded. “I’ve seen the rebellion. They’re strong and smart and they’ve got a lot of
soldiers. The Gosebs have no idea what they’re up against. We surprised your people in the last attack, but things have changed. The humans aren’t so naive anymore.”

  I reached across the space between us and took his hand and squeezed it. Everything would be alright. I was sure of it.

  *****

  THE END

  Alien Romance: Abducted by the Alien Dragon

  Description

  A curvy lawyer ready for adventure PLUS a sexy alien who is a dragon shifter PLUS a baby who holds the future of an entire species...

  Out-of-work lawyer Gemma Watson thinks she has finally found her one true love in Shay. He's sweet, intelligent and makes her laugh. It doesn't hurt that his sexiness is off the charts. And when he's happy that she's pregnant, everything seems just perfect.

  Except Shay isn't who he appears to be. He's a Stlozyn, a member of a dragon-like alien species. The Stlozyn are suffering from a terrible disease which causes them to become infertile, and if they can't find a way to cure it, their culture will disappear within a few generations. Shay is convinced he will find the cure locked in human DNA.

  He never expected to fall in love with Gemma, but after he learns she's pregnant, he wants her to know everything about him. Including his alien origins. So he decides to take her to his home planet.

  The only problem is Gemma isn't happy with being abducted, and there are scientists on Shay's home world who think that her baby holds the key to eradicating the disease that is ravaging their people.

  When they suggest the unthinkable, both Gemma and Shay have to decide: what sacrifices are worth making, and does love truly conquer all?

  Chapter One

  Her mouth tasted like old carpet. Gemma Watson wrinkled her nose, running her tongue over her teeth. They had a slightly furry texture she didn't like. Her eyes stayed firmly closed–she had hardly been able to sleep at all the previous night, too wrapped up in the pink slip her boss had handed her.

  It wasn't like she hadn't expected to be fired from her small-time lawyer gig. The business had been slow for a while, and she was the newest hire. But it still stung, and now that she was out of a job, she didn't know if she should continue in law, or go back to school for something she enjoyed more.

  There was also the fact that she was pregnant.

  She had only been seeing her boyfriend, Shay, for a year, and she was pregnant.

  After one failed relationship after another, Gemma thought she finally found the one who would be with her forever. Shay actually listened to her, actually cared about her. A smile crossed her lips at how happy he had been when she told him he was pregnant. In all fairness, she had been expecting him to turn tail and run, just like all her past boyfriends did when things turned too serious for them. Shay was different.

  She reached over towards him, her eyes still closed. Her hand met air. Not even the other side of the bed. Just air.

  Gemma's eyes snapped open.

  "What?" she muttered groggily, lifting her head.

  The ceiling above her was not her ceiling. She'd just painted her little one-bedroom apartment, giving herself something to do while the small law firm she worked at was going through the dry spell that ultimately ended in her being fired. She'd put clouds above her bed, and a bright yellow sun peeking out from behind them.

  This ceiling was gray.

  Gemma bolted upright. "What the hell?"

  This wasn't her apartment. There was no carpet, the bed was a narrow cot jutting from the wall and a single, thick blanket lay over her body. She was still in her flannel PJs, at least, but Gemma's heart pounded in her chest and she swiveled from side to side, gaze sliding over the gleaming white walls that surrounded her. Other than the cot she lay on, the room was utterly bare.

  A swishing sound came from the wall opposite her. Gemma leaped to her feet as the wall opened, sweeping open like the curtains being drawn back into a theater. Her fists raised, recalling the self-defense classes she'd taken, but they dropped just as quickly when she saw who it was.

  "Shay!" Gemma rushed forward, throwing her arms around him. She buried her face into his shoulder, inhaling his smoky scent. If Shay was here, it couldn't be so bad. "I think I'm having some sort of bizarre stress dream."

  Thick, muscular arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. "You're not dreaming, Gemma."

  He grasped her shoulders and pushed her back a step. His warm, dark eyes bored into hers and a shiver ran down her spine.

  "What do you mean, I'm not dreaming?"

  Shay's fingers traced her jaw. She leaned into his touch, sighing as she did so. His skin was always so warm, she loved it.

  "I regrettably lied to you. I'm not from Europe, as I told you. In fact, I'm not human."

  Gemma's first instinct was to laugh at him, but it got choked in her throat when she saw the serious look in his eye. Shay never joked. Her heart beat faster once more and she pulled away from him, shaking her head. This had to be a dream. There was no way what he was saying could be true, so she must be having one bizarre stress dream.

  "Gemma?"

  "If you're not human, what are you?" Her hands trembled. She tried to laugh, because if this was real, she didn't know what she would do.

  "I'm a member of a species known as Stlozyn, from the planet Bronæl."

  "Really?" Had he gone insane, or was this a continuation of the Gemma Watson curse, where she only picked losers? Only this time she'd picked a real nutcase. Or she was the nutcase. How am I going to find a new job if I don't have all my mental faculties about me?

  Shay watched her, the pucker above his left eye giving away just how worried he was. "I should have told you before—"

  "So if you're an… not human…" Gemma couldn't say the word 'alien'. "What are you on Earth for?"

  "I think you should sit down."

  "Well, I think that you should tell me what's going on. Right now." Her stomach was churning by this time. At any minute she was going to completely lose it. The stress was really getting to her.

  "There's a disease causing infertility among my people. It infects our genetic material." He shook his head, sighing. "You wouldn't understand all the details. Suffice it to say, I am a scientist, and I believe that human DNA holds the key to our cure."

  Gemma blinked at him. Nausea started swirling in her stomach and she had to swallow back bile. The floor beneath her feet felt too real, and when he put his hand on her arm, the weight of it was too detailed, too warm, to exist in a dream. But what he was saying couldn’t be possible. It just couldn't. Sure, she had always believed that aliens existed. It just made sense that somewhere in the vast expanses of the universe other life forms existed.

  But she had never believed that they would be six feet tall, with muscles that bulged and roped beneath smooth, warm skin, or have a brilliant smile that flashed pearly-white teeth. If anybody had told her that one day she was going to be pregnant with an alien baby, she'd have laughed at them. Even now she felt like laughing–hysterically, but still laughing.

  "Okay," Gemma said, stepping back as she shuddered. "So this is a prank, right? You had somebody come in and change up my apartment so you could what? Is this for YouTube? Where's the camera?"

  Shay ran a hand over his face.

  "This isn't funny!" Gemma put her hands on her wide hips and tossed her auburn hair over her shoulder, trying to hide how much she was shivering. "I like pranks as well as the next girl, but you, what, drugged me so that I wouldn't know I was being moved? I don't care. Get out of here before I call the cops!"

  Shay was a goner. Just like her cheating ex-husband, his ass was dropped. She wasn't about to stick around with a man who wanted her to think she was crazy.

  Shay took a step back, holding up his hands. "Gemma, everything I have told you is the truth. I'm not human. We're not on Earth."

  "Bullshit."

  Maybe she was overreacting a smidgen to his prank. Maybe it wasn't actually that bad. Shay was patient and kind, and he didn't mind that he
r thighs rubbed together or that she had wobbly bits under her arms. She dropped her hands and took a deep breath.

  "Okay, I'm just going to give you one more chance to come clean, because up until now you've been a perfect boyfriend. Where am I?"

  "I thought you wouldn't believe me. I had hoped to wait, but…" He began unbuttoning his shirt.

  Gemma crossed the space between them and jabbed him hard in the chest. "Hold it right there, buster. I don't care how sexy you are, you don't get to try to make me think you're an alien that abducted me and then seduce me. No way, no how."

  "I'm not—"

  She narrowed her eyes. It was easier not to be afraid if she was furious with him. "I want to go home right now. Understand?"

  "You once asked me about this," Shay interrupted, touching the fire-red tattoo of a dragon that was over his heart. "I told you that I got it to commemorate my grandfather. The truth is that it is an implant that produces a shimmering cloak to hide my true appearance. For my research, it was necessary to blend in."

  He pressed his fingers to either side of the tattoo. Gemma stared, her heart in her throat. She still didn’t want to believe, but was unable to find another explanation as the tattoo actually detached itself from Shay's skin. His form blurred for a moment, glowing red, before focusing again. Gemma gasped.

  He was still six feet tall with rippling muscles bending his arms and neck. He still had the same lips, nose and ears, the same dark hair curled against his skull. But his skin had changed. No longer smooth and taut, it was a glittering emerald-green, the light catching off of hundreds of tiny scales and reflecting it back to Gemma. So utterly not human.

  Worse yet were his eyes. They were red as blood, staring out at her from that alien face.