The Alien Prince's Captive (Celestial Mates)

by Luna Hunter

  Fighting for what is right.

  “No time like the present,” I say. “Let’s go.”

  20

  Tau

  I kick the shock-collar laying at my feet. The source of my kind’s downfall — and now, I’m about to wear one.

  “You put on now,” Xnath says. “Before fly.”

  “Can’t we wait until we’re closer to the Fortress?” I ask. “It is at least an hour away.”

  The Qroq shakes his head. “Pain great. You faint in sky. We all fall. Die. Put on here.”

  Amelia puts her hands on my naked shoulders and kisses me between my shoulder blades.

  “I’ll be right here,” she says.

  I turn and grab her hands.

  “I’m afraid I’ll hurt you,” I admit. I’ve never been this open with anyone. As the prince, I have to be strong and proud. However, with Amelia, I feel like I can be myself. “I don’t know what will happen when I put this thing on. I’ve seen greater, stronger dragons go mad.”

  “You’re the strongest dragon I know,” she says. “I have faith in you. “You’ll pull through.”

  I nod.

  She’s right.

  I’ll pull through.

  Just by looking at her, I feel stronger than ever. I care so much for my curvy human mate — I’d lift mountains for her. Wearing a damn collar for a short trip shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

  My people have had to suffer because of this device for years. Now it’s my turn.

  I pick up the heavy thing and hand it to my mate. I grab a tight hold of her and give her one final, long, passionate, deep kiss. As our lips meet, my fear, my doubt melts away.

  Time to save the world.

  I shift into my dragon form. My body grows, transforms, my hands turning to claws, wings sprouting from my back. Only moments later I’m back in my familiar, dragon form.

  I nod and present my mate with my slender neck.

  She tightens the collar around my neck, and instantly, an unimaginable pain courses through my veins. Wave after wave of pain, each one growing in intensity, overwhelms my consciousness.

  The unrelenting, unending hurt brings me to the edge of insanity. My vision is reduced to dark, throbbing spots, while all sounds fade away into the distance.

  “Are you okay?”

  A voice, in the distance.

  “Tau, are you okay?”

  I follow it, like a beacon in the darkness. The warm, gentle sound lifts me up, rising from the depths of my own mind, the underbelly of my soul, back to the surface.

  Back to reality.

  I have to grit my teeth to endure the pain, I have to focus all of my attention on Amelia’s voice, but by doing so, I regain control of my own mind.

  I have to persist.

  “Hard, huh?” Xnath says. “Fortress is an hour west.”

  One more hour of this pain.

  Sixty minutes of torture.

  Let’s do this.

  Every flap of my wings hurts. Every breath stings. Every muscle strains.

  Yet, I persist.

  Amelia and Xnath are riding on my back. The Qroq hasn’t tried anything, yet. I do not fully trust him, but what he said about the Qroq’s society was certainly interesting.

  I never entertained the thought that the Qroq’s were anything but bloodthirsty slavers. The idea that life used to be better for them before Qotl united them is interesting… because it means that if he falls, they might simply lay down their weapons.

  Perhaps the Qroq are as enslaved by their emperor, as my people are to them. This doesn’t mean their crimes are excused, or that I will show them mercy… but perhaps life is not as black and white as I have grown to see it.

  First I have an emperor to kill.

  Then we’ll see how the world looks when the dust settles.

  The Fortress dooms up in the distance, the giant statue of a Qroq dominating the plains. This sacred hunting ground has been turned into a fortress, an abomination, an ugly statue ruining the view.

  This is where it will happen.

  Either the emperor dies, or I do.

  Several dragon riders notice us approaching and begin to flank us. This is the hour of truth: Will Xnath stay true to his word?

  Or was this a clever ruse by the small monster?

  “Xnath! Is that you?!” one dragon rider screams, his voice barely audible through the wind.

  “I have human!” he answers. “Tell emperor!”

  All according to plan, so far…

  The dragon riders speed towards the Fortress. I’m going as fast as I can, but the excruciating pain is slowing me down considerably.

  I hope I enough energy left to take the damn emperor on, and I do not simply collapse out of exhaustion when faced with my nemesis.

  The crown of the statue is now in sight.

  This is it.

  21

  Amelia

  We land on the crown of the massive Qroq statue, in the Fortress of Bones. Back where it all started.

  I was brought here a slave, a ‘breeder’, meant to entertain the vile impulses of General Vakgar. I return on the wings of Prince Tau, ready to take on the Qroq emperor himself.

  If everything goes according to plan, that is.

  The entire crown is filled to the brim with Qroq warriors and generals. I recognize a few faces from that time I served the generals wine. Upon closer inspection, I see that there are Thalanil women among the crowd as well, serving the Qroq warriors wine.

  One face, however, stands out.

  A man-like being, taller and lankier than the Qroqs, sits on a golden throne. His hairless skin is purple, and where his mouth should be hang four tentacles. A garish robe adorns his spindly frame.

  Just looking at him makes my skin crawl.

  A giant golden scepter rests in his right hand, a brilliant diamond attached on top. The jewel brims with strange power, emitting a bright light.

  This must be the emperor, but there’s no way he’s a Qroq.

  “There you are,” he says as Xnath and I slide off Tau’s back. He talks like his mouth is full, his tentacles moving with every word. It is a wet, sloppy sound. “My wife to be. Come here, so I can look at you better.”

  As if.

  I look at my Qroq companion and nod. Together, we grab Tau’s shock-collar and pull it off. The device falls to the ground with a heavy thud, and a collective gasp passes through the crowd.

  Tau shakes his neck, roaring wildly. He claws at the stone floor, smoke rising from his nostrils.

  Get him, Tau.

  My mate charges for the emperor, who sits in his throne, unconcerned. Right before Tau’s sharp, dragon fangs connect with the purple alien, a bright, white light shoots forth from the scepter — and strikes my mate.

  My heart breaks into a million pieces.

  Tau falls back, flying, shifting in mid-air. I’m watching it happen in slow-motion. All my dreams, all my hopes are being shattered in front of me.

  When he lands on the stone floor, he’s back in his humanoid form, and unconscious.

  This can’t be.

  “Put that traitor in the pits,” Emperor Qotl snaps.

  Xnath is grabbed from behind by two large Qroqs and dragged away, into the crowd.

  I fall to my knees next to my mate, cradling his head in my hands.

  “Please wake up,” I say. “Please.”

  Tears stream down my face, but it’s of no use.

  A bony finger runs across my cheek, and I jerk myself away.

  “You’re mine now,” the emperor says. “Mine alone.”

  “Never,” I say, my voice brimming with hate.

  He grabs my wrist and pulls me to my feet. The alien’s surprisingly strong for his spindly frame.

  “Come here, let me look at you,” he says, peering into my eyes with those giant purple bug eyes of him. I try to look away, but there’s something hypnotic about his misty eyes, and I find my muscles losing their strength.

  “That’s
it, gaze into my eyes, worm,” he says. “You’ll fall in line, just like the others. Ah, I see you are from Earth. Hm. Yes.”

  It feels like the alien is reading my mind, invading my very thoughts.

  “Billions of juicy slaves,” he says, his voice thick with desire. “Excellent. You will lead me to them.”

  “Never,” I grit through my teeth with all my strength.

  A thin smile appears on his face. It only makes him look even more unsettling.

  “The Qroq are my thralls, the Thalanil are my thralls… why do you think humans will be any different?”

  “You don’t possess anyone,” I bite. “There will always be resistance.”

  “Where is this resistance than, hm?” the alien asks.

  “Right here.”

  I lurch forward with all my strength and grab the alien’s golden scepter with both of my hands. I slam it right into his purple, egg-sized head, and the scepter explodes with a bright, white light. The emperor stumbles and falls backwards, and at that moment, all hell breaks loose.

  All around me the Thalanil women pull weapons from beneath their robes and start attacking their Qroq overlords. Most are drunk, and those who aren’t find that their weapons are missing, their straps loosened, or their boots tied to one another.

  I run towards my mate, and grab his hand. To my relief he moves, and slowly opens his eyes.

  “I’m here, baby,” I say. “Right here.”

  He smiles, and I’ve never felt happier to see those fangs of him come into view. Suddenly, his eyes grow wide, and he hops to his feet in one quick motion and yanks me away.

  A second later the ground where I stood lights up with colored sparks — the alien emperor is firing at us with that strange scepter!

  My mate squeezes my hand in a loving gesture before charging at the alien. The ground lights up with more sparks, but now that he’s in his humanoid form, Tau is much more nimble, and he dodges every shot the purple alien fires at him.

  All around us there’s chaos as the Thalanil women fight the Qroqs, but my attention is focused on my mate, my heart racing as I watch him charge the emperor.

  Ten more steps.

  Five more.

  Three.

  One.

  Tau jumps forward and wraps his strong, broad arms around the emperor’s frame — and together, in a final flash of white light, they tumble over the edge of the statue.

  I scream.

  The entire world falls quiet as everyone turns to see what happened. When the Qroq notice their leader is missing, they stop their struggle, and look at each other in a daze.

  Did the blast hit Tau? Is he falling to his death?

  I can’t bear to look over the edge, but I have to know.

  The silence, which probably lasts only a few seconds, feels like an eternity. I fall down to my knees, my insides hurting, my heart aching with every beat.

  And then, a great, turquoise dragon soars through the sky, and my heart leaps into my throat.

  My mate!

  He lands at my feet, shifting back into his humanoid form, and falls into my arms. He’s weakened, wounded, tired, but most importantly, alive!

  I hug him so tightly he groans in pain — but he’s smiling throughout it all.

  “What about the emperor?” I ask.

  “He’s down at the bottom,” Tau answers. “I couldn’t catch him.”

  I nod at the Qroq warriors and Thalanil women who still surround us, their weapons drawn.

  “Maybe you ought to say something,” I say. “You’re their prince.”

  He nods decisively, and I help him get up to his feet.

  “Qroqs!” he addresses the crowd. “Emperor Qotl lies dead at the foot of this statue. Lay down your weapons, and I will guarantee your safety.”

  A murmur passes through the crowd.

  “What?!” a familiar, female voice cries. Sera pushes her way forward, a knife in hand. “What are you talking about? They don’t deserve mercy!”

  Tau raises his hand, and the sounds stops instantly.

  “This is the dawn of a new age,” he says. “I’m not going to lie: It will be hard. It will take time. But, there will be no more bloodshed today.”

  A single Qroq drops his sword on the ground. A moment later a few more follow, and then it’s a cacophony of sound as all swords are dropped on the stone floor. The green aliens start leaving, looking confused.

  My heart feels like it’s going to explode as I hug my mate tightly.

  It’s finally over.

  Epilogue

  Amelia

  I watch Tau work, my hands resting on my belly. My baby bump is finally starting to show. He’s rebuilding his ancestral home, brick by brick, and I don’t mind watching him work.

  The spot is a beautiful one — right on a hill, overlooking a lush, green meadow, as far as the eye can see, with a breathtaking mountain range in the distance.

  However, the view is not what I’m interested in.

  The object of my attention would be Tau’s half-naked, dark blue, sweaty body. Every muscle in his broad frame tenses up as he does the heavy lifting, and it’s making my cheeks burn red with desire.

  I figured that, now pregnant, my sex drive might slow down, but if anything, I’ve grown even more insatiable. Luckily, Tau feels the same way. He can’t keep his hands off of me… and I like it that way.

  “Come here,” I call him over.

  He strides over to me, and my pulse increases when I watch the beads of sweat drip down his collar bone. I love his manly, natural scent — it’s the world’s most powerful aphrodisiac to me.

  I run my fingers across his abs, stopping at his pants.

  “How about a little break?” I say.

  “I only just started, the day is still young,” he protests, but I can tell from his smirk he’s just playing. “Ah, if you insist!”

  He grabs my ass and lifts me right up, effortlessly. I rest my head against his, his horns gently pressing against me, as he carries me into the home.

  There are still some unfinished rooms, but most of it is already done. Tau has been pouring all of his time and energy in building the perfect home for us and our many, many children.

  He already told me he wants a whole band of warriors. I’m tentative, but excited. First, I want to see how my first pregnancy goes. At the moment, however, I’ve never felt better. But that might also be because I have the world’s sexiest man taking care of my every need...

  We have all the time in the world, for peace has returned to the realms. Without their emperor, the Qroq ceased their warring ways at once. They simply up and left, returning to the hills where they have always made their homes, according to Tau.

  It seems that the ‘emperor’, that strange, purple alien was the cause of all of the bloodshed. Luckily, that is in the past, and we can focus all of our attention on one another…

  The moment I pull Tau’s pants down, a voice comes from downstairs.

  “Tau! Tau! Where are you, boy?”

  I make a whining sound. Eldrin is here, yet I want to play with my mate’s grand, blue cock.

  “I’ll send him away,” Tau growls.

  “No, go see him,” I say, kissing his member quickly. “We’ll continue later.”

  I pull his pants back up, and follow my mate down the stairs.

  “Ah, there you are,” Eldrin says. “Princess!” He bows.

  “Eldrin, how many times have I told you it’s Amelia?”

  “You’ll always be Princess to me, ” he says. “It’s good you are here, for this news also concerns you.”

  “What is it?”

  “I contacted Bodakin of the Celestial Mates Dating Agency. Prince Tau explained to me that they had been, err, less than forthcoming in their communication with you, to put it lightly.”

  “You can say that! I didn’t think a newsletter would get me abducted into an alien world, that’s for sure.”

  “Yes, yes, very unfortunate… though we are all very
happy you are here, of course!”

  “What’s the news, Eldrin?” Tau growls.

  I can tell from his frown he wants this conversation over with — he wants to continue where we left off!

  “Ah, yes. Well, I asked the good man if it was possible to open a portal back to your realm.”

  “To Earth?” I ask, sitting on the edge of my seat now.

  “To Earth, yes. He said it was an unusual request, but after I pressured him, he said it was possible.”

  Tau turns to me. The impatient look is gone, he’s completely focused now. He grabs my hand and folds it into a fist and kisses it.

  “What do you want to do, melethril?”

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  “I do not wish to keep you in this world against your will.”

  “You’re not, trust me!” I laugh. “My place is here, with you! I want to raise our family here, in this world, where they do belong. But… I do want to visit Emma, if that’s possible.”

  My sister will be shocked to hear from me after all this time… oh yeah, and because my mate is a horned, blue alien who can shift into a dragon!

  I know just what she’ll say, too. “You always have to outdo me, don’t you, lil’ sis? I married an Australian, so you decide to shack up with an alien prince, just to prove a point huh?”

  I can’t wait to see her again. My heart aches at the thought of hugging her.

  “Will it be possible?” Tau asks the elder shaman.

  “I think so,” Eldrin says. “Bodakin owes me a few favors. I’ll have to cash them in, but I can learn to open a portal to Earth, yes.”

  My heart explodes with joy, and I fling myself into Tau’s arms. He’s really spoiling me now. I’m having his babies, and I get to see my family again!

  “I’ll leave you two birds alone,” Eldrin says as he excuses himself.

  My mate carries me back up the stairs, his mouth on my neck, as I run my fingers over his many, many muscles.

  Life is good.

  Afterword

  Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. This was my very first Celestial Mates book. I had a blast writing it, and I hope it was a fun read.