by Zoey Draven
CONTENTS
COPYRIGHT
TITLE
BLURB
MAILING LIST
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
EPILOGUE
WARRIORS OF LUXIRIA
MAILING LIST
THANK YOU!
MORE FROM ZOEY
ABOUT ZOEY
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons are purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Stock Art: Depositphotos
Cover Design: Zoey Draven
Copyright © 2018 Zoey Draven
THE ALIEN’S DREAM
(Warriors of Luxiria Book 5)
By Zoey Draven
Welcome to Luxiria, where the twin suns are hot and the alien warriors are hotter…
Ever since Taylor Glass was rescued by strong, hulking Luxirians, nothing has been the same. Even worse, she can’t stop having sexy, vivid dreams starring one of her rescuers, a panty-melting alien male with mesmerizing gray eyes and the fiercest scowl she’s ever seen. Outside of her dream world, he clearly wants nothing to do with her and that fits perfectly with Taylor’s well-laid plan of getting back to Earth as soon as possible, no distractions needed. Too bad fate has other plans.
Ambassador Vikan has been loyal to his past lover since the day a tragedy ripped her away. But when his Instinct awakens for a human female under his protection, the Luxirian warrior fights against the undeniably pull with everything in him, torn between loyalty and lust, cursing her generous curves and soft lips that make him crazed. When his will fails him however, Vikan does what any sane warrior would do: steal the female away before she can leave for Earth.
Determined to get back home, Taylor fights against the intense attraction she has towards her alien captor. But when it becomes difficult to distinguish her too real dreams from reality, Taylor begins to fear that she might not leave Luxiria in one piece after all and that she might be forced to leave her heart behind.
Full-length, 55,000+ word, SFR novel! This is the fifth book of the Warriors of Luxiria series and should be read in order for the best experience.
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ONE
THE ALIEN WAS staring at her again.
Taylor Glass was aware of his gaze, as she had been since she and the other six women had been rescued from the clutches of their other alien captors. At first, the existence of aliens had been difficult to wrap her mind around…but she got passed that. Taylor had always been that way.
Her dad dying in a diving accident when she was eight? Taylor moved on, even knowing at a young age that her grief wouldn’t bring him back. The bullying that she’d endured during her high school years? She’d ignored it, knowing that the only opinion she cared for was that of her grandmother. Having to drop out of college because she didn’t qualify for financial aid? She became a self-employed business owner. Her grandmother passing on after a long battle with Alzheimer’s? That one had been hard, but Taylor had mended her broken heart and did what she always had before: moved on. As best as she could.
Perhaps her heart wasn’t as softened towards others as it had been. Perhaps she was more reserved and quiet now than she had been. But Taylor Glass had learned something important from a very young age: people who mattered would always have the ability to hurt you. And they usually would, intentionally or not.
Sharp as glass. That was what her peers would say about her. Taylor didn’t let her hurt over that little dig show. She didn’t want to be the way she was…but it was what she had become, it was what she had built herself into.
But it had served her well. Especially now. Especially after being captured by aliens and sold into an underground fighting ring, where the prize for the victors was women, human or otherwise.
But they’d been rescued from that awful, dark place, brought to a planet they didn’t even know the name of. By him and his kind.
Taylor squeezed her eyes shut, severing the alien’s gaze. She could still see him behind her eyelids, however. The alien had eyes as gray as rain clouds. An odd color. An alien color. And he had been haunting her dreams ever since she’d first seen him.
At first, she thought she was going crazy. Or having some sort of mental break. She’d been captured by aliens. That was the catalyst anyone needed to descend into madness. But in her heart, she knew it was something more. He intrigued her. He scared her. He confused her.
When Taylor opened her eyes again, he was looking away, as though by sheer force of will. The bottom part of his chiseled, shimmering jaw ticked, as if he was angry. Then, in his strange, guttural language, he barked out an order to the two other aliens that were keeping watch over their little group and stormed out, through the sliding metal doors on the far side of the room.
Taylor felt her body relax and a small breath escaped her lips. Her hand trembled when she reached up to push back a strand of her freshly cleaned hair. She’d almost forgotten what it felt like to bathe every day. In this room, they had access to a large bathroom and all of them took long, hot showers. Still, Taylor felt unclean. She remembered the grime, the stench, the slop of food splattering on the floor of the cage her alien captors had kept her in. She had the urge to bathe for the second time that day.
She heard the others talking, but Taylor was content to observe and listen. She didn’t want the others to know about her weird infatuation with the gray-eyed alien and she feared that if she spoke too much, the truth of it just might slip out.
There were four other women—human women—with her in the room they were being held in. There had been a fifth, but Cecelia had been taken away by a Luxirian doctor, to receive treatment for her cancer. It had been over a week since they’d last seen her. And Taylor could tell that they were all on edge because of it.
“What do you think they plan to do with us?” Bianca asked. The question of the year. The one that had been on everyone’s mind. Taylor knew that the aliens spoke English, although heavily accented English. One had said they’d received a ‘language implant,’ whatever that meant. Yet none had told them their fate. Needless to say, it worried them all. Even though they were treated much, much better there, they were still a long way from Earth with no way to get back, at the mercy of an alien race they knew nothing about. Taylor was beginning to wonder if she’d ever see her home again.
Lainey pursed her lips, a scowl forming. “Stop asking that question, Bianca! That’s all you ever talk about. I’m sick of hearing it.”
“Lainey,” Erin said, calmly. Erin was always calm, al
ways the one smoothing over ruffled feathers, feathers usually ruffled by Lainey.
Erin only had to say her name and Lainey harrumphed and looked away. Taylor had been watching the redhead closely ever since they arrived. Despite her ‘mean girl’ attitude and slight temper, Taylor liked her. Perhaps it was because she thought that they were alike. She strongly suspected that Lainey hid a lot behind her cold exterior and that, more importantly, she had reasons to.
Bianca huddled in on herself and stared down at the floor. “I just want to go home. I want to go back to my husband. I want to see my daughter. I—I missed her birthday.”
The group quieted. Out of all of them, through whispered conversations and unspoken truths, they all knew Bianca was the only one with a real driving need to return to Earth soon.
“And you will,” Erin chimed. “There’s a reason we were rescued by these aliens. I, for one, don’t think that they would go through all that trouble and treat us this way, if they were just going to give us right back. It doesn’t make any sense. We just need to be patient.”
The last of their group, Crystal, had yet to say a word, which was odd in itself. The bubbly blonde sat quietly in the sunken pit surrounding a fireplace, staring down at the lush, brightly colored pillow nestled in her lap. The room they were in was large, but sparely furnished, as if it wasn’t regularly used. The walls were metal and there were no windows to see outside. Besides the private bathroom, the only thing in the room was the sunken lounge area and the plush cots that had been brought in for them, lining the walls. Meals were brought in at regular intervals and each portion was three times more than what they could eat. The food was surprisingly delicious, their plates full of spiced meats and strange colored berries that burst with unexpected flavors.
They were treated well, which was what put them all on edge, Taylor figured. They were all waiting for the other shoe to drop. They were all wondering if Cecelia was safe, whether she’d been harmed. And truth be told, they were all going a little stir-crazy. They’d been in the room for close to two weeks.
Taylor took another glance at the door, where their two guards stood watch. These aliens all looked similar. All the ones she had seen had long, dark hair that hung either loose or in braids to the middle of their backs. They were either clothed in leather material, or shirtless, displaying perfectly sculpted bodies, every muscle expertly chiseled. They were well over seven feet tall, with scars dancing across their skin. And their skin…it was like a mirage. A shimmering mirage that reflected the light around them. The room they were in glowed a soft yellow, so their guards skin took on a golden hue. But when they’d been rescued from their caged room back on the fighting planet…they’d appeared almost indigo.
As for their eyes, most were a light blue. Some were dark. But her alien…he was the only one she’d seen with deep, gray eyes.
Taylor shivered and shook herself, tearing her thoughts away from him, trying not to think of the erotic dreams she’d been plagued with ever since she first saw him. And she didn’t even know his name.
“Taylor?” Erin murmured. Taylor looked up to find four sets of eyes on her. She straightened, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you okay?”
Taylor cleared her throat, forcing a small smile. “Yes, just lost in thought. Sorry, did you say something?”
Erin looked like she was the verge of speaking, but then the door to their room opened and all of them swiveled their heads. To their astonishment, the one woman that most of them had been thinking about the past week walked through the door, beaming and healthier than they’d ever seen her.
“Cecelia!” Lainey exclaimed, the redhead rising from the fire pit, as they all did.
Immediately, they all swarmed the brunette that had just surprised them all, each taking a turn to embrace her. A flurry of voices rose, all asking questions or making comments, none of which were actually heard. But Cecelia was smiling. And before the metal door behind her closed, Taylor spied a different alien she’d never seen before, just outside in the hallway.
He was watching Cecelia, but that wasn’t what made Taylor sharpen in awareness. It was the way he was watching her. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes.
And right before the door closed, Cecelia looked over her shoulder at him, reached out to touch him on the forearm, squeezing softly, an unspoken word. Their friend, who had been absent for over a week, smiled at this new alien, looking at him much the same way he was looking at her.
It didn’t go unnoticed by the others and slowly, they all quieted, even after the door shut and the alien was cut off from view.
It was Lainey that spoke first. “What the hell is going on? Who was that?”
Cecelia sighed and then a small smile touched her lips, as did a light blush.
Then she said, “I have a feeling we should all sit down first. There’s a lot I need to catch you girls up on.”
TWO
VIKAN’S MOOD WAS already soured that span because he’d dreamed of Nitav again the night before. The dreams were becoming more and more frequent, perhaps in direct correlation with his own guilty conscious. He felt like the worst sort of bastard, though he knew others wouldn’t agree. Others wouldn’t understand.
During another restless night of sleep, he dreamed of Nitav in the early days of their courtship. As mutual, young Breeding Partners, their attraction had been immediate and overwhelming. It had taken them only a few spans to become attached to one another, another few to begin their mating process, and only another few to fall in love.
It had been effortless. It had been easy and natural.
And her image kept haunting him, ten rotations after her death.
So when Vaxa’an, Prime Leader of Luxiria, stepped inside the command center that morning, Vikan was in no mood to deal with his friend’s grim expression.
Vaxa’an gave him a hard look, one that Vikan returned. In the back of his mind, he began to feel the beginnings of panic. Did he know? Did his friend and leader suspect what he had tried to keep hidden?
“Come with me,” Vaxa’an ordered as he passed him. Vikan’s jaw ticked, but he obeyed his leader. On their way to the war room, they passed the doors that housed the human females. And among them was the female that had awakened him once more. Feelings that he had not felt since Nitav, feelings he thought never to experience again overwhelmed him and he clenched his fists so hard that he felt the warm rush of blood pool into his palm.
Except this time, it was a different awakening, one he had no control over.
Once safely enclosed in the confines of the war room, Vaxa’an drove straight to his purpose when he asked, lowly, “Has your Instinct chosen one of them for you?”
Vikan’s gut clenched.
“I remain loyal to Nitav,” was what Vikan found himself replying.
“That is not what I asked you,” Vaxa’an said, voice raising ever so slightly before he seemed to make a conscious effort to quiet it. Impatience lined his leader’s face. “Has your Instinct—”
“Yes,” Vikan said, cutting Vaxa’an off, knowing there was no way of getting around the matter. Delaying the truth would accomplish nothing.
Vaxa’an went quiet, his jaw pulsing. “Why did you hide this? This is…concerning.”
Vikan straightened, meeting Vaxa’an’s steady gaze. “I was there when we rescued them from the Krevorags. I had already seen her, so there was no helping my Instinct’s reaction. You wish to limit other males’ interactions with the females but I had already been exposed. It does not matter.”
“It matters,” Vaxa’an snarled, his teeth baring slightly. “I do not want the females snatched up before they have made their choice to remain here or return to their home. Your Instinct reacting to one of them is dangerous because it makes you unpredictable. We all know it. One thing that will not be compromised while they remain here is their safety.”
“I will not act on my Instinct’s will,” Vikan told him through gritted teeth.
No matter how much I wish to, he thought, guilt and desire mingling, creating something within him that made him want to claw his chest.
Vaxa’an went silent for a moment and then reached out to clasp his shoulder. Vikan stiffened under the touch, but forced his muscles to relax. “You have not been the same since Nitav’s death. You know not what you tempt by denying yourself, Vikan.” Vaxa’an released him. “It would be hypocritical of me to order you to leave the Golden City and return to your outpost. I claimed a human mate from the Pit, after all. However, I ask, as your leader, that you leave now. Return to Lopixa. I will send for you once the humans have been returned safely to their home planet.”
Everything in him rebelled and Vikan was shocked at the stray flash of rage that boiled his insides. This was Vaxa’an, his friend, his leader, his warrior brother. And all Vikan could think of was how much he wished to crush his fists into his face.
But Vikan had always been in control of himself, in control of his needs. Instead of giving into his baser desire to solve this conflict with violence, he said lowly, “You are right. It is hypocritical of you to ask me that.”
Vaxa’an straightened. “Vikan,” he warned.
“You claimed your female. Lihvan claimed his. Now Rixavox as well,” Vikan said softly. “You think I am dangerous because I am unpredictable. You are right. I cannot see my own future, you know this. So I cannot say what I will do if you ask this of me.”
“Vikan,” Vaxa’an bit out.
“Do not ask it of me,” was all Vikan said. “You know I do not like to be cornered.”
“You say you will remain loyal to Nitav, who journeyed to the blackworld ten rotations ago,” Vaxa’an began quietly. “I believe that you think you can. But you underestimate the power of our Instinct, especially when it concerns a fated mate. I can tell you now that if you step down that path, there is no journeying back. You do not want me to order you to leave? Fine. I will let you decide your future, but know that you also decide hers.”