Reign

by Elizabeth Kelly

  All the Draax had drawn their swords and I squeezed Quill’s hand. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt, Quill. Okay? Promise me that -”

  The door to the home opened and two Draax stepped out. They wore heavy fur cloaks and they stared silently at Quill before glancing at each other. They both bowed, and Quill nodded to them as my stomach churned with nerves.

  “My King,” the one on the left said. His dark hair was on the curly side and brushed against his shoulders, and he had the same copper coloured eyes as Galan.

  “You are Brandel?” Quill said.

  The second Draax stepped forward. His hair was cut short like Quill’s and he had dark brown eyes. “No, I am.”

  Quill studied him, and I squeezed his hand again. He gave me a brief look before turning back to the two Draax. “Where is the human named Evelyn?”

  Neither Draax replied and Krey scowled at them. “Your king has asked you a question.”

  They still didn’t answer, and I made a high-pitched sound of anxiety when Krey stepped forward and raised his sword. “Answer your king or -”

  “Here, I’m right here.” Evelyn pushed her way past the two Draax. She was wearing a cloak that was too big for her. A toddler, her tiny body dressed in warm layers, was on her hip. The little girl was a beautiful shade of purple, and her long dark hair was in a neat braid. She clung to Evelyn’s neck and stared wide-eyed at us as Evelyn stopped. She was a little shorter than I was, and she was dwarfed by the two Draax standing behind her.

  Licking her lips nervously, she took another step forward. My mouth dropped open when two tails lashed out simultaneously and wrapped around her waist. The two Draax pulled her to an abrupt halt and stood protectively next to her as Evelyn held the baby a little closer. Both Quill and Galan made identical grunts of surprise and stared at each other over my head.

  I stared at the tails wrapped possessively around Evelyn’s waist as she looked at Brandel and then at the Draax to her left. My heart drummed rapidly and the churning in my stomach faded away. I recognized the look on her face - it was the same one that appeared on mine whenever I looked at Quill.

  “Quill,” I said in a low voice, “she loves them.”

  I glanced up at my mate. He was staring at the way the Draax had wrapped their tails around Evelyn’s waist. I almost giggled at the look of pure and unexpected delight on his face when he grinned down at me. “I told you there was nothing to fear, my mate. I love you.”

  “I love you too,” I whispered as Quill’s tail wrapped around my waist. “Always.”

  * * *

  Please enjoy an excerpt of the second book in the series, “Rule”. Rule will be available in 2019.

  RULE

  (The Draax Series Book Two)

  Copyright © 2018 Elizabeth Kelly

  Evelyn

  “Congratulations, we’ve found you a mate.”

  I stared at the blonde woman sitting behind the desk. “You’re kidding.”

  The woman laughed before leaning forward and tapping her pen against the shiny surface of her desk. “I assure you, Ms. Fisher, that I’m not. We have matched you with a Draax and you’ll be leaving for the Draax planet the day after tomorrow.”

  “I didn’t expect it to be so quick,” I said. “I just had the genetic testing last week and only found out three days ago that I carried the gene for breeding with the Draax.”

  The woman shrugged. “We pride ourselves here at the agency on our efficiency.” She hesitated, and this time tapped the end of her pencil against her teeth. “Honestly, we rarely have breeding compatible women who sign up for the lifetime program, so we tend to fast track their applications.”

  I swallowed heavily as the woman said, “Mind you, most of the women we send to the Draax planet to breed never come back.”

  She paused, realized how that sounded and said hurriedly, “Because they’re very happy with their new life and the Draax they are mated with. Not because they’re forced to stay.”

  “I know,” I said. “I did some research before applying for the program.”

  The woman gave me a fleeting look and I tried not to blush. The woman sitting across from me was middle-to-upper class and the shirt she wore probably cost more than my entire wardrobe. I pulled at my too-tight shirt. I was so poor, I couldn’t even afford decent clothing for the breeding program interview. I’d had to borrow a top and skirt from my neighbour, Candy, and both items of clothing were too small.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you had a tablet. Most of the lowers don’t,” the woman said.

  I squirmed in my seat. Like most middles and uppers, the woman didn’t have a clue about lowers. “I don’t. But the library has them.”

  The woman gave me a blank look – I had an idea that she had never once set foot in a public library – before nodding. “Oh, right, of course. The library.”

  She glanced at the tablet on the desk before me as a rush of uncustomary anger flooded through me. I tamped it down immediately. It wasn’t the woman’s fault that she was born into middle class. It wasn’t her fault that she didn’t know what it was like to be hungry or cold or on the verge of being kicked out of her home. It did no good to be angry with her just because she’d never laid awake at night in a closet of a bedroom, clutching a knife to her chest and hoping that her stepbrother and his friends didn’t get drunk enough to try and rape her.

  My stomach clenched, and I took a shaky breath. The woman glanced up from the tablet and frowned. “Ms. Fisher, are you all right? You’re very pale.”

  “I’m fine. What is the name of the Draax I’m, um, mated to?”

  I supposed it was a little strange to be asking the name of the alien I was about to be mated to for the rest of my life. In the old fairy tales my mother read to me as a child, the girl married her Prince Charming. He was handsome and rich and madly in love with her. He certainly didn’t have green skin or a tail and was only interested in knocking her up with a baby. My stomach clenched again at the thought of having sex with an alien. What if he was rough with me?

  He won’t be. Candy has nothing but good things to say about the Draax aliens she slept with, remember? Besides, it’s better than what will happen to you if you stay.

  I shuddered all over and closed my eyes. My inner voice was right. In fact, I should be celebrating the fact that the agency had found a match for me so quickly, not be worrying about how rough alien sex would be. Even if the alien didn’t take his time or didn’t care about my pleasure, it would still be better than being married to that scumbag Troy. Just the thought of sleeping with Troy made me want to vomit.

  I realized the woman from the agency was speaking and I said, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  “I said, that I had even better news about who you were matched to for mating. You have been matched with a Draax named Quillan and he,” the woman gave me a look of breathless anticipation, “is the King of the Western Province of the planet Draax.”

  “I – what?” I said faintly. Did the woman just say I was being mated to a king?

  The woman nodded. “It’s true. You’re our number one match for him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. You’ve tested higher than any other human for breeding compatibility. You’re a - what we like to call in the business - guaranteed breeder. It’s highly likely that you’ll become pregnant on the first try.”

  The woman smiled at me. “The king is apparently very anxious for an heir.”

  “Right, of course,” I said. “Um, he knows that I’m a lower class, right?”

  “We have passed on all of your information but, frankly, the Draax don’t care what class you are. They just want you healthy and able to breed. Now, your payment of gallberry juice is waiting for you in the front room.”

  The woman pushed a few buttons on her tablet and then frowned. “This can’t be right. It says you’re to receive only a gallon of juice for a lifetime of service. Oh, for the love of God, the juice guys can’t get anythin
g right. I just knew they would screw this up some -”

  “It’s right. I only need a gallon.”

  The woman gave me a suddenly anxious look before speaking very slowly and clearly. “Ms. Fisher, you understand that you have signed up for the lifetime program, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “You will never be able to return to earth unless your mate allows it. You will become the Queen of the Western Province and will most likely bear the king more than one child.”

  “I get it,” I said.

  “But you only asked for one gallon of juice.”

  “That’s all I need.”

  The woman hesitated. “It’s for the rest of your life, Ms. Fisher.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “Very well. You are to be at the docking bay at eight-thirty Tuesday morning. We’ll have someone from the agency pick you up at your apartment at eight to escort you to the loading dock. Please be ready to go by eight. The pilots don’t like it when the cargo is late.”

  “I won’t be late,” I said.

  The woman pushed the tablet toward me. “Your signature is required on the bottom line. Did you read over the terms of the contract like I asked?”

  “Yes, I read it after I tested positive for breeding.”

  “Good. By signing, you agree to the terms of the contract. If you break them, it is considered a first-class felony and you’ll be sentenced to a minimum of twenty-five years in prison. Is that perfectly clear?”

  “Yes.”

  “You will go to prison, Evelyn,” the woman said. “There is no getting out of it once you sign the contract. Be very certain you wish to do this.”

  “I’m certain.” I signed across the line with the tip of my finger and only felt a moment of panic before it subsided. I sat back in my seat as a feeling of euphoria washed over me. I was free of him. By this time next week, I would be on a new planet and my stepbrother would never be able to hurt me again.

  You still need to get to the docking bay without him noticing. You’re not free yet and he’s dangerous and unpredictable. Don’t ever forget that, my inner voice cautioned.

  “A copy of the contract will be sent to the email address you provided. Unless you have more questions, we’re finished here,” the woman said.

  She stood and smoothed down her skirt as I stumbled to my feet. I hesitated and then held out my hand. The woman glanced at it before giving it a brief shake. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Fisher. Enjoy your new life. Don’t forget to pick up your juice at the front desk.”

  “Yeah, I won’t forget.” Did the woman think I was that stupid? I could hear the disdain in my voice and I automatically cringed. At home, that tone would get me a punch to the face if I was lucky, or a kick to the kidneys if I wasn’t.

  The woman gave me a strange look before pointing to the door. “The reception is to the right. Good bye, Ms. Fisher.”

  “Good bye.” I hurried out of the woman’s office and down the hallway. At the front desk, I picked up the gallberry juice and tucked it into the backpack I had brought for that very purpose. I couldn’t very well walk through my neighbourhood carrying a gallon of gallberry juice. My throat would be slit in the first two minutes.

  I rode the elevator down to the front lobby and walked outside. I breathed in the warm air and the smell of the flowers that were planted in front of the office building before slinging the pack over my back and tightening the straps. An airtrain roared by overhead, blotting out the sun for a moment and sending a gust of warm air over me. I studied its silver underbelly as it flew by, wondering for a moment what it would be like to travel in the air like that.

  You’ll find out in two days.

  A little sprinkle of excitement bloomed in my belly. Yes, I would. In two days, I would be flying in a spaceship to another planet and my life on earth would be a distant memory. I took another deep breath and started the long walk toward home.

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  Books by Elizabeth Kelly

  The Tempted Series

  Tempted

  Twice Tempted

  Tempted 3

  Breathless

  The Red Moon Series

  Red Moon

  Red Moon Rising

  Dark Moon

  Alpha Moon

  Pale Moon

  The Recruit Series

  The Recruit (Book One)

  The Recruit (Book Two)

  The Recruit (Book Three)

  The Recruit (Book Four)

  The Shifters Series

  Willow and the Wolf (Book One)

  Ava and the Bear (Book Two)

  Katarina and the Bird (Book Three)

  Porter’s Mate (Book Four)

  Bria and the Tiger (Book Five)

  The Draax Series

  Reign (Book One)

  Individual Books

  The Necessary Engagement

  Amelia’s Touch

  The Rancher’s Daughter

  Healing Gabriel

  The Contract

  A Home for Lily

  Saving Charlotte

  The Christmas Wife

  Shameless

  The Fairy Tales Collection

  Broken

  An Unlikely Seduction

  Anthologies

  Dirty It Up