by Sophie Stern
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Prologue
Star Princess
In the Darkness: Book 1
Sophie Stern
Copyright © 2017 by Sophie Stern
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 publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by Melody Simmons // www.ebookindiecovers.com
DIANA has been helping her father search for the Lost Treasure of Dreagle for nearly ten years. They're closer than they've ever been, but when he's killed and she's taken captive by the men who shot him, she realizes that there's no getting out of this alive. She's been captured, and there's only one thing that happens to girls who are taken on Dreagle. Resigned to her fate, she begins to adjust to her new life as a captive in the darkness.
Then Max comes, and everything changes.
MAX is the leader of an elite security team called EXTRINSIC. His team can find stolen artifacts, lost information, and captured hostages. They can find anything, for a price. When Extrinsic breaks up a group of Dreaglan smugglers, they're surprised to discover the men have been stealing more than just lost museum pieces.
They've stolen a woman.
A beautiful woman.
The most beautiful woman Max has ever seen.
Diana is scared, terrified, and injured, but Max sees beauty where everyone else only sees pain.
Will she be brave enough to let Max love her?
Is he strong enough to stay with her through the darkness?
"You're a shining star, and what do stars do? They float in the darkness."
IN THE DARKNESS is a new series from Sophie Stern featuring familiar planets you might recognize from the Alien Darlings series or The Hidden Planet series. Each story features a couple who is facing the worst and most difficult trials of their lives, only to find love in the darkness. Each story can be enjoyed on its own and has a HEA.
Contents
Star Princess
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Star Kissed
About the Author
Alien Dragon
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
The Saucy Devil
Prologue
1
You’re a star, and what do stars do?
Float in the darkness.
Prologue
Five years ago
Max
“I need to talk to you about something,” Blake looks at me with more seriousness than any 20-something-year-old should know what to do with. He sits across from me in some run-down space bar, and as I press the button on the wall to get another glass of petal juice, I know I’m going to do whatever he asks of me.
Blake is like a brother to me.
I would do anything for him.
It doesn’t matter what he wants, what he needs. We’ve been through hell and back together, and if he needs me to go there again, I will. I will always be there for him.
“I’m listening,” I tell him. A robotic server comes by the table and sets a beer down. When it moves away, Blake leans forward. He clasps his hands together and sets them on the table.
Instantly, I’m on alert. This isn’t just an ordinary favor. This isn’t some half-hazard, thrown-together request. No, Blake looks serious, and I have to wonder if it’s about the new team he’s joined.
Extrinsic, it’s called. It’s an elite team of some of the best alien forces in the damn galaxy. People who join live together on some sort of mother ship that floats around in space, and they go to different planets to do things like solve crimes and save hostages.
I’ve heard him talk about it.
Blake wanted to be part of Extrinsic for nearly six months before he joined. First, he trained harder than I could have ever dreamed possible. If you’d told me that my slightly overweight buddy from Orchid was going to turn into some elite fighting machine, I would have laughed.
But now Blake is sitting in front of me, and he’s not fighting now.
“I’ve got a mission,” he says.
“Look at you, off saving the world,” I smile, sipping my petal juice. It’s sweet and cold, savory and perfect. It’s exactly what I need after a hellishly long week. Yes, the petal juice is going to relax me to the point where I handle whatever Blake is going to offer me because right now, I know it’s not going to be an easy task.
“I’m not doing this to be a hero,” he says carefully, like he’s not sure I really understand, but I do. Blake and I might come from different backgrounds, but we’re from the same planet. We understand each other better than most.
“I never thought you were.”
“It’s a rescue mission,” he says. “On Orchid.”
“And you need my help? What do you need? Tech assistance? Entrance permits?”
He shakes his head, and he smiles at me.
“I don’t just want you for this mission, Max. I want you for all of them. I want you to join Extrinsic.”
“You want me to join Extrinsic?”
This is crazy.
I’m not a soldier.
I’m not a fighter.
I’m not a warrior or a hero or a badass.
I’m just some normal guy, hanging out in a normal bar, drinking his normal drink.
“You’re more than what you make yourself out to be,” Blake says. “Give it a chance, Max. You’ll get to see the world, explore the universe, and kick ass on a regular basis. Give it a chance, and you’ll see just how incredible it really can be.”
I chug the rest of my petal juice and set the glass on the table. I don’t order another one, but I don’t have to. I already know what my answer is going to be. This is Blake, and I trust him completely. If he wants me to join his super secret spy organization and help him save the world, then I’m damn well going to do it.
“When do we get started?” I ask him, and Blake’s smile is bright enough to light the darkest night.
Chapter 1
Diana
“Four hundred meters,” I whisper, looking at the blinking light on my communications unit. I hear my father breathe a sigh of relief from beside me, and I look over at him. Our eyes lock, and I smile.
This is it.
Only four hundred meters, and we’ll find what we’ve been searching for.
We’ll find what it’s taken us a lifetime to locate.
He motions for me to stay quiet, and we continue walking silently through the cave. A lifetime of treasure hunting with my father has taught me a lot. I’ve learned how to locate even the most hidden of items. I’ve learned how to move silently. I’ve learned to become invisible when it matters most.
Today is no exception.
Although it’s daytime, judging by the time on my communications unit display, the cave we’re walking through is dark
as night. The light on my father’s necklace shines forward, illuminating the way ahead of us. If someone is hiding in the darkness, they’ll see us, but my father’s light can be turned off with the snap of his fingers. If we’re attacked, he’ll simply snap and the light will go out, plunging us into darkness once more.
I’m a fighter.
To be a treasure hunter with my father, I have to be. We’ve encountered space pirates and mercenaries. We’ve encountered do-gooders and evil-doers and everything in between. My fighting skills have gotten me out of more binds than I care to remember.
My dad and I look out for each other.
We have to.
It’s who we are.
We walk silently through the caves. This is one of the most beautiful I’ve been to, and I’m more than a little surprised. Dreagle is an ugly planet. It’s by far the worst of the worst, so it doesn’t make sense there is this beautiful haven on a planet of darkness.
The Dark Planet is one most people try to avoid going to. I don’t blame them. If my father hadn’t been hunting for the Lost Treasure of Dreagle, I never would have come here. I never would have dared risk it.
Dreagle is known for its shady dealings and “don’t ask” attitude.
It also, apparently, has a secretly beautiful underground lair.
“Two hundred meters,” I whisper, and we keep moving forward. We’re close. We can both feel it, and the anticipation is killing me.
After ten years, our hunting has come to this.
Ten years of searching, of seeking, of fighting.
Ten years of misery on this forsaken planet.
Ten years.
We’re so close I can smell it. The damp aroma of the cave mixes with excitement, creating a scent I’ll never forget as long as I live.
One hundred meters.
I step carefully forward, watching each step in the dim glow of my father’s light. The cave floor is damp, and covered with a thin, slimy film. It’s slick, but my boots offer me a firm grip as I make my way forward.
We get closer and closer, and all I can think about is the fact that this is it. We’re finally there. We’ve finally found the lost treasure. We’re so damn close.
“Are you ready?” I whisper to my father. I glance over and see him smile. He’s nervous, but excited.
“You know I am, princess.” He reaches for my hand and grips it tightly. I squeeze his hand back: a silent show of happiness, contentment. Dad and I have been through so much together and now, we’re finally reaching the treasure.
“I don’t see anything yet,” I murmur, and keep moving forward. My communications unit beeps. The treasure, if our instructions were correct, should be just up ahead. We continue inching forward, but then I stop.
“Keep moving,” my father urges me, but I shake my head.
“Something’s wrong,” I say, looking around. I have a gut feeling that we aren’t alone, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my treasure hunting days, it’s to trust my gut.
“You’re imagining things,” my father says, and he motions for me to keep following him. Reluctantly, I do, but I don’t like this.
The cave is too quiet, I realize.
There are no animal sounds, no bats resting. Any cave in Dreagle should, at the very least, have Heppalensia sliding around. The giant slugs are gross and unsightly, but I didn’t notice their absence until just now.
Every other cave we’ve been in on Dreagle has had these creatures. The only reason the slugs wouldn’t be here is if they’ve been disturbed. Someone has already been here, and very recently.
“Stop,” I whisper sharply, and my voice must sound scared enough because this time, my dad turns around and looks at me.
“Diana, what is it?”
“Something is wrong, Dad. This whole place is wrong.”
“What are you talking about? We’re so close, sweetheart.” He smiles, and I know he’s hopeful. I know this is the treasure my dad has been searching for his whole life. I get it. I really do.
But I also get that we’re going to be in deep shit if we keep going.
I step closer to him and lean in to whisper. “I don’t think we’re alone.”
The Lost Treasure of Dreagle isn’t a secret. People have been hunting it for years. They’ve spent their entire life’s savings to seek the treasure. They’ve lived for the treasure, and they’ve died for the treasure.
As far as I know, my father and I are the only ones who have ever gotten this close to finding the treasure. There are so many tales and myths surrounding its origins that neither one of us is sure exactly what we’ll find.
We just know that we’ll find it.
We’ve worked too hard, come too close, to give up now.
But something is seriously, completely wrong, and I think we need to stop and re-assess the situation.
“Dad, get down,” I tell him. I reach for him and grab him, pulling him behind a large boulder. The two of us squat down silently and I snap my thumbs, turning off the light on his necklace.
“I think you’re overreacting,” he whispers. His voice is quiet, but sounds so loud in the silence. Everything seems to echo. Everything seems like it’s on loudspeakers.
“Shh,” I whisper. “Trust me.”
There’s someone else here. I don’t know if someone is tracking us and I don’t know how long they’ve been aware of our presence. Maybe they’ve been on our tail for weeks and managed to get ahead of us. I’m not sure.
All I know is that the last time my gut told me there was a problem, we had a serious issue. I barely have time to think about it, though because suddenly, I hear footsteps. I feel my father’s body tense beside me, and I know he’s wondering the same things I am.
Who’s there?
Why are they here?
How did they find the treasure?
I sit quietly and let my hand go to the dagger at my hip. My father and I are both armed, both experienced with our weapons of choice. Treasure hunting isn’t for the faint of heart.
They’re wearing boots. I can tell by the way their heels hit the ground. Boots, and there are multiple people. Men? Women? A mix? I think there are at least five or six people. Still, I remain silent in my hiding place with my father.
His breathing is so quiet I can barely hear it, but my own seems to be screaming. The footsteps get closer, and I realize they’re coming from the direction of the treasure.
“Where are they?” It’s a man. I don’t recognize his voice. Should I? I listen carefully, but I can’t place his accent or his name.
“I swear, they were coming through here. I saw them through the lookout.” The second man sounds young and scared. He’s obviously a newer member of the crew. An older, more experienced member wouldn’t sound so afraid.
Fear is not allowed.
When you’re a hunter, you don’t get to act scared. Yeah, fear has its place. It can be great for keeping you alive, for helping you make choices, but you never let that fear show. You never back down.
This guy has made a huge mistake by sounding frightened.
“I’m sorry,” he continues, and inwardly, I cringe because I know what’s going to happen next.
“You’re sorry?” The first man growls. The other men who are with them murmur and mumble under their breaths, but I can’t make out the word. “Sorry isn’t going to get me my treasure hunters,” he growls. “Sorry isn’t going to get me the damn map. Now tell me again, where are they?”
He screams the words, and I sink down further, lowering my head.
They’re after the map.
My father reaches for my hand and squeezes. He doesn’t speak, but he doesn’t have to. Dad and I have done this enough times that I know whatever happens next is going to be bad.
They’ve got us surrounded and they don’t even know it, but if they saw us come into the cave, they’re going to be looking for us. We’re on their turf now, and there’s no way for us to get away. Any move we make is going to end in o
ur deaths.
We don’t have a choice, but to take them by surprise.
“I-I-I-“ The man’s voice quivers, but it doesn’t matter because I know what Dad and I have to do. Father has been silently tapping on my wrist this entire time, quieting communicating with our secret language he learned back on Earth. Morse Code might be centuries old, but it works in a bind. Fortunately, Dad taught me well, and I know exactly what the plan is without him having to utter a word.
I also know that he doesn’t think we’re going to walk out of this cave alive because the last thing he says is I love you, Diana.
Before Boss Man can kill his cub, Dad and I leap out of our hiding places at the same time. The men have lanterns and lights, but we have the element of surprise when we jump out of the darkness. I throw my knife and it hits Boss Man in the neck. He drops the man he’d been holding by the scruff of the neck and falls to the ground.
The kid looks up at me. He must be all of 19.
“Run!” I shout, and begin fighting the man to my right. There are five total men. Boss Man is dead, and New Guy scrambles away, which leaves five. Dad takes two and I take this guy. He’s big, but I’m fast, and with a few carefully placed kicks, I have him on his back and my boot at his throat.
I hear my father fighting and turn to see how he’s doing when I hear the sound I never want to hear.
I hear the noise that makes me feel like I’m going to puke.
The gunshot rings out loudly, and my father turns to me. Crimson spreads across his chest: a dark shadow in the dim light.
“No!” I scream, and reach for him, but he just smiles softly.
“I love you, Diana,” he says, and then he falls to the ground.
The fighting stops, and a man steps forward. I’ve stopped worrying about the man beneath my boot, and he slithers out from beneath my foot. He grabs me, holding me in place, but I don’t have the energy to fight anymore.