Stolen by the Warlord: A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Romance (Ash Planet Warriors Book 1)

by V. K. Ludwig

  Stolen by the Warlord

  Ash Planet Warriors Book One

  V. K. Ludwig

  Ink Heart Publishing

  Contents

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  1. Ceangal

  2. Ceangal

  3. Toagi

  4. Ceangal

  5. Toagi

  6. Ceangal

  7. Ceangal

  8. Toagi

  9. Ceangal

  10. Toagi

  11. Ceangal

  12. Toagi

  13. Ceangal

  14. Toagi

  15. Ceangal

  16. Toagi

  17. Ceangal

  18. Toagi

  19. Ceangal

  20. Toagi

  21. Ceangal

  22. Ceangal

  23. Toagi

  24. Ceangal

  25. Toagi

  26. Ceangal

  Also by V. K. Ludwig

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  Copyright © 2020 by V. K. Ludwig

  www.vkludwig.com

  Cover Art: Eerilyfair Design

  Editing: Tami Stark

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  * * *

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, events, locations, or any other element is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  Warning: This book contains explicit sexual content.

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  One

  Ceangal

  Underneath me, the fusion panels of the stargazer vibrated as the pilot announced, “Fifty clicks until touchdown.”

  Clammy fingers ran along the golden chain of my necklace, the metal growing hot at the friction. Back and forth they went, the pendant engraved with the crest of my house clanking to the ragged beat of my heart.

  I didn’t want to do this.

  Didn’t want to do this.

  Too bad I’d volunteered.

  The stench of engine oil intensified, mixing with the faint traces of ozone as the ship approached a planet made of nothing but ash, naked outcroppings, and heat. The Jal’zar, the aliens native to this planet, called it Solgad — I was expected to make it home.

  Dad brushed an auburn strand from my cheek before the comforting weight of his hand settled on my shoulder. “I’ve only ever known Warlord Katedo as an honorable male, and I have no doubt that he will make you a caring mate. Your sacrifice will ensure continuous peace between the Empire and the Jal’zar.”

  All blood drained from my limbs.

  No pressure there.

  “There are no sacrifices if done in civil service.” A phrase that’d been my mantra even before I could button my pants, along with the motto of my house. “Honor, duty, family.”

  As the daughter of a political leader, I’d kissed the hopes of having a private life goodbye the moment cameras transmitted a hologram of snot and tears running down my face when I failed my finals at the warrior stratum.

  Each time that memory played before my eyes, my posture straightened some more. No, my life had never been my own, so why not agree to a political marriage? At least it would finally take me out of the constant media coverage, considering Warlord Katedo was known to be a very private person. Not much information on his personal life was out there.

  “Twenty clicks!” came from the pilot.

  I stepped toward the ramp where guards already lined up. “I just wish you could stay for the ceremony tomorrow.”

  Dad’s posture stiffened inside his black uniform, those emerald eyes I’d inherited from him crinkling at the corners. “Under threat of execution, I cannot step onto this planet. Warlord Katedo proved generous by allowing me to accompany you to the landing pads of Noja. He also ensured a com stream so Mom and I can watch from afar.”

  Fusion panels throttled into a low hum, and the vibrations of the palathium floor underfoot shook me bone deep. The vessel touched down with a creak, and the engine hummed its final phwet-phwet-phwet as it idled down. Silence lingered for an overlong moment until the ramp opened with a hiss.

  The moment my foot lifted, Dad took my hand, guilt playing around his aging features, his hair graying. “I know growing up as my daughter was not always easy, and for that, I am sorry.”

  I gave a pat on his hand, trundling up a smile. “Bridge between worlds.”

  The meaning of my name.

  A fate I couldn’t shake.

  I turned away and walked down the ramp, legs wobbly underneath the silk of my black dress. Nothing but frayed nerves. What were the dreams and desires of a single person compared to peace between nations? Nothing…

  Even here in Noja, Solgad’s only city buried beneath the rock where the destruction of its sun couldn’t reach, sweat formed at the nape of my neck within seconds.

  With a final glance over my shoulder back at Dad, I approached the gray launch pad, counting each shaky step. One for the Empire. Two for peace. Three for the metal edge—

  “Kuna,” a deep voice startled my legs to a halt, gaze slowly lifting from foot to fate.

  A small group of Jal’zar warriors stood assembled before me. Black uniforms encapsulated muscled bodies, their chest holsters equipped with curved daggers. The primitive appearance of these males contradicted how stargazers and cargo vessels touched down and lifted off behind them, and electronic beeps echoed across the skyport.

  Broad chests spoke of virility.

  Clawed tails flicked behind them.

  Sets of massive horns loomed above their heads with a backward sway.

  Nothing made Warlord Katedo stand out, and yet I recognized him right away.

  His midnight blue eyes carried the calmness of a seasoned warrior, observing me with quiet focus from a dark gray face. A large scar split through his upper lip and along his cheek, dark purple and puckered. Not a handsome male, even by alien standards.

  As if he’d read my thoughts, he tilted the maimed side of his face away, which shamed me deeply. He stepped toward me, took my hand, and safely guided me onto the ribbed metal platform.

  He held my gaze once more as he said, “My tribe welcomes you to Noja, Ceangal da taigh L’naghal.”

  Trained to perfection, my lips curved into a smile fit for the cameras. “Thank you, Warlord Katedo, for coming here to receive me personally.”

  After so many suns of hostility between each other, he dismissed Dad with a curt nod, his jawline stiff. “You have my word of honor that she will be well cared for, protected, and favored with all the riches my tribe has to offer. Now leave our planet for you, Torin, are not welcome here.”

  Dad’s eyes locked with mine once more, his wrinkles deepening until they disappeared behind a ramp blending into the silver hull of the ship. Fusion panels started a moment later, roaring with finality.

  “No matter the animosity between your father
and our people, please understand that many here celebrate your arrival.”

  Because I brought peace to both sides. “Thank you.”

  He dismissed the other warriors before he gestured me to follow beside him. “My tribe will remain at Noja for another two moons, giving you adequate time to acclimatize before we leave for the plains. I had private chambers prepared for you, and an uiri was chosen among the females to assist you in settling into your new life.”

  “And the wedding ceremony?”

  Tension settled onto his posture as we rounded a corner, the entire city carved into rock similar to slate but shiny. Lines of light veined across the stone and illuminated Noja, the air clean with traces of minerals and foreign spices. Females carried wicker baskets filled with what had to be root vegetables, swatting at the immature horns of Jal’zar children as they pointed at me under giggles.

  Katedo faltered to a halt, arms crossing in front of his chest as he turned to face me, his brow furrowed. “I have no… illusions as to what this is, Ceangal. You will be my urizaya, the warlord’s mate, but let’s not pretend that this is more than an arrangement to ensure peace. Nevertheless, it will be my responsibility and honor to take good care of you.”

  I could appreciate that kind of honesty, but my stomach twitched at my next question. “What about my responsibilities?”

  When I was eleven, some random reporter asked me why I saw a shrink once a week. Was it because Dad had invaded Earth, killed millions, and captured my mom? Or because she only agreed to have me because he offered her release from captivity in exchange for a child?

  I had no answer back then.

  Probably because I’d never even heard that story.

  From then and on, I went to the shrink twice a week. It took me three years to understand that my parents, regardless of how they’d met, fell in love. Still, I wouldn’t put my child through the same shit.

  Lips curled over sharp fangs for a second as Katedo’s gaze dropped to the ground. “Not many beyond my tribe know this, but I have a young son who will follow in my footsteps as warlord, ensuring a smooth transition of power upon my death. I will neither ask you for an heir, as was agreed with the Empire, nor will I take you to my furs. I’m not unaware of the life you’re giving up for the sake of peace, Ceangal, and I will give you everything in my power to compensate for the loss. Everything but zovazay.”

  A stab of his tailclaw between my ribs, making my womb receptive to his seed. “Is it true it creates a soulbond among your kind?”

  His nod carried an unexpected heaviness, eyes going adrift for a moment before he sucked in a sharp breath. “One so strong it reaches beyond death.”

  Old suffering engraved itself on his face in wrinkles, and my eyes flicked to his horns, one broken off at the tip. This male had experienced loss, and the fact that he had a son but didn’t mention his mother made my heart sink.

  “Not much of my life has ever been my own, except for my heart and my soul.” At my words, his eyes locked with mine once more. “I have no interest in giving any of that away, least of all with a claw between my ribs.”

  “Then we are in agreement,” he said, and a faint smile stretched his scars taut. “To this day, we’re not sure if a Jal’zar male can bind himself in such way to a female like you. There are rumors, but… in any case, all parties involved agreed that we will have this ceremony instead. Soulbound or not, you will be my urizaya, and I will—”

  “Urizayo!” A Jal’zar warrior trotted up to us, his yellowish eyes flicking to me for a moment before he continued in the common language. “He arrived with a party of three warriors, and claimed the quarters at the west wing for himself until after the ceremony.”

  Beside me, Katedo straightened. “It was to be expected that he would have the audacity to show up here, young and cocky as he is.”

  “Should I assemble the warriors?”

  “We have to be cautious with this.” Katedo rubbed a palm over his chin and tilted his head, black braid falling over his shoulder. “As much as I want him dead, this is the wrong time. The last thing we need is a public confrontation where he declares himself a warlord, stirring a new wave of civil unrest across the planet. My tribe has suffered enough of those. No, Toagi is nothing but a young male with misplaced ambition, and I won’t fuel it by giving him the attention he seeks. If he asks for me, tell him I am presently—”

  “Coming up with excuses to avoid me?” The Jal’zar in question leaned with his shoulder pressed against the wall, long, smoky hair falling over his shoulders. “I’m starting to think it’s something personal. Twice, the Jal’zar warlords met to discuss the political situation. Did anybody consult me? No. Now the first one is about to take an Earth female to mate. Did anybody invite me? No. How come nobody offered me a woman?”

  “Because you are no warlord,” Katedo snarled as he prodded me behind him, tail flicking with aggression. “You, Toagi, are nothing but a rebel. A self-proclaimed warlord, leading his father’s tribe into ruin.”

  Toagi scoffed and rubbed fingers over his firm pectorals, every inch of his taut body on display, save for what his brown loincloth covered beneath lean, rippled muscles. “And who’s fault is that? You turned down my offer to occupy Noja even during the worst season, refusing us access to the food stores, medicine, technology, and education for the children.”

  “Males, females, children… they’re all welcome to join my tribe or the one of Warlord Razgar to gain city access. Instead, you give them false hope and promises, so they won’t leave.”

  Toagi growled. “They do not wish to leave!”

  His shout shattered from the stone first before it rattled into my bones, driving flares of heat up and down my spine with its open hostility. It ripped a sharp gasp from me, and I stumbled back a few steps.

  “Ceangal…” A calm set of sapphire eyes found mine as Katedo took my arm, steadying me. “Let me bring you to your chambers and—”

  Hums resonated the area, like low rumbles strung together in harmony. Deep and rich, their sound caressed something deep within me, each reverberation stroking the tension from my muscles.

  But only until Katedo took a decisive step toward Toagi, nostrils flaring with each vast expanse of his chest. “How dare you hum for her?”

  Toagi flinched and jerked his head back just as the sound died in his throat, dark purple eyes brushing mine for a fraction of a second before he lowered his gaze. “It was a reflex. I merely wanted to ease her distress.”

  “You are the one who upset her. Still, it is not your place to hum for her.”

  Toagi bared a set of white fangs, chin jutting toward the warlord. “Someone had to, and it sure as fuck wasn’t going to be you, was it?”

  Katedo’s neck corded as he stabbed his finger toward Toagi, his focus on the warrior beside him. “Escort him back to the west wing before he causes trouble. Have someone from the Central Issue Facility prepare ten supply packages to send them on their way.”

  The moment the warrior set into motion, Toagi pushed himself off the wall, his spine ramrod straight as he said, “I don’t want your handouts. We are perfectly capable of paying our dues like the other tribes to have access to Noja.”

  “Lead him away,” Katedo said to the warrior before he wrapped his arm around my middle, walking me away from the confrontation. “Your chambers are right down this way.”

  Toagi’s shout echoed behind us. “I am the heir to my father’s tribe, and I will claim everything that is mine by right!”

  Two

  Ceangal

  “Your personal belongings are in this corner.” Katedo pointed at a stack of hover crates and luggage before he waved me into the room, the glass tiles beneath him a milky white. “I will activate the com stream each time you wish to contact your family, and the children of my tribe prepared a basket with fruits over there.”

  The area held two leather chaise lounges draped in gray pelts. Filled with exotic fruits, a beautifully woven basket sat on the sto
ne table between them. It scented the air with honeyed sweetness, slightly diluted by the gentle breeze coming from the air handler above us.

  “Mayala!” Katedo called out, and a Jal’zar female appeared from one of the adjacent rooms with plate and knife in hand. “This is Mayala, your uiri. She will be your handmaid here at Noja as well as out in the plains, and assist you in everything.”

  Mayala dipped her head, the strings of wooden beads hanging from her white dress clanking with each step as she approached. “It is my honor to serve as your uiri.”

  I gave her a nod and a smile. “The honor is mine.”

  “The day after the ceremony, Mayala will introduce you to the tribe’s shimid, our shaman,” Katedo said. “For now, her priority is to prepare you for the plains. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Ceangal, I am needed elsewhere.”

  The moment he left through the automated metal door, Mayala lowered the plate and knife onto the table beside the fruit basket. “Are you hungry after your travels? Do you wish me to call for a meal?”

  “Not necessary. I ate when we stopped at Odheim to refuel.”

  She came over and took my hand into hers, her silverish hair framing a sincere smile. “It has been so long since I have last served the urizaya of our tribe. My mother had been an uiri, and her mother before her. It is what I was trained to do, so I had little purpose among our people for the last sun cycles.”