Warrior's Devotion: A Sci-Fi Shifter Romance (Warriors of Vor Book 2)

by Tehya Titan

  Warrior’s Devotion

  Warriors of Vor

  Tehya Titan

  Warrior’s Devotion

  Abigail Denton left home to start a new life, only to have it ripped away in a brutal attack. But second chances sometimes come in the most unexpected ways. Taken from Earth, Abby is brought to a new world to become the mate to an alien warrior, however, her past has left her hesitant to trust any male…

  Larger and stronger than most other warriors on Vor, Prince Dracor Krell is the perfect Captain of the Guard, but his size makes him less desirable as any female’s companion. He has given up hope at finding happiness, but all of that changes the moment he meets his mate, Abby. Now, all he has to do is prove to her that a warrior’s devotion can lead to a love that will last them a lifetime.

  WARRIOR’S DEVOTION

  Copyright © 2015 by Tehya Titan

  First E-book Publication: October 2015

  Kindle Edition

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. It is fiction so facts and events may not be accurate except to the current world the book takes place in.

  DEDICATION

  To all the readers who love the Warriors of Vor as much as I do…

  PROLOGUE

  I’m going to die tonight…

  Abigail Denton had known it would end this way. Maybe she always had. The heavy fall of rain masked the sound of her footsteps as she blindly ran down the dirty alleyways of New York City. No, running wasn’t accurate. She was moving more at a frantic shuffle at this point.

  She’d lost too much blood to go any faster now.

  Making her way through the dark maze, she tried to find an opening onto the street but couldn’t see more than a few inches in front of her face. Giving up, she hid behind a large dumpster and braced a hand on the dirty brick wall to catch her breath for a moment as she struggled to stay upright. If she couldn’t see through the deluge of water falling from the sky, she hoped like hell the man chasing her couldn’t either. At least for long enough to give her a few seconds to rest before she went for help.

  The pain in her abdomen had faded slightly, but she knew that wasn’t a good thing. Pulling the hand away from where she had been holding it against her stomach, she looked down to see dark-red blood coating her skin. The rain washed away most of it, but Abby knew by the amount she’d lost she wouldn’t make it if she didn’t get to a hospital soon.

  She tried to move from her position behind the dumpster, but her legs just wouldn’t cooperate. A few seconds later, she found herself sitting on the ground, unsure how she’d gotten there. Abby’s dark hair fell over her face like a waterfall, and she pushed the chestnut curls back absently to clear her line of sight, but her vision remained blurry. Her head felt heavy, almost like it was going to fall off her shoulders if she tried to move again.

  No, she couldn’t get up, even though she wanted to.

  Abby was done.

  Fuck it, she thought. If she was going to die, then at least the bastard she’d married would finally pay for what he’d done to her.

  The last two years of Abby’s life had been one long nightmare, starting with the night her parents had been killed by a drunk driver in a horrible car accident. Their loss had been absolutely devastating for her. Because they had no other family, it had always been the three of them her entire life, and in one night, she was completely alone in the world.

  Abby had grown up in Atlanta, and when she decided to become a pastry chef, her parents had been completely supportive of her following her dream. She’d gone to culinary school, then she’d been lucky to train under a talented executive pastry chef at a well-known restaurant in the heart of the city.

  She’d just gotten a new job as the head pastry chef in another restaurant when two cops had showed up on her doorstep one night. Both men had stayed with her when she’d fallen apart after they’d given her the news of her parents’ death, but Officer Charlie Kessler had taken special interest in her in the weeks that followed. He’d called, showed up at the restaurant she worked at to check up on her, and even came to her apartment to help her deal with the details of her parents’ funeral.

  Perhaps it was due to her grief, or the simple fact that he’d been there for her when she’d needed someone, but Abby had found herself engaged to Charlie before she really realized what had happened. She’d dated in the past, but things had never gotten serious with any of the men she’d spent time with. She’d always been more focused on her career than having a relationship. So, when she’d married Charlie in a small ceremony several months after she’d buried her parents, her friends had all worried about her.

  And they had been right to worry.

  Charlie had been wonderful while he’d been courting Abby. He’d been sweet, caring and totally attentive to her every need. However, all of that changed the moment they had gotten married. He became extremely critical about everything she did, making subtle comments about her weight and how tall she was until it started to fray her self confidence. He also wanted to know exactly where she was every second of the day, so much so, that she felt like she was living with a warden. At first, she had put up with it, but as time went by, it annoyed her to the point she had to say something.

  That was the first time he’d hit her.

  Abby remembered that night so clearly. She had gotten home late from work after a big party at the restaurant. Charlie had been drunk by the time she’d arrived, and he was furious that she hadn’t been answering his text messages. He had raged at her, saying she was his wife and that she needed to respect him. When she told him he needed to stop bothering her at work, she hadn’t been prepared when his hand had lashed out.

  The backhand hadn’t hurt as much as it had shocked her. He’d been immediately contrite, but she hadn’t been willing to forgive him so easily. She’d never been struck before, and it unnerved her. He kept apologizing, but Abby had warned him that if he ever did it again, she would leave.

  Two months went by, and their relationship had been like it had before they’d gotten married. Charlie was on his best behavior until they attended a New Year’s Eve party together. He’d gotten drunk and claimed that she was flirting with the other men at the party. When she denied it, he had completely lost control, hitting and kicking her until she was covered with bruises and could barely move.

  Abby hadn’t been fucking around when she had warned him she would leave him. She waited until he’d passed out, then she went to the hospital to get her injuries treated. The nurse had called the police when Abby had asked, but the cops that had showed up weren’t exactly sympathetic since they were friends with Charlie.

  Not willing to put up with their bullshit, Abby had driven to another precinct in the city to report what had happened. The new cops had taken one look at her and made it clear they had no problem going after another police officer after what he’d done to her. She’d waited at the police station while they went to arrest her husband, then they had escorted her home to collect her things.

  Abby knew better than to expect Charlie to be held for long, so she took what she wanted and left their home behind. The following morning, she met with a divorce attorney. Her co-workers had been horrified by her bruised and battered appearance, and her boss helped her move into a small apartment he o
wned near the restaurant where she worked.

  Despite being charged with assault and battery, Charlie had enough connections to get off without jail time. Infuriated by the injustice, Abby’s attorney wanted to go after him during the divorce, but she just wanted it done quickly and quietly. Abby hadn’t been shocked when Charlie had tried to fight it, but the evidence of her injuries were enough to get her divorce granted quickly.

  She had thought she’d be free of Charlie after the divorce was final, but she’d been very wrong. Charlie’s friends seemed to give her problems whenever she ran into any of them, and worse, Charlie had begun stalking her. A part of her didn’t understand why. She was pretty enough with her bright hazel eyes, long, dark, curly hair, and delicate features, but she was nothing to incite such obsession from anyone.

  Then again, Charlie’s behavior actually had very little to do with her. It was all about power and his need to control her. Charlie’s ego had taken a huge blow when she’d left him, and she realized that his need to get her back had more to do with saving face than any real desire for her.

  She could never prove anything Charlie did since he always seemed to have an alibi, but he made it clear he wasn’t done with her yet, and that she would pay for leaving him. The restraining order she’d gotten didn’t help one bit. He called her all the time, and showed up when she was coming home from work. When she refused to speak to him, her car tires had been slashed and when her boss was beaten up after work one night, Abby was sure it was Charlie who had done it.

  Wanting to leave everything behind, Abby made the decision to leave Atlanta. She packed her bags and moved to New York City, ready to begin a new life away from Charlie…but he had followed her.

  Abby had just gotten settled in the city with a new job and a tiny studio apartment she was proud to call her own. When she’d left work tonight, she’d been happy, feeling hopeful for the future regardless of the rain that blanketed the city. Her lighthearted mood changed instantly when Charlie slid out of the shadows, jerking her into a darkened alley.

  She’d tried to scream, but the people hurrying down the street couldn’t hear her over the sound of traffic, and their umbrellas blocked their view of her struggling against Charlie’s hold on her as he pulled her deeper into the dark, away from safety.

  It was easy to see that Charlie was drunk and high on his power over her as he’d shoved her against the alley wall. He’d demanded she go home with him, and when she’d told him no, he’d gone crazy. He’d said if he couldn’t have her, no one could. She hadn’t understood what he’d meant until she’d felt the shock of pain as the knife he held slid into her…once, twice, three times.

  The loud honking of a taxi distracted Charlie for a few seconds, long enough for her to break away from him. Abby had run, but she’d been disoriented, going deeper into the maze of alleyways instead of out toward the street.

  Now, she was stuck in this alley, slowly bleeding to death. At least she’d get the last laugh. Abby had told her new boss about Charlie, but that wasn’t all. On the day she’d arrived in New York, she had gone to the police department and spoke to a female detective about what had happened back in Atlanta. Abby had given the detective a copy of the file she had, containing the police report, restraining order, divorce decree and the photographs taken after Charlie had beaten her.

  The detective had been disgusted by what Charlie had done, but she wasn’t sure what Abby wanted her to do with the file. Some might have thought it was fatalistic of her, but Abby wanted the detective to know exactly who was to blame in case anything happened to her.

  She let out a snort of laughter. Yeah, the detective would make Charlie pay for what he’d done, all right. Too bad she had to die in order to make it happen. The weight of her wet hair made it impossible for Abby to lift her head, so when someone came to a halt in front of her, she didn’t even bother to look up. Closing her eyes, she sighed.

  “You may have killed me, you bastard, but I’ll make sure you pay for it.”

  Silence met her statement. Lifting her lashes, she glanced in front of her and blinked. Abby had been prepared to see Charlie’s triumphant grin as he squatted down in front of her, but the man in front of her wasn’t her ex-husband.

  Actually, the man wasn’t a man at all.

  Bending down in front of her was a being shaped like a man, only it seemed to be made of water or some other type of liquid that shimmered within the confines of its form. The being seemed to be absorbing the rain that touched its skin, its body rippling as it drew the water into itself.

  Okay, so she was losing her mind.

  Or maybe she was already dead and this was just her sucky introduction into the afterlife. If that was the case, then she was screwed. Abby tried to sit up, but the sharp, stabbing pain in her abdomen made her freeze. Nope, not dead yet, although she would be soon.

  Take my hand and come with me if you want to live…

  The voice echoed in her mind, and she watched as the being held out its hand to her. She blinked the water out of her eyes and mentally shrugged. If this was a hallucination, then she really was more creative than she’d always given herself credit for. And if this was real, she had nothing to lose.

  Reaching out, she placed her hand in his, then the world went black.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Abby Denton felt like she was trapped in a very strange dream.

  She sat at one of the long tables in the great hall of a damn castle on another freaking planet where flying demon-like creatures ruled.

  Talk about weird.

  For four days, she’d been stuck in a bedchamber upstairs, isolated and alone. No matter the lavish furnishings, it had still been a cage of sorts. Of course, it was a vast improvement from the cell she’d woken up in five days ago.

  The prison made up of sapphire-blue wooden boards and a gray dirt floor had been a hard introduction to the alien planet. Her wounds had been completely healed, but her hands had been bound by flexible, black steel bands. Fear had gripped her, and before she’d understood what the hell was going on, she’d been taken out of her cell by a huge alien warrior and put on display with other humans in the center of a coliseum.

  The coliseum had been full of male aliens that looked like golden-skinned barbarian warriors from a time long past. All of them had long, straight black hair and strange eyes, with amber sclera and large, oval-shaped black irises. Their noses had three ridges on the bridge, and there were dark stripes on their foreheads and the sides of their faces that trailed down their necks to their muscular torsos.

  Abby had been nervous as she’d stood on the platform. She wasn’t sure why they were on that stage, but since she’d been dressed in a cream colored dress that had barely covered her, she was sure she wouldn’t like the reason for it. Then another alien had entered the coliseum and shifted into a black demon.

  After that, she’d been freaking terrified.

  The demon had chased after one of the human women. Abby had watched as she’d tried to run, but the demon had caught her and carried her off to the castle in the distance. Abby had thought they were all dead at that point, but then they had been led to a carriage pulled by animals that looked like large, black lions with huge manes.

  All of the humans had been taken to the castle and put into separate rooms where they were kept for the next few days. A warrior had brought Abby food and drinks several times a day, but she had gotten tired of pacing the room and wanted to be out in the fresh air, even if the sky on this planet was a freaky lavender and the sun was blue.

  At night, Abby stared up at the two dark amethyst-colored moons and thought back to what had happened back on Earth. She hoped like hell Charlie would pay for what he’d done to her, even if they couldn’t find her body. She just wanted to make sure that he would never hurt anyone ever again.

  She wondered what the future had in store for her here on the new planet, but she wouldn’t get any answers about her current situation locked away in the bedchamber. So,
when a warrior arrived that morning to tell her she was being allowed downstairs, she had jumped at the chance. But now that she was sitting at the table with four other humans, she wasn’t sure if she would have been better off hiding in her room upstairs.

  The women had all been given long gowns to wear, and Abby felt like a goddess in the silky ivory material. They looked like angels, in stark contrast to the Vor demons, and the comparison made Abby extremely uncomfortable, though it seemed fitting somehow.

  She sniffed at the large goblet she held. “What is this again?”

  “They call it firebrew,” a woman named Janelle Joyce said as she picked up the jug from the center of the table and refilled her goblet. “It’s got a nice kick to it.”

  Janelle was a beautiful blonde with bright blue eyes who Abby instantly recognized. She was a rising star on the pop charts. Janelle might have been as tall as Abby, but she definitely wasn’t as curvy as she was. In fact, Abby felt a wave of awkwardness sweep through her as she glanced at the other women at the table and noticed that she was the biggest one of the group.

  Roxanne “Rox” Arroyo was a striking woman with sharp, amber eyes that missed little. Her short brown hair should have made her look less feminine, but instead it only seemed to highlight her almost flawless features. Unlike the other humans, Grace Larkin had hair as black as the Vor, but her eyes were a light-gray that almost made them look silver in the light. She was so petite she reminded Abby of a little fairy. Sitting next to her, Abby felt like an absolute giant.

  Well, it was good to know that her own personal neurosis made the trip with her to the new planet. Abby took a moment to scold herself. She was on an alien world with giants for Christ’s sake. Compared to the Vor warriors, she was tiny. She’d just have to remind herself of that…a lot. And maybe remember not to sit next to Grace again.