The Zoran's Baby (Scifi Alien Romance) (Barbarian Brides)

by Luna Hunter

  Aria

  Dost!

  He’s alive!

  His armor is torn off, his chest naked and bruised, covered in burns… but he’s alive!

  I’m both filled with incredible pain at seeing him in this state, and enormous relief for the fact that he’s alive. I climb to my feet and run over to him, but before I can reach him, I’m yanked back by my hair.

  “Where are you going?” an alien voice says, my suit automatically translating his strange tongue for me.

  I look and see a pale alien with long white hair, and eyes that match it, a hate filled grin on his face.

  “There you are, my prize. Come and give the Czar a kiss.”

  My heart skips a beat. That’s a Nezdek. And not just anyone, but apparently the freaking Czar. The very man that gave the order to kidnap humans, to kidnap Grace. The source of all my sorrows. Rage flows through me, coloring my cheeks a bright red.

  “Fuck you,” I say, getting back on my feet. “Let Dost go, you have me.”

  “He can go, yes,” the man laughs, “after he sees what I do to Earth scum like you.”

  The man takes a step forward and grabs my wrists. I try to kick him, to break free, but his grip is like a vice, despite his lanky arms.

  “Go ahead, struggle,” he whispers. “Struggle like your sister.”

  For a moment, I fall slack. My sister?

  “You have G-grace?” I stammer. “Where is she? Where?! Tell me you animal!”

  All this time I’ve been looking for her without a single clue, not even a hint… and now this man, this monster knows about her?! I try to land another kick, but the Nezdek holds me up high, his body out of my reach, a devilish grin on his face.

  “You are just as feisty as she was,” he laughs. “But unfortunately, I never got the pleasure of breaking her in. You see, your sister thought she could be a hero. Lead a rebellion.”

  My heart swells with pride. That’s my sis.

  “She escaped captivity, attacked the crew, tried to hijack my damn mothership, my prized jewel… unsuccessfully.”

  The look on the Czar’s face has gone from enraged to sheer madness. His white eyes bulge out of his head, and he’s foaming at the mouth.

  “Your devilish little sister crashed my most expensive ship!” he thunders. “My baby! Ruined! Depriving me of a thousand slaves! My only solace is that she died in that crash, but that’s not enough. Not by a long shot. But then you came along,” he smiles coldly.

  Grace is dead?

  My heart grows cold. Perhaps, somewhere, I knew all along, but I hoped, I hoped so hard that if I just tried, if I just did my best, the universe would reward me with her… but that’s not to be.

  At least she died a hero, fighting the Nezdek, taking away the Czar’s favorite toy. She resisted.

  Grace is a hero.

  And that makes me proud.

  “It was easy for us to read the HF Boomerang’s manifest, and when I say your name, I almost couldn’t believe it… Aria Winters. There you were. And here you are. I will have my revenge yet,” the Czar says.

  He grabs my hand, straightens my fingers, and slides my index finger right into his mouth. The feeling is awful, and I struggle as hard as I can, but his grip is too strong.

  “Let her go!” Dost screams, pulling at his chains.

  The Czar’s lips curl up into a sickening smirk.

  The next moment a flash of pain passes through me — he bit me!

  He sucks on my finger, drawing out the blood, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

  “Ah, yes,” he smiles, my blood running down his pale lips. “Just a taste, but it’s so good… Wow, this is… strong… potent…”

  The Nezdek lets me go, and I fall to the floor, clutching my hand. It was only a small prick, but it stings none the less. The Czar is swaying where he stands, his hands moving like he’s conducting an orchestra.

  “Mmm…” he grunts. His legs start wobbling, and he sways towards the Kua in the bronze diving suit.

  “Prince Zava, have I ever told you you look… adorable?”

  The Kua frowns. “Czar Baros? What is the meaning of this?”

  The Nezdek Czar runs his hands over the fish-being’s armored suit.

  “Come, take it off,” he says, his voice slurred. “I want to see those fins of yours.”

  “N-no!” the prince protests. “Stop!”

  Without warning the Czar pulls the plug on the Kua’s suit. Water gushes out, the Kua struggling to get away from Czar Baros’s greedy hands. He seems possessed with lust, driven mad, acting irrationally…

  All after a taste of my blood.

  “Aria! Here!” Dost whispers.

  Right!

  I scramble to my feet and run over to my mate. The two alien leaders are distracted, giving us a moment.

  “Help me slide my chains off,” Dost says.

  “But… how?”

  “You have to push. Hard.”

  “It’ll hurt you!”

  “I can take it,” Dost says. “Hurry!”

  I close my eyes. Hurting my mate is the last thing I want to do, but both our lives are on the line here. I grab his wrist and push as hard as I can, forcing his hand through the narrow chains.

  “Yes!” Dost growls as his hand slips through the chain. With one hand free he can slide the other chain off easier, and the moment he’s free he wraps me in his arms tightly.

  “Why are you here?” he growls. “You should never have come!”

  “Trent said the same thing,” I say. “I came to save you! How am I doing?”

  “Better than expected,” Dost smirks.

  A high-pitched squeal draws our attention. Prince Zava has been liberated from his armored suit, and he’s slithering over the floor, trying to escape the grasp of Czar Baros who is mad with lust for his aquatic ally.

  “How…” I stammer. “What’s going on?”

  “Your blood,” Dost says. “It seems to have driven the Czar insane. Could it be… the alien spore? From Delta Y? Perhaps it was still in your bloodstream!”

  “I sure I hope we didn’t look like that,” I say as I watch the Nezdek leader try and hug the fishy alien, who wants nothing to do with the Czar.

  “I can promise you we don’t,” Dost laughs. He takes two steps towards a pedestal I hadn’t even noticed yet, and grabs a small, blue orb.

  “The core,” he says. “We have it. Finally.”

  “Now all we have to do is return to the Boomerang,” I say. “Escape this… underwater prison. No biggie, right?”

  My relief at holding my mate fades, as the gravity of our situation sinks in. There’s no way we are getting out of here… but Dost’s grin begs to differ.

  “Hold on tight,” he says as he wraps his arms around me. “This might be a bumpy ride.”

  26

  Dost

  A Daring Escape

  What a brave fool my mate is.

  I wrap my arms around her tightly, feeling her warmth against my naked skin. I’m covered in burns, wounds and cuts, but it doesn’t matter. I want to feel her against me, to know that she is safe.

  Heading down towards a hostile alien planet, completely alone… it’s madness. However, I’m glad she came. She saved my life — and we have the core.

  It seems heroism runs in her family. I feel sorry for my mate, for I know how important her sister was for her, and how heavy the burden she carried was, but I hope that she can find solace in the fact that her sister was defiant up to her last breath.

  We have a lot to talk about, but first, we need to get the hell out of here. An alarm sounds in the distance. The Kua know something is amiss.

  The top of my armor has been stripped, but the bottom half still functions — and those include my jet boots. They are designed to maneuver in zero gravity, but I’m about to find out if they function underwater.

  “What about the Czar?” Aria asks.

  “Leave him,” I say. “We don’t have time.”

  T
he Kua have stolen both our underwater-breathers, which means that this ride is truly life or death.

  “Take a deep breath,” I say.

  My mate’s cheeks bulge as she takes a big mouthful of air. I kiss her puckered lips.

  “See you on the other side.”

  I kick off and jump through the portal, into the cold water. It surrounds us, and the sheer difference in temperature is an assault on our senses. My body, burned and wounded, wants nothing more than to cry out in pain, but my mind won’t let it.

  With my arms wrapped tightly around my mate I activate my boots. They stutter for a moment, and fear grips my heart… but then the engines kick in.

  High-pitched cries make me wince. The Kua are swimming towards us, a whole group of them, their slim bodies moving extremely quick in water. I wait until they’re within striking distance, and their tridents nearly pierce our skin before I tap my heels, and my boots fire with all they have.

  We burst through their blockade, traveling upwards, towards the light.

  Around us I hear frantic screaming, tridents flying past us, and all the while, my heart is beating like a drum.

  My chest feels like it’s going to burst with all the pressure. I want to breathe, to fill my lungs with air, but I can’t.

  It’s true what they say: You never realize how much you need air until you’re dozens of yards underwater being chased by a pack of rabid Kua.

  My consciousness is slipping, the darkness at the edge of my vision growing, but I can’t stop. I push through.

  There!

  In the distance, a cruiser. Could be mine, could be Aria’s, but it doesn’t matter. I keep going, despite the pain in my lungs, despite my chest screaming out, despite everything. I don’t look back at the army of aliens chasing us. I only have eyes for my goal.

  I bang my fist on the metal cruiser, and its door slides open. I enter and hit a button to eject all of the water that has filled the interior of the small ship, which is promptly replaced by air.

  Good old-fashioned oxygen-filled air.

  I gasp for air, falling to my knees. I’m relieved to see my mate is alive and well. Aria drops down to my side, her hands tapping my cheeks.

  “Dost! Dost! Stay awake!”

  “Go,” I cough.

  Water has filled my lungs, and I feel heavy. Tired.

  “Go!”

  The Kua bang on the side of our spaceship, trying to bash the windshield in with their tridents. Aria rushes to the controls. The engine hums, and I’m relieved to feel the familiar kick as we take off, leaving the water, the claustrophobic, all-encompassing water, and head out into the great open sky.

  My mate is safe, the core is resting in my pocket. We have made it.

  I can finally close my eyes.

  27

  Epilogue

  Whole-hearted

  Aria

  “How is he doing?”

  “Still asleep,” I answer Trent. “The doctor says he can wake up at any moment.”

  The Zoran soldier nods. “Can I get you anything?”

  “No thank you,” I say. “I’m going to keep waiting here.”

  Trent walks off, and I sit back down next to my mate.

  He’s covered in bandages and hooked up to a heart-rate monitor. He nearly died saving our lives. His lungs had to be pumped, and his wounds were far more serious than he let on.

  Stupid hero.

  Luckily, the Boomerang is working like she’s brand new. We’re cruising along, leaving Delta Y, the Kua’s water world and everything we’ve been through far behind us.

  The one thing that we can’t leave behind is the Zoran baby steadily growing in my stomach, and the love I feel for my Zoran hero. I haven’t left his side for a moment. I want to be here when he wakes up.

  “You look amazing when you’re lost in thought.”

  That low growl…

  “Dost!” I say, jumping out of my seat. “You’re awake!”

  “Of course,” he says, a painful grimace on his face. “I didn’t want to interrupt your train of thought.”

  “Oh, you fool,” I say. Relief washes over me in a huge, pleasant wave. I was so worried. After losing Grace, I couldn’t bear to lose Dost. “You know you nearly got yourself killed!”

  Dost grins. “Nearly. Come here.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask as I sit down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t want to hurt you…”

  Dost, impatient as ever when it comes to touching me, grabs my arm and pulls me right on top of him. So much for being careful! His entire chest is bandaged up, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

  “Are you sure you’re not in pain?”

  “How can I be in pain when I have you?” he says as he nuzzles the top of my head. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too,” I say, resting my head on his naked shoulder. “I always kept faith, but it was so hard to see you hooked up to all those machines…”

  Tears sting my eyes. I’m having trouble believing my wait is finally over.

  My mate is healthy and alive!

  “Never scare me like that again, okay?” I whisper.

  “As long as you promise never to offer yourself to alien slavers in exchange for me.”

  “Deal.”

  He runs his strong hands down my back, and for the first time in days I can fully and completely relax. All my muscles are so tightly wound-up. I can’t wait to feel Dost’s big hands massage me…

  “How do you feel?” my Zoran warrior asks after a few minutes. “About Grace…are you okay?”

  “I’m sad,” I say truthfully, “but also proud. My baby sister, leader of a rebellion… I’m honored to be her big sister.”

  Dost nods. “She’ll be remembered, we’ll make sure of that.”

  “Yes,” I say. “Yes, we will.”

  “Do you want to name our child in her honor?”

  My eyes widen. “You’d do that?”

  “Of course,” Dost says.

  “I thought perhaps Zoran had certain naming-customs I didn’t know about.”

  “For my child to bear the name of a proud warrior such as Grace Winters would greatly honor me,” Dost says.

  Warmth fills me, and I shower my mate’s neck with kisses. He really is the sweetest.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” he laughs, his hand sliding down to my lower back. “How is the ship doing?”

  “Running better than ever, actually,” I answer. “We are heading towards Earth right now. We picked up the scientists from Delta Y, of course, and the preliminary results are very hopeful. Delta Y could very well be the new Zoran homeworld… which means you completed your mission.”

  Dost shrugs. “The only thing I care about is you.”

  I run my fingers past his jaw-line. I never thought I’d fall for an alien warrior, but now I can never see myself with anyone else. No one can compare to Dost.

  “Should we talk about that?” I say. “You said your father would not approve. I don’t want to…”

  “The only thing I care about is you,” he says firmly. “Our family. Your family. That’s it. Nothing else.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life, my mate. I promise.”

  Afterword

  The end! I hope you liked Aria’s and Dost’s story.

  If you sign up for my newsletter you’ll receive an extended epilogue featuring their arrival back on Earth. Aria’s father is in for quite a surprise when she comes back pregnant and with a Zoran warrior in tow!

  You can sign up for my newsletter here: http://lunahunter.com/newsletter-tzb/

  The next Barbarian Brides book is coming in September. If you sign up for my newsletter, I’ll drop you a line when it comes out.

  On the next couple of pages you can read some preview of the first two Barbarian Brides book, as well as my entry in the Celestial Mates shared universe.

  xo,

  Luna

  Preview of The Zoran�
�s Bride

  My new bodyguard? A possessive, dangerous alien warrior who wants to claim me as his prize. Oh boy.

  Decades have passed since the Tyk’ix destroyed the Zoran homeworld. The fierce, sexy alien warriors have found refuge on Earth, but adjusting to this new reality has not been easy for either species.

  Sarah Granger wants nothing to do with the aliens — her father died protecting the Zoran, and she’s yet to forgive them. When the Human Federation plans a mission into deep space to find a new home for the alien warriors, she volunteers, and to her own surprise, the curvy scientist gets the job! She couldn’t be happier. Until, moments before launch, the Federation assigns her a bodyguard. And not just anyone: The most dangerous, arrogant Zoran warrior imaginable, who won’t leave her alone for even a second.

  Kazim has never seen his homeworld. The alien warrior grew up an orphan on the streets of Boston with nothing to his name except his fists and his indomitable will. The blue-skinned Zoran is the undefeated boxing champion of the Boston underworld — until the local kingpin asks him to take a dive. Instead, Kazim knocks his human opponent out so hard it kills him, and now the entire mob is out for his blood.

  The wanted alien warrior needs to lay low for a while, and using his connections, manages to hitch a ride on a human ship heading into deep space. All he has to do is protect Sarah Granger from harm. An easy job for a warrior as tall and strong as him… Until he sees her and he realizes in an instant that he’s found his fated mate.

  Resisting his urge to claim her is the hardest battle the alien warrior has ever fought.

  1. Kazim

  “And in the left corner, representing Zoran-kind everywhere, it’s the blue giant, the unstoppable one: Kazim the Destroyer!”

  The crowd — all human — jeers, cursing my name. Their faces are contorted with rage. Good. Go ahead. Hate me. It only makes me stronger.

  “And in the right corner, representing mankind, it’s the one, the only, Michael Cormack AKA the Machine!”