Falling for the Alien Prince

by Hannah Davenport

  Falling for the Alien Prince

  By Hannah Davenport

  Published by Hannah Davenport

  Copyright © 2019 Hannah Davenport

  All rights reserved.

  Edits by Rebekah Goodyear

  Website: www.hannahdavenport.com

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author, except for brief quotations in a book review.

  A full-length novel

  Not an insta-love, but a slow-burn kind of romance with violence, justice, and sexual situations, all tossed together with a happily ever-after kind of romance. Intended for mature readers.

  Millicent

  In a post-apocalyptic world where Humanity is trying to survive, an alien species offers help—with a price tag attached. Cast back into the dark ages where women are assigned protectors, everything we fought for was destroyed with the arrival of the Andores.

  Even with their rules and offer of help, I wasn’t fooled by their good looks or amazing technology. They killed my family—and now I’m out for blood.

  One night, a Tizun accidently wandered upon me. Hard to look at, he impressed me with his honesty and I found that my thoughts strayed to him more and more. And then one day I wondered how I ever thought him homely.

  Men and marriage are the least of my concerns. Until I’m thrust into an impossible situation: marry Jyan, the leader of the Andores, or face the consequences.

  Murda

  As prince of the Tizuns, I limped my ship to Earth, only to find it inhabited by the Andores. Knowing that my people will not give up until they find and rescue us, I bide my time and keep our people out of harm’s way. Even if it means following the Human rules.

  While meandering through the Neutral Territory, I happened upon an ugly Human female who impressed me with her honesty and courage. I never expected to crave her company. And then one day I looked at the exotic woman and wondered how I ever thought she was ugly. When I learned of her arranged marriage, I surprised us both by offering her a way out while strengthening my human ties.

  Now, we must face the consequences together.

  Contents

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  Long ago, Earth was divided into different countries, each with their own controlling governments. After fighting war after war, Humans had finally managed to destroy the planet, killing nearly everyone in the process.

  The nuclear blast mutated some people who later died; others died from famine and disease. The survivors were slowly recovering when the Andores arrived. They offered friendship, along with new technology, medicine to heal our sick, food to feed those without. It appeared to be a gift from God. The new Earth Government embraced them with open arms. And then once we were indebted to them, they asked for the women.

  About a year later, another species, called the Tizuns, landed on Earth. Their vessel had been badly damaged and they asked for refuge until they could be rescued. In return, they offered more advanced technology.

  An uneasy truce was formed.

  My name is Millicent, and this is our story.

  1

  Millicent

  “You’re dirty. Where have you been?” I whipped my head around and spotted Austin standing just inside the door.

  Splotches of dirt peppered his face, his short brown hair messy. I’d say he hadn’t combed it in a week. His plaid blue button-up was uneven, not that he cared. He was seven, maybe eight years old; no one really knew for sure. Cutoff jeans reached down to his upper calves, and his bare feet were almost black.

  “What did you do, find the nearest mudhole and jump in?” I teased, turning to face him properly.

  “Nah, couldn’t find one.”

  “How about I run you some water?”

  “Nope. I like dirt.”

  I shook my head and smiled at the toothy grin he sported. “One of these days, you’ll have to bathe. Otherwise, we won’t be able to find you underneath all the grime.”

  His eyes lit with excitement. “Good, then I can hide from those Tizuns. They scary looking.”

  “They are scary looking,” I corrected.

  He shrugged. “Don’t matter. What I need to know that stuff for anyhows?”

  Still grinning, I sighed. Austin was one of several orphans living in the old farmhouse and surrounding properties away from any territories.

  “Austin, come and eat!” Jenna yelled from another room.

  “Comin’!” he answered. “See ya, Millie.” Then he sprinted away.

  My heart filled with happiness as I watched him hurry along. He didn’t seem to care that he lived here, dirty, with only the bare necessities; he appeared genuinely happy. And I knew that Jenna did the best she could.

  Feeling a little nostalgic as I looked around the living room, they didn’t have much. A cold rickety wooden floor with dirt caked in the small cracks. A stained floral print couch, a faded rocking chair that sat near the rock fireplace. The peeling yellow wallpaper completed the worn farmhouse look. They were lucky to find this jewel, nestled away and hidden from most of the territories. It helped to have a couple of neighbors nearby as well, also living in secret from the rest of the world.

  Although Humans were scattered throughout the world, the real value in the farmhouse was its location. What used to be called the Eastern United States now consisted of three zones: the Andore Territory, the Tizun Territory, and the Human Territory. They shared a common center, an area about half the size of what used to be Virginia, which was now filled with large trees and wildlife, thanks to the Andores and their rapid-growth technology.

  Jenna had found the house a year ago, abandoned and hidden from view, and not under any specific rule, but close to all three zones. A perfect location to hide.

  “Oh, I didn’t know you were here.”

  I spun around at Jenna’s voice and smiled at my friend. “Hi Jenna.”

  She wrapped her arms around my neck in a warm hug. With brown shoulder-length hair and big brown eyes, I felt at home with Jenna, as much as I could with anyone. Always a loner, I never stayed in one place too long.

  Releasing me, she stepped back. “When did you get here?”

  “A few minutes ago.” I eyed her pink V-neck, long- sleeved shirt and tan cargo pants. “New outfit?”

  She laughed. “No, I just washed it.” Waving toward the front door, she continued, “Come on, let’s go talk.”

  Sitting side-by-side on the front porch swing, the soft breeze brushed against my cheeks. The light smell of wildflowers made me close my eyes and enjoy the moment, if only for a little bit.

  “I thought you had left,” Jenna said, audibly confused.

  “I thought so too. But Uncle David invited…ordered… me to headquarters.”

  She slowly turned her head and stared at me with wide, round eyes. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “I know.”

  Uncle David,
otherwise known as Colonel David Petroff of the Human Territory, liaison to both the Andores and Tizuns, was not a good man. I loathed calling him uncle, but he was my mom’s brother. It still befuddled me how the two of them could share the same blood. I mean they were literally opposites, couldn’t be cut from the same cloth. My mother embodied everything good and Uncle David…didn’t.

  “Does he know about your gift?”

  “God, no! At least, I hope not. I can’t imagine how he would try to control me then.”

  Shaking her head, she scoffed. “What an asshole.”

  “You’re not kidding.” Uncle David was a bastard even when my parents were still alive. He only cared about himself, getting ahead in the military, and gaining as much power as possible. He never showed up for family gatherings, birthdays, nothing important. The rare occasions I had seen him, he treated my family as though they were beneath him, the unwanted mud on the bottom of his expensive leather shoes. To say I couldn’t stand the sight of him was an understatement.

  The swing groaned with each completed cycle. “We need oil for this thing.”

  “Great.” Jenna looked over at me. “Where should I buy it at?” she asked in a serious tone, blinking innocently.

  We both burst out laughing. Staying off the radar wasn’t exactly profitable. They had barely enough money for food, let alone oil. Thankfully, the closets hung full of clothes had been left by the previous tenants. Some useful, some not, but still functional.

  “Good point.” I sighed, letting the laughter fade away.

  “Jenna! Can I have more water?” Austin hollered through the screen door.

  “Austin, I’ve told you over and over, you can have water anytime you want it. And don’t yell, that’s rude!”

  “You know you just yelled at the kid, right?”

  She grinned, ignoring my remark. “When do you have to be there?”

  “Day after tomorrow. I figured there was no reason to leave, only to have to come back again.”

  “Well, I’m glad you stayed. It gets a little lonely without you.”

  Jenna, my childhood friend, was the only person from my past who I still spoke to. After the accident, I had to move away. A year ago, after visiting Uncle David (who had summoned me to his office like a king on his throne), I happened to run into her when traveling.

  She had set up a home that took in abandoned kids, striving to provide the best she could. I admired her greatly for trying to give the kids the best in life. Even though it wasn’t much, it beat living on the street.

  “I love visiting, but I have to admit, I’m itching to get back home.”

  “Get in. Get out. That’s your motto, right?” She said it in jest, but she had no idea how true that really was.

  “I don’t do that,” I teased.

  “Millicent, you are the most cryptic person I know.”

  “To be fair, you don’t know many people.”

  “And you do?”

  I laughed. Jenna was a hoot and I loved being around her and the kids. They reminded me of a simpler time, a happier time…before everything turned to shit.

  Looking across the field of clover, I spotted Cara heading through the trees in our direction. A sixteen-year-old red-headed beauty with green eyes and a wicked temper, she would one day become someone’s dream and nightmare, rolled into an entire package.

  “Where’s she been?” I asked, watching the girl.

  Jenna sounded frustrated as she sighed. “I don’t know. I probably don’t want to know.”

  I chuckled. “Why is that?”

  “She’s into anything and everything nowadays.”

  I could relate. Cara’s family had died in a freak accident four years ago; she was the only survivor. When Jenna found her, she refused to speak at all. She still refused to speak about that night, and what really happened.

  “She’s a good kid though.”

  Jenna stared at me. “Really? I mean, I always thought she was a good kid, but circumstances change a person.”

  Jenna has never spoken truer words… I mused.

  “Yes. Really. Don’t worry so much.”

  She huffed. “That’s good to know. Thanks.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  Cara neared, then took the six steps up to the porch and plopped down on a weather-worn bench opposite us, brushing a hand through red hair that stopped just above her shoulders. “Hi Millie.” She shot me a sly grin.

  “Hi Cara, what have you been into?” I raised an eyebrow hoping she thought I knew already, so why lie?

  She dug into her front pocket and pulled out two silver and one tiny gold coin, the new Earth currency. She grinned like she’d hit the jackpot.

  Jenna exploded from the swing. “Cara, what have you done?”

  “Don’t worry so much. Nobody caught me.”

  “That’s not the point!”

  Austin walked outside, letting the screen door slam shut behind him.

  “Someone’s in troublllle,” he said, drawing the word out in mischievous delight. “And it ain’t me this time.” He grinned, showing his missing lower tooth hole.

  “Austin, be quiet!” Cara hissed, staring daggers at the little boy. Not wanting to miss the show, he plopped down on the top step and rested his chin in the palm of his hands.

  “Jenna, we need the money. This will buy enough food for a few weeks. Especially with the garden out back.”

  “And if you had gotten caught?”

  “I didn’t,” she almost sung with delight.

  “This time, Cara. This time. But what about the next?”

  Cara put her arm around Jenna’s shoulders and smiled. “I won’t get caught. Promise.”

  Jenna shook her head. “I still don’t like it.”

  “Here, take it anyways.” Cara dropped the coins one at a time into Jenna’s open hand.

  An alarm sounded, shrill and loud. Everyone froze except me. I’d conquered my fear of the Andores when anger took its place a long time ago. Slowly, I pushed up from the swing.

  “Come on. We’ve got to go.” Leave it to them to ruin a perfectly good afternoon.

  “Right. Right!” Jenna said in a panic. “Kids, get to the shelter!”

  As they sprinted through the house and out the back door, I followed Jenna, who darted inside, quickly hiding anything of value. I put away the homemade bread, set the dirty glasses in the cabinet. It needed to look abandoned at first glance. The bedrooms would tell a different story.

  “That’s it!” she whispered loudly, locking the front door.

  She headed out back. Just before I walked out of the living room though, I glanced over my shoulder and peered through the window. In the distance, three Andores on solar boards were approaching. I took a second to catalog each one before turning and following Jenna.

  Hurrying along, we waded through tall weeds and into a line of trees, a common area shared by three houses. Under some fallen leaves and fake grass, Jenna lifted a round metal hatch and I climbed down the steps. She followed, locking the hatch door from the inside.

  Cara and Austin, along with Susie and Bob, and Jason and Haley, stared back at us. Susie and Bob were married, but Jason was an orphan like Cara and Austin. Haley found him wandering through the common territory about a year ago. At ten years old, he was skin and bones.

  “Who sounded the alarm?” I asked, looking at each person in the bunker.

  According to Jenna, the raids didn’t happen often. But one time was too damn much! Despite my cool demeanor, my blood boiled. We were not in Andore Territory—they had no right!

  “Jason was playing in the woods,” Haley replied. “He heard the branches rustling from the breeze created by the solar boards. When a group of birds took flight, he got scared and rushed home to tell me. I knew what it meant, so I sounded the alarm to alert everyone else.” Haley pulled Jason into her side, holding him close while he hugged her waist.

  “Good job, Jason.” I smiled before looking at the others.
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br />   Susie and Bob sat on the dirt floor, holding hands. A young couple in their twenties, they’d been married for about three years.

  No one asked, but we all wondered what the Andores were doing out there. This was Neutral Territory; they had no right to search the area without a representative from the other two territories.

  I wondered if the colonel knew they were conducting searches? Probably not. He wouldn’t concede power to anyone without tagging along.

  What would he do about it if he did know? I wondered, shaking my head. Probably nothing. He cares only for himself.

  After the accident, I was sent to live with my great Papa. An elderly man with poor eyesight and more wrinkles than a Shar-Pei, I mostly took care of him—not the other way around.

  When he passed away last year, Uncle David became my guardian; my consent (or lack thereof) was irrelevant. He could order me to his bidding—or so the law stated—even though I was twenty-eight years old!

  To think I had to have a protector, as the Andores declared, pissed me off. But it was one of the negotiating factors for clean water, medicine, and food. The Human race had really screwed themselves over this time. Now we lived in ancient times with modern technology.

  In truth, I knew they used the law to snatch up unprotected women; I just couldn’t prove it.

  Glancing around, I could see how scared most of them were. “Hi Susie. How ya been?” I asked.

  She turned fearful blue eyes my direction, her blonde hair shielding the left side of her face. “Good, mostly. How about you?”

  “Can’t complain.”

  She squeezed Bob’s hand until her knuckles turned white.

  “Don’t worry, Susie, they’ll be gone soon enough,” I said reassuringly.

  “But for how long?”

  “Probably the same as before. What is it Jenna, something like six or seven months?”

  “Yep, something like that.” Her eyes lowered to Susie’s. “And you’re with Bob, so you have nothing to worry about.”

  Jenna tried to give her an easy smile, but she had to be thinking the same as me. Susie would be safe with Bob, but the rest of us were fair game.