by Octavia Kore
Awoken from the Deep
A Venora Mates Novel
Octavia Kore
Copyright © 2021 by Octavia Kore
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information and retrieval system without express written permission from the Author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Editor: LY Publishing
Cover Artist: Sam Griffin
Formatting: A & A Formatting
Created with Vellum
Contents
Description
Disclaimer
Dedications
Glossary
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Also by Octavia Kore
About the Authors
One touch was all it took to show him they were everything he needed.
Esme lost the one thing that made her time in captivity with the Grutex bearable. Even now, after her escape from the labs and her tormentor, the memory of those days haunt her. Yet from the depths of her darkest dreams, something precious calls out to her, something she thought she would never have. Esme will risk everything, even her own life, to answer the call and find out what fate has in store for her.
Life inside the dome is nothing like Kythea imagined it would be. She finds herself struggling to let go of her past and the duties she was forced to leave behind, but the decision of one small human female entangles their fates and leads them to a male who will change their lives forever. Now, with her first heat fast approaching, Kythea must choose between the family who raised her, and the family the goddess has blessed her with.
They say every person is a villain in at least one person’s story, but with the things Xuvri has done in the past, he’s sure he is the lead in more nightmares than he can count. With his body broken and infection setting in, Xuvri thinks it’s the end, but fate has other plans. He’s unstable, violent, and possessive, but can he ensure the safety of his family while keeping the madness that plagues him at bay?
Can these broken, lost, and scared fated mates make it through the tumultuous storm to the rainbow at the end?
Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. This work of fiction is intended for adult audiences only and may be triggering for some. Strong language is used. Proceed at your own discretion. This book is an FFM romance novel. It contains adult situations, graphic sex, mentions of sexual assault and rape, child loss, and violence.
The language used in this book is derived from Greek. The meanings of words may have been changed for dialect purposes and time changes. It is not meant to reflect the actual Greek language in any way.
Dedications
Thank you to our alpha readers. You guys are awesome!
To Angel, Mommy loves you more than anything and you will never be forgotten.
And to our significant others, Michael and Aaron, thank you for supporting our dreams, giving us inspiration, and loving us no matter how weird we are. We love you.
Glossary
Adamantine (ad-ah-mahn-tINE) - A metal used by the Venium in the construction of their ships and buildings.
Allasso (ah-lah-soh) - This is the beast form spoken of in the ancient lore of Venora.
Brax (brah-ks) - A Venium curse.
Brutok (BrOO-tok) - Close friend.
Dam (dam) - Mother.
Daya (dai-ah) - A nickname (like mom) Oshen’s family uses for his mother.
Feondour (FEE-ehn-dOOR) - A small duck-like creature native to Venora.
Fosalli (foh-sah-lEE) - A plant native to Venora that resembles many types of Earth coral. Mainly grows in the shade of trees within the forests on the planet.
Fushori (foo-shOOR-EE) - The glowing stripes that run along the body of the Venium.
Galak Leaves (gah-lahk) - An herb used in the village to help with milk production.
Galging Fruit (gahl-ging) - Sweet smooth purple skinned fruit found high up in the sturdy branches of the galging tree.
Gershion (ger-shon) - Egg-laying natural prey of the vouken kept on farms within the village. Four eyes, six legs, ferret/snake-like body. Dark base color with patterns and colors resembling the fosalli plants. About the size of an Earth goat.
Gleck (gleh-k) - Curse.
Grutex (groo-teks) - Alien species loosely allied with the Venium.
Gri’ku (grih-koo) - Aquatic alien.
Gynaika (gI-nAY-kah) - Wife.
Hisar (hEE-zah) - A reptilian species allied with the Venium.
Icia Trees (i-kee-ah) - White bark black leaves.
Ihod (ee-hod) - Aquatic alien with ability to heal.
Inkei (een-kay) - Grutex cock.
Kelpora Fruit (kehl-poor-ah) - A lumpy green fruit found growing on the low-hanging branches of the Kelpora tree. Salty flavor.
Kokoras (koh-kOOR-ahs) - Venium term for cock.
Kynima (keye-nEE-muh) - A skirt worn by the hunters in Kythea’s village. Some beading and designs are used during courting.
Leilei Tree (lEE-lEE) - Waxy-skinned, cup-shaped leaves.
Leq’anis (leh-kwah-nis) - A species skilled in the quick acquisition of languages.
Lumar Bug (loom-ar) - Small bug often drawn to light, similar to an Earth moth.
Mia Kardia (mEE-ah kAR-dEE-ah) - A Venium term of endearment, “my heart.”
Mikros/Mikra (mEE-kroh-s/mEE-krah) - Little one or little ones.
Mitera (mEE-tair-ah) - Nickname for mother used by Kythea.
Mouni (mOO-nEE) - Venium word for cunt. Name of Oshen’s AI.
Okeanos (oh-kEE-ah-nohs) - Venium term for the ocean.
Plokami (ploh-kah-mEE) - Large aquatic creature native to the oceans of Venora.
Saku Leaves (sah-koo) - Blue leaves used for healing.
Sanctus (saynk-tuhs) - A nearly extinct rainbow species of alien.
Sionaea (seye-oh-nay-ah) - Giant carnivorous plant. Thick brown stem with knotted roots.
Sire (seye-ur) - Father.
Sol (sohl) - Day.
Solar (sohl-ur) - Year.
Stillasa Fruit (stihl-ah-sah) – Large, round red fruit that is hard to find.
Syzygos (sEE-zEE-gohs) - Husband.
Tachin (tah-chin) - An insectoid species working with the Grutex.
Tigeara (teye-gEER-ah) - Predator native to Venora. Feline in appearance.
Venium (veh-nEE-uhm) - Alien species native to Venora.
Vouken (v-ow-kehn) - Horse-like alien animal used for farming, looks like a drake.
Esme
Dense black fog clouded Esme’s vision, and an inky darkness surrounded her as the hum of the cryopod filled her ears. She was going to sleep again, only this time she was on her way to Venora and she was safe.
Her heart pounded out a frantic rhythm, and she drew in a deep breath to calm herself. The last time she was pushed into a pod like this, she’d been drugged. The urge to slam her fists on the glass she knew shielded her, to scream and thrash until she was let out, was strong, but she suppressed it.
What if you wake up in the lab? What if you wake up and he’s there?
No, not this time. The only Grutex on this ship had agreed to be the first one put into cryosleep, and while she didn’t see the Venium as being very trustworthy, she took comfort in the fact that he wasn’t one of the scientists who had worked in the lab.
The transition into sleep was so smooth that if she hadn’t had these dreams already, she might not have even noticed her brain slipping. It was an all too familiar scene, one she was sure she would be forced to experience over and over for the rest of her life…
Her baby kicked, and Esme rested her hand over the spot, rubbing at his or her little foot as it pushed against the inside of her womb. Whoever was in there was active and happy today, and, despite her circumstances and those surrounding her pregnancy, it brought a smile to her face.
The Kaia wasn’t here, not in her cell or anywhere near the labs. The Grutex leader had discarded her long ago, but not before loaning her to a few of his most loyal followers. Her time with them had been nightmarish, but she was thankful that the Kaia had never used her in those ways. Esme wasn’t sure she would have survived fulfilling his needs.
Thinking back on her time with a certain loyal scientist made her hand tremble against her stomach, but she shut her eyes and forced his face out of her mind. She didn’t want to relive the horror of what he’d done to her, but something wonderful had come from it and she focused on that, feeling her baby twist and turn inside of her.
This little one gave her hope for the future, even though she wasn’t at all sure she would ever have one after this was over. For now, he or she distracted Esme from the pain of the past and she poured all of her love into her baby.
The dream shifted suddenly, and she felt her entire being list to one side as she found herself standing in the middle of her cell. No! She didn’t want to see this. She didn’t want to relive that day, but her brain could never seem to stop it from happening.
Horrible, intense pain shot up the sides of her distended belly. Esme hissed as she stumbled forward, her hand slamming against the cold metal wall as her other hand clutched her stomach. There was pressure, so much of it. Something was wrong. She knew deep down that this wasn’t right.
The muscle beneath her palm tensed, tightening and becoming rock hard as she cried out into the quiet of the room. Warm liquid dripped down the inside of her thighs. Had her water broken? Oh, God, no, it was too soon! With her teeth set against the pain, Esme yanked up her gown to run her fingers over her skin. Her eyes widened and her knees went weak when she lifted her fingertips up and found them covered in bright red blood.
“Help!” she called out, throwing herself forward and frantically pressing the button on the wall to the left of the door. “I need help! Something’s wrong!”
A wave of nausea rolled through her as more blood slid down her legs to pool on the floor at her feet. Esme backed away, staring in horror at the sight. When the frame of the small bed bumped into the back of her legs, her knees gave out, and she collapsed onto the thin mattress as the world swam around her. Her whole body shuddered with the intensity of the pain, and she curled in on herself, wrapping her arms around her belly as she slipped into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness.
The dream was morphing again, into something more sinister as she opened her eyes and gazed around the cold hospital room.
There was an emptiness in her body, in her soul, that wasn’t right. The walls of the room were dark, a deep onyx color that she’d always found unnerving. He was there, standing at the side of her bed, reading over the projection on his forearm.
“Where’s my baby?” Her mouth was dry and her voice sounded raspy to her ears.
“Gone,” he said, not bothering to even look her way.
Esme’s heart sank as she moved her hand over her belly. It was soft and far flatter than it had been when she lost consciousness. He was wrong. He had to be. “Liar.”
Six red eyes cut to her face, and the Grutex sneered, “I have no reason to lie. You failed.”
“What happened? What did you do with my baby?”
“You’re just as useless to me as you were to the Kaia,” he spat. “You did this to yourself, female. You allowed your own body to terminate your pregnancy. Disgusting.”
“No…” Esme shook her head, her hand fisting against her stomach as tears blurred her vision. After everything she’d been through, after all of the torment and abuse, how could God, the universe, or whoever the fuck was out there take this miracle, the only thing holding her together, away from her? Life wasn’t just unfair; it was cruel and heartless. “You’re lying! You took my baby! You took––”
The male moved fast, slamming his hand into the pillow beside her head. “Failure! Because of you, I can’t even attempt another round. There’s no womb left, nothing to fill.”
“What?” her voice cracked as she stared up at his face.
“There was a rupture,” he told her as his hand moved from the pillow to circle her throat. “We could save neither the uterus nor the offspring by the time we were notified.” His grip on her tightened, and he leaned close, his putrid breath wafting against her face. “You couldn’t even do this one thing right, something your body was made for. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to know something within yourself caused this.” The Grutex pressed his face to her temple and growled. “You took my offspring away from me, female.”
Esme shook her head. “I didn’t… I loved…” She tried to turn to him, to this monster who had done nothing but hurt her. He was the father of her child. Surely he could feel something, couldn’t he? “Please, can I at least say goodbye?” Tears overflowed and slid down her skin. “I just want to say goodbye.”
The eerie sound of his laughter filled her ears as his claws dug into the soft flesh of her neck. “You don’t deserve that. What you deserve is to be punished, to be shown no mercy for what you took.” His tongue slipped out, the tip slithering over her skin as she shivered and did her best to keep from vomiting. “I won’t discard you like the Kaia. I’ll simply use your body until I can take another living incubator, and then I’ll make you watch as she succeeds where you failed.”
Her body trembled, and the fresh incision on her lower abdomen throbbed as he shoved her away, but Esme was numb. She didn’t see the alien before her or hear any more of his vile words. Instead, she ached with the knowledge that she would never meet the little life that had been growing inside of her these last few weeks. There would never be the chance to put a face to those soft kicks and flutters she had spent her time counting or know whether she had a son or a daughter. Her arms would never cradle her baby, and her fingers would never run over his or her face in amazement.
It didn’t matter what this alien said—her baby wasn’t his offspring or his failed experiment. Esme’s baby belonged to her, and he would never be able to take those precious memories away from her.
The lucid dream forced her to relive moments in time she had no wish to revisit. Like a fly on the wall, Esme watched as the Grutex scientist paraded her naked through the halls.
The alien guards made crude comments and gestures, but her fellow humans, the ones in the cells she stumbled past, watched her with sad, sympathetic eyes. He threw her into one of the tiny, cold cells before tossing the flimsy gown in her face.
“I’ll be back for you.” She heard his warning, but her mind and body were too numb to respond. It
no longer mattered what he did to her, or if she ever got out of this nightmare alive, because the only thing in the entire universe that meant anything to her had been ripped away.
As the dream began to shift once more, Esme’s breathing quickened. She knew what was coming. This was the reason she’d been hesitant to sleep most nights.
An unfamiliar forest flashed before her eyes. Coral littered the ground, sticking up from the soil in spots around the strange black and red trees. She was running, but she couldn’t recall the reason for her haste, not until she heard the small, broken cry. It lanced through her heart and she pushed her body to its limits, jumping over rocks and fallen tree limbs as she hurried forward. The earth spun beneath her feet, and Esme squeezed her eyes closed as she lurched.