Hard as Rock
Page 23
Grack: the Durassian expletive for fuck
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Guurlk: Khargal liquor
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Hondassa: Mate
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Kher: Khargal term for siblings
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Khargal: what gargoyles call themselves
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Lar: the Durassian word for god
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Macero: the Durassian expletive for hell
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Maztek: Duras animal similar to an earth whale
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Rose Syndicate: clandestine organization that is pursuing gargoyles and their technology
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Sartek: a random predatory animal on Duras
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Sigil: the device used for contacting the rescue beacon and teleporting to the rescue ship
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Sire: father
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Tanem: the Durassian word for temporary companion taken before a true mate
Want more sexy Khargals? Check out all the books in the series! You don't want to miss a single one!
https://nanceycummings.com/khargals-of-duras/
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank all my fellow authors who made writing this series a wonderful experience I won’t soon forget, and look forward to working with you in the future.
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Thank you to my wonderful husband, the love of my life, who puts up with my nonsense. He was the inspiration behind the sleep talking scene. Frustratingly, I never got him to tell me what the stealth frog was doing with sliced pickles.
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And bless my grandpa who lovingly ate my grandma’s cherry pies for decades without saying a word about not liking them.
Also by Stephanie West
If you’ve already consumed the entire Khargals of Duras series, check out my Cadi Warriors, the Fated Mate series, Viper’s Hope (Anguis Defenders Book 1) and more at:
http://amazon.com/author/stephaniewest
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Or follow me on Facebook, my blog, or newsletter, where I announce new releases.
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieWestAuthor/
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Website
https://stephaniewestauthor.com/
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Newsletter
http://eepurl.com/c1UTNb
Cadi Warriors Series
The Warrior's Pet (Cadi Warriors Book 1)
https://books2read.com/u/brGokM
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Giselle didn't know how long she lay near catatonic, willing the terrible headache to go away. She sat up as one of the reptilian aliens entered. Giselle backed up and looked around, realizing she was alone in a gilded cage.
"What's going on?" she stammered.
"If you're wise you'll keep quiet. Pets don't speak on this planet," the creature admonished.
A pet? Giselle's eyes widened. She hadn't misheard.
Her cage was moved into a large tent. There were hundreds of aliens gathered for the auction, and these creatures were the largest yet. Their flesh was red like some kind of demon might be, with hair a uniform dark black. From what Giselle could see, their eyes were a stone-cold obsidian hue. Giselle noticed the fearsome creatures had long tails that rose out from what looked like chainmail kilts. Giselle shrunk back when she saw the creatures also had sharp fangs.
How in the hell could she get out of this, and if she did, how could she possibly survive on an alien planet?
Kagan beheld his pet. Nothing like her kind had ever set foot on Cadi. Kagan wondered where in the universe her unique species hailed from.
Giselle refused to behave and even enjoyed his attempts to rebuke her, reveling in the rough handling a male usually refrained from with females. Giselle was brave instead of meek, standing up for herself in a sea of foreigners.
Kagan had at first insisted that Giselle understand her place in Cadi society. But something more valuable than precious metal or jewels would be lost if Giselle were forced into the role everyone thought she belonged.
Can Giselle find acceptance and love on an alien planet, or will she always be nothing more than a warrior's pet?
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Warriors' Providence (Cadi Warriors Book 2)
https://books2read.com/u/mZP5ol
Warrior's Paradox (Cadi Warriors Book 3)
https://books2read.com/u/bWzZgW
Warrior's Pain (Cadi Warriors Book 4)
https://books2read.com/u/3kr0KN
Warrior's Purpose (Cadi Warriors Book 5)
https://books2read.com/u/bP50Vr
Warrior’s Plight (Cadi Warriors Book 6)
https://books2read.com/u/m0MrnV
Anguis Defenders Series
Viper’s Hope (Anguis Defenders Book 1)
https://books2read.com/u/3J80rv
Hope covered her ringing ears as she stared wide-eyed at the molten rock strafing across the sky. It got larger and brighter with the smoke trail parting the horizon. The sudden eruption of water out at sea was cataclysmic when the meteor struck. The wave of water that barreled toward San Francisco a moment later was small at first, then grew in size. Hope watched aghast as the water pushed aside massive buildings. She couldn't begin to fathom the level of devastation in front of her.
As if the tragedy she'd witnessed wasn't enough, something lurked in the trees outside her campsite. She watched as a portion of the tree separated from the trunk. The colors morphed into a bronzed, earthy tan figure of a man. The camouflaged man was at least seven foot tall with well-built legs and a massive broad chest. He swayed hypnotically as he walked with the sleekness of predator. His facial features were not human, yet not altogether frightening. He was an alien, a giant freaking alien, and he was abducting her!
Before the scourge of the universe struck, Viper never aspired to do more than rule his people, but his entire life had changed in the blink of an eye. The tragedy galvanized him with a single-minded purpose, to see to it he defended the Anguis and any other race unfortunate enough to cross paths with the plague, and wipe it from existence.
Finding his mate was the farthest thing from Viper’s mind as he attempted to rescue the humans off the doomed planet. With his own planet in turmoil over aiding so many other species and the universe at risk from the catastrophic plague, Viper never expected to find Hope.
Caution - This book contains a rough scene where our heroine is chained and taken by our hero. If you have triggers, this book isn’t for you. However, fear not, in the end, Hope finds the experience mind-blowing.
Fated Mate Series
Nameless Fate (Fated Mate Book 1)
https://books2read.com/u/bMQrWB
Harper might get an uncanny gut feeling every now and then, but that didn’t mean she believed in portents, and certainly not the kind that got her abducted. As Harper gripped the bars of her cage in the alien prison, it sunk in that she seriously had been kidnapped from Earth, to become the fated consort of some alien prince. This wasn’t some elaborate prank, or government experiment. True to form, Harper pissed off the tyrannical king with her refusal. Now she found herself at the mercy of convicts, locked away and forgotten in the bowels of a mountain.
Harper’s gaze fell on a shadowy beast of a man, sitting casually on the rundown catwalk. The imposing man looked like he ruled the prison. He was the color of midnight, and his eyes were that eerie arctic blue that was nearly colorless. Harper shivered as he regarded her.
All Nameless knew was the Hold, with its misery and struggle. He never wanted to keep a female, surviving was hard enough, but that was before the Pink Pearl dropped into his world. Nameless had never seen anything like the stunning, exotic little creature. Not only was she the catalyst for strange dreams and revelations about his past, but she made him feel. He had to have her.
Harper wanted free of the alien prison, and she wanted to go home, except Nameless wasn’t prepared or willing to let her go, even if
she hated him because of it. He owned every part of her, and bound her to him, in ways that could never be undone, collar or no collar. In her wildest dreams, Harper never imagined the twists destiny could take, or that she would find soul-deep satisfaction with such a nameless fate.
Follow Harper and Nameless as they struggle to get free of the Hold, and seek their revenge on the despot responsible for putting them there.
Note: This book contains erotic scenes where the dominant hero bends the heroine to his will. What pisses her off the most, is that she likes it.
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Fated to Fall (Fated Mate Book 2)
https://books2read.com/u/mVBZzP
About the Author
About Stephanie West
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As a child, I had difficulty learning to read, so anything I took an interest in was deemed acceptable. I have always enjoyed fairy tales, mythology, science fiction, and action. However, romance inspired me most of all, love being the greatest adventure. As I read, my mind wanders, spinning its own tales. So, after encouragement from friends, I figured I’d share my ramblings with the world, and my life as a part-time science fiction and paranormal romance author began.
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All my tales feature strong, gutsy and sometimes gifted heroines overcoming difficult odds, a lot of action, and steamy scenes that don’t fade to black. Generally, the romantic adventures I tell are about one hero and heroine, but occasionally a girl needs more. Although I’ve been called dark and told my stories push boundaries, they always end happily ever after. I try to use my tales as a way to share the various escapades, comedies, and tragedies that have peppered my life, from archaeology in the hot sun to riding on a Harley with a dark stranger. It is my greatest hope you finish each story inspired to make your dreams come true no matter how impossible they may seem.
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Thank you for going on this journey with me and here’s to the imagination and a little daydream.