Claim

by Tana Stone

  “Come on, Tor,” Danica said, making her way over to them. “I think you’d be great at delivering babies.”

  Tori grunted. “You do not wish to know how Zevrian babies are delivered.”

  Holly raised her hand. “I sure as hell don’t. I vote for the medical officer.”

  Danica’s gaze swept the group. “It looks like everyone’s ready to roll. K’alvek and Kush are already on the ship.”

  “I can’t believe we’re actually leaving,” Caro said. “It feels like both forever ago and just yesterday that we were crash-landing in the middle of the desert. So much has happened since then, it feels like we’re all different people.”

  Danica grinned at her crew. “We kind of are, but I think we all changed for the better.”

  Holly looked up at T’Kar and bit her lower lip. “And we’re all leaving with fun party favors.”

  Tori rolled her eyes. “And we’re back to this again. If you keep this up, I’m going to be forced to set off the onboard sprinkler system at regular intervals.”

  Danica laughed, as she started walking toward the ship and everyone followed her. “At least we’re also leaving the planet in better shape than when we got here. There’s peace between the Dothveks and Cresteks, the Dothveks have their first female ruler, and it seems like most of the females from both clans are pregnant.”

  “It’s not like all of that is due to us,” Caro said. “As much as I’d like to take credit for it, we aren’t magic.”

  “I do not know.” Rukken tugged her to him as they walked. “Your arrival changed my life and saved me. It feels very much like magic, or a gift from the goddesses.”

  “I agree.” Tommel’s voice was a low rumble. “There is no other explanation as to how a group of offworld females could be our mind mates. You were sent from the goddesses.”

  Even though Bexli wasn’t sure she bought their goddess stuff, she also felt like finding Tommel had been more than luck. He was exactly what she needed, and she couldn’t imagine anyone in the entire galaxy she’d rather be with—or have as the father of her child.

  When they reached the ramp of the ship, Bexli turned to look back at the village. They had loaded their small quantity of provisions and any personal belongings the Dothveks wanted to bring along the night before. Then, they’d also taken the time to say all their goodbyes the night before, but now, she spotted the new clan leader and the high priestess standing near the communal fire on the edge of the oasis. She wondered how long they had been standing there.

  Tommel turned and bowed low, and all the Dothveks did the same. When Bexli turned back around, she saw K’alvek and Kush standing at the top of the ramp, also bowing respectfully.

  “You ready?” Danica asked, linking her hand with K’alvek’s when she reached him.

  “I am ready, Captain.”

  She laughed. “I told you that you didn’t need to call me that.”

  He grinned. “I like it.”

  Max ran the last few steps and jumped into Kush’s arms. “This is going to be fun.”

  “Mmmm.” He carried her inside with her legs wrapped around his waist. “I finally get to watch you work.”

  She kissed him. “I can think of other things that will be more fun than that.”

  Tori pushed past them. “Okay, Dothvek security team. Let’s get ready to hunt some bounties.”

  K’alvek squared his shoulders. “I was listening to the transmissions like you showed me. It seems there is a very large bounty out for a Vandar raider warlord.”

  “Vandar raiders.” Caro’s voice was hushed. “Those guys are scary.”

  “You know them?” Danica asked, visibly switching into her captain mode as they made their way to the bridge.

  Caro gave a single nod. “From the Valox resistance. They were also battling the Zagrath Empire. They just did it in a different way.”

  “How so?” Danica asked as they entered the bridge, and she made her way to the captain’s chair.

  “The Vandar raiders are as tough and merciless as the enemy they’re fighting. They defend planets that can’t defend themselves from the Zagrath, but they also show no mercy. They’ll decimate a Zagrath outpost, even if it isn’t military.”

  Danica tapped her chin. “We’ve never had a reason to get close to Zagrath territory.”

  K’alvek came up behind her. “The bounty on this raider warlord is very high.”

  Bexli scooped Pog up in one hand as Caro slipped into her pilot’s chair and fired up the engines.

  “We’ve never gone after a warlord before,” Tori said.

  Vrax assumed a wide stance next to Tori. “You didn’t have us.”

  Danica looked at her crew mates, then locked eyes with K’alvek. “Set a course for Zagrath territory. It looks like we’re going after a warlord.”

  “Look out.” Caro engaged the engines with a few taps of her fingers, making them roar to life under their feet. “Here come the baddest bounty hunters and barbarians in the galaxy.”

  Bexli sensed Tommel tense next to her and slipped her hand into his, feeling him instantly calm. “Ready to have some fun?”

  Tommel pulled her to him, placing a large hand protectively over her belly. “With my two loves? Always.”

  Bexli’s stomach did a somersault in response to her mate’s touch, making her laugh. She never would have imagined she could be as happy as she was. Then again, she never would have guessed she’d fall in love with a silver fox Dothvek like Tommel.

  Glancing around the bridge at her crew mates and their barbarians, her heart swelled. Who would have guessed any of it when they’d first crash-landed on the planet? She’d never believed in fate before, but she’d also never thought she could fall head-over-heels in love, or be excited about being a mother. Apparently, she’d been wrong about a lot of things.

  Warmth from Tommel’s hand pulsed into her, and she gazed up at him. Maybe that prophecy from the goddesses hadn’t been so crazy after all. Maybe she and her crew had saved the Dothveks. She knew one of them had saved her.

  And then she’d saved him right back.

  Thank you for reading CLAIM! I hope you enjoyed the last book of the Barbarians of the Sand Planet series. If you loved the gorgeous Dothveks, don’t worry. They’ll be returning for a fun holiday novella to check up on all those babies! And I might need to write a novel for the twin warriors, too. :-)

  Want to read more hot alien romance while you wait? Try the sexy Drexian Warriors.

  She’s been promised a dream wedding. The catch? She was abducted from Earth and her groom is a hot alien warrior with a bad attitude. He's a big shot commander used to being obeyed, but no way is she following HIS orders. Sparks will fly in TAMED!

  One-click TAMED Now>

  “This crazy hot tale of the alpha male alien and the spoiled little rich girl of Beverly Hills is a funny, steamy, and highly engaging introduction to Tana Stone's new series. I gotta have more of this!”-Amazon Reviewer

  This book has been edited and proofed, but typos are like little gremlins that like to sneak in when we’re not looking. If you spot a typo, please report it to: tana@tanastone.com

  Thank you!!

  Also by Tana Stone

  Raider Warlords of the Vandar Series:

  POSSESSED

  PLUNDERED

  Alien Academy Series:

  ROGUE

  The Tribute Brides of the Drexian Warriors Series:

  TAMED (also available in AUDIO)

  SEIZED (also available in AUDIO)

  EXPOSED (also available in AUDIO)

  RANSOMED (also available in AUDIO)

  FORBIDDEN (also available in AUDIO)

  BOUND

  JINGLED (A Holiday Novella)

  CRAVED

  STOLEN

  SCARRED

  The Barbarians of the Sand Planet Series:

  BOUNTY (also available in AUDIO)

  CAPTIVE (also available in AUDIO)

  TORMENT

  TRIBUTE<
br />
  SAVAGE

  CLAIM

  TANA STONE books available as audiobooks!

  BARBARIANS OF THE SAND PLANET

  BOUNTY on AUDIBLE

  CAPTIVE on AUDIBLE

  TRIBUTE BRIDES OF THE DREXIAN WARRIORS

  TAMED on AUDIBLE

  SEIZED on AUDIBLE

  EXPOSED on AUDIBLE

  RANSOMED on AUDIBLE

  FORBIDDEN on AUDIBLE

  Preview of TAMED—Tribute Brides of the Drexian Warriors #1

  This is the first chapter of another sci-fi alien warrior romance series by Tana Stone, this one set on a high-tech space station and featuring badass Drexian warriors in need of human brides. I hope you enjoy!

  Chapter One

  Dorn strode across the deck of his ship’s bridge, his heavy boots echoing off the steel floor, and scanned the large window that doubled as a view screen. The enemy was in retreat—that was clear from the distant explosions lighting up the inky blackness. He balled his hands into large fists, pleased that his fleet had once again kept the Kronock from getting close to the solar system his people had vowed to protect. As a Drexian warrior, known for battle skill and fearlessness, it was more than his duty. It was his life’s mission.

  “Report,” he said to his number two in command.

  “Inferno Force has repelled them again. Minor damage to our ship’s hull, but nothing slipped past our blockade.”

  Dorn grunted in response, breathing in the faint smoky smell from the hit they’d taken. He knew as long as he led the fleet, nothing would get through. Although they were far from the eight-planet system containing Earth, he and his warriors put their lives at risk each day to keep the viscous Kronock from invading the technologically outmatched planet.

  “Rerouting power back from shields to environmental controls,” one of his officers said, intently focused on the computer screen.

  A steamy bridge was a small price to pay for stronger shields, but he’d welcome some fresh airflow. Dorn swiped a hand across his sweaty brow as he took in the thousands of stars laid out in front of him.

  Even though the Drexians had been defending Earth for over thirty years, almost no one on the blue planet was aware they even existed. That was part of the deal. The heads of government with whom they’d made first contact had insisted that discretion be the cornerstone of the arrangement. They’d thought telling humans about the existence of aliens—one warmongering species intent on invasion and one warrior race determined to stop the other—would create chaos and mass hysteria. So a secret agreement was forged that only a handful of Earthlings knew about.

  “They don’t even think life exists outside their world,” Dorn said under his breath, lost in thought. “Arrogant fools.”

  “Come again, Commander?” the nearest deck officer asked, swiveling around in his chair and away from the monitor in front of him.

  Dorn cleared his throat. “Nothing. Just glad the Kronock are on the run again. Good work, warriors.”

  “Yes, sir.” The officer nodded and spun back around.

  Dorn cast his eyes across the bridge at the Drexians all busy with their assigned tasks. Each wore dark uniform pants, and sleeveless shirts that pulled tight across their arms, exposing myriad tattoos and scars. Their faces were intense and focused on the battle, glowing with a sheen of sweat. The Drexians who signed up to serve in the Inferno Force and defend against the Kronock on the border of enemy territory—called the outskirts—were rougher than your average soldier.

  Being so far away from the rest of the fleet, however, their rules were more relaxed. Dorn cultivated a fight hard, play hard mentality among his crew, and he lived it himself. Disagreements were settled with hand-to-hand combat, and he’d tasted blood—courtesy of his crewmates—more than once. He knew the Drexian High Command would not be pleased to see a bridge full of soldiers not in full uniform, but when he looked at the battle-scarred warriors, Dorn’s chest swelled with pride. His eyes flicked to his own intricate, black tattoos stretching down one bicep--stylized swirls and a shield marking him as Inferno Force. He and his warriors would never let the Kronock through.

  Pride morphed into anger as the thought of his enemy took hold. Violent and concerned only with exploiting other species, the gray-scaled warmongers wanted nothing more than to enslave and destroy. Even though they were technologically superior to humans, Kronock weaponry still hadn’t been able to defeat the sheer firepower and sophisticated tech of the Drexian forces, which was why his people chased the monsters all over the galaxy to prevent them from invading weaker planets. It was how they’d discovered Earth in the first place. He knew many felt it had been a lucky day for both races.

  Dorn spun on his heel and walked to the illuminated star chart that took up one wall of the bridge and traced the history of the war. He dragged a callused finger from the blue dot that represented the Drexian home world across light years to the small solar system so valuable to his people. He tapped the map, and his finger made the screen shimmer with ripples of color.

  The small, blue planet looked tiny and insignificant, thought Dorn. In many ways it was. The planet was overpopulated, and was systematically destroying its own ecosystem, yet they had not achieved light speed, jump capability, or the ability to establish colonies off world. Normally, a planet such as that would not warrant a steady and devoted defense. In the past, the Drexians had relocated alien species that had been targeted by the Kronock, or had assimilated them into their society.

  But Earth was different. Earth females were compatible with Drexian males. Some of them, at least. About half of the female population, according to Drexian scientists. This was why his fleet fought for them. This was why the human governments made the deal—the deal that traded protection of Earth for females.

  Dorn turned from the star chart and watched his warriors move with practiced efficiency on the bridge. If there had been no deal, his crew would not be where it was. Not that Dorn minded fighting. None of them did, but sometimes he wondered if it would ever end.

  After the initial Kronock incursion of the eight-planet solar system—when they’d reached within firing range of Earth before the Drexians had intervened and beaten them back—the enemy had sent a steady stream of ships to their border, but Dorn thought it was more to make sure the Drexians were still holding their blockade in place, than an actual attempt at invasion. The defense forces protecting Earth hadn’t come face-to-face with a Kronock in over thirty years, and although Dorn’s stomach turned at the thought of the huge scaly creatures with elongated, hairless heads his warrior father had told tales about, he couldn’t help feeling that he was fighting a faceless enemy.

  Keep on coming, he thought to himself as he watched his ship target a retreating Kronock ship and fire. Faceless or not, we’ll beat you every time.

  “The last Kronock ship has been pushed back, sir,” his second in command said, looking over his shoulder from where he leaned against a low console.

  “Are all our fighter pilots back?” Dorn asked.

  His second glanced down at the console. “Last one just reported in. No losses.”

  He let out a breath, relieved that his team had suffered no casualties. He couldn’t afford to lose any warriors. Correction, the Drexian race couldn’t afford to lose any warriors.

  As the last of the Kronock ships disappeared from view, Dorn’s shoulders relaxed and he rubbed a hand across his jaw, feeling the day’s worth of stubble he preferred. He had no problem defending Earth; battling the Kronock was in his blood and made him feel alive. However, he had no need or desire for an Earthling mate. Or a mate at all. His fellow Drexians could claim his share of the bounty for him.

  “Fall back to our defensive orbit,” he said, dragging a hand through the dark hair he’d let grow out and fall around his ears.

  It wasn’t that he found the Earth females repulsive. Aside from being small enough for him to break in two, they resembled Drexians in many ways. Bipedal mammals, they only lacke
d a foot or two in height, nodes along their spines, and a third breast, but he’d heard his Drexian brethren say that what the breasts lacked in quantity they made up for in softness. He’d often imagined what these famously soft breasts felt like, and even now his cock strained against his leg at the thought, and the hard nodes along his spine heated.

  “Commander, you have an incoming transmission,” his communications officer said, looking up from the blinking control panel.

  “Transmit,” Dorn said, glad for the interruption that had taken his mind off the Earth women and their curious breasts he’d never see.

  The officer tilted his head. “It’s on a secure line. From High Command.”

  Dorn sighed. “I’ll take it in my strategy room.”

  He walked off the bridge and into an adjoining room where star charts and battle plans were strewn across a large, round table. Despite their technological sophistication, Dorn preferred mapping his strategy on paper. Drawing lines and charting intercept points helped him think clearly.

  He took a seat across from the single display screen and tapped a button by the chair to start the transmission. The screen crackled to life, and a familiar face looked at him from across the galaxy. With bronze skin and vivid green eyes almost identical to his own, the man in the High Command uniform on the monitor grinned when he saw him. If Dorn’s hair had been a lighter shade of brown and cut short, and one of his arms not covered with a dark swirl of tattoos, it might have been difficult to tell the two apart.

  Dorn shook his head and tried not to smile himself. “I should have known it would be you. Nothing better to do than bother me in the middle of a battle?”

  “Is that any way to greet your older brother?” The Drexian gave him a half grin. “Besides, I know you won your battle, and the Kronock are in full retreat.”