“Restless to be out in the world. The Halvari asked if we will offer him to be trained as a warrior in the Khorzar.”
Zoey frowned. “Not even born yet and they’re already asking me to give him up.”
Ren soothed her with another kiss and smiled. “For those born into it, as I was — and my family for generations before me — it is tradition. Our child is of rare blood, to have two parents whose bodies accepted the nyros. But I already told them no.”
Her eyes widened, and she turned to face him without breaking his embrace. “You did? Why?”
She’d gone before a huge crowd of aligarii when Ren had presented her to them as his mate; the Halvari had been at the forefront, and they’d been the ones who held the power to bless or deny his claim. To say they were an intimidating bunch would’ve been an understatement — they were all built like Ren, but their faces had held none of the softness he’d shown her. They were the leaders of their people, and they projected only strength and stoicism.
After they’d legitimized Ren’s claims and welcomed him as a returned hero, they’d shown her great kindness and gratitude, praising her for her role in bringing him home, but she’d never forget how nervous she’d been when facing them that first time.
To know that Ren stood up to them and defied tradition a second time warmed her heart.
“Because our child will have strength of heart and spirit before he ever knows anything of war. If he chooses that path, let it be his choice when he is older. Those who choose the Khorzar of their own will are looked at with great honor for their selflessness. I will not send him down that road, and I will not have him taken from your arms.”
Tears blurred her vision. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
“Hmm.” He hooked her chin with a finger and turned her face slightly, studying her features. “I’m not sure. Perhaps you will have to show me, after we make our trip to the city.”
“Or,” Zoey said, placing her hands on his bare chest, “I could show you now. I’m feeling particularly affectionate, at the moment.”
A slow grin spread across his lips, the one that always lit a fire low in her belly. “And…what of our appointment with the veringan clothiers?” he asked as he drew her body against his, voice growing husky.
“You know you’re not supposed to deny a pregnant woman’s desires.” She slid her hands over his shoulders, lacing her fingers behind his neck and drawing his head down. “They can wait. Your kun’ia cannot.”
Rendash groaned, his lower palms squeezing her backside. She felt his hardness against her abdomen.
“Perhaps I can fulfill your desire, little human, if you promise to let me select a few new articles of clothing for you to wear when we are home…”
“I promise,” she said, smiling against his lips.
Zoey shrieked with laughter as he picked her up, strode back inside their room, and laid her down upon their bed.
“And your kun’ia desires a taste of your nectar,” he declared, lifting her skirts and lowering his head between her thighs.
It wasn’t long before her laughter gave way to pleasured moans.
Author’s Note
It’s crazy how a note at the end of the book can be just as difficult and intimidating as that blank page under Chapter One. So we’ll begin with the easiest and most important part: Thank you. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read Claimed by an Alien Warrior! We hope you enjoyed Rendash and Zoey’s little adventure. And if you reviewed it, thank you, thank you, thank you again! Your support means everything to us.
This book was such a blast to write. We probably laughed more writing this book than we have any other. We wanted to write something short and fun before we submersed ourselves in the Kraken Series again (oh, the puns!). It seems when it comes to our writing, though, short is a pretty difficult thing to achieve. Not that it’s a bad thing! Ultimately, we met our goal for this project: we just wanted to have some fun, and that’s exactly what we did.
If we may be so bold as to offer advice for any aspiring authors, it would be this: write what you’re passionate about. Write what you love. We know our books vary in tone from series to series, and that’s okay. Our goal is to tell the stories we want to tell in the ways they’re meant to be told, and we hope that shines through in our work.
Claimed by an Alien Warrior came to be in a burst of inspiration while we were out on a morning walk. The issues Zoey faces are close to my (Tiffany’s) heart. I struggle with my weight and a poor self-image every day, and I have for years. There are moments when I feel good about myself, but doubt and self-loathing always pull me back under. However, there is one person who sees me as Rendash sees Zoey: Robert. My best friend, my husband, and co-author. To him, I am beautiful no matter my age, my size, my shape, whether I’m having good days or bad days. He sees me.
Do you need a man to tell you you’re beautiful? Of course not. I am so happy for everyone who feels comfortable in their own skin. But Robert always makes me feel good when I am down, when I doubt myself, or speak poorly about myself. He sees all of me, inside and out, and loves me.
So I want to shout out to all of you ladies who are reading this right now — You. Are. Beautiful. Never let anyone make you doubt that truth.
As for what we’re doing next… We previously mentioned Kronus’s book coming next, but we’ve had a change in plans due to some schedule constraints. You might have seen us mention it on Facebook, but we’ll announce it here, too: we’re going to be releasing another Valos of Sonhadra book next! As soon as we’re finished with that, then yes, we’ll be back into the Kraken Series! We expect Kronus’s book to release sometime after Hunter of the Tides comes out in the Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3 anthology, which is due in mid-October.
To close this out, we want to recognize some authors who have been wonderfully supportive of us. We can’t thank these ladies enough for the time they take from their busy schedules to answer our questions, help us with blurbs, or to simply chat and laugh with. To our Sci-fi Groupie ladies Naomi Lucas, Amanda Milo, Poppy Rhys, Tamsin Ley, JM Link, Marina Simcoe, Jeanette Lynn, Susan Trombley, Nancey Cummings, Isabel Wroth, Kelsey Nicole Price, Regine Abel, Ripley Proserpina. And to authors Emmy Chandler, Bex Mclynn, Laurann Dohner, Veronica Scott, Rena Marks, Vicki Stiefel, Grace Draven, Amy Cissell, Monica Enderle Pierce, Mel Sterling, Genevieve St-Yves, Colleen Vanderlinden — you ladies rock! We treasure every kind word and bit of encouragement. Thank you.
Also by Tiffany Roberts
THE KRAKEN
Treasure of the Abyss
Jewel of the Sea
Hunter of the Tide (October 9th)
Heart of the Deep
ISLE OF THE FORGOTTEN
Make Me Burn
Make Me Hunger
Make Me Whole
Make Me Yours
OTHER TITLES
Claimed by an Alien Warrior
Dustwalker
Ice Bound: Short Story
VALOS OF SONHADRA COLLABORATION Undying
Unleashed (Coming Fall 2018)
About the Author
Tiffany Roberts is the pseudonym for Tiffany and Robert Freund, a husband-and-wife writing duo. While Tiffany was born and bred in Idaho, Robert was a New York native who made the decision to fly across the county to be with her. Tiffany and Robert have always had a passion for reading and writing, and it was the dream to write books that they both shared that brought them closer. While they never gave up on this dream, work and kids came first until they were able to focus on moving their writing career along.
Connect with us:
Website:
https://authortiffanyroberts.wordpress.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTiffanyRoberts
BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tiffany-roberts
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