For the first time since he had left Sorvid, he was truly home.
Epilogue
Four months later...
Varga looked up as his replacement entered the security room of the resort and gave a relieved sigh.
“I thought you were going to be late.”
Harwit, an overly serious Hothian male, frowned at him. “I am never late. Is there anything I should know?”
“No, everything was quiet.”
As usual. He had taken this job as a way of occupying his time while Joan was working in the restaurant, but it turned out to be much more boring than he had anticipated. He would never dream of complaining to Joan when she seemed to be enjoying her work so much, but he had to find something else to do.
He was still turning over the possibilities as he entered their quarters. Joan had not yet returned, and he was about to go to the kitchen to meet her when the communication panel chimed.
With a frown, he opened the vid link, then blinked when he saw the Elginar who had taken over the Derian ship while Varga went after Joan.
“Manam. I did not expect to hear from you again.”
“I wasn’t planning to contact you, but…” The Elginar frowned and rubbed his head, and Varga realized that the other male was letting his hair grow out to cover his tattooed scalp.
“But?” he urged.
“It took several trips to return the other slaves to their desired destinations. There’s not a lot to do while we’re in space so I started digging deeper into the logs.” Troubled blue eyes looked back at him. “There are more.”
“More?”
“More human females. It looks as though some of the Derians have been picking up a female or two each trip for some time—and I think they are getting bolder.”
Fuck. He hated the idea of more females subject to the horrors of slavery, but he wasn’t sure what one person could do.
“What are you going to do?” Manam asked, echoing his thoughts.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Do you know where any of them are now?”
“Not yet. I will continue to search—the puzzle intrigues me—but once I find them…” Manam shrugged. “I’m not the hero type.”
“I’m not either.” But despite his denial, the notion had an unexpected appeal. It certainly sounded more exciting than monitoring an empty snow-covered plain or making sure that ridiculously wealthy people didn’t suffer from their own stupidity. But Joan was happy here and he couldn’t take that away from her. “Please let me know when you find out more.”
“I will.” Manam signed off, but Varga sat staring at the blank screen until Joan came home. She was carrying George—the lizard frequently kept her company in the kitchen—and as soon as Joan put the little creature down, she headed for her basket by the heater with a sleepy chirp.
“I think these late nights are too much for George,” Joan laughed as she came to join him. “You’re looking thoughtful. Is something wrong?”
“No, just thinking. How was dinner?”
“Long,” she sighed. “Tiring.”
“Would you like me to run you a bath?”
“Not that kind of tiring. It’s more… restlessness. I’m too wound up to sleep.”
She gave him a provocative look, and his cock immediately hardened. “Perhaps I can assist?”
“Only if you can catch me.”
She darted off towards the bedroom, and he let her get halfway there before he caught her, throwing her over his shoulder as she squealed with laughter. He gave a firm smack to her luscious ass and felt her quiver with excitement as the sweet scent of her arousal filled the air.
He carried her into the bedroom and proceeded to make sure that she would have absolutely no trouble sleeping.
The next evening, Joan made one last check of the gleaming kitchen and headed for the door. The restlessness was still haunting her. Last night had been wonderful, and no doubt tonight would be as well, but she had to face the truth.
She walked through the silent resort back to their rooms. Gleaming stone floors stretched to wide windows looking out over the breath-taking views. Beautiful, tasteful furniture formed cozy little nooks, empty at this time of night. Despite the carefully maintained temperature, she shivered.
The lights were off when she entered their quarters. George was already asleep in her basket, but Varga was awake, sitting in a chair by the window and staring out over the snowy plain. She went and joined him, climbing into his lap with a contented sigh. She would never get tired of being in his arms.
“You’re very quiet tonight,” he said, running his fingers through her hair.
“I don’t want to do this anymore,” she burst out.
His skin hardened beneath her. “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice strained.
“This job,” she said quickly. “I don’t want to do it anymore.”
He sighed, and his body relaxed. “I thought you enjoyed cooking.”
“I do. I like making food for the people I care about. And coming up with the menu and the recipes was fun. But I don’t want to be in a kitchen every night, worrying about whether people like their food. I’ve been doing that for most of my adult life. I want to go different places, see different things.”
“You are no longer worried about being able to take care of yourself?”
She shook her head. “No. I still have most of the credits I’ve earned from working here, but more importantly, I’ve proven to myself that I can make a living if I have to.”
“In that case, when do you want to leave?”
“What?”
He smiled down at her, his eyes warm. “Sweetheart, I have a ship, remember? We can go wherever you want anytime you’re ready.”
She hadn’t expected him to agree so quickly, especially after she had been so insistent on the job. “But I thought… I thought Baralt was your friend?”
“He is my friend, just as Izzie and Polly and Saka are your friends. But none of those friendships are going to change just because we’re not here all the time. I will confess that I have been feeling restless as well.”
“Do you mean it? Really?” Her eyes filled with tears.
“Of course. I want my little bird to fly free.”
Excitement raced through her veins. “I can’t leave today. Or even tomorrow. But by the end of the week, I think I can have Saka ready to take over.”
“Then we will leave at the end of the week,” he said calmly and bent down to kiss her.
One week later, they were standing in the lounge of his ship, preparing to say goodbye. As thrilled as she was to be leaving, she knew she was going to miss her friends.
“I can’t say I’m going to miss that couch,” Saka said dryly. “It was nowhere near as comfortable as it looks.”
Everyone laughed, but Joan pulled the other female aside soon afterwards. “Are you sure about this? If you don’t want to stay, we can take you along.”
“Then who would run the restaurant?” Saka drawled.
“Screw the restaurant,” Joan said fiercely. “I want you to be happy.”
“I know. I’m just not sure it’s possible. At least not yet.” Saka smiled. It was a little wobbly, but it was far more genuine than any of her practiced smiles. “But I like running the restaurant. I like having a value other than my body. This is the right thing for me.”
“As long as you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
Joan hugged her and Saka allowed it, patting her back awkwardly.
“I’ll even check in on Polly,” Saka promised when she stepped back.
“Thank you.”
Polly hadn’t come to say goodbye in person because she still didn’t feel comfortable near the port. After construction on the resort had been completed, she had accompanied Njkall when he returned to the caves. Life in the caves seemed to suit her, but her relationship with Njkall remained unchanged, and Joan wondered if the girl would ever realize that he was waiting for her.
Rummel too promised to check in on Polly, although he was much more sanguine about the girl’s future. “Just give her time,” he said gruffly. “She’s finding her way.”
She sighed and hugged him before he could duck away. Of course he grumbled, but she saw him grin as he went to talk to Varga. Her handsome mate, she thought with a sigh, admiring his tall, strong figure from across the room. As if he felt her gaze, he looked up, and their eyes met. Her clit gave an excited little throb. She couldn’t wait until they were alone…
“I’m going to miss you,” Izzie said with a sigh as she joined Joan, distracting her from her increasingly erotic thoughts.
“I’m going to miss you too. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”
Izzie laughed. “No, thanks. I’ve never been a big fan of traveling. Especially not now…”
Her hand dropped to her stomach, and Joan’s eyes widened. “Do you mean…?”
“Yes.” Izzie gave her a contented smile. “Will you come back when the baby is born?”
“Of course. We already planned on coming back to visit frequently, and I can’t think of a better reason.”
Baralt joined them, putting his arm around Izzie and studying her face carefully. “Are you all right? Not too tired?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m just fine. Stop worrying. But we should leave so these two can be on their way.”
There was a flurry of goodbyes, and then the two of them were alone. The three of them, she amended, looking at George already curled in her basket.
Varga closed the door behind their guests and smiled at his mate, glad to see her looking so happy. “Are you ready?”
“Definitely.” She followed him into the small cockpit and he pulled her down on his lap.
“Where shall we go?” he asked.
“How about someplace warm? I think I’m ready to see something other than snow. Not Drahana hot,” she added hastily, “but somewhere tropical with trees and flowers and a beach. I suspect George would appreciate some warm weather as well.”
“It’s funny you should mention that,” he said slowly. He had received another message from Manam last night, and the Elginar had tracked a human to one of the ocean worlds.
“Why?”
“Someone mentioned one to me,” he said vaguely. He didn’t want to bring up the possibility of rescuing another human in case the information was incorrect.
She laughed. “It must be fate. What’s it called?”
“Mafana.”
“That sounds pretty. Mafana it is.”
As the ship rose into the air, she leaned forward, her arms lifting as if she was flying up with the ship. He would always make sure his little bird could fly, he resolved, and smiled as he set course for the future.
Author’s Note
Thank you so much for reading Joan and the Juggernaut! As soon as Varga showed up in Izzie, I knew I had to tell his story. And of course, Joan was the perfect match for him! She’s a heroine who’s very close to my heart – if you follow me on social media you know I love to cook – so I especially enjoyed giving her the happy ending she deserved.
Whether you enjoyed the story or not, it would mean the world to me if you left an honest review on Amazon – reviews are one of the best ways to help other readers find my books!
As always, I have to thank my readers for exploring this universe with me! Your support and encouragement make it possible for me to keep writing these books. As always, a special thanks to my beta team – Janet S, Nancy V, and Kitty S. Your thoughts and comments are incredibly helpful!
There are more stories to tell in the Alien Abduction universe – at least fifteen of them! – but I have some other things planned for the rest of 2020, including another Treasured by the Alien story – and a few surprises.
And up next – I’m returning to Mars for Serena and her giant cyborg in The Outlaw Cyborg. Time to find out the story behind your favorite not-quite-as-villainous-as-she-seems heroine! I’m also thrilled to announce that the entire Cyborgs on Mars series will soon be available on Audible!
Click here to pre-order The Outlaw Cyborg now on Amazon!
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Other Titles
The Alien Abduction Series
Anna and the Alien
Beth and the Barbarian
Cam and the Conqueror
Deb and the Demon
Ella and the Emperor
Faith and the Fighter
Greta and the Gargoyle
Hanna and the Hitman
Izzie and the Icebeast
Joan and the Juggernaut
The Alien Invasion Series
Alien Selection
Alien Conquest
Alien Prisoner
Alien Breeder
Alien Alliance
Alien Hope
Cosmic Fairy Tales
Jackie and the Giant
Cyborgs on Mars
High Plains Cyborg
The Good, the Bad, and the Cyborg
A Fistful of Cyborg
A Few Cyborgs More
The Magnificent Cyborg
The Outlaw Cyborg
Treasured by the Alien
Mama and the Alien Warrior
A Son for the Alien Warrior
Daughter of the Alien Warrior
About the Author
Honey Phillips writes steamy science fiction stories about hot alien warriors and the human women they can’t resist. From abductions to invasions, the ride might be rough, but the end always satisfies.
Honey wrote and illustrated her first book at the tender age of 5. Her writing has improved since then. Her drawing skills, unfortunately, have not. She loves writing, reading, traveling, cooking, and drinking champagne - not necessarily in that order.
Honey loves to hear from her wonderful readers! You can stalk her at any of the following locations…
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoneyPhillipsAuthor
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Website: http://www.honeyphillips.com
Joan and the Juggernaut: A SciFi Alien Romance (Alien Abduction Book 10) Page 17
