Devil In Exile: A Scifi Alien Mates Romance Novel (Warriors Of Elysius Book 1)

by Fiona Jayde

  Bodeth shakes his head as if he can’t process this bit of news. “It’s true, then. This alliance with the humans might actually work.”

  “Alliance? With humans?” I glare at Tarian who looks rather put out with his intelligence officer.

  “You know, for someone who deals in information and secrets, you’ve been awfully chatty this evening,” Tarian says.

  “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, Tarian, and no way in hell are you allowed to distract, detract, or otherwise avoid this conversation. If you even attempt it, I will skewer you with whatever sharp, pointy object I can get my hands on. You owe me big time for drugging me and kidnapping me.” I shovel more food in my mouth and chew because…food…I’m seriously starving despite that bomb being dropped.

  Maybe the fate of Earth and that portal doesn’t rest on my shoulders after all. If officials from Earth have known about Elysiums for a while now, long enough to be bartering deals and forming alliances, then there’s a good chance they are well-equipped to deal with a portal in an ocean trench. What exactly do my moral obligations entail at this point? And what does this mean for me and Kyllell?

  “I’ve decided we need to add a human female to the crew,” Laoth says completely out of nowhere, shocking everyone to silence. It’s the first time he’s spoken since I entered the room, and I’m surprised by how soft and calming his voice is.

  “Why is that?” I ask.

  He feigns innocence as he says, “We need someone who can boss the commander around with the same amount of fearlessness you possess.”

  Tarian and I both suffer through his crew’s bawdy laughter. After that, I listen and nod as they tell me about themselves, enjoying the food and, surprisingly, the company, but I haven’t forgotten about the important conversation Tarian is going to share with me. If there’s an alliance going down between Earth and Elysius, then I am entitled to the gritty details.

  Maybe this whole being kidnapped for a greater purpose thing won’t be so bad after all.

  I just hope Kyllell hurries the hell up and finds me.

  ※※※※

  Kyllell

  My shuttle doesn’t catch up with Tarian’s ship until it is entering Elysius’ airspace. I drink in the warm, red color of my home planet. I did not realize how much I had missed it.

  When I was exiled, I remember watching Elysius fade from view as the ship carried me away to Draioch. At the time, all I had felt was anger and betrayal. Now, I realize I was also in mourning for the loss of my world and the destruction of my family. It had been a year of loss already, with my mother and sister gone, my father assassinated. To lose my brother and my home as well had been more than painful.

  It had been devastating.

  I ask myself if it is possible that I put too much blame on Tarian for all that had happened to me. I blamed him for my exile; I saw his alignment with the enemy as a betrayal of our family, but perhaps he had just been trying to survive. Perhaps he really had been playing the long game, seeing possibilities for our future where I had only seen death.

  Not for the first time, I wonder what Ada thinks of my planet. Right now, she is probably looking out of one of Tarian’s windows at his home, trying to take in the strangeness of our world and our ways. From the outside, it looks barren and hot—inhospitable, really. But on the planet’s surface, there is great energy. Our people have worked hard to cultivate planet life and culture, despite the loss of our females.

  That loss definitely dealt a blow to Elysium society, there is no question. But before I was exiled from my own planet, the council had been attempting to temper that situation by allowing more species into our midst. Their plans for repopulation made a sad type of sense. There would be no more full-blooded Elysium young born to our people, but we would still flourish as a species, and according to the updates my brother tried to shove down my throat just before he drugged me, great strides had been taken in forming alliances with other species. Compatible females had been found.

  I had certainly found a compatible female.

  I’m wishing I would have allowed him to give me more details on which species our males have joined with, since I am now here, and will most likely have to deal with the council at some point. At the time, however, all I could focus on was Ada’s scent and Tarian’s infernal presence. I was definitely distracted.

  For Ada’s sake, I hope the females are already being integrated into our community and thriving. I do not wish for her to be the lone female here. It would be too isolating for her and far too dangerous. No telling what a desperate Elysium might do when dealing with the threat of no female companionship on-planet.

  I shudder, suddenly realizing that I am considering what the future might hold if we stay, and I have already decided that the political tension and my exile makes this too volatile for us. She is not safe here. I’m even more furious than before, my horns burning brightly with pent up sexual tension and all around frustration, especially when I consider the less than probable scenario of Ada being willing to remain with me no matter where we journey to.

  I must reach her as quickly as possible. I must reach her before Tarian attempts to woo her into his bed. Then we must escape my world just as surely as we had to escape Draioch. Somehow, I will find the location of Earth, and maybe, just maybe, she’ll decide she isn’t interested in that option. I can think of nothing more exciting than traveling the stars with my Ada.

  But we have to survive this latest treachery from my brother first.

  Ada has been with other Elysiums for eight full rotations. Unless my brother locked her in her room, the crew members will have been working hard to steal her from me. Have they attempted to pull her to them with their energies? I clench my teeth at the thought of her walking toward one of them, successfully caught in another male’s pull. If anyone touches her, I swear I will kill him.

  Especially Tarian.

  My shuttle is moving too slowly for my liking. I jam my fingers on the buttons to try to speed things along. It probably does not change the speed, but it makes me feel better.

  The sky is darkened by a storm when I get through the atmosphere. I steer my little shuttle through the clouds. I see several flashes of lightning in the distance, but the little ship safely putters its way down to the surface. I’m not foolish enough to think I can merely stride off the shuttle and boldly walk around with exile and execution hanging over my head, and yet I’m hoping that’s exactly what I’ll be allowed to do.

  As I stride out of the ship, a small group of six soldiers are waiting for me. I grin as I recognize the faces of my old team. The few soldiers who had faced off against the council, the few who had stood by my side before I was exiled. I managed to convince them to stand down when I realized the serious state of things, but they were very reluctant to do so. “What are all of you doing, standing around here? Do you not have better things to do than greet an old warrior’s ship?”

  The smiles and hugs are a welcome relief to the gnawing worry and unease I have felt for the last eight rotations as I’ve attempted to catch up to my brother. My chief of staff, Llykketh, falls in line next to me and begins giving me an update on the political situation here on Elysius just as he used to. It’s as if I was never exiled.

  “No one trusts anyone anymore,” he tells me as he accompanies me to a floater vessel. “Since the coup and your exile, no one wants to continue under the current council. More and more soldiers are deserting the military, refusing to protect the council and our allies until your return. How can we trust these males to have our backs or the backs of our trainees when they have usurped the correct order of things and taken your position on the council?” He shakes his head. “We cannot.”

  I nod. “I need to talk to my brother.”

  “That’s where we are taking you. Tarian sent us to accompany you to his place. Your arrival here today has been flagged as a diplomatic visit from a neighboring species who wishes to join the alliance. He doesn’t want the council knowin
g you’re here yet.”

  “Tell me more about the alliance. I’ll admit to ignoring my brother when he attempted his explanations.” I jump onto the floater and wait as two other soldiers and Llykketh join us and send the floater at full speed toward the Yarrow district, one of the more wealthy housing areas for Elysiums.

  “The Council has made good on their promise to form alliances with other species. In the time you have been gone, we have formed alliances with six other species found compatible with Elysium males. There are plenty of females on the planet now, with several young being born each year. There are even rumors that a new alliance is being formed with a species that, to this date, no one has ever heard of before.”

  I’m relieved to know there are other females on the planet. My mate is safer for it, but the rest means little to me. I simply want to find my Ada and escape this place before the other council members discover I am here and insist on the execution they originally demanded before my exile.

  “I’m assuming this alliance involves Elysiums protecting other planets from the Chassak scourge in return for female mates?”

  Llykketh nods, his granite jaw hardening as he looks at me. “You can imagine the problems this scenario with the military is causing as more and more Elysiums refuse to join the military and aid in off-planet defense due to council corruption. If this trend continues, several of our alliances will become null and void, and then we’ll be dealing with more than just the Chassak threat.”

  I’m beginning to see why Tarian was so adamant that I return. I just hope he has a plan for this madness taking place. “And other than my return, what else are the soldiers demanding?”

  “Your reinstatement in the council and promotion to chancellor, taking your rightful place as our leader. A lessening of tribute to council members—”

  “Tribute,” I say with a snarl. “Since when was a higher tribute put in place?”

  Llykketh rubs at his weary eyes, his extra set of lenses flickering back and forth in the process. “The day after you were exiled. It has placed a heavy burden on our already lowly paid warriors.”

  I’m burning with righteous ire at the thought of our soldiers being cheated of all their pay while fighting for the survival of our species and those within this newly formed alliance.

  “They have also refused to allow any of the newer recruits to join the mating programs.”

  I arch an eyebrow. “Mating programs?”

  “Qualifying males have their information added to a database with qualifying females of varying species who have willingly decided to join the program to look for an Elysium mate. We’ve just had a recent bid for inclusion within the program from a planet called Earth.”

  “Earth?” The shock of this nearly ties my tongue in knots. “Do you mean to tell me that we are considering an alliance with the human race?”

  “We don’t know if we are compatible yet, but government leaders from Earth have reached out to us, begging for protection from the Chassaks who seem to have discovered this new planet. They are also in need of our technology in diminishing the occurrence of natural disasters. If their females are compatible, this will add to the numbers of females within the program. However, no matter how many females we have, restrictions have been placed on our warriors by the council in an effort to control them. Our warriors are not allowed to join the program until they have served in combat for five solar orbits. They cannot even take a bed partner.”

  “That is ludicrous.” I am shocked beyond belief by this requirement. “How can the council not understand the necessity of mated Elysiums? Our men will be faster, stronger, and more focused when they are fully mated.” And as they wait to be matched with a breeding partner or a possible bond mate they must take a bed partner every few rotations or The Burning begins. They cannot ignore it or its dire consequences when not seen to.

  I am living proof of that, and most Elysiums do not have the control or fortitude that I do.

  “And yet, they do. The fallout is crime and female trafficking on a level you couldn’t possibly imagine.”

  “Female trafficking? Our males would never enter into something like this.”

  Llykketh’s face is hard as granite.

  “You cannot even begin to imagine what these desperate warriors are doing to find a mate of their own, Kyllell. This madness needs to stop. Many of us cannot abide it any longer. I…I cannot abide it any longer.”

  I stare at him hard, recognizing that bleak, lonely look within his eyes, and for the first time I notice streaks of rosy pink at the base of his horns. The desperate, hopeless sensation of being alone without a chance of finding a mate is something I tried to survive for far too long. I must help these males, my friends, my people, but I must also keep Ada out of the crossfire. This has just become more complicated.

  I don’t have more time to dwell on this as I become increasingly aware of a slight tug on my chest, a deep burning within me has my head turning toward a large structure I remember well.

  Ada is there in my brother’s home. I can sense her so strongly I nearly jump off the floater and sprint to the dwelling.

  The large, grey structure is not unlike a fortress. It would have to be with so much unrest among our people.

  The floater docks at the gated entrance where a new set of soldiers I immediately recognize give me a smile and a cheer before unlocking the gates. I step off the floater and turn to Llykketh, extending my arm and locking it with his.

  “I will do my best to fix this, Llykketh. You have my word. You will find your mate. I will do all I can to help you.”

  He gives me a grim nod. “We have faith in you, Chancellor. You’re our hope for the future.”

  “I promise you, Llykketh, I will change the damned council’s edict. No more waiting to be approved for the programs. It is unreasonable to make a male wait for five solar orbits of service before being allowed to find a mate or relieve The Burning.” It’s a fate I wouldn’t wish on anyone, not even Tarian, and now my thoughts are starting to spiral, wondering how I will keep Ada safe as I attempt to aid Tarian’s efforts in fostering reform.

  I turn from him and walk past the gate, nodding to guards on either side as I stride to the high double doors and swiftly rush through them, fully expecting my brother to be waiting on the other side. To my surprise, no one is in the main room. I start to search the house.

  I hear voices coming from the communes area and realize it is well past evening suppers. I approach cautiously, careful to avoid making a sound. I hear Ada’s voice among several male voices, and she sounds so…happy…carefree. I feel a surge of jealousy that she is seemingly enjoying herself without me. It is irrational, I know. Better that she was treated well than terrified in my absence.

  I stand outside the communes area, listening for a time. Ada is asking the crew questions about their first encounters with females. The crew speaks to her with reverence, fascination, and no small amount of attraction. Dywrr, that villainous, unscrupulous filth is especially relentless in his flirting. I clench my fists, trying to control myself. I cannot enter the room until I can be calm.

  ※※※※

  Ada

  The Elysiums are hilarious. I sit at the table in Tarian’s kitchen, my cheeks aching from laughter as I listen to the stories of their first times with females. Dywrr is talking now, telling me about a time he tried to pull a woman toward him without realizing that there was a small table between them. She was from a particularly susceptible species, and she ran straight into the table when trying to get to him. She landed in front of him, and he went to help her up, only to have her stand so quickly she slammed the back of her head into his nose.

  “It was broken,” he says. “I had to tell the general that I broke it in a bar fight.”

  I laugh so hard I nearly fall out of my seat.

  “I suppose telling the truth was out of the question.”

  “Elysiums are supposed to be second to none in their sexual prowess and their abili
ty to attract and woo females. I had a certain reputation to uphold.” Dywrr folds his arms across his chest, pretending to be miffed, but the twinkle in his eye is all fun and games. I really do like him. He reminds me of an old guy friend from high school who was always trying to make others laugh.

  Tarian has been unusually silent, but he smiles at his team, laughing occasionally at their stories. I notice his second set of ears perk and swivel toward the kitchen door, but he keeps his seat, so I assume it is nothing.

  I appreciate the crew’s attempts at keeping my spirits high. My heart has felt extremely heavy ever since Tarian finally told me about the warriors, the mating program, and his plan to seat Kyllell as the rightful Chancellor of Elysius. In that moment, I’d been grateful to have never professed any kind of love for my sexy devil of an alien. Besides his endless responsibilities as chancellor, and my presence being a complete and total liability, there are other issues to consider.

  I know nothing about politics, let alone Elysium politics. I’m not exactly chancellor-wife material and wouldn’t be the mate he needs to help him carry this heavy mantle. Also, it’s one thing to place my faith and trust in what Kyllell has to offer when I’m the only female he has access to on an entirely different—basically abandoned—planet, but he will oversee the mating program. He’ll be expected to take a mate, to set a good example, but what are the chances he’ll stick with me when he has so many more options to choose from?

  Carl’s last words to me echo through my brain.

  I just needed something more.

  What if being absolutely alone for so long, with no female companionship, made me look far more appealing to him than I actually am? When reality sets in, will he feel like Carl did? Will he go searching for something more?

  I try to shove my dreary thought spiral from my mind as Dywrr starts telling another story about how he and a warrior group used to practice their pulling powers on animals in the military colonies.

  “It amounted to an entire herd of amgomoliths following us around like a nursing babe follows his mother. We couldn’t get the damn animals to leave us alone, and they followed us all the way back to the compound.”