by Erin Raegan
“I don’t care.” I pulled his hair and dug my heels into his thighs to grind against his flat stomach.
“I’ve been fighting my desire for you for far too long,” he purred. “The moment I am inside, it will be finished.”
Just the thought of him losing control like that with me caused a full body shiver.
Chyn grinned at me devilishly. I scowled and wedged my hand between us, grabbing his girth and squeezing. He shuddered and dropped his head to my shoulder, groaning long and deep.
He wasn’t kidding about his size. He was definitely going to stretch me. My toes curled. But I was so very, very ready.
My hand smoothed down the shaft and I watched, breathless, as every muscle in his back and arms engaged.
Chyn grabbed my face and smashed my lips to his, punching his hips through my hand then backing away. He spread my legs and surged down my body, fastening those lips to the center of me and sucking sharp and deep. I came instantly, shocking even him.
“I’m excited,” I panted shyly.
He kissed me there and then every inch of my body on his way up to my lips. “Don’t move.”
He growled and dropped his hips right there. The feel and weight of him resting there tore a sharp hitch from my throat. He shackled my hands above my head in one of his and looked between us with the hungriest look in his eyes. He licked his lips and lined himself up.
I curled my legs up to my chest and watched as he pressed the wide head inside. Sweat broke out on my forehead and I stabbed my nails into his hand. My mouth dropped open as he slowly stretched me, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from his face as he pressed in. He was ensnared by the sight of us coming together.
“Oh god,” I groaned as he bottomed out.
He snarled and dropped onto his forearms, releasing my hands. I scratched my nails down his scarred spine and dug them into his ass, pressing him into me as tightly as I could.
“Move,” I growled.
Chyn chuckled brokenly, his eyes wide and rapt as he watched my face twist. “Greedy, greedy little human.”
I growled and slapped his ass, and he surged back, then inside again. I choked, my neck stretching, arching my breasts in invitation. He fastened his lips onto them and nipped and sucked in time to his thrusts. I gasped his name and he ate it from my mouth.
His metal hand was what broke me. He had never touched my bare skin with it, but he was so lost, snarling and growling, hammering my hips into the bed, that his metal hand curled around my hip. The shock of the rough, chilly metal on my hip bone was so titillating, my sex clamped down on him and I whimpered, shuddering.
He dropped his weight down on me, curled both hands into the backs of my knees, and punched his hips up, roaring into the bed beside my head.
Chyn kissed my neck then the tears leaking from my eyes and down my temples. He pulled out and looked down, smearing the mess he’d made all over my thighs and stomach.
“How was it?” I asked, huffing a laugh.
Serious, hungry eyes shot to my face. “Again.”
Chyn had a lot of time to make up for. Like, a lot.
Unfortunately, recent events made disappearing into our bed impossible. The first day though—and the next night—he didn’t let up. I was so sore the next morning, he had to carry me everywhere.
It wasn’t all sex and games though. We talked a lot. About everything. He knew about my mom and my boring hermit lifestyle. My life in Florida, and how it had felt when my dad got more and more distracted by his job.
His life took up a lot more time, but he tried to tell me everything. There was just so much of it. I had a feeling he would always have secrets and I was learning to be okay with that.
He’d had a lonely life. A sad life. A very, very hard life. It was full of war and so much death, it was hard to listen to him at times. On multiple occasions, he had to let me escape him so I could gather my thoughts and feelings.
I now knew why he held back from me though. A lot of his life was hard to stomach.
He’d done a lot of bad things. He wasn’t a good person, but I never really had believed in complete innocence. Everyone sinned. Everyone lied. Everyone made mistakes, and it was up to the people in their lives to either forgive them or not.
Chyn had had a whole lot of time to build up those mistakes and sins. I could understand why he thought he was rotten, even though that broke my heart. In some ways, he had earned that self-loathing by hurting people who hadn’t deserved it. But I also believed a lot of his mistakes had come from a brutal upbringing and a disease that infected him to the point that he had given up on any kind of redemption.
Even now, he didn’t change who he was. If he did in the future, it was for his brothers, the Juldo, because they were just that. His brothers.
He was never going to be bros with the Dahk or the Xixin or the Guhuvin or even Kil—no matter how much the Kilbus Lord believed that.
Earth was dying a little bit each day, and my dad was still consumed by his work. He was trying to organize evacuation trips off world with all the species that had stepped up to take in human refugees. He and Kil were working on hunting down a new home to begin rebuilding the human race.
Chyn held up his end of the bargain, taking me to see my father every fifth day. Our trips were always short though. My dad had so much on his plate, I worried he would kill himself with exhaustion before he ever had the chance to see what would soon become humanity’s new home.
But my dad needed to be that force for people. I had always understood it.
Not everyone was on board with my father’s plan though. People were scared, and they didn’t want to leave. Some didn’t want to believe Kil about Earth’s deterioration, and I couldn’t blame them. Trust would be scarce with us for a while.
Others though were too afraid to stay on Earth after being attacked so many times and so rapidly. They took Uthyf’s offer and moved off world. Humanity was scattered all throughout the universe now. The Guhuvin king had opened his world for them. The Xixin king was more reluctant, but he wanted an alliance with the new Galactic Council more.
Chyn had even reluctantly offered. But though my father had naively thanked him, it was Uthyf that had put his foot down. The Dahk felt responsible for us humans in a way and didn’t yet trust Chyn to take humans into a world that had been known for slavery.
Uthyf was now not only the Dahk king but also the head of that new council. The universe was repairing itself a little at a time.
Chyn though, he wanted nothing to do with the alliances that had been made. He’d flat-out refused to meet with the other kings, infuriating them. But they were too afraid of him to push the subject.
Uthyf had held up his end of the bargain and allowed Juldo trading—but only after Vyr had shared with him the minutest of details of Chyn’s past to convince Uthyf Chyn would not rule the Juldo as the previous master had. So for now, Uthyf was cautiously trusting Chyn’s word. And maybe that would become a problem for Chyn one day.
But Chyn was who he was and he offered no apologies for it. The Juldo were his only concern. As they always had been.
But after that night, I became the exception. I was his number one priority, and though he’d never said it, I knew he loved me in his own way.
Maybe some women would have needed to hear it. Maybe they would have left after everything he’d done and said. But I was his the moment he begged me to go to Latari. After that, there was no escaping him.
He was intense and stubborn and infuriating. He was an asshole through and through. But he was my asshole. He’d pulled me out of the lonely bubble I had been trying desperately to hold onto for so long and covered me with everything that made him who he was. I couldn’t imagine ever stepping out of the shelter of him.
The End.
Epilogue
Chyn
He watched her sleep soundly beside him.
As he did most every eve. The light of Juldoris’ moon bathed her in its glow and he could not tea
r his eyes away.
Chyn had roamed the universe for so long, lost, and alone, he did not know how to process this new life he had been granted.
He would do anything for her. Fight anything.
He once thought he could understand the madness that had stolen his Latari brothers from him. He even thought he had been on the brink of that madness.
But now, he knew the truth. Losing this female. Losing his Milvira would drive him into a madness that would rival what the gods had once claimed capable.
Now, more acutely, he could understand Prow’s loss. His embracing the madness. If only a small part.
For if Chyn and London were blessed with a child, there was not one thing, breathing or otherwise, in this universe that could keep him from them. Not one thing that he would not annihilate if he were to lose them.
But as his mate liked to remind him, his might was a danger. Not to be taken lightly. She wanted him to acknowledge what he was capable of so he may be able to leash it.
He would never tell her this, but if there ever came a time that she may be taken from him, he would embrace that madness gladly.
She groaned and reached for him and found himself drawn back down to her side. He allowed her hands to curl around him possessively and chuckled as she whined in her sleep.
She dreamt peacefully now after her long day visiting her father on the small world he had claimed for the humans, but her dreams were not always so light. They were often dark, memories of the Vitat and—Chyn thought in shame—when she was taken by from her world and thrown into his dungeon.
Chyn had not known what to with her. From the moment he had laid eyes on her he had been ensnared. After he had learned a human had been taken by his Juldo, he had every intention of returning her to where she belonged.
But after setting eyes on her, he could not bring himself to do it.
He kept her locked away, close to him.
When he set off to the Dahk King he meant to go only to manipulate the Dahk King and the upcoming war, but then he saw her huddled in her dark cell and could not restrain himself.
He toyed with her, something he still enjoyed with her and she him, but at the time had infuriated her. Once she was at his side, he had no choice but to keep her there. He took her to the Dahk world and mocked them with her for no more reason than to lay a claim he had not yet self-confessed. The gods urged him to be rid of her, but even they had known all was lost the moment he touched her.
They were silent now, hounding Vex until the day he succumbed to them or found himself a reason to deny them. Chyn often searched for them in his mind, his mate noticing his morose mood the day they vanished completely.
She would not understand, though she tried, that the day they left him, his brothers left him. It was the first time in his long life he felt their loss. The first time he truly acknowledged it.
But with her at his side, he was able to move on from them. He now ruled the Juldo as his brothers would have wanted him to.
A Latari prince now King of the Shadow Born’s creations.
London called for him again and he bent to quiet her with his mouth. Tasting her, savoring her. His Queen of the Juldo.
He did not know what the future held for the universe and the Dahk King’s new Order and Council. He did not care.
For he may have changed in some ways the moment London gave herself to him, there were some things that would always remain the same.
He may be the Juldo Master.
But he was still Latari. Shadow Born.
And if necessary, to keep his Juldo brothers and their queen safe, he would become the Shadow Born Assassin once more.
Acknowledgments
Ooo, where to start….
This is it! The last book of the series. I seriously cannot believe it’s here and finished and I am so very sad and elated at the same time. Sad because I hate to say goodbye. But elated because I am so excited for what come next!
It is not goodbye forever! I want to revisit characters and there are a few who still need their story told. But those will be more lighthearted and removed from the overall story arc of this series. I also want to drag a few characters into the new series and future ones. I don’t think I could ever stop writing about the Dahk, so hopefully you will always see them in some way in my future stores.
So, I know I went back and forth about how I wanted to conclude this one. For the longest time, the epilogue was going to be filled with all the main characters, kind of a peek into their happily ever after’s but ultimately, I just didn’t feel like they fit in this story. Chyn is so removed from that. He was a big part of the series and was a perfect way to end it but I didn’t want to overshadow his imperfectly perfect happy ending. That said, I have a few of those little slices of epilogues written and after a lot of debate on how to release them, I decided they are going to just be a treat I throw out in my newsletter for all of my favorite people—you ;) on a date yet to be decided. So if you’re not signed up, make sure you hop on that quickly. Otherwise, you can catch them soon as they will most likely be included at the end of the box set I want to put together (one day, maybe soon, maybe when I have a few minutes to put it together.) But I will always announce those releases in the council group and through a newsletter! I’m hoping to kick the new year off with a sweet little story with Tahk and Peyton, so make sure you’re on the lookout for that announcement and checking your inboxes.
Now I want to give a special shout out to Marcia from the council group. I ran a contest in there, asking for names for a character in this book and some of you may have already figured out which character got that name, but for those who didn’t: Vex was our lucky winner. So thank you Marcia! I think it fit him perfectly and can’t wait to write more about him in the future.
Thank you to my editing team at Joy editing. You really helped elevate this series each book.
Lexy, who is always on my butt about my slacking and constantly reminding me to get things out when I disappear in my head. Thank you <3
My betas, you guys really came through for me on this one. I had a lot of doubts and second-guessing and we had some new members join the team this go-round who were vital to me finishing this story. Love you all so much!
To the bloggers and reviewers, I cannot thank you enough for getting the word out and always being true and honest, your words motivate me and inspire me.
To my readers. You guys are everything. I can’t believe we are here at the end and you made it all this way with me. I’m so excited for the new year and all the stories I want to share with you. You mean the world to me and it is bittersweet to close this series out with you.
And to my family. I love you all. Thank you for everything, all your support and love. Carl and Tucker, you encouraged me so much this year and I could not have done this without you. All the love inside me is yours.
Other Books by Erin Raegan
Galactic Order Series
Pythen: Galactic Order Book One
Home World: Galactic Order Book Two
War For Earth: Galactic Order Book Three
Juldo Made: Galactic Order Book Four
The New King: Galactic Order Book Five
Pythen Blessing: Galactic Order Book Six
Shadow Assassin: Galactic Order Book Seven
Books by E.M. Raegan
Defy the Ravaged Series
Willow: Defy the Ravaged Book One
Thrive: Defy the Ravaged Book Two
Hunted: Defy the Ravaged Book Three (December 2020)
Book Four: (Early 2020)
About the Author
Erin Raegan is an obsessed reader, a dedicated writer, and a lover of all things fantastically impossible. When she’s not plotting her next project, she spends hours on her Kindle, though nothing beats a real book in her hands. She can be found at home in Connecticut with her Chihuahua, Minnie, and her German shepherd, Odin, waiting with her six-year-old son for her active duty husband to come home.
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PYTHEN
READ ON FOR A SAMPLE OF BOOK ONE
PYTHEN
Chapter 1
Peyton
I leaned in to take in the pungent smell of my latest project. Clay smelled of aged water, and musk. It reminded me of home. It reminded me of my father’s studio, of our late nights molding and carving together.
The warm clay shifted through my fingers as I molded, gliding across my skin. Heavy vibrations nearly toppled the piece right off my wheel, so I bent and quickly turned it off.
Pausing, I looked at it curiously. The wheel seemed centered on the motor. I wasn’t sure what could have caused the vibrations, but to be safe, I smoothed out my bowl and placed it on my tray. This one would be teal. It was a wedding present for my best friend, Vivian, and her soon-to-be-husband, Hector. I washed the wet clay from my hands and left my studio. The bowl would take a while to dry before I could alter it further.
Leaving the studio, I walked into my kitchen. I had turned my garage into a fully functioning pottery studio after my father passed. I had always dreamt of having my own studio separate from home, but I could never find something I could commit to. I missed my father’s place too much. There was no comparison.
