Alien Invasion: A Warrior Prince Romance (The Tourin Legacy - Part 1)

by Immortal Angel

  To be continued…

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  About the Author

  Immortal Angel has lived a hundred lifetimes all in one. She's a mother, a sister, a daughter, a wife, and a best friend. She's traveled the real world, enjoying what our three-dimensional reality has to offer. She's hiked the stairs inside the Eiffel Tower. She's watched a Shakespearean play in a grassy clearing outside of Cambridge, and she's ridden a ferry to Ireland. In Australia, she cuddled koalas, in China, she cuddled pandas, and in the Middle East, she cuddled camels. And every time she opened a book, she entered a world beyond this one, one where the only limits are the imagination.

  So many lifetimes of adventures have inspired her to reach beyond this planet to the stars above and to worlds rooted in fantasy. Her romances in space are meant to take her readers on their own adventures, imagining new and exciting place. With hot men. And maybe a few sexy aliens too.

  You can follow Immortal Angel on Facebook, Twitter @ImmortalAngel22, and her blog here.

  Preview: Alien Intercourse: A Warrior Prince Romance (Part II)

  1

  Juordin

  I stare out the viewscreen at the endless sea of stars. The console is dark since the ship is on autopilot, and the night is as black as the hair of the warrior princess sleeping next to me. The tattoo on my shoulder, which warns me of my toxin levels, pokes at me.

  I try not to think of the fact that we’re traveling away from a charge for my healing bunk rather than toward it. Or that the warrior princess next to me could help me better than even the healing bunk could.

  Just wake her with a kiss…

  I push the thought away with a sigh. She’s sleeping from pure exhaustion.

  Not too much later, a motion out of the corner of my eye tells me Ande’ie has awakened. To my surprise, I realize how much I’ve missed her company since she’s been asleep. The ship was originally built for four, so two couples could easily enjoy interstellar travel. And although I’ve gotten used to flying it alone, it’s felt lonely and empty in a way it never has before. I find myself actually wanting to use the refreshment room, or the gaming area, rather than sitting on the bridge, thinking about how much I hate the Ardaks.

  She is your mate. These feelings are natural.

  I turn to watch her as her green eyes slowly open, fascinated by her every move. This woman. This beautiful creature. She is my everything.

  She stretches, brushing her waist-length midnight hair back over her shoulders, her green gaze alighting on me. “How long was I asleep?”

  I glance down at the console. “About five Lla’eian hours.”

  Her eyes widen. “Five hours? When were you going to wake me?”

  I wasn’t. I see those dark circles under your eyes, fierce little princess. That isn’t nearly enough sleep for how tired you are. “You need to be rested for what you’ll encounter when we reach your planet.”

  She waves my comment away impatiently and jumps out of the copilot’s seat. “No, what I need to do is start planning.”

  I smile. Most people feel groggy when they first awake. My warrioress wakes ready for battle. “Do you want something to eat before launching back into all of this?”

  She shakes her head. “No time.”

  “There’s always time.”

  She starts to pace. “What I need is more information on the toxin and the cats.”

  I sigh as the tattoo pokes at me again. Remember you felt this way not too long ago. She’ll need time to accept the truth.

  “Tell me about the toxin.”

  It’s a request, but beneath it I sense a core of steel. She isn’t going to let this go.

  I stand and look down into the eyes of my mate, and my heart squeezes with anguish. I remember when I was just like her. Filled with hope. Praying that against all odds we’d be able to conquer the toxin and the Ardaks.

  I can’t bear to tell her about the smell. The skies turning red as blood. The crying and the screaming as the youngest and eldest of us dropped in their tracks. The countless hours our scientists worked to no avail. So what can I tell her?

  “Our scientists have concluded it is from a plant—many presume it’s on the Ardak homeworld. Did you notice their eyes glow red? We think that, although it’s a toxin to us, they are addicted to it.”

  “And none of your medicines helped?”

  I clench my fists so I don’t hit something. The pain is too fresh. What didn’t we try? My father met with our top doctors, scientists, and researchers morning, noon, and night. “Please forgive me. I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know everything. All I know is that for some reason, this plant toxin is different than anything we’d encountered before.”

  “If it’s a plant toxin, what about a plant medicine?”

  Plant medicine? I try to hide my surprise. Only a truly backward planet would still depend on plants for cures. A picture forms in my mind of the people smearing mud on their wounds to heal themselves.

  I try not to laugh. “We haven’t needed herbal medicines in centuries. I doubt they could provide a cure that our medicine couldn’t.”

  “Why not? Perhaps a plant toxin needs a plant cure.”

  Once again, she amazes me. “An interesting notion. I didn’t think you would know about plants or toxins.”

  She freezes, a slight blush gracing her pale cheeks. “Being a princess doesn’t just mean wearing pretty dresses and dancing at balls, at least on my planet. It means that when my people suffer, I suffer. Many times in my life I’ve tended to the sick and wounded. Throughout our many wars and when plagues have swept our lands.”

  Again, I’m surprised by the differences in our people. How long had it been since we’d had a war or a plague before the invasion? These people were truly still a youthful, inexperienced civilization. “So you are both a warrior and a healer.” Even with the differences in technology, she would make a fine princess even to my own people.

  “I wouldn’t call myself a healer,” she said, her voice taking on a soft note. “I just know that for every plant toxin, there is a plant cure. Healer Surtoga always said so.”

  I tilt my head skeptically. “Perhaps. But my people have already tried every possible avenue. If there were a plant cure available, we would have found it.”

  “You haven’t tried my planet.”

  A spark of unexpected hope flares in my chest, but instantly I stamp it down. It’s possible, but very, very unlikely.

  I motion to the door exiting the bridge. “That’s true. As I said, I’m not a scientist—or a doctor. Let me take you to a different room where you will have access to all of our records. You can look through all of our video files.”

  “Video files?” she asks as she follows me out the door and down the hall.

  Right. “Do you have television on your planet?”

  She looks at me blankly.

  “It’s a video that flies through the air from a transmitting antenna, to be caught by the receiving antenna, and projected onto a screen.”

  “Oh! Invisiview! Yes, we have it.”

  I’m relieved she has some concept of this technology. Although based on my experience on her planet, Invisiview is probably very different from our video system.

  Her green eyes show a spark of interest, and despite the direness of the situation, I’m glad I can share it with her.

  As I suspected, our technology is worlds apart. I laugh as she asks about “reels” of video and enjoy the look of shock and wonder as I show her the screen I use for research. Thirty minutes later, she’s a pro. So smart. So quick and curious.

  She pulls up a video of the sky back at Tuorin. Red rolls across it as the poison is released into the atmosphere. My entire chest tightens, and I realize I’m shaking as I try to catch my breath. I’d thought
the horrifying images in my mind were bad, but actually seeing a video of it again triggers emotions I’ve been trying to suppress. I need to get out of here.

  I brush my fingers down her back, trying to sound calm. “Feel free to watch anything you like. I’m going back to the bridge.”

  She glances up at me, and her eyes widen. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think—”

  “It’s fine.” How can she read me so easily?

  “I know this is hard, but I’m going to find a way to save my people, and yours.”

  Taking a step away from her, I hide my doubt. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  As much as I hate the fact that she knows why I’m leaving, I’m still going to go.

  Besides the horror I feel at the images, the tattoo on my shoulder is starting to poke at me insistently. I’m leaving so I can keep my hands off her.

  2

  Ande’ie

  I watch the vids mostly in disbelief. Juordin’s planet is so far ahead of mine, the technology so advanced, that it’s difficult to focus only on the information about the toxins. Even the words they use to describe things are difficult to understand. I grab paper and a writing instrument after only a few minutes, and kept stopping the video to take notes.

  I’m beginning to understand why Juordin believes there’s no cure. The scientists on his planet really have tried everything they can think of, and most of them are still working on it. The video in front of me is the last one, and a scientist speaks to a person with a microphone. The camera angle is very close, and I can see that the air has a reddish tint.

  “Is there anything we can do?” The questioner’s voice has a helpless note to it.

  The scientist rubs his chin. “The only thing we’ve found to slow the progression of the toxin is endorphins.”

  “Endorphins—you mean like…”

  “The ones produced when exercising, when laughing, and even from the healing bunk.” He clears his throat. “But despite all the drugs and tools we’ve created, the best method of producing them for this purpose is by having sex.”

  The questioner almost drops the microphone in surprise. “You mean…”

  “Everyone should have as much sex as possible. Yes.” The scientist looks directly at the camera. “We will be distributing the supply of endorphins we have for healing bunks, but it would obviously be helpful if all citizens would try their best to create their own endorphins. The supply will go first to the unmated citizens, and citizens too young for mates.”

  The video ends, and I start another one. This one discusses the time frame of the toxin. My heart sinks as I hear their conclusion. At best, even with the endorphin treatments, they have one year to live.

  One year before an entire race of people dies.

  I feel sick. Climbing to my feet, I turn and head back to the command room.

  “Juordin.” His purple gaze turns to mine.

  I blink back tears. “If we don’t do something, all of our people will be dead soon, and it will just be you and me.”

  He turns to look out the viewscreen, avoiding my gaze. “Listen…”

  “How did it happen for you? Were you in space, too, when the virus hit?”

  “No,” he says, softly. “I was on Tuorin.”

  My mind turns slowly. “How is that possible?”

  He doesn’t answer me.

  Every hair on my body stands on end as a chill runs through my blood. “Look at me.”

  He doesn’t, hiding his face behind his long waves of brown and gold hair.

  “Look at me, dammit.”

  Finally he does, and I hate the pain in his eyes. I hate what it means.

  I can’t seem to catch my breath. “Are you…dying?”

  “Yes,” he whispers, the word barely perceivable over the noise of the engine.

  Deadly silence fills the room. I have no words to fill the empty space. The ache in my heart.

  After a few minutes, he speaks again, his voice low. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  “Sorry?” The word seems meaningless in this situation.

  He nods. “I know this is a lot.”

  “No.” I raise my head. “We’ll put you in the healing…thing, and you’ll be fine.”

  He gives me a slight smile, one that seems sad. “Even then, you know my time is limited. And I need to recharge it again before I can use it.”

  “So recharge it,” I order him, crossing my shaking arms over my chest.

  He takes a deep breath. “The only way to charge it is to go back to Tuorin.”

  Again, I have that odd feeling, as if everything is hitting me at once, but my mind just can’t process what I’m hearing. “So why did you turn around instead of going there first?”

  His gaze flies to the viewscreen again, avoiding mine.

  I cross the bridge to where he sits in the captain’s chair. Emotions flood my senses. I want to scream at him. I want to hit him. I want to hold him.

  But in the end I just stand there, paralyzed.

  Waiting for an answer.

  “Because you asked me to.” The words are quiet.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I demand.

  “Would it have changed your mind?” he counters.

  I throw my hands up in the air. “Damn right it would have.”

  He starts. “Really?”

  “Of course. You didn’t give me any options. If I’d known we could recharge your healing bunk and then go back to Lla’ei, I would have done it.”

  He looks out the window again. “Then I apologize. Since the toxin hit…I haven’t been myself. We were about to go through the wormhole. You were demanding to go back. I had taken you without permission…so I made the best decision I could at the time.”

  He looks tired. Beaten.

  I instantly feel ashamed for yelling at him. His entire planet is dying. He’s sick himself. And he gave up the chance to charge his healing bunk for you. Who knows how sane you would be in his place?

  Another thought hits me. “But…isn’t there another way to help heal you…to prolong the effects of the poison?”

  His heated gaze runs over my body, and I feel my insides tighten. “Yes. A far better one than the healing bunk.”

  I push aside my sadness and my shock as a quiver races through my body. I remember what the vid said. Endorphins. “Then, let me help you.”

  He doesn’t move, doesn’t speak.

  I can’t resist the urge to hold him anymore. He can push me away if he really wants to. I step forward and sit on his lap, wrapping my arms around him.

  It takes a second, but then I feel his arms come around me in return. His embrace is strong, sure. It’s hard to believe he’s dying.

  You can’t change that, but there is something you can do to prolong it.

  I lean in and brush his lips with mine.

  Preview: To Kiss A Warrior (An Alien Rogue Romance – Part One)