Sold to the Warlord (Astral Heat Book 2)

by Ashley Hunter

  “You’re sending me away?” she said numbly. “After all we’ve been to each other?”

  “You will not remember me or anything about your time here,” Draz pressed. He held her hand tighter. “I love you more than life itself. You are everything to me and I can’t bear the thought of ever being without you, but I have no right to keep you here, to expose you to the dangers of our world.”

  Zalla shook her head, her emotions swirling inside her. “Is this about Navan? Are you going to be punished for killing him? If you are, you don’t need to worry about me. I’ll share whatever punishment they have in store for you. I’m not afraid.”

  Draz smiled weakly and winced as one of the medical droids began stitching up a wound on his chest. “You sweet, beautiful earthling, there will be no punishment for me. I challenged Navan to single combat and he accepted. It is always to the death and according to our law; I have won the right to possess all that he possessed. In fact, I think I am now the Despot.”

  “Then all your problems are over,” Zalla said in a quiet voice. “If you want me to consent to this mind cleaning thing then . . . okay, I guess, but I don’t want to. I want to stay with you for the rest of my life.”

  Draz’s eyes widened. “You mean it?”

  “Of course I do, you big dummy. I absolutely love you and it wasn’t until that moment that I realized. If I can’t be without you then I don’t want to go through the agony of remembering what I lost.”

  They fell silent and the medical droids carried on patching Draz back up. She clutched his hand tightly and gazed into his eyes. She never wanted to leave this spot. She never wanted to leave him ever again. This was where she belonged.

  Chapter 7: The Eternal Bond

  Clad in a gossamer dress of light blue silk, Zalla nervously listened to the High Priest as he sang the ancient bonding song. Next to her, tall and handsome in his cyan blue tunic and silk white pantaloons, Draz shot her a glance of pure love.

  Zalla’s nerves settled instantly. If she ever feared that his love for her didn’t match her love for him, it was dispelled forever. This was their moment and they would be forever for as long as they lived.

  The High Priest came to the end of his song and gestured to Draz. The warrior nodded and placed the glittering tiara of bonding onto Zalla’s head and smiled at her. It was done, the bonding was complete.

  On impulse, and completely defying ancient tradition, she leaned forward and kissed Draz hard on the lips. He returned the kiss with vigour and wrapped her in his powerful arms.

  The crusty High Priest looked scandalised, but a hearty cheer went up from the assembled onlookers in the great hall of the palace. As she surfaced from the kiss, she thought she saw Seon dab at his eye. He must have had a bit of grit in it, she thought to herself.

  “So, how does it feel to be the wife of a Despot?” Draz asked as the ceremony concluded.

  “It feels wonderful,” Zalla replied, “but we’re going to have to do something about the Despot bit, the title doesn’t suit the new approach to how we’re going to do things in the Territory. I think Protector is a better title.”

  “As you wish,” Draz replied.

  They walked arm in arm through the hall and settled down upon huge, overstuffed cushions at the head of the great feasting table. Seon clapped his hands and music started up. The guests settled down at the table and began eating the food that had been laid out for them.

  Unlike in other ceremonies, the people gathered here were all slaves, both Vakrall and those from off world along with the poorest section of society. There were going to be no sacrifices or orgies, as was traditional. Now that Zalla was Draz’s consort, she was going to implement some big changes on this part of the planet.

  “You know, we’re going to invite a lot of controversy with this feast,” Draz said to her. “The elders and the females will not be pleased with all the reforms you have planned. Maybe I shouldn’t have let you contact Earth after all. Are you sure they possess a cure for the genome virus?”

  She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the ear. “They seem confident, and the females are worried enough to sit up and take my reforms seriously. Why? Are you scared?”

  He turned and gave her an affronted look. “You ask a warrior if he feels fear? The only thing I’m scared of is you, my fury of the desert.”

  Zalla grinned and kissed him on the lips. “Good,” she said. “It better stay that way too.”

  As the feast carried on into the early hours of the morning, Zalla and Draz drifted back to their apartments to consummate their union.

  They lay on the bed, kissing and hugging each other, and Draz slowly peeled off her clothing, kissing every inch of her perfumed body. She tingled as his touch and pulled down his pantaloons. His heavy cock slapped against her thigh.

  She grinned as she shifted round so that her head was between his legs and he was underneath her, positioned the other way round so that his mouth could worship her pussy.

  She groaned as his tongue slipped into her, finding her sweet spot. She kissed the tip of his manhood and slipped her mouth over it, sucking him as if her life depended on it.

  His large hands came up and caressed her melon hard buttocks and his fingers trailed along her sensitive spot. His touch in that sensitive area sent off fireworks all along her body.

  “Oh yes!” she groaned, leaving off sucking him. “Oh yes! Yes! Baby, I love you!”

  Fingering and licking her at the same time, he brought her to the edge of sweet release. She writhed helplessly on top of him and the hot gush of orgasm erupted like a volcano. Sweet, pearl juice seeped out of her pussy.

  “You taste so beautiful,” he murmured as he licked her clean. “I will worship your pussy forever.”

  “Fuck me,” she growled in a voice of feral longing. “I want you inside me now!”

  They shifted positions, and she clambered on top of him, her dripping spot aching for his dick. He slipped inside her with ease and she moaned as she took his wide girth. His hands came up to play with her breasts and pull at her nipples, driving her into a wild fury.

  She cried out in pleasure and rode him, surrendering to the passion of sexual bliss. His hands moved down and gripped her thighs and he thrust up into her with a desperate savagery.

  “Zalla!” he cried out. “Zalla! My goddess! Ah, I can’t hold on!”

  She leaned forward and kissed him hard as he climaxed. His body shuddered with release and easing out of her, he pushed her up onto his face and licked her deep. She closed her eyes as another orgasm washed over her like the crashing waves.

  Spent and exhausted, they lay on the bed in each other’s arms. Far away, there came the sounds of the feast and a happy glow suffused through Zalla. Things were going to change on Vakrall now, and with Draz at her side, anything was possible.

  ***

  PREVIEW OF ‘ALIEN COMMANDER’S CAPTIVE (ASTRAL HEAT BOOK 1) BY ASHLEY HUNTER

  1: THE WOODS

  It was a perfect summer night, with a cool breeze coming in off the lake, the night I saw my first murder.

  Prior to that, I had been thinking the weekend couldn’t have gone better. After three years of hard work at PymTech, I had finally earned the coveted invitation to Trent Pym’s Labor Day weekend retreat. Previous attendances never failed to return from the picturesque cabin tucked into the Minnesota wilds with stories of ever-escalating debauchery. I’d even heard that last year, the whole thing had to be broken up by a police helicopter.

  This year wasn’t quite the Bacchanal I’d been imagining, but nonetheless, it’d been exactly what the doctor ordered to get my mind off the last month of drama. Chris and I had finally officially ended things just a week before.

  Work had been torture; I had to wander past his cubicle every day. My friends were convinced his invitation to the retreat meant my entire weekend was ruined. Fate, though, was on my side; the intern he’d dumped me for had in turn dumped him for a late-night forest rendezvous with Trent,
and his time sulking by the pool meant he got to see how perfectly my new bikini fit my curves.

  I would have called the whole thing a complete triumph, if only I had never seen the man in the woods.

  ***

  “Come on, Morgan, don’t go!” Tina begged, supposing that if the first ten times hadn’t convinced me, maybe a round dozen would do it. I smiled at her as I finished stuffing the remaining clothes into my duffel, “I’m sorry, Tina, but I’ve got loads of coding to catch up on. I’ve slacked off all weekend, and now I’ve got to pay the price.”

  “Everybody’s been slacking off! Most people are taking tomorrow off. Seriously, you work too much.”

  “Well, I had to get an invitation to this party somehow. Not all of us can bat our eyes at Trent Pym like you do,” I grinned at her. She answered with a retaliatory pillow, which I easily avoided.

  “He doesn’t intimidate you, does he?” she asked curiously as I quickly double-checked the spacious room for any stray belongings.

  “Who, Trent? No, he’s only acting CEO and sole heir to the tenth biggest fortune in the country. No big deal.”

  “Come on, I’m serious! He charms the women and out-does all the men. He’s gone through like, what, four receptionists? And yet, any time he’s around, you don’t even notice. I mean, I thought you were just incredibly loyal to Chris, but then this weekend, it’s like you just see him as any other guy.”

  “I don’t see him as any other guy. I see him as our boss,” I shifted uncomfortably, grateful that I could easily make my exit before she inquired further, “All right, I’m taking off. You have a blast for me, okay? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  Tina grinned, and pulled me into a hug, “Well, at least I know what to work with. Get home safe, girlie.”

  I had hoped to set out before it got too dark, but the house was still jam-packed with partiers, crowding the stairs, running in the hallways, and dancing out on the patio. I waved cheerfully to my fellow employees; I had hoped to find Trent and thank him for inviting me, but couldn’t spot him in the crowd. I smiled to myself wondering if he’d snuck off for another quickie in the woods with Chris’ new ex-girlfriend.

  Sunset was bleeding into black as I finally stepped out onto the cabin’s lawn. I paused for a last look at the view, drinking in the first pinpoints of starlight in the sky. They were crystal-clear out here in the dark woods, far from the pollution and city lights, sprayed in among the outreaching tree branches and sparkling on the serene surface of the lake.

  I let a brief moment of silly happiness flood through me; looking at stars always made me feel like a kid again, with dreams of rocket ships and space adventures on distant moons.

  When I’d finally firmly fixed the view in my memory, I turned and began to make my way down the long, winding drive. Most of us had parked a mile off from the cabin, so that the lawn and surrounding area were completely free for whatever drunken lawn games people concocted.

  I pulled out my keys, gripping them between my fingers, a useful way to defend myself I’d pick up in a Tae Kwan Do class years ago, but there was no need. Nobody was going to attack me here in the quiet beauty of the north woods.

  Soon the lights of the cabin had all but receded, leaving me with nothing but the moon and starlight to guide my way. My footsteps thudded softly on the gravel, my duffel bouncing against my back. The moon was full tonight, so I could easily make out the path, the trees, and the cars that slowly materialized around me. I wandered casually, scanning the rows for the oldest, cheapest model, which would undoubtedly be my car. I’d just spotted my telltale rusted bumper when suddenly, just beyond the path, I heard a sharp yell.

  I froze where I stood, trying to swallow down my thumping heart. My brain quickly caught up with my panic; it was just some party-goer, venturing even further out into the woods. I quickly scanned the trees, searching for signs of a flashlight or a phone screen. I saw nothing… but of course, they might be so drunk, they didn’t even realize they were so far from the cabin.

  I paused, momentarily caught by indecision; should I go help them? Then again, what if there were actually multiple people, and they’d come out this far to get a little privacy? They wouldn’t thank me for interrupting them.

  I’d just resolved to turn back to my car when the yell came again. It was further from the path now, and certainly not in the direction of the cabin. I was certain it was a man’s voice… and I was fairly certain he was afraid.

  With a sigh, I adjusted the duffel on my shoulder, and began to move in the direction of the voice. Never being much of a drinker myself, I’d spent most of my college career taking care of my friends after nights out, and I still couldn’t bear to let someone stumble around when I could help. Walking a drunken partygoer back up the cabin wouldn’t take too much time; I could still be back in the city with enough time to do a little work.

  The forest on either side of the path was well-maintained, but the further I ventured from it, the heavier the vegetation grew. I fished out my phone, and used the glow of the screen to slowly pick my way through the brush. I listened hard for the shout to come again, hoping the man hadn’t passed out. He hadn’t; I could hear voices, at least 20 feet away, and they sounded as if they were arguing.

  I crept closer, doing my very best not to trip, straining to make out their words. Did they come all the way out here to hash something out? Was I intruding? I was just considering turning back when I finally heard them clearly.

  “Please… please!”

  Trent. That was Trent’s voice! Except it was a Trent I had never heard before, begging, afraid.

  I pushed my way through the trees, trying to hurry, trying to ignore my clothes catching on the branches. I could just make him out ahead of me, in a small clearing, the moonlight illuminating the terror on his handsome face. He was sprawled on the ground, curled up into a ball, clutching his knees.

  He cried out again, “Please, please, stop! Stop, I’ll do anything!” His voice was ragged with pain.

  I opened my mouth to call out to him. I was only a few feet away, I could reach him in just a few steps. My voice died in my throat as I saw a shadow slide across the clearing and settle between Trent and me.

  I couldn’t say why, but that shadow sent a chill over my entire being. I quickly slipped behind a pine tree, praying whatever the shadow belonged to hadn’t seen me.

  “Anything. You’ll do anything,” replied a male voice, deep and melodic.

  “Yes, please!” Trent gasped.

  I slowly pushed the branches aside, trying to get a better look. I could still see Trent on the ground, now on his hands and knees, taking long gasps of air. The shadow’s owner stood with his back to me, the trees wrapping his features in darkness.

  The most I could make out was that he’d be about a foot taller than me. I didn’t recognize the voice at all; it was like someone had run their voice through some kind of auto-tune app that made everyone sound like a movie star.

  “Is that better?” the stranger asked quietly.

  “What-who are you?” Trent demanded, glaring up at the tall man, “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  The man’s hand flashed, and suddenly Trent was on his back, screaming up into the woods. I threw my hands over my mouth to stifle my gasp. What was going on?

  “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me,” the stranger said over Trent’s screams, his tone cold. His hand flashed again, and Trent stopped, though he stayed prone on the dirty forest floor.

  “I’ve… I’ve never seen you before… We’ve never met. I don’t know who you are!”

  The stranger laughed, without a hint of amusement, “Oh, how you lie. That’s all you people do for entertainment, isn’t it? Lie, to yourselves, to each other.”

  “I don’t-” Trent began, but the stranger cut him off with a wave of his hand. Trent’s body convulsed, his spine arching up off the ground, but no sound left his lips.

  “Promise you will spare me your lies, and I
will let you scream,” the stranger said. Trent nodded vigorously, and the stranger waved his hand again, seeming to release him.

  I tried to take deep breaths through my nose. I couldn’t be seeing what I thought I was seeing. Maybe this was some kind of elaborate prank of Trent’s…

  The stranger knelt down beside him, and continued, still in the same soft, cold tone, “You said you would give me anything. Did you mean it?”

  “Yes,” Trent croaked.

  The stranger reached out, letting the moonlight spread across his open hand. On his thumb, he wore an elaborate gold band with a large ruby embedded into the metal. He turned his hand slowly, and it seemed as if the ruby caught fire, its flames dancing over his skin. Trent’s face looked pale and sickly in the warmth of its glow.

  Gently, almost as if he was touching a dear friend, the stranger laid his hand on Trent’s chest. “Give me riches,” he ordered softly.

  “Yes,” Trent agreed, his voice desperate.

  “Give me women,” the stranger demanded.

  “Yes, any woman you want, I swear.”

  “Give me everything you have, everything you could have, everything you are.”

  “Anything!” Trent cried, “I’ll give you anything, just let me go!”

  The stranger leaned forward into the light, the shadows melting away from his features. I felt another shiver overcome me… though, I forced myself to admit, perhaps not from fear this time. The stranger was a Greek statue come to life, his well-defined jaw perfectly shaven, his hair a tumble of dark, unruly curls.

  My breath caught in my throat as he looked down on Trent, his expression like a gathering storm cloud. He was simultaneously the most handsome and the most terrifying man I had ever seen.

  He leaned closer to Trent, and for a moment, it almost looked like he would brush his lips against the young man’s forehead. Instead, he bent so his mouth was just beside Trent’s ear.