by Tammy Walsh
“At the most opportune moment,” I said.
“You mean when it’s funniest?” Sirena said. “I swear, I’ll never understand Titan humor.”
“Come on,” I said. “We’ve got an empire to rebuild. And I’m going to need you by my side to do it.”
“I’m at your command, my lord,” Sirena said with a strange movement of her body I could only describe as a bow.
“You’re never at my command,” I said. “You are at my pleasure.”
“Amen to that.”
Wondering what happened to the other girl? In the next book in the series, the Titan emperor is burned halfway to hell. He’s broken after losing his throne and wants to die… But Hazel won’t let him. She teaches him kindness, friendship, and love. But when the Changelings threaten to wipe out the entire empire, he knows he must become the emperor once more. Will he risk losing Hazel when she’s the only thing he’s ever truly wanted? CLAIMED BY THE ALIEN is available now.
Want Sirena & Kal’s Epilogue?
I wrote a special chapter for fans who want to see what happens next in their story. It’s available EXCLUSIVELY to my subscribers. You’ll not only get their epilogue but every epilogue for every story I ever write! (Past, present, and future!)
To get it free instantly, all you need to do is signup at tammywalsh.com.
Trust me, you’re not gonna want to miss this!
(Btw, if you already signed up and downloaded the latest epilogue collection, it’s waiting for you now on your reading device!)
Leave A Review
Like this book?
Every review this book gets helps other readers find it. If you enjoyed it, let the author and everyone else know. It only takes a minute and will help the book forever. Tap here to leave a review now!
Join Tammy’s newsletter to get exclusive access to every epilogue she ever writes, stay updated with new releases, and more!
Tap here to see all of Tammy’s books.
Join the fun in her Reader Group on Facebook.
Claimed By The Alien Sneak Peek
Fiath
“Just one more, my lord,” Slak said as he placed the final document on my desk.
My eyes slid down the long-winded legal text to the line where my signature was required. I scribbled it in a half-hearted scrawl and was barely done when my chief adviser scooped it back up and added it to the bulging stack beneath his arm.
One day every week, I had to go through this process. I signed documents, not even inquiring into what they were. I did, at the very beginning. When I took over and became the emperor, I asked many questions. The advisers would go into great detail about each subject until I was satisfied.
Not that I was ever really satisfied with signing documents.
The advisers stood in an arch around my desk, waiting to be called upon if I had any questions. They represented every section of the running of the empire. Business, Economics, Education, Health… Together, they formed the Titan Council of Elders.
Not for the first time, I wondered why I was the one in charge when these Titans had all the expertise. They could make decisions better than I ever could.
But I was the emperor. I did what I was meant to do. The same way they did their jobs.
These days, it was rare for me not to sign a document immediately and without question. The advisors had proven themselves to be good at their jobs and always strived to improve the situation of every Titan across the empire.
I put the pen back in its fancy holder and leaned back in my chair.
“How are the new colonies doing?” I said.
For the past few weeks, they’d suffered from an infestation of locari. They consumed every edible food source they came to until there was nothing left. We sent shipments of food from other farming colonies to tide them over but it would take some time for them to make a full recovery.
“Thanks to Your Grace’s efforts, they are quite comfortable,” Slak said.
The Agriculture adviser stepped forward.
“We have provided them with extra seed and cattle,” he said. “They have the chemicals required to eradicate the pests. They should be up and functional again by the next harvest cycle.”
“And how are the farmers holding up?” I said.
“The farmers, sir?” the Agriculture advisor said, blinking at me as if I’d just asked if the moon were on fire.
“The farmers,” I said. “The ones that live on the planet. Are they well-fed and watered?”
Slak waved a hand dismissively and the Agriculture adviser stepped back.
“They are fine, my Lord,” he said. “Is there anything else Your Grace requires?”
Chief Advisor Slak lacked much in the way of the strength and muscle Titans were known for. His was a studious figure, tall and bent with years behind a desk, but he’d served me well. He worked ceaselessly to ensure the empire’s smooth running.
I couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to rule without him. In my father’s time, and the emperors before him, there was no such thing as a chief adviser. It was a position of my creation. Instead of me listening to the advisers every day, they reported directly to him. He made minor decisions and left the majority up to me.
It made my life simpler and easier, and allowed me to pursue other…. interests.
Spread along the walls at regular intervals was my honor guard, the elite fighting force of the military. Their task was to keep me safe at all times. They moved ahead and scouted any locations I might visit and ensured no harm would come to me.
I often wondered what sort of risk I might suffer at the hands of regular Titans. Were they that dangerous? Would they really wish me harm?
Slak bowed so low his head almost skimmed the marble floor.
“We will leave you in peace, Sire,” he said.
The other council members repeated the gesture, turned, and stepped backward toward the door. It was against the law to show your back to the emperor at any time.
At the door, Slak said, “Would you like me to send in your entertainment for the evening?”
My “entertainment” was an exotic creature, brought in from the farthest reaches of the galaxy. She didn’t know I was the Titan emperor and most powerful being in the known universe. I had learned people acted differently when they didn’t know who you were.
Nothing happened that the creature was not in control of. I never forced myself on them. I was genuinely interested in their histories and cultures. They would tell me wonderful stories about their heroes and the adventures they went on. They were similar to our mythical figures. I wondered what it must be like to go on such adventures without anyone ever bowing to you.
But today, a cloud of melancholy swept over me. It happened sometimes when I had an uneventful week. Titans were born warriors. We weren’t exactly built for sitting around.
I shook my head.
“Not tonight,” I said.
Slak bowed again and left my chambers. As he passed through the door, the head of my honor guard, Garrick, entered the room. He bowed and approached my desk. He protected me, just as he had protected my father. He was grey at the temples, distinguished and resolute. He didn’t approve of everything I did, not that he would ever voice such an opinion.
“How do we look tonight?” I said.
“All quiet, my lord,” he said.
I got up from my desk and felt far more relaxed in his presence than with Slak.
“How is the recruit training going?” I said.
Discussing everyday activities in the palace always held interest for me. Hundreds of lives passed in and out of the palace without my knowledge, all for my benefit, and yet, I very rarely saw them.
“Very well, Your Grace,” Garrick said. “You’re more than welcome to inspect them.”
“If I inspect them, I would end up fighting,” I said.
“Not one of them would dare lay a hand on you.”
I arched an eyebrow at him.
“Then
maybe I’ll go in disguise,” I said.
“Not under my watch, sir,” he said disdainfully.
“Then maybe I’ll go while you are sleeping.”
Garrick stiffened. I always enjoyed winding him up. He was so stiff and regimented I really couldn’t imagine him doing anything other than the job he did.
I placed a hand on his arm.
“Don’t worry, I won’t take any unnecessary risks,” I said.
But rather than take any comfort from my words, frown lines deepened on his already wrinkled face.
“What’s wrong?” I said.
Garrick snapped to attention. His mind was elsewhere.
“Nothing, Sire,” he said.
The chief losing his attention for any amount of time was highly unusual. His was an iron will, his focus second to none. Something must be troubling him.
“What is it?” I said.
Garrick peered at me and his shoulders relaxed.
“Really, it’s nothing, Your Grace,” he said. “Only my instincts playing games with me again.”
“What are your instincts telling you?” I said.
He eyed me, unsure if he should share it.
“It’s nothing, Your Grace,” he said. “I probably just ate something that disagreed with me.”
But his expression said otherwise. He was troubled by something.
“You think something bad is about to happen?” I said.
He nodded.
“Do you have any idea what?” I said.
Garrick never worried about nothing. More than once, his instincts had picked up on something, and within a few hours, something terrible did happen. Some people were more sensitive to the galaxy’s stirrings, I guess.
“I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is,” he admitted. “Only that things… don’t quite feel right.”
I considered the empire and was happening in it. It was so large there was always something happening somewhere that was unfair or unjust.
I placed a hand on Garrick’s shoulder.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” I said.
The chief nodded but didn’t look convinced.
“You need to relax,” I said, “sit back and enjoy life for a change. Have a drink with me. Within minutes, your instincts will calm down and you’ll realize you were worrying about nothing.”
“I can’t drink,” Garrick said. “The guard will change any minute and I need to be there to oversee it.”
They changed multiple times a day. I doubted if the guards were capable of making a mistake.
When something played on my mind, I liked to sit, think, and do nothing. Garrick’s way of overcoming problems was taking action.
“Then have at it,” I said.
Garrick clicked his heels together, saluted with a fist to his chest, and reversed out of the room.
“Atten-hut!” he barked.
The guards in the room stamped their feet. They bowed at precisely the same time and stepped sideways toward the door. They bowed once more at the door before shutting it behind themselves.
I always hated the sound of the doors slamming shut each night. The thud boomed and echoed about the sparsely furnished room.
The emperor had dozens of palaces spread throughout the empire. Every time we expanded to a new solar system, another palace was built in my honor. I would go, enjoy it for a little while to show my appreciation, and then I always returned to this, my favorite palace.
It wasn’t even the biggest one. It was one of the smallest. My father used to bring me here during our breaks and holidays. It reminded me of my childhood and simpler times.
Lately, it hadn’t offered much in the way of peace. Each day, when Slak and Garrick left me alone, a deep sinking sensation burrowed deep in the pit of my stomach. I wondered if it was very different to what Garrick felt when he complained about his instincts playing havoc with his senses. The worst part about it was not knowing what it was in reference to.
I moved to a window and peered down at the palatial grounds below. There was a swimming pool, a sauna, and other sports facilities.
Beyond it, the expansive palatial walls. I could just about make out some of the distant town’s soft yellow lights. Ordinary people living ordinary lives.
My subjects.
They kept themselves busy, doing what was necessary to get through each day. My job was to make their lives as easy and as comfortable as possible.
But I had no contact with them. I had no idea if the work I did each day had much of an effect. We’d enjoyed peace for centuries, so I suppose we must be doing something right.
I heard a commotion.
Raised voices somewhere further up the ramparts.
They spread quickly, shouts rising.
In the courtyard, the guards split in half.
Half came running into the palace, the other half remained in their positions below.
The towers unfurled, opening up like flowers in bloom, revealing huge defensive turrets that locked onto something in the night sky.
What were they targeting?
Was it a drill I hadn’t been informed about?
I saw nothing where they were aiming.
Then I saw them.
Distant points of light. A dozen of them. Maybe more.
And they were growing larger.
Shouts echoed up through the palace. Boots thudded as they rushed in my direction.
Meanwhile, those lights grew bright and more defined. They drifted apart, forming a wide arc. They streaked through the sky, heading directly for me.
The sensation in the pit of my gut drew tighter, firmer, as if working to a crescendo.
Was this what Garrick’s instincts were telling him was going to happen?
The defensive turrets opened fire, shooting powerful bolts of plasma at the open sky.
The points of white light spun end over end, turning to avoid the worst of the flak.
Half the lights blinked out of existence after the first barrage.
The other half kept screaming toward the palace.
I backed away from the window. I couldn’t just stand there, an easy target.
I was halfway across the room when the doors flew open.
Garrick turned to the open window and threw out an arm. His eyes bulged.
“No!” he bellowed.
One of the lights morphed into a shuttlecraft, war class, its undercarriage glowing bright and blinding.
The defensive turrets would swat them from the sky before they reached the outer walls.
But their goal wasn’t to take me away. They weren’t there to abduct me and take me hostage. The blinding purple haze winding up to release its dangerous payload told me that much.
It was a powerful ion cannon charging up to be released.
Not much of my quarters in the west wing of the palace would be left after the shot had been fired.
There was a pure moment of calm as I peered back at Garrick, who sprinted across the open space toward me.
I didn’t know what he thought he could do. All he could do was die with me. There was no way he was going to prevent what was going to happen next.
The high-end ion cannon released its devastating payload.
The white-hot liquid plasma was as thick as I was tall. It screamed as it tore through the air, turning it electric. It made my hair stand on end.
The bolt struck the floor of the bed chamber and hurled me off my feet.
The Titan emperor is burned halfway to hell. He’s broken after losing his throne and wants to die… But Hazel won’t let him. She teaches him kindness, friendship, and love. But when the Changelings threaten to wipe out the entire empire, he knows he must become the emperor once more. Will he risk losing Hazel when she’s the only thing he’s ever truly wanted? CLAIMED BY THE ALIEN is available now.
Also by Tammy Walsh
CLAIMED BY THE ALIEN is the next book in this series. You can buy it soon!
Prefer to try one of my other romance ser
ies? Check out an updated list of all my series on my Amazon profile or my website.
About the Author
In space, no one can hear you scream...
And where’s the fun in that?
I’ve been reading romance and science fiction my whole life. I always wondered why those genres hadn’t been a mash-up years ago and now I'm super excited I get to combine them into a single steamy encounter!
Come with me as we journey through space and time… and the most gorgeous set of hunks this side of the galaxy!
I wrote the #1 bestselling FATED MATES OF THE TITAN EMPIRE series. I write science fiction romances set on far-flung planets and ships traveling at the speed of light.
Learn more about my books here. Find me on Facebook, Bookbub, and my website.
Sign up to receive my newsletter, where you’ll get exclusive access to every epilogue I ever write, stay updated with new releases, and more!
If you liked this book, please take a few minutes to leave a review now! Authors (me included!) really appreciate it, and it helps draw more readers to books they might like. Thanks!
TRAPPED BY THE ALIEN
Book Five in the Fated Mates of the Titan Empire series
by Tammy Walsh
Copyright © 2020 Tammy Walsh
Published by Urgency
All Rights Reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
