by Sue Lyndon
Kazzon’s Human Bride
Tarrkuan Masters, Book Three
Sue Lyndon
Contents
About this book
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Epilogue
Also in the Tarrkuan Masters series
Also by Sue Lyndon
Sue Lyndon writing as Sue Mercury
About Sue Lyndon
Kazzon’s Human Bride (Tarrkuan Masters, Book Three)
Copyright © 2021 by Sue Lyndon
All rights reserved
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Sue Lyndon. All names, brands, characters, and settings are purely from the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to real people, real brands, and real locations is a coincidence. Contact: [email protected]
Editing by Celeste Jones
Published in the United States of America
Sue Lyndon
www.suelyndon.com
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About this book
He was promised a human bride—and he wants her.
Desperate to escape an arranged marriage to a Tarrkuan, Caylee trades places with another human female who actually wants to leave Earth and marry one of the fearsome aliens.
She thinks she’s safe, she thinks she’s in the clear… until a huge Tarrkuan diplomat named Kazzon discovers her deception and takes her into custody.
Now she’s a prisoner of the very aliens from whom she was trying to hide.
And that alien who captured her?
He’s been promised a human bride—and he plans to marry her.
Prologue
The lingering scent of smoke burned Caylee’s throat with each breath. She stood in the square of her dome-city, New Leesburg, with her head bowed, as footsteps approached from all directions. Hushed whispers and the occasional quiet sob drifted through the darkness.
A quick glance up showed someone had brought miniature glow sticks in the shape of candles. Caylee nodded her thanks to the woman who passed her one, then she clutched the makeshift candle in her hand as a sense of heaviness fell upon her.
Fourteen people had died yesterday in a terrible fire that swept through one of the large factories. In her twenty years, she couldn’t recall such an immense tragedy falling upon New Leesburg, though she’d heard tales of similar accidents taking place in other dome-cities on Earth.
A collective sense of grief blanketed the gathering, making the darkness seem thicker and the air more difficult to breathe. Fourteen people. She could scarcely believe it. Good, hard-working citizens, too. What a loss.
The population of New Leesburg, like all dome-cities, was strictly regulated. Only about fifteen thousand people lived in each enclosed settlement. Once upon a time, Earth had been inhabited by billions of humans, but no more. Diminishing resources and a series of terrible wars had left this world nothing but a hot, barren wasteland. All surviving humans lived in one of the three hundred and fifty-two dome-cities that remained on Earth.
And fourteen people dead? It was a tremendous loss, one acutely felt by every single individual of New Leesburg. Several hundred people were already gathered for the vigil in the square and Caylee knew the crowd would only keep growing. Her parents stood behind her, next to her brother, and when she turned to glance at them, her heart clenched with sorrow. She quickly spun around and closed her eyes, lest she break down in tears.
Though she was currently mourning the loss of the fourteen victims of the fire, she was also in preemptive mourning for a much more personal loss—the impending loss of her family and friends.
The loss of her home and everything she’d ever known.
Every time she looked at her parents and brother, the grief would hit her anew, as brutal as an unexpected punch to the gut. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, praying she managed to hold herself together. But it was difficult to maintain her composure when drastic change loomed on the horizon.
In a few weeks, Caylee would be forced to leave Earth. Forever.
She lowered her head further, allowing her long golden locks to shield her face, a curtain to conceal her personal sorrows. She didn’t want to leave, but unfortunately, she didn’t have any say in the matter.
At the age of four, she had been randomly selected to become a Tarrkuan bride—a human female who would eventually grow up to become the mate of a Tarrkuan alien—and she had spent the last sixteen years of her life preparing for her eventual departure from Earth, as required by the Earth-Tarrkua trade agreement.
And now, with her twentieth birthday only four months behind her, she was preparing to depart Earth with over three hundred human females—one from each dome-city.
She would give anything if only she could remain on Earth. She despaired over the prospect of leaving her family behind, never to see them again.
What would happen to her parents after she left? Their relationship with one another was strained—barely a week passed that they didn’t get into a full-blown screaming match—and Caylee routinely acted as their mediator. She feared their marriage would disintegrate entirely after she left Earth.
And her brother, Wilson, would probably continue retreating into himself and hiding in his room. He was a quiet kid who didn’t like conflict, and the more their parents fought, the more he disappeared—sometimes, after a particularly bad row, he would lock himself in his room for days, even missing school. He’d been increasingly withdrawn lately, and she despaired over the thought of how he would cope in her absence. More often than not, she was the only person who could convince him to leave his room.
Regret crashed over her. She worried equally for her parents and her brother. Even though she’d never wished to be selected as a Tarrkuan bride, she still couldn’t help but feel guilty that she’d been chosen.
Sometimes, she wondered if her life would be easier once she departed New Leesburg and married a Tarrkuan. But as soon as such thoughts entered her mind, she would become even more guilt-ridden and filled with shame.
Shouldn’t she want to stay and keep helping her family?
If she left, when she left, she feared their lives would fall apart completely. Despite their many flaws (and yes, she knew she wasn’t perfect herself), she still loved them. She’d always thought if she did a better job of helping them, perhaps one
day her parents would stop fighting and her brother would cease hiding.
God, how could she do it?
Three weeks. She had but three weeks left on Earth.
That wasn’t enough time to fix all that was broken.
As Caylee kept her head bowed, both in a show of respect to the deceased and to hide any potential tears, she sensed eyes upon her. She shifted in place and finally looked up, only for her gaze to lock with a young blonde woman’s piercing blue stare. She peered at the woman and recognized her as Julie, the younger sister of a Tarrkuan bride named Nova who’d left Earth four years ago.
Horror washed through Caylee, realization setting in.
Poor Julie.
Caylee had seen both Julie’s parents’ names on the list of fourteen. Not only had Julie lost her older sister to the Tarrkuans, but she’d now lost her parents to the fire. She had no family left. It was too bad humans weren’t permitted to visit planet Tarrkua, for Julie would have no way of seeing her sister in person again.
But as Caylee held the petite blonde’s gaze, another realization struck her.
Julie and Caylee looked very much alike.
Both possessed wavy golden hair, pale skin, blue eyes, and freckles. They were the same height and of the same slight build. The only real difference was that Julie’s hair was a bit longer than Caylee’s.
What if…
No, Caylee wouldn’t allow herself to complete the thought.
But as the vigil continued, neither girl looked away. Their eyes remained locked as a strange sense of companionship seemingly built between them, though up until this point, they had been nothing but acquaintances.
Finally, as curfew grew nearer, the crowd began to disperse as the vigil came to an end. Caylee started walking home, following her parents and her brother, though she gradually found herself walking closer and closer to Julie along the street.
Caylee slowed in her steps as her house appeared and the two girls moved even nearer, still glancing at one another every few seconds.
They really could be twins.
Her heart beat faster, nervous excitement building.
Is Julie thinking what I’m thinking?
Just before Caylee turned to follow her family inside, Julie reached for her arm and whispered, “We could switch, you know. You could stay on Earth with your family, and I could travel to Tarrkua so I can find my sister, the only family I have left.”
“Yes,” Caylee said slowly, turning to stare at her doppelganger. “Yes, we could.”
Chapter 1
Six months later…
Ambassador Kazzon stood on the bridge of the Corrannelia, staring out the viewscreen as the dome-city of New Leesburg appeared on the horizon, the human settlement barely visible amidst the massive dust storm that raged across the barren land.
Relief filled him, knowing this dome-city was his last stop on Earth before he could return to Tarrkua. He was anxious to complete his diplomatic mission and return to his home planet as soon as possible.
He eyed the dome-city, annoyed that he had to travel here in the first place. The human Leaders of New Leesburg had refused to accept the new Earth-Tarrkua trade agreement. He was determined to make the humans submit, just as he’d forced the other resisting dome-cities to accept the new treaty.
In the end, he knew the humans of New Leesburg would have no choice, and a sense of power flowed through him.
To refuse his offer would be to condemn their entire settlement to death. Perhaps these particular humans did not realize how serious the Tarrkuans were. If the Leaders tested Kazzon, it would be their undoing.
“Please sit down and buckle up, Ambassador,” the pilot said with a brief glance over his shoulder at Kazzon. “The wind gusts are brutal on this part of Earth and it’s possible we could experience some turbulence during landing.”
Kazzon sank into a seat behind the pilot’s and buckled up. As the ship approached the large hangar that was attached to the dome-city, his mind wandered as he considered the future and how his life would change once he completed this diplomatic mission.
As a member of the ruling class who had served his people for many years, he had been promised a human bride by the Allocators soon, and the next shipment of human females was due to arrive on his planet in several moon cycles. While he hadn’t made a request to obtain a bride, the Allocators had simply informed him that he would receive one—an order that had come from a prominent Tarrkuan leader who’d wished to reward Kazzon for his service.
While he had mixed feelings about marrying a human female, he could not refuse such a gift, and he was also determined to fulfill his duties to his people—he would claim his bride and procreate with her as many times as possible. As his people recovered from the Dying Days, it was necessary that each mated Tarrkuan-human couple produce as many offspring as they could.
His mood darkened when he considered the strained relationship he had with his family members, particularly his father. He had pushed them all away over the years.
Would he do the same with his wife? And what about his future children?
He bit back a growl of frustration.
Once the ship was successfully docked in the hangar, Kazzon unbuckled and rose to his feet. He peered at the pilot and co-pilot. “It is my hope that we will not be here for long,” he said. “I am prepared to shut the TEC600 reactor down and plunge this dome-city into darkness if the humans test me.”
“There is no rush, Ambassador,” the pilot said. “Please take however long you need.” A black mist briefly appeared around the pilot’s head, only to fade into the air a moment later. The mist, a fleeting aura of darkness only visible to Kazzon, was evidence of the pilot’s lie.
Kazzon’s jaw clenched and displeasure rolled through him, but he quickly reminded himself that the pilot was probably eager to return home to his mate and offspring. The male had likely meant no harm or disrespect while telling the untruth. Furthermore, the pilot had no clue that Kazzon saw a black mist when others lied—such a power wasn’t typical of a Tarrkuan, but for a reason Kazzon still didn’t understand, the Gods had given him this unusual but often infuriating talent.
A large door at the end of the dock opened to reveal five uniformed humans. Kazzon stared out the viewscreen at the Leaders of New Leesburg who waited to greet him. As they spoke amongst themselves, black mist appeared several times. The Leaders could not even be honest with one another, yet this group of humans apparently governed this dome-city.
Lies. Everywhere Kazzon looked, there was dishonesty. On Earth as much as on Tarrkua. Lies and treachery and betrayal. Logically, he understood why people were not always honest with their comrades, but it was still a disturbing sight whenever he was confronted with it. Which was why he preferred to keep to himself as much as possible.
He performed his duties to the best of his abilities, but outside of his work he did not socialize or confer with anyone. May the Gods help him when he finally took a wife.
After thanking the pilot and co-pilot, Kazzon exited the bridge and disembarked the Corrannelia. He glared at the humans as they approached. To his surprise, he realized one of the humans was a female, though she wore the same masculine uniform as her male counterparts. A female Leader. He glared at the group, wondering if perhaps she was the reason New Leesburg hadn’t yet agreed to the new treaty.
Before the Leader in front could utter a word of welcome, Kazzon cleared his throat and got straight to the point. “Every other dome-city on Earth has agreed to our new terms,” he said. “You are the last holdout, and on behalf of my planet, I am prepared to exclude New Leesburg from the treaty entirely. Of course, exclusion means we will repossess the TEC600 reactor we’ve given you and you will be on your own to find a new power source for your city.”
Uneasy glances passed between all of the human Leaders. Several of them avoided Kazzon’s gaze, shuffled their feet, and looked around the hangar. He made them nervous. Good. He hoped he fluxxing terrified them. One word
from him and their power supply could be shut off—for a brief time, an entire day, or even permanently.
“Ambassador Kazzon,” the female Leader said, her eyes narrowing at him. “It is difficult enough for our people to part with one of our citizens a year, but to eventually be required to hand over five young females per year is unthinkable. We are worried it will cause discord in our settlement, particularly in the aftermath of a tragedy we just endured—one of our factories caught fire about six months ago and we lost fourteen souls.”
Kazzon studied the elderly woman, curious about her. Though he’d come across human female Leaders before, it still always came as a surprise to him. Unlike Earth, Tarrkua was a strict patriarchy. Females on Kazzon’s planet were expected to be submissive and obey their mates in all things, and they certainly were not permitted to hold any positions of power. In fact, females on Tarrkua did not work outside the home in any capacity.
Despite their cultural differences, he couldn’t help but admire this human female who had spoken so boldly. No black mist had appeared around her head since he’d seen her and he respected her honesty and forthrightness, even if he sought to change her mind.
