“Mate,” he says again, turning to look over his shoulder.
“Look, I‘ve had one hell of a day, mister,” I say, exhausted and fanning my flushed face with my hand. “I just want to go home.”
He turns to his friends and waves a hand. One by one they file out of the room. My feet are hot on the metal floor, and I’m sweaty. I lift my feet one at a time to give them some relief. He watches me before scooping me up into his arms and carrying me over to a low pool in the centre of the floor. “Hey! You don’t have to lift me all the time like some kind of He-Man. Are you listening to me? There’s a pool?”
“Fear not, little one. I wish only to easy your discomfort.”
“Why do you sound like Mister Darcy?”
“It is your favourite book; would you prefer a more Heathcliff?” he asks, his accent changing to a rougher north of England twang.
“How do you know…wait, you’re an alien, of course you know. Okay, I’m just going to go with it.”
“Thank you.”
“What does your own accent sound like? What does your own language sound like?”
He hesitates before whispering. It’s strange but enticing, like water running down the cliff-face back home. I close my eyes as he speaks, letting the continuous singsong create little shivers of pleasure down my spine.
“I like your language,” I say, my voice soft and low. This seems to make him happy; his smile widens.
“Thank you, Orlaquinn.”
“You can just call me Orla,” I say, blushing furiously.
“Orla,” he repeats. Sitting down, he pats the space beside him at the edge of the pool. I sit and groan when my feet hit the tepid water. I marvel at the size of his thighs. Do not look at his thighs, Orla! But I do. I want to look. Corded with muscle and sinew, they are easily the size of my entire width of my body. I can’t stop starting at him, his skin seems to glisten, with darker strips of green zebra-like across his upper body. My hand reaches out, moving of its own volition and I rest my palm against his sprawling chest. It is rock hard, and smooth like silk on the surface. His breathing quickens and he pulls me close, his mouth connecting with mine, crushing my lips beneath his. He breaks away from me, jumps up and lowers his pants kicking them to the side.
“Come cool off,” he says, turning to look at me before diving into the pool.
Holy shit. There is a green naked alien in the pool.
Holy shit, he has two dicks!
I hesitate and then groan internally when he glides through the cool water, his tail flicking water on my legs. I’m going to lose my soul to this alien.
“Okay. But can you promise me something?” I ask.
He’s eyes glint with mischief and he quirks a brow at me. “Anything mate. I long for us to know each other in the most intimate of ways.”
I blush more at the tone of his voice, and a shiver that runs through the lower half of my body.
“Firstly, I’m not your mate. Secondly, if I get in the pool will you answer my questions honestly?”
“Yes,” he replies sincerely. I have nothing to lose by trusting him, right now.
“Okay. Let’s start with something simple. What’s your name?” I ask, as I lower myself in the pool, my night gown clinging to me.
“I am Axion, the green. Your bonded mate,” he replies.
The End
Enjoyed this series prequel? Be sure to leave a review! To see more of Axion and Orla, and to preorder the Alien Lovers series in KU:
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About the Author
Michelle McLoughney is an Irish author of contemporary, Sci-Fi and paranormal romance. When she’s not dreaming up the perfect meet-cute, she enjoys cocktails and cake with her group of besties. Michelle lives in the south west of Ireland surrounded by castles and cliffs. It stands to reason that her first love would be a well-worn copy of Emily Bronte’s, Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff may not be the perfect hero, sometimes brooding and cruel, but always passionate. As such he shaped Michelle’s love of the perfectly imperfect Hero. Join her for some intense stares, and plenty of passionate kisses.
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Star Blood
E.J. Powell
About Star Blood
When a young woman wishes on a star, she doesn’t expect her wish to come true.
Her desires are granted in the form of two hot, alien brothers that need her body to save their race.
She is never allowed to return to Earth and must decide which Starling brother will be hers forever.
Chapter 1
“Penny, don’t stay out too late. I need you up bright and early tomorrow morning for the market!” Mom calls from somewhere in the kitchen as I grip the doorknob and let out a small sigh. I swear, sometimes she has ears like a hawk.
“I won’t. I promise,” I say before hurrying out the front door. Sometimes, I can’t wait to get off the farm. Twenty acres of farmland and only three neighbors, each with their own separate land. Twenty minutes apart from one another on a dusty road smack dab in the middle of nowhere. There truly is no place like home. It’s enough to drive you bonkers!
Sitting on the front step of the wrap around porch, I pull on my boots and lace them up. It’s twilight out, and I breathe in the cool nighttime air that washes over me like a second skin. My nose wrinkles briefly when I catch the smell of cow dung just beyond the two-story house off to the right where a barn was located. Cows, horses, pigs, goats, you name it. If it’s a farm animal, then heck, we’ve got it right here!
I shake my head as I stand and head off to the corn fields. Already, the stalks are high above my head, and if I wish any harder, perhaps I’ll get lost and never have to work on the farm again. Not that I mind helping my parents out. It’s just, I’m twenty-three and ought to be at college or working toward a career goal, not mucking out stalls, spraying down the barn, and tending to the crops.
Humming to myself, I wander the fields, walking between the corn stalks. The quiet and the stillness of the place help me calm down, let me think. I know the city life would forever be buzzing, and maybe the noise would send me right back to the farm in time. But I wanted more than just to be a farmer’s daughter. My sister didn’t see it that way. Claire thought the farm was her beacon of hope for her ideal life as a farmer’s wife.
Me? I’ll be lucky if I ever feel the need to come back to the farm once I leave. I love animals, sure, but I don’t want to be stuck in a rut worrying about land that isn’t entirely mine.
Something bright flashes out of the corner of my eye, and I tilt my head up, lips parting as the soft glow arcs over my head. “Beautiful,” I whisper, and a smile grazes my lips. A falling star always means that it is time to make some wishes.
I shut my eyes, biting my bottom lip. Whatever I wish for, it just has to come true. “I wish—” I stop. I take a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “I wish for adventure and for love.”
After waiting a couple seconds, I open my eyes and then look around. Disappointment washes over me, and I frown, shaking my head. “I knew it was too good to be true.” Wishing on stars is for small children that are too innocent for their own good. Turning to head back to the farm, I freeze, my breath catching in my throat.
My eyes widen as I stare at the large man standing directly in front of me. His eyes are bright yellow against the darkening night, and his entire body is outlined in a soft white glow. He tilts his bald head as he studies me intently. Arms are crossed over his broad chest and define the muscular contours of his body. As I look him over, my cheeks flush red, and I have to avert my ga
ze briefly. “Who are you?” I whisper.
He doesn’t answer for quite some time. When I look back up to meet his gaze, he now stands in front of me. I nearly stumble backward, as the speed at which he moves sends my heart galloping in my chest. He drops his arms to his sides but still doesn’t reply.
Then, when he does speak, it sends chills down my spine. “We have been waiting for you.” His voice is sultry, low, and sounds like static.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand,” I say and swallow hard. Is he one of the neighbors playing a practical joke on me?
The man frowns, and I survey him again, noticing that his skin is a beautiful shade of black, almost as if he were from the night sky. His veins seem to glow with the same white light pulsating around his entire body. “You will understand in time, female. Come with me.” The words come out like crackled static from a radio.
I shake my head and take a step backward as he lifts his arms and reaches for me. I don’t need to speak his odd language to know exactly what he meant. “I’m not going with you. My family will be worried about me.”
His advances don’t stop as I take several more steps back. I can’t run, only because I know he can wrap his arms around me in an instant. His frightening beauty is astounding, and he seems to move as quick as light itself. The thought terrifies me.
“You do not get a choice, female. Come quietly, or I will use force.” He lets out a hiss, and my eyes widen when I spy a divided tongue similar to a snake’s flicking out in anger. His face of sharp cheekbones and strong jaw is twisted in anger as his bright yellow eyes narrow.
I shake my head and hold up my hands. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I’ll call the cops!” Although, that’s a small white lie. I don’t own a cell phone; my parents could never afford one. Go figure that in a time of desperation, a phone call wasn’t going to solve my problems.
“By force it is, then,” he states, and I let out a small shriek as his hand reaches out. His fingertips dig against the underside of my wrist. I gasp, trying to jerk free from his grip as his fingernails slash against the soft skin and I begin to bleed. Tears blur at the corner of my eyes, but my head begins to feel fuzzy. My knees threaten to buckle, my vision swims, and then my world goes black.
Chapter 2
Male voices are arguing back and forth as I slowly come to. “She looks compatible. I would not have taken her if she were not.”
“You cannot be sure. She is not pleasing to the eye in the slightest!”
I let out a soft groan, and my eyes slowly open, although they feel like they’ve been weighed down with sand. Who isn’t pleasing? My figure is fine, thanks! I think as my eyes widen and I take in my surroundings.
I’m staring up at an endless dark sky littered with a thousand tiny white dots. I can’t seem to turn my head or feel my body. My heart races as the two men around me begin to speak. One, I recognize with his low voice; the other sounds loud like a blaring trumpet.
“That is not the point, and you know it,” the low voice says and sighs. “The female is our last hope. We cannot afford to be picky.”
The high-pitched male scoffs loudly, and I flinch at the sound. “Do not get your hopes up. Even if she does survive—” He stops speaking, and then I find two pairs of yellow eyes staring down at me. They tower over where I lie strapped to a long table.
My toes curl inward, and I wiggle my feet for good measure despite having no idea where my boots have gone.
“Good. You have awakened.” The man I’d seen before with the low voice gives me a smile, and I cringe at the sharp teeth he reveals. His smile doesn’t falter as he reaches out to trace a long black finger down my cheek. I swallow hard. “What is your name, female?”
“I’m not telling you,” I blurt out. He frowns and takes his hand away.
“Good job, brother. You chose a defiant one,” the man with the high-pitched voice says and leans closer as if to inspect my face. I shrink away from him off to the side, as if somehow not being strapped down could save me. Just who are these men, and what do they want with me?
“It’s in their nature to be cautious. My name is Aladar,” the man I’d met in the fields says and pats my cheek again. “And my loud-mouthed brother over here is Alistar.”
I glance back and forth between them. My body begins to shake as I look beyond the two large burly men to the metal layout, and my heart begins to pump hard against my breastbone. “Look at her, shaking like a comet,” Alistar says with a smirk.
“Well, what do you think, brother?” Aladar says, ignoring his brother’s comment.
“What do you want with me?” I ask, glad I can finally move my head. After Aladar had touched my cheek, I felt as if I weren’t wearing a neck brace that locks your head in place, and I could crane my neck a little.
Alistar moves closer, and my lips part.
These strange men were scaring me. Why was I kidnapped? What do they want with me?
“We need your body,” Alistar says and narrows his eyes. “Although my brother seems satisfied with yours, I am not the slightest bit interested. I would rather die then lie with you.” He turns as if disgusted and moves around the table and toward the only exit in the small room. The doors slide open like an elevator and shut behind him.
“Do not take it personal, my lovely,” Aladar says as he comes into focus and holds a foreign object in his hands. It’s long, slender, and metal, and he grips it tightly. My eyes meet his, and I’m trying to breathe, but no oxygen seems to get into my lungs. He merely watches me for several minutes as he continues. “Alistar does not wish to admit that we need you.”
“Why do you need me?” I furrow my eyebrows. “I just want to go home. Where am I?”
Aladar tilts his head, studying me from head to toe. “You are in our home. We welcome you, but it comes with a price.” He gives me a toe-curling smile. Why does he have to be so devilishly handsome?
“Let me go home. Please. My family will be worried about me.” My chest tightens at the thought of my parents and sister looking for me out in the fields. Waiting for me to come home and I never do.
“You are home,” Aladar says as he moves closer and that foreign object in his hands begins to hum. I swallow hard as he leans over me. My wrists and ankles are bound as I lie flat on my back on the cool metal table. My boots are gone, my jacket is missing, and all I have left are my tank top and booty shorts. I’d only wanted to go outside to take an air breather, not be kidnapped by sexy men!
“Now,” Aladar says and places the foreign object where my heart is. “Hold very still. I must check to see if you are compatible for us.”
“What if I’m not?” I blurt out.
Bright yellow eyes stare down at me, and then he blinks a couple times before answering, “Then we will wipe your memory and send you back.”
“And if I am?” I don’t understand why it bothers me so much, why they need me to be compatible for them.
Aladar merely smiles down at me. “Then you will become our breeder.” And then he places his open palm against my chest, the object in his hand continuing to hover above my body. Pain erupts as he holds down my heart, and my body begins to spasm.
My lips part as I let out a loud, blood-curdling scream. My arms and legs jerk against the straps that seem to be woven entirely out of crystallized energy. My eyes roll into the back of my head. Stars dance across my vision, and my heart goes still as I black out for a second time.
Chapter 3
I’m still looking up at the dark sky when I open my eyes. The sunroof is my only reminder that time has passed at all, although I’m not entirely sure how long I’ve been unconscious. “Congratulations,” Alistar says, and I hear clapping as I slowly turn my head to where he stands near the doors.
“What?” I croak out. My throat burns from screaming, and my chest feels like it’s on fire. My heart beats weakly against my rib cage.
Alistar moves forward, his bright yellow eyes observing me carefully. “You are, in fact,
compatible to handle our lineage.”
“What happened to me?” I ask, blinking back tears.
He rolls his eyes heavenward. “You ask many questions, Earthling.”
“Earthling?” The only species that ever calls humans “Earthlings” is aliens. But they can’t be aliens. They resemble humans despite their colored contacts and vampire teeth. They are just men holding me hostage.
Alistar frowns. “What else would you be called?”
“Penny. My name is Penny.” Why I told him that, I don’t understand. It’s if I have no filter at all. But if I talk to him and he gets to know me, then maybe he will let me go home.
“I would find ‘Earthling’ would suit you better,” Alistar says as he moves closer. “Or breeder perhaps.”
“Penny is a lovely name,” Aladar mumbles as he steps through the doorway and sends a glare at his brother.
“B-Breeder?” I swallow hard and look between them two.
Aladar gives an excited nod of his head. “Yes! Is it not wonderful? You are compatible with both of us! We had to be sure, of course, but now everything will work out just splendidly!”
“I’m not being anyone’s breeder!” I shout and twist my wrists to try and break free. The brothers merely watch as I struggle. “I want to go home!”
Alistar is the first to speak. “You mean that home?” He lifts a hand and points a finger. I stop, turning my head to stare wide-eyed at a small porthole the size of a large fist to see where a planet was rotating off in the distance.
“Is that…Earth?” I ask, my mouth falling open. “What the—?”
“You are no longer welcome on Earth,” Alistar continues as if I haven’t interrupted him. “You belong here now, however unfortunate that is. You are our breeder.”
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