by Phoebe Nix
Jerof: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance
Intergalactic Warriors Book 1
Phoebe Nix
Copyright © 2019 by Phoebe Nix
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Description
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
Epilogue
Afterword
Description
Stranded on a strange planet and rescued by a hot alien warrior…
Vacation in Egypt was supposed to be the perfect getaway, but when a strange object transports her to an alien planet, Liz gets far more adventure than she bargained for. Separated from her friends and disorientated she’s in danger from strange creatures all around her. That is until she’s rescued by a hunk of an alien who whisks her away to his palace and introduces her to a world she never imagined. Would it really so bad to give in to the heat she sees in his eyes?
A human mate for the alien prince…
Prince Jerof Url’San isn’t ready to be king, but with his father’s teetering on the edge of death he must face his destiny. His people see him as nothing more than a hotheaded warrior, and now he must prove that he’s ready to lead. Nothing is more important. But when he comes upon a struggling Earthling, Jerof is hopeless to resist her, even if succumbing to her lure puts his position at risk and her life in danger.
He’ll have to fight to prove himself worthy of the Kingdoms of Hargan and with war on the horizon, failure to secure his position could doom his people. He doesn’t have time for love, but Liz is part of his destiny and if he doesn’t figure out what role she’s meant to play, their time together might be over before it begins.
Prologue
Laid across a striped beach towel, Liz smiled as she gazed at the clear sky through her polarized sunglasses.
The curls of her chocolate brown hair stretched down to her chest, which slowly heaved as her skin glimmered in the autumn sunlight. It was nearing sunset, but the golden disk in the sky burned like it was midday.
That’s when Liz knew Egypt was the perfect getaway.
“I have to admit, it’s nothing like I’d imagined,” Kristen said, taking a sip from her glass of Blue Lagoon, which had two bright green leaves of fresh mint jutting out of the rim.
Liz smiled, her skin glistening through a thick layer of sunscreen. “Told ya.”
Although the girls had been planning their vacation for months, they’d never settled on where to travel. They had only discussed in-state vacations, until Liz suggested they head to Matarma.
As a copywriter who found herself crash coursing last-minute assignments every weekend, an in-state adventure was just not going to cut it. It wasn’t just a vacation where they could unwind, it was a whole new adventure. Initially, they all pictured themselves trekking in the desert on their way to explore tombs, but they ended up on the most beautiful beach they had ever witnessed.
“I mean, I did picture men staring at us, so I guess I got that part right,” Cameron said, tucking the left side of her short blonde hair behind her ear.
Kristen’s laughter rang out over the sounds of the crashing waves. “There’s barely anyone here!”
“The waiters don’t count. Waiters everywhere stare at women,” Liz added, smiling with a black straw between her teeth.
“I’m not complaining,” Cameron continued. “It does make me feel sexy.”
Ashley set her empty glass aside as she straightened her back. “I mean, we’re half-naked on an Egyptian beach. Can you blame them?”
“It’s a four-star hotel. Do you think women here go swimming in burkas?” Liz smirked.
The four women chuckled, which seemed to garner the attention of the bartender, who shot them a flirtatious grin.
“I don’t see anyone here,” Jocelyn joined. “I think we’re the only guests at the hotel.”
“It’s October. Of course, we are,” Ashley replied, gesturing for one of the waiters to refill her cocktail.
Liz gently placed her empty glass on her right, shortly before a waiter leaned down to pick it up. Their eyes met, and they exchanged smiles. Her four friends watched with scrutiny, suppressing their grins.
“Get a room,” Kristen teased as soon as the waiter turned his back and left.
“Shut up,” Liz said, shaking her head as she beamed.
All five women leaned back on their colorful beach towels, taking in the warmth of the sun slowly sliding behind the horizon. Liz played with the black thong bikini strapped in bows along her hips. Her blue eyes contrasted against her freshly-tanned skin.
“I never really cared where we ended up, as long as we got the hell out of New York,” Jocelyn said after a pause.
“You mean as long as you were as far away from Stanton as possible?” Kristen said, snickering.
“Oh god,” Jocelyn groaned. “Even Egypt isn’t far enough.”
“I’m glad you decided to leave him,” Liz joined. “I never trust anyone who acts skittish around animals.”
“Yeah, honestly, at some point, you could have told me that he turned out to be an escaped alien from Area 51 and I wouldn’t have questioned you,” Ashley said, turning around to lie down across her stomach.
Liz scoffed, swinging her beach curls back. “Why are we talking about ex-boyfriends when we have a beach to enjoy?”
“I wish we could just live here forever,” Kristen said. “I really like it here.” She leaned forward to get a better view of the bartender. “And the men are really cute, too.”
“We’re not here to hook up,” Liz said, gently shoving Kristen.
“I can’t believe we have to go back to New York in, like, a week,” Jocelyn added. “I thought unwinding would give me the energy to go back, but I want to be pampered forever.”
She grabbed her cocktail glass, only to find it empty. Jocelyn called out for the waiter, pointing to her glass with a childish frown.
The bartender nodded.
Later that evening, Liz and Kristen parted ways with their friends to retreat to their bungalow, leaving the warmth of the beach as they stepped into their air-conditioned unit, the swift change of temperature sending goosebumps along Liz’s arm.
The sound of the crashing waves still rang in her ears, as though it had washed away all the voices in her head that would constantly remind her of shelved assignments she had to go back to eventually.
The bungalow was not remotely spacious, but Liz preferred it that way.
Two single beds without headboards were placed in parallel on the left, with a small flat-screen television across them. A wooden wardrobe with sliding doors was left open, with the girls’ clothes piled up on a fabric chair set in the corner.
“The beach is nice, but I want to see more,” Kristen said, throwing her weight on the bouncy bed. “We came here for an adventure. I’m done relaxing, I want to see more of what Egypt looks like in pictures.”
“I don’t know,” Liz replied. “I guess, we’ll have to tell the front desk. Ask them if they can provide us some sor
t of guide or tours. I just don’t think there’s much to see in this city other than the sea.” Liz was about to undo the bows on her hips, but got distracted by the conversation. She reached for a plain white tank top on the bed and slipped it on, her voice distorted as she momentarily spoke behind the fabric. “What do you wanna do?”
Kristen shrugged. “Do y0u want to leave the city?” she asked, her tone almost begging her to say yes.
“Not yet. I feel like I haven’t had enough of this place, but maybe eventually. A couple of days before we have to head back home.”
Liz gazed around to look for the TV remote, spotting it next to the screen.
“We don’t need a tour guide,” Kristen said. “We could just head outside and see what we’re missing out on.”
With the remote in her hand, Liz sat on the edge of the bed before she scooched backward, making herself comfortable as she prepared to browse the Egyptian channels.
The remote wasn’t working.
“I heard about sandboarding, I guess we could do that anywhere out there,” Kristen continued.
Liz flipped the remote, sliding the battery cover downward with her thumb. She rolled her eyes. “They didn’t even bother to put batteries in here. I’m not getting back up.”
“Y0u’re not even listening to me.”
“What?” Liz’s eyes widened upon noticing her friend had been speaking to her while she zoned out in her little world.
Kristen groaned. “Never mind. Just turn off the lights and go have a nap.”
“Okay, grumpy.”
With the lights switched off, the harmonious chirping of the crickets seemed to grow louder, as though mimicking the state of Liz’s head. She didn’t really care for the television that she couldn’t turn on, but she realized that Kristen was right. There was nothing to do but chill on the beach and drink themselves to a coma. This wasn’t the adventure she’d pictured when she had first planned this vacation.
Her head settled on the pillow. She turned her head to Kristen only to find she was already fast asleep. She called out her name, hoping for a little conversation, but only received a light snore as a response. Liz smiled, her eyes traveling to the ceiling. She began drifting away, making plans for tomorrow.
A loud explosive thud startled the duo to sit bolt upright in their beds.
With half-shut eyes, Kristen yelled, “What the hell was that?”
The ground momentarily shook beneath their bare feet.
“Was that a fucking explosion?” Kristen continued, frantically looking around her, as if she would find the answer between the four walls of their humble bungalow.
Liz trotted to the sliding window and parted the curtains, which screeched along the rod. A bright light suddenly washed over the room.
There appeared to be a fire in the distance, far enough to keep them safe, but close enough to be seen and smelled. Something massive was set ablaze, sending smoke swirling in the sky as it concealed the stars in a thick layer of mist.
“Fuck!” Kristen shouted. “What the hell is going on? Is this civil war?”
Liz scoffed. “It’s just a fire, Kris. We’re fine. It looks far enough.”
“If I can smell it, it’s not far enough,” Kristen’s voice shook.
“Calm the hell down,” Liz maternally demanded as she stared out at the inferno.
Upon getting a closer glimpse of the blaze outside, Kristen seemed to calm down. It looked like a bonfire in the midst of the desert. As her fears were pacified, her curiosity flared up.
Liz and Kristen were jogging on their way to the resort lobby, when they ran into Ashley, Jocelyn and Cameron.
“Did you guys see the fire?” Cameron frantically said.
Liz nodded, turning around as she pointed in the distance. “It’s hard not to. You can see it from here.”
Still in their bikinis, the five girls pushed their way through the revolving door, trotting to the front desk. Before Liz could speak, the hotel manager forced a smile. They could all see he was flustered behind the amicable smile.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” he announced. “There’s a small fire outside the resort. It looks close enough from here, but it’s farther than it looks.”
“It’s definitely not farther than it looks,” Ashley mumbled under her breath.
The five women felt safe upon finding each other. Their instinctual fears had been overcome by their inner curiosity which wanted to explore the source of the blaze. The way they exchanged glances confirmed that they were all thinking of the same thing.
Liz nodded in agreement. “Of course, of course. I’m sure you can handle it if it gets out of hand.”
“It won’t!” the manager said. “Whatever you do, just stay inside the resort. We’re calling the police, and it will all be taken care of in a matter of minutes.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Kristen said, pulling Liz by the arm to end the conversation.
Liz glanced back at the girls to see they were all suppressing their grins.
She had seen those faces before.
She knew exactly what they meant.
“Are you sure about this?” Jocelyn asked, as all five girls jogged their way to the gate at the main entrance.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” Liz said, her left sneaker skidding on a stone.
“You okay?” Kristen asked, screeching to a halt as she turned her back to check on her friend.
“I’m fine, just keep it down!” Liz whispered.
The security guard was leaning back in his chair, his hat lowered and covering his face. Clearly, he wasn’t too bothered about the blaze. The five girls tip-toed their way outside onto the road before gazing around them to see where the source of the fire was.
It was much closer than they had thought it was. In just a few minutes, they could barely breathe from the smoke left in the aftermath of the blaze. Not caring that they were wearing nothing but bikinis and sneakers, they followed the diminishing fire.
It didn’t take them long to get to the site. All five girls dropped their jaws as they stared at what looked like the remnants of a peculiar plane, a craft that was like nothing they had ever seen before.
They all circled around the machine, trying to figure out the anatomy of the odd aircraft. It essentially looked like a massive drone that had seen better days. Although the metal had darkened from the fire, Liz would have imagined that the aircraft would have to take much more damage in order to obliterate this mechanical beast.
The aircraft was shaped like a cone; round at the bottom and pointed at the tip. It was around the size of a private jet, but it looked bigger thanks to its odd shape. It seemed identical from all sides, so it was hard knowing where they could find the entrance.
“Jesus Christ,” Ashley started. “Did Jos’s ex just land in Egypt?”
“I told you Egypt wasn’t far enough,” Jocelyn shook her head. “What the hell is that thing? It looks like a damn spaceship.”
“Probably some lost NASA aircraft,” Liz suggested. “It looks weird, but that’s definitely some Secret Intelligence craft.”
Kristen kneeled, placing the side of her head on the terrain as though she were looking for a cat hiding under a car. “Do you think the entrance is down there? Like you gotta have this thing flying and they just dangle you a rope.”
Liz snickered. “No, but you have a very vivid, imagination. See these slits?” Liz gestured toward two diagonal lines that ran along the length of the cone. “I think that’s the door.”
“This is so bizarre,” Cameron said, pressing her palms on the sides of her head. “We should get out of here. We have no idea what’s in there.”
Kristen shrugged. “We were promised an adventure, and we’re getting one,” she announced with her hands on her waist. “Plus, the fire’s dead. I don’t even think anyone is in there. It looks like something Intelligence drives remotely.”
“I thought the same thing, but I still want to go in there,” Liz said through
a sly grin. “There has to be a way to break into this thing.”
A thick layer of smoke enveloped the girls under the full moon. From afar, neither the girls nor the aircraft would be visible. Smoke swirled around them as though it emanated from the terrain, but it wasn’t suffocating. In fact, it felt a little frigid when they had passed through it. Whatever it was, its purpose was likely to keep the ship concealed.
“I think that’s enough adventure for today. Let’s go back to the resort. The manager specifically said we need to stay put and away from the fire,” Cameron reminded them, taking a couple of steps back.”
“I don’t see fire,” Ashley noted, pacing to Cameron and pulling her closer. “Don’t be a chicken.”
“I’m not a chicken! I’m just careful. You guys see a god damn fire in the middle of the desert in fucking Egypt.” Cameron’s voice shook. “And your first thought is to go check it out. You’re insane.”
“You’re not a chicken, you’re just a party pooper. As always,” Kristen muttered.
“Are we seriously arguing right now?” Ashley groaned.
Liz walked away from her friends, approaching the triangular slit that was drawn across the cone. She could see dark blue light flickering through it. It was almost hypnotizing, as though it was begging her to find a way in. Whatever it was that awaited them inside likely needed help. Liz’s curious smile faded as she furrowed her brows. She was determined to get in.
“We’re arguing because y’all call me out every time I try to stop you from getting your asses killed,” Cameron shouted.
