Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Other Titles
Alien Breeder
Alien Invasion Book 3
Honey Phillips
Copyright © 2019 by Honey Phillips
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author.
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design by Pro Book Covers Studio
Edited by Nikki Groom @ Indie Hub Editing Services
Chapter One
“S’rah N’derson.”
Sarah tried not to flinch when the massive Yehrin warrior standing at the entrance to the waiting room called her name. Even though she had agreed to this process, facing the consequences of her decision proved surprisingly difficult. She smoothed damp palms down the sides of her white pants and prayed that her face didn’t reveal the butterflies storming through her stomach.
As she got to her feet, the women around her darted nervous looks in her direction or ducked their heads to avoid her gaze. She had been talking quietly to them, trying to keep them calm, and she wondered what would happen after she left. Most of them simply looked relieved that their name hadn’t been called, but several were already crying again. Like her, all of the women were dressed in the white outfits that the aliens had provided. The identical clothing only served to accentuate the differences between them and she was supremely conscious that she appeared to be the oldest woman present. Most of them were barely in their twenties, let alone their thirties. Determined to set a good example, she plastered a pleasant smile on her face and approached the guard.
“I’m Sarah.”
His eyes flicked over her in the quick appraisal she had come to expect from the males she encountered, then he nodded abruptly and turned to lead the way out of the room.
“Follow me.”
Another guard waited in the corridor and he fell in step behind her. A half-hysterical bubble of laughter threatened to escape. Were they worried she would try and run? Since she, along with the other women who had chosen to accept a breeding contract, had been returned to one of the Yehrin spaceships orbiting Earth for the selection process, there was nowhere to go. A shiver ran down her spine as she tried to ignore the stark surroundings. She had spent four months on the ship before being transferred to a facility on Earth and she’d hated every minute of it, even though she’d done her best to hide her feelings from her fellow prisoners. After spending the past six months in a human building with access to the outside, the severe white walls and dark floor of the alien ship seemed even more claustrophobic.
In an effort to distract herself, she focused on the broad back of the alien in front of her, although his grey skin, sleeveless black uniform, and towering black horns did nothing to relieve the lack of color. Over the long months of her captivity, she should have grown accustomed to the alien warriors. She hadn’t, even though there were a few she counted almost as friends—and one she had hoped would be so much more. Pushing aside the familiar pain in her heart, she concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths.
The front guard stopped outside an imposing set of doors and used a panel to announce their arrival. The doors slid silently apart, and Sarah stepped inside, her face calm but her heart pounding.
More dark flooring stretched across a broad room which ended in a raised dais backed by a large viewport which had a vision of Earth floating far below. It was a harsh reminder of the superiority of their technology. Three Yehrin were seated on the dais—two of them were warriors like her guards and the third a scholar. With his short horns and slender build, he looked like a child compared to the massive warriors, but he held himself with a quiet dignity. Aware that her knees were shaking, she forced herself to keep a steady pace across the room, her two guards falling in behind.
“S’rah N’derson?” The large warrior seated in the center addressed her. An older male, he had an air of command which reminded her of her friend Emily’s Yehrin mate. He, too, gave her a brief appraisal, but showed little more than a clinical interest.
“Yes,” she replied, pleased that her voice remained calm.
He referred to his tablet. “You were arrested for violating curfew.”
Her eyes closed briefly. “Yes.” How often over the period of her captivity had she regretted that night. If only she’d had the resolve to leave her clinging former mother-in-law sooner, or the courage to sleep in her deceased husband’s childhood bedroom. Instead, she had been determined to return to her own home and she hadn’t made it in time.
“If you do not accept a breeding contract, you have another fourteen months to serve. You must complete the entire thirty-day period in order to have your remaining sentence waived.”
“I am aware of that,” she said quietly, determined to keep the panic out of her voice. She desperately needed her freedom back.
“Is that why you are here?” the scholar asked. An older male, his long white hair arranged in an elaborate style, he looked at her face, not her body.
“In part.” Her hand lifted briefly to touch her stomach. “I also want a child.” Even she could hear the longing in her voice.
“A Yehrin child?” the second warrior scoffed. His appraisal was unpleasantly thorough before he shrugged dismissively.
She raised her chin. “He would be my child as well.”
“You are not required to keep the child, should the breeding be successful,” the leader added.
Her heart skipped a beat. “But you wouldn’t take him away from me?” If losing the child was a possibility, she couldn’t go through with it. She couldn’t lose another child.
“Of course not. If the breeding is successful and you wish to keep the child, both of you would become the responsibility of the assigned warrior.”
A relieved sigh left her lips. “Yes, I would become his L’chka. I understand that part.” Both Emily and her other friend Rachel had been claimed by Yehrin warriors.
There was a startled silence and the three exchanged looks.
“No, S’rah,” the scholar said finally. “You do not. Of course, the warrior will provide for you and the child, but he may not choose to claim you as his mate.”
A bitter laugh almost escaped. Perhaps it had been too much to hope for—that she could have both a child and the kind of relationship her friends had fou
nd. She forced herself to shrug.
“The baby is the important part.”
The second warrior nodded in agreement, but she noticed that the leader frowned, and the scholar looked worried.
After a brief pause, the leader continued. “Do you have any questions?”
“How long do I have to decide?” This was the first day the women could choose to accept a breeding contract and she didn’t know how quickly the Yehrin would proceed.
“Decide?” the leader asked.
“Once I meet the warriors, how long do I have to decide on one?”
Another longer silence.
“You do not decide,” the second warrior said finally. “Your information will be presented to the candidates and one of them may choose to select you.”
“One will select you,” the leader said. “I have no doubt of that.”
“But what if I don’t choose him? Or if he doesn’t like me once we meet?” Her heart raced. She had thought she understood the process, but perhaps she had been naive. She had assumed there would be some type of match-making process, not that she would be merely assigned to someone.
The scholar studied her face, then turned to the other two. The Yehrin held a brief, heated discussion in their own language before he turned back to her.
“We have agreed that you may meet three candidates. You must choose one of them in order to be eligible.”
It was obviously a compromise and she forced herself to nod. “I understand.”
“You have no other questions?” The leader frowned. “Are you aware of the financial benefits?”
In addition to the early release, completing a breeding contract entitled the woman to a generous lifetime stipend.
“Yes, but I don’t need your money.” It was quite true. She had a trust fund from her father, her house was paid for, and Jeff had left a large life insurance policy.
“Hmm.” The leader rubbed his chin, then nodded. “Very well. Officers T’bukka and T’hadar will escort you to a room. The first candidate will be sent to meet you there.”
“Thank you.” The manners impressed on her since she was a child forced the words out, although part of her wondered why she was thanking her captors. They were the reason she was here in the first place.
The Yehrin had appeared in the skies above Earth a year ago, at first in the guise of the helpful scholarly aliens. Sarah had finally been recovering from the shock of her husband’s accidental death, but aliens and vague promises of technological advancement were of little interest to her. She’d been trying to decide if she had the courage to return to college at her age and pursue the teaching degree she had never completed. Just as she worked up the nerve to apply, the Yehrin embassy in New York had been sabotaged and overnight the world had changed. Instead of scholars, Yehrin warriors took command of the planet, imposing martial law and suppressing all opposition with brutal efficiency.
Mae, her former mother-in-law, had fallen apart. Jeff’s death had turned her from the kind, sensitive woman Sarah had known most of her life to a pale shadow of her former self. At first Sarah had grieved alongside her, but as the months passed, she found herself ready to move on. Mae had no intention of doing so. She had been appalled that Sarah was considering returning to college and the invasion gave her even more reason to cling to her. On the night the Yehrin arrested Sarah, Mae had been trying once again to persuade Sarah to move in with her.
As her guards escorted her to her next destination, she wondered once again what had happened to Mae. Had she been able to cope with a second loss? She pictured the woman drifting alone around the small house she had turned in to a shrine to her dead son. As terrible as it was to be imprisoned, at least Sarah had been away from the constant memories. Not only that but she had found several true friends and had, for a brief time, thought there was the possibility of a new relationship with an older Yehrin warrior. But T’gana apparently had not felt the same way. The memory of his desertion caused a familiar wave of pain.
“You will wait in here,” the first guard said, recalling her to the bleak present.
He led her into a small white room which had two of the high, uncomfortable Yehrin chairs arranged around a table on one side, but her eyes immediately focused on the extremely large bed occupying the other half. She stopped in her tracks, and the second guard brushed against her back. She had a brief impression of warm, hard muscle and a pleasant musky scent before he stepped away.
“W-why is there a bed? This is just a meeting room, right?”
The guards exchanged a quick look before the second one spoke. “Once the agreement has been reached, some of the breeders prefer to begin immediately.”
“The breeders want to start?” she asked skeptically.
A flash of discomfort crossed his face. “Once they become with child, they are no longer required to mate with the warrior under the terms of the contract.”
They just wanted to get it over with? She shuddered.
“But it’s my choice, right? He won’t force me?”
Both guards growled and the second one put his fist over his chest. “Of course not. It is my—our —honor to protect you.”
“Thank you, Officer—?”
“I am Officer T’hadar.”
“Thank you, Officer T’hadar.”
He put fist to his chest again as she smiled at him. As her nerves calmed a little, she realized that he was quite attractive. Pale blue striations rippled out from slit pupils, the color shocking against his dark grey skin. The harsh Yehrin features suited him, softened by a surprisingly sensual mouth. For the first time in six months, she felt a faint spark of attraction. Unfortunately, he wasn’t one of the candidates, but the fact that she was still capable of feeling interest in a male gave her hope. She had feared that part of her had died when T’gana left.
Officer T’bukka frowned and barked at T’hadar in Yehrin and she realized that she and T’hadar had been staring at each other. T’hadar’s cheeks darkened and he looked away as he spoke.
“We will wait outside.”
More waiting, and with nothing and no one to distract her this time. “Do you know how long it will be?”
“It will not be long. There is much… enthusiasm amongst the candidates.” T’hadar wouldn’t look her in the face and a shiver of unease trickled down her spine. From what she’d learned from Emily and Rachel, these aliens had been without women for over a year. What was she getting herself into?
Thirty days, she reminded herself. You can stand anything for thirty days. She had no reason to be afraid. It was in the aliens’ interest to see that she came to no harm. And at the end of the thirty days she would hopefully be pregnant. But if nothing else, she would be free at last.
“I understand,” she said quietly.
T’hadar paused, then gave a stiff nod and followed T’bukka out of the room.
As soon as the door closed silently behind them, her heart rate increased. She had the foolish desire to beat on it and demand to be released. They weren’t keeping her here; this was her choice. Her hand dropped to her stomach. Please let this work.
Too restless to sit, she prowled around the room. She’d started her fifth circuit when the door opened again. T’hadar hadn’t been lying about their eagerness.
T’hadar entered, followed by a new warrior.
“This is Sub Commander T’nasky,” he said stiffly. He looked at the newcomer and his fists clenched. “Do not worry. We will be right outside.”
He hesitated a fraction longer, then bowed his head and withdrew, leaving her alone with the new alien.
Chapter Two
Sarah and Sub Commander T’nasky stared at each other. Like all Yehrin warriors he was massively built with harsh angular features, but his face seemed somehow younger than most of the warriors she had met. He gave her the appraising glance she had expected, but it was more doubtful than lustful.
“You are not too old to mate?” he asked finally.
Great. Eve
n these desperate-for-women aliens thought she was too old.
“No,” she said through clenched teeth. “Your medic performed an exam.” An extremely thorough and embarrassing exam, but to Sarah’s relief, she had declared that Sarah was capable of child-bearing. Sarah had kept her inner doubts to herself and prayed that the medic was right.
“I see.” He straightened into military rigidity. “I am Sub Commander T’nasky. I was recently promoted as a result of my performance during the battle of Mardaron and I will be a good provider. This is not my first time, so I understand what needs to be done. I had a previous breeding contract during my last campaign on Arkona Prime.”
“I assume that despite your youth, you were not successful?”
“No.” He ignored the barb. “She was not capable of bringing my seed to fruit.” A wistful expression crossed his face and he suddenly looked very young indeed. “She was a lovely female, tall and slender as a lindren tree with skin the color of the ocean and…”
“You cared for her,” she said softly. She could hear the longing in his voice.
The skin across his prominent cheekbones darkened. “Yes.”
Her initial annoyance disappeared in a rush of sympathy. “I don’t understand. If you care for her, then why didn’t you stay with her?”
“I was only permitted thirty days under the breeding contract.”
“You mean even if you realize that you lo… care for someone, you can’t choose to stay with them?”
He actually looked shocked. “But we did not breed.”
“Maybe you stopped too soon. Sometimes it just takes longer. But even if you didn’t, uh, breed, wouldn’t you want to stay with someone you cared about rather than trying again with someone new?”
He turned and paced the short distance to the door and back. “It is considered a high honor to sire a child. It is very important to our people.”
Her heart ached. “More important than love?”
“The Yehrin do not talk of love,” he said stiffly.
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