Theirs_Found and Claimed

by Ashe Barker

  “Do you not like it here? We wouldn’t have to live on Earth if you prefer not to. Europa is pleasant enough…”

  He is correct; the residential settlements on the Jovian moon are quite delightful, for holidays and occasional visits. I know that Luca grew up there. But we are travellers, we need to explore, to discover new environments. I love to study those new places, learn what I may of their past. I would become restless if my horizons were to shrink to encompass just one world…

  I open my mouth to protest, then slam it shut again.

  We? Did Sylvan say we?

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Excuse me, what did you say? Just then?”

  He throws a deceptively bland smile my way. “I said we could settle somewhere nice. Somewhere with plenty of space…”

  “We get enough space out there,” puts in Luca, gesturing vaguely skyward with his hand. “I vote for a city, somewhere with plenty of entertainment, sport, genuine beer. Decent health care.” He eyes my abdomen meaningfully.

  Sylvan gives a derisive snort. “Beer? You don’t even like beer.”

  “And you can’t stand fucking plants so don’t be burying us out in some bloody wasteland…”

  I listen to them bicker for a few moments before interrupting.

  “Excuse me. Excuse me!”

  “What?” They both frown at me.

  “This is your fault,” accuses Luca. “Tell him.”

  “Tell him what?”

  “Tell him we need to be in a city.”

  “Bollocks.”

  “Quite,” I manage, attempting a superior air. “You are both wrong. We need to be on the Zephyrean. That is our home.”

  Luca shakes his head. “You can’t be a professor of… What was it again?”

  “Professor of Stellar Antiquities in the prestigious Academy of Intergalactic Heritage,” puts in Sylvan, helpfully.

  “Whatever. You can’t spend all your time space hopping when your institute needs you here. And we can’t bring up babies on a spaceship.”

  “Many do. I grew up on board a spacecraft. And it is not my institute.”

  “Of course it is. You’ve been in contact with them almost every other day for three helio-cycles. You write papers for them, you do guest lectures over hyper-space links, they consult you all the time.”

  “All the same…”

  Sylvan interrupts me. “It may not be yours yet, but it will be. And despite growing up in space, look how you turned out. You’re not that bad.”

  This conversation is becoming difficult to follow. It is time to dig in my heels. “I do not wish to remain here. I will continue to travel with you, on the Zephyrean.”

  “Of course. We know that.” Sylvan folds his arms across his chest.

  “Then…?”

  “We will spend half our time here,” he explains, slowly as though to a child. “Or on Europa…”

  “And the other half out there. Somewhere.”

  “You will remain here? With me? Both of you?”

  “Yes…” Luca’s bemused expression suggests I may have sprouted an additional head. “Where else would we be?”

  “It’s time we grew up,” says Sylvan. “We have responsibilities now.”

  “I have responsibilities,” I correct him.

  Luca kisses me on the mouth. “You have a new job to accept and a baby on the way. We all have responsibilities and it starts with making sure you and our offspring remain safe. And happy.”

  I have heard that before, many times, or something very similar. I sink into the chair Sylvan places behind me. “Nothing ever changes, not with you two.”

  “Would you want it to?”

  I consider that question, but not for long. “No. I find I am perfectly happy as we are. Europa, do you say…?”

  The End

  Stormy Night Publications would like to thank you for your interest in our books.

  If you liked this book (or even if you didn’t), we would really appreciate you leaving a review on the site where you purchased it. Reviews provide useful feedback for us and our authors, and this feedback (both positive comments and constructive criticism) allows us to work even harder to make sure we provide the content our customers want to read.

  If you would like to check out more books from Stormy Night Publications, if you want to learn more about our company, or if you would like to join our mailing list, please visit our website at:

  http://www.stormynightpublications.com

  More Stormy Night Books by Ashe Barker

  Faith

  Following her husband’s sudden, tragic death, Faith is left widowed after only six months of marriage. She wallows in grief until a neighbour, Ewan, reaches out to her. Although his work takes him away a great deal, Ewan slowly becomes Faith’s rock, helping her heal and encouraging her as she struggles to rebuild her life. As time passes, Faith grows more and more attracted to Ewan, but one thing holds her back: he is a dom, and she is not ready to be a sub.

  Though the idea of kneeling naked at Ewan’s feet excites her in a way she can’t fully understand, Faith fears that his sexual appetites would prove too much for her. But when he discovers that she has been exploring the lifestyle without his knowledge and hiding her activities from him, Ewan issues an ultimatum: either she becomes his submissive, or they go their separate ways. This is just the push Faith needs, and in the end her decision is not a difficult one.

  Ewan quickly proves to be a firm, commanding lover who is more than capable of mastering her completely. He challenges Faith’s boundaries and introduces her to a level of sensuality she never dreamed she could experience, and Faith soon finds herself at peace in a way she has not felt in years. But when fate takes another turn and she learns the truth about her husband’s death, can Faith count on Ewan to be by her side as she adjusts to a new reality yet again?

  Buy on Amazon

  The Widow is Mine

  Since her husband’s untimely passing, Lady Natalia has resigned herself to a quiet life as a young widow and perhaps one day as a nun. But her world is turned upside down when her adopted home is conquered and she is taken captive by Duke Stefan of Richtenholst.

  Almost from the moment he sets eyes on her, Stefan cannot imagine allowing Natalia to languish behind the walls of a convent, and he makes no secret of his plans to take her as his bride. The duke is more than ready to compel his new wife’s obedience when it is necessary, but he wants much more than that. Can Stefan ever truly make Natalia his own, claiming her heart as fully as he has claimed her body, or will she forever see herself as no more than the spoils of war?

  Buy on Amazon

  Spirit

  When Matthew Logan offers a homeless young woman a bed for a few nights, he expects the girl to eat, sleep, recover from the flu, and then move on. Instead, in no time at all eighteen-year-old Beth Harte has captured his affections completely. Though Matt wants only to protect her and has no intention of sleeping with her, Beth has other ideas, and she proves to be very persuasive.

  But after Beth is attacked by a friend of Matt’s and subsequently learns for the first time that Matt is an experienced dominant, she is unable to separate the man she is growing to care about from her hateful memories of previous exploitation. Confused and frightened, she runs away.

  Almost six years pass before Matt sees Beth again, and in that time his vulnerable little waif has reinvented herself as an artist. Now she has a stunning proposition for him and his environmental engineering company: to collaborate on a project fusing art and science to promote one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world. But when Matt demands to know what went wrong before, she tells him the truth, both about her childhood and about his friend’s actions.

  Matt is determined to make Beth’s abusers pay for their crimes, but he’s also not about to let her run away from him again. Can Beth bring herself to trust Matt despite her fears and give him the chance to love her and show her the pleasures of being his submissive, or will the wounds
of her past keep her from trusting anyone ever again?

  Buy on Amazon

  Shared by the Highlanders

  After she becomes lost in a thick mist while hiking near the borders of Scotland, Charlene Kelly is shocked to encounter two men on horseback. To her horror, the pair—both of whom are dressed in Scottish tartans—accost her and won’t let her go. Though the men speak with accents so strong they seem to come from another era, Charlene is able to gather that they believe she is a thieving boy. Unsure what else to do, Charlene plays along.

  When Will Sinclair and Robbie MacBride discover that their captive is in fact a woman—and quite a beautiful one at that—there is only one thing to be done. She must be punished for her deception, and punished thoroughly. A switch applied to her bare bottom does the job well, and soon enough the two men are comforting Charlene as she nurses her bright red, sore backside.

  Upon learning that the highlanders are hand-carrying an important message from Elizabeth of England to the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, it finally dawns on Charlene that she is no longer in her own time. Though she is desperate to find a way home, Will and Robbie are both unlike any man she has ever met, and their unabashed dominance awakens in her a powerful need to submit. Soon enough, she finds herself blushing with shame and quivering with desire as she is taken long and hard by two rugged highlanders at once. But can these hardened warriors keep her safe from the perils of a world far more dangerous than the one she left behind?

  Buy on Amazon

  A Scandalous Arrangement

  After a foolish wager costs her brother ownership of the weaving mill in Yorkshire which provides her income, Victoria Wynne is left with no choice but to confront the man who took the bet and seek to dissuade him from claiming his prize. Unfortunately for her, that man turns out to be Adam Luke, an experienced, ambitious entrepreneur who is intent on keeping what he won.

  Upon meeting her, Adam is enchanted by Victoria’s beauty and charm as well as her nerve and self-reliance. Adam is a man of singular tastes, and when Victoria asks to manage the mill in return for a share of the profits, he offers her a bold proposal of his own. She will continue to run the mill as she has for years, but in return for a substantially larger portion of the profits she will also serve at his beck and call behind closed doors, submitting to him in any way he desires.

  Wanting to earn enough money to buy back the mill as quickly as possible—and with some part of her shamefully aroused by the thought of kneeling naked at Adam’s feet—Victoria accepts his terms. But submission initially proves difficult for a woman used to running her own affairs, and soon enough she finds herself bare-bottomed over his knee for a firm lesson in obedience.

  Adam’s plans for Victoria run much deeper than just an occasional spanking. She will be stripped naked, bound, and teased until she is aching for release, and then at last he will take her long and hard. As Adam continues to train her, teaching her to yield to his mastery while bringing her more pleasure than she ever thought possible, Victoria cannot help falling for him. But can a lifelong bond truly emerge from such a scandalous arrangement?

  Buy on Amazon

  Her Noble Lords

  After eighteen-year-old Linnet Routh is kidnapped from her home in Wellesworth castle by Ralf, the powerful, handsome Earl of Egremont, and his identical twin brother Piers, it quickly becomes clear to her that the seasoned warriors have mistaken her for someone else. Convinced that she is Lady Eleanor, a noblewoman who was promised in marriage to Ralf yet has refused to wed him, the brothers bring Linnet to a church with plans to compel her to speak her vows.

  Linnet attempts to steal a horse from Piers and make her escape, but when she is caught her efforts end up earning her a thorough, humiliating bare-bottom spanking. Though terribly embarrassed by the manner of her chastisement, she cannot help becoming helplessly—and shamefully—aroused by the punishment.

  When the brothers recognize the truth of Linnet’s claims at last, she expects to be cast aside as a mere commoner. To her surprise, however, they instead offer to make her their shared bride, and despite her misgivings about the idea Linnet agrees to the union. As they each take their turn to claim her, the pleasure of their dominant lovemaking leaves her yearning to be taken long and hard by both of them at once, and soon a passionate romance has grown between Linnet and her noble lords. But when tragedy strikes will it bring a permanent end to their newfound happiness?

  Buy on Amazon

  The Highwayman’s Lady

  After the death of her mother, twenty-year-old Imogen Bennett faces the prospect of being coerced into marriage by a scheming relative, but fate intervenes when a masked highwayman accosts her on the road. Desperate to escape the unwanted wedding, Imogen pleads with the mysterious, handsome rogue to rescue her.

  Alistair Graham is a proud Scotsman who rebelled against British rule, and since the defeat of the highlanders at Culloden he has taken to robbing rich Englishmen travelling through Scottish lands. He is no gentleman, but he is certainly not a man who would ignore a young woman’s pleas for help, and he agrees to do what he can to assist the beautiful girl he has waylaid.

  Though Alistair warns her that he expects a woman’s complete obedience both in bed and out of it, Imogen cannot help being drawn to him, and she soon finds herself longing for him to take her hard and thoroughly. When he claims her, Alistair’s mastery of her virgin body leaves Imogen utterly spent yet still aching for more, but after her shock at her own wantonness leads her to speak disrespectfully to him he bares her bottom and punishes her soundly.

  A highwayman is no suitable match for a lady, however, and Alistair fears that her association with him can only put them both in danger, so he makes her promise that she’ll tell no one about what took place between them and then ensures that she is delivered safely to the home of her honourable cousin in Kirkleven. Yet despite her best efforts to put Alistair out of her mind forever, in her heart Imogen knows she will always belong to the man who rescued her, mastered her, and made her his. But will her highwayman ever return to reclaim his lady?

  Buy on Amazon

  Hardened

  Despite the fact that he is doing time for armed robbery, Molly MacBride is drawn to Jared North almost from the moment she sets eyes on him. Even behind bars his confidence and dominance are undeniable, and soon enough she is willingly baring her bottom and placing herself across his strong thighs, surrendering to both firm punishment and intense pleasure.

  When all hell breaks loose during a prison riot, it is Jared who saves Molly’s life, but she is so shaken by the incident that she quits her job and does her best to put him out of her mind. As the years pass, however, Jared never relinquishes his place in her heart—or her fantasies—and when she learns that he has been released on parole Molly cannot resist seeking him out.

  Through a combination of hard work and natural talent, Jared has forged a career for himself as a world-renowned photographer, yet in spite of his newfound sophistication and wealth he is no less dominant than he was when she first met him. It isn’t long before Molly finds herself submitting to both his stern discipline and his masterful lovemaking, but can she truly risk falling for a man whose criminal past could come back to haunt them both at any moment?

  Buy on Amazon

  Her Alien Commander

  After leaving Earth on what she thought would be an adventure, Caria Montgomery quickly ends up in way over her head. Captured by hostile aliens, she faces the prospect of perishing on an isolated planet until she is rescued by Commander Phahlen Verdar and his crew.

  Phahlen is delighted to have a human female aboard his ship. In the years since the women of his own world were nearly wiped out by a terrible plague, taking a mate has become all but impossible for most males of his species, and he doesn’t plan to let this opportunity pass him by. His plan to claim Caria is aided by the fact that, due to the unsavoury nature of the crew of the ship on which she was travelling, she is now a wanted fugitive back on Ear
th.

  Though Caria is initially defiant, a sound spanking on her bare bottom demonstrates her admittedly handsome future mate’s resolve. His bold dominance awakens an intense need within her, and before long she finds herself yearning for the pleasure of his masterful lovemaking. But is she truly prepared to surrender herself fully to her alien commander, or will she seek to return to Earth and clear her name as soon as possible?

  Buy on Amazon

  The Laird and the Sassenach

  After her half-brother attacks the kinsmen of Blair McGregor, Lady Roselyn of Etal is brought before the stern highland laird to answer for her reluctant, unwitting role in the crime. Once she has told her story, she throws herself at his mercy.

  Blair soon realizes that Roselyn is as much a victim of her half-brother as anyone, but his people’s demands for justice cannot be ignored entirely, so he strips the young Englishwoman bare and chastises her firmly with a switch applied to her naked backside.

  The painful, humiliating punishment both assuages Roselyn’s guilt and leaves her yearning to be even more thoroughly mastered by the handsome laird. Though Blair makes it clear that she is free to return home, she instead chooses to remain with the him in his castle… and in his bed. Their passion soon blossoms into romance, but can the highlander protect his beautiful Sassenach when the villain who caused them both so much pain tries to tear her away from him?

  Buy on Amazon

  Ashe Barker Links

  You can keep up with Ashe Barker via her blog, her Twitter account, her Facebook page, and her Goodreads profile, using the following links: