The Alien Bounty Hunters Complete Series: Books 1-8

by Mills, Michele

  Damn. Xylans were confusing.

  She looked down and blushed when she noted that she wasn’t wearing the same clothes as before. A long tunic shirt of some kind went down to her knees, and she was naked underneath, no panties, no bra. Nothing. The V neck of her tunic exposed the swell of her small chest, her nipples obviously poking against the light fabric. Her weapons were gone. And she was…clean. Clean all over. And she felt good. Like she’d had plenty of sleep. She wasn’t hungry or thirsty. Everything would be right with the world if…

  If she knew where her family was and if they were okay.

  And if she knew where she was.

  Kia exhaled and stood up.

  Was this a real forest? Was she on another planet? Or was this some elaborate Xylan holodeck? She knew they had those. Everyone in the four sectors had amazing technology, except for anyone living on New Earth.

  The river she’d heard before was right next to her. She stood on the bank and stared, unable to take her eyes off the majesty of so much water rushing by at once. It was dark and sparkly, catching glints of moonlight on the swirling current. Her quick impression was that it didn’t look impassable, but it certainly wasn’t a kiddie pool either. Not that she’d ever seen a natural body of water her entire life. There were the public pools everyone used back home and the showers and plumbing in houses and the water systems for irrigation, and that was it. Those were all jealously guarded and maintained. Water was precious on New Earth.

  Footsteps crashed through the underbrush. She inhaled sharply. The murky outline of a tall male moved toward her.

  It was him. The warrior who’d kissed her, tranqed her and brought her to this place.

  Her heart was almost tearing through her chest and her whole body felt like it was on fire. He did this to her. His mere presence. Just the knowledge that he was approaching.

  By the gods, this man was making her light-headed.

  Through the moonlight she could make out his naked chest. That wide, wide expanse of amazing dark skin and those defined abs. He was enormous. How could she have forgotten how big he really was? His arms were mountains of chiseled muscle, and he strode forward with the confidence of a warrior who knew he was amongst the best in the universe.

  And she’d seen him fight. He could back up any bravado. He’d earned it. And then she’d remembered her own vicious brawl with the Hurlians and grinned again. Never had she been able to let go like that.

  The thing was, she’d never been in the actual presence of a snatching. Usually she heard about them later or arrived after it was all over. But if the Bounty Hunter hadn’t been there, they still would’ve taken her. No matter how hard she’d fought, using every technique Dad had taught her in their private training sessions, there’d been too many Hurlians. For once she’d thrown caution to the wind, not caring if anyone saw what she could do, because what good were secrets if you were dead? But still, despite all her strength and how many soldiers she took down, if it wasn’t for this warrior, she’d be chained on a Hurlian ship and…and…well, she didn’t know exactly what they would be doing to her, but she was certain it would be the stuff of nightmares. No one ever returned from those snatchings. No. One.

  And then he was there, looming over her, staring at her intently.

  That cybernetic eye glowed white, even more ghastly in the dark of the forest. The scar on his face looked like a dangerous shadow etching. She shivered. He was everything she’d ever desired. An edgy fantasy come to life.

  Okay, maybe she was a fool over this male.

  But who could blame her?

  And the fact that he’d saved her life definitely helped. And, well, he was a Bounty Hunter—the exact occupation she admired and wanted for herself.

  She opened her mouth, ready to throw a barrage of questions his way, but he began speaking in that delicious deep voice.

  She shut up and listened intently. This time he spoke in his own language, not English. And she understood every word he said. How was that possible? The only language she knew was English. It was difficult to decipher the context. The language was ritualistic. Stylized. She understood his words but not the meaning.

  Finally he said something loud and clear that made complete sense.

  “You may run.”

  What?

  “Run? Why would I want to run?” she demanded. But weirdly, running didn’t sound like a bad idea. Something within her broke free, something that wanted to get the hell out of there and leave him trailing behind in the dust. Her heart pumped faster, her muscles tingled with anticipation. All parts of her body felt free and alive, ready to burst with speed and power. She clenched and unclenched her hands, shifting on the pads of her feet.

  Kia had always lived with the secret that she was different from everyone else on New Earth. She was…strong. Stronger than a human girl was meant to be. If she wasn’t careful she could smash small objects in her hand and bruise people with her grip. Only her parents knew of her powers. Not even her sisters knew.

  Back home she was never able to test the limits of her strength. They had to keep it a secret so she didn’t stand out as different. Because on New Earth, different was bad. And if a woman was different? Double bad. But today, in this setting? Yeah, she could run. And she had a sense of what he meant. This was a chase, a game, and she was born to make it hard for him.

  “Run,” he repeated.

  So she fucking ran. Ran with all the strength coiled within.

  Kia whipped around and sprinted through the dense grove of trees to her left, weaving in and out. Breath burst in and out of her chest. It was quiet behind her; she couldn’t hear him coming after her yet, possibly giving her a head start. No matter, she was confident she would lose him. Kia let herself go all out for the first time in her life, pushing herself to the limit. Muscles burning, legs pounding.

  Damn, it felt good.

  The full moon lent a pale white light, but shadows loomed everywhere, making it hard to judge distances. Every rock and stick seemed to jab into her bare feet. She’d run from him, directly away from the river and into a dense grove of giant trees, but now she began to turn right and curved along the fringe of a clearing, deciding to double back to where she’d begun, hoping it was the last thing he’d expect.

  She ran silently, only her light puffs of breath giving her away. And she listened intently, straining to hear. A bestial roar echoed through the forest.

  Oh fuck.

  She ran faster. The warrior was tearing through the forest far behind her, going the way she’d originally gone. Damn, she needed to run faster. Faster. Before he figured out her real direction.

  She winced at the jab of yet another rock on her bare feet and leapt over a log.

  Rushing water sounded straight ahead. She’d lost him for a moment, but only a moment. Could she lose him in the river? Finally she stood on the damp bank, her chest heaving as she tried to control her breaths. The banks of the river were rimmed with dark, shadowy plants and bushes. Perfect to hide under. She stepped down and waded in slowly, not wanting him to hear her splashing—that would be a dead giveaway. She hoped like hell there weren’t any weird creatures just waiting to have her for lunch. The water wasn’t too cold or hot, and the current wasn’t as strong as she’d thought it would be. She waded in farther until it was at her waist and then her chest, and she went straight for the opposite bank, which had a thicket of bushes that grew over the edge of the river. It was pitch black in there, and she had no idea what creatures she might be hiding with, but she had to try. There was no other choice.

  Hopefully he’d think she’d gone through the river to the opposite bank and kept running, and he’d go through the river, too, and after her into the forest. Then she’d sneak back out of the water and run in the opposite direction.

  At least that was the plan. Please, gods, let it work.

  Kia sank silently in the water to her chin and watched for him from behind the web of hanging branches and leaves. Waiting was horr
ific. She bit her lip and dug her nails in her palms. Would he find her? Would he keep going? At least the water was refreshing against her skin. Never in her life had she been submerged in so much fresh water. She did her best to slow her breaths and hopefully blend in with the dark brushes and branches.

  Oh hell, a moment later he came crashing through the forest, skidding to a halt at the bank of the river. He stopped, his chest heaving in and out. He looked all over, scanning the area, threw his head back and let out a thunderous roar.

  It was then she noticed he was naked.

  And by the gods, he was magnificent.

  Thighs thick as tree trunks, the widest chest imaginable, which tapered to a tight waist, and…was that his shaft jutting out in front of him?

  She swallowed.

  His gaze seemed to land on her. He stared directly at her hiding place. She sucked in a breath and backed up.

  He waded in. She could hear him breathing and splashing through the current. He was coming straight for her. He’d found her. Fuck. Because one of his eyes was cybernetic? Did that mean he had night vision? Why hadn’t she thought of that?

  She darted to the left, trying to scramble to the top of the bank, but she wasn’t quick enough.

  He was right behind her, dragging her down. She kicked, screamed and clawed, losing her mind to the idea of getting the hell outta there. He couldn’t take her this easily.

  But he was freaking strong, like a damn immovable mountain. She managed to only free herself for a moment and slid down into the side of the river. The water went to her chest, the muddy bank against her back. He had her facing him. Naked male skin and that long pipe against her stomach.

  Oh dear gods.

  His arms went around her waist, and he pulled her in. She stopped fighting because his lips were so close, his breath right there, and fuck, all she wanted to do was taste him again.

  His lips slammed down on hers for the kiss to end all kisses. When he’d kissed her immediately after he’d rescued her from the Hurlians, back on New Earth, right there on the ground of the emptied marketplace…that had been her first kiss ever. That kiss had been demanding but softer. This kiss was punishing. Lips, tongue and teeth clashing. He was claiming her as his.

  And you know what? Fuck that shit.

  Her mind told her this was not over. This was too easy. He needed to work for it.

  She struggled and pushed, gaining purchase with her hands against his chest. His kisses were a drug that caused her to lose all sense of time and logic. Part of her wanted nothing more than to give in to his advances and fuck the living daylights out of him, but the other side of her continued with that incessant nagging not to make this easy. This must be hard. It was her duty to create the chase.

  She broke free from his kiss and bit him in the chest, using all of her strength. His skin broke, and a coppery taste flooded her mouth. He threw his head back and roared. She let go and licked her lips, a wave of satisfaction cresting inside of her.

  I bit him and I liked it. What is wrong with me?

  She didn’t even know his name.

  He swiftly bent and lifted her out of the water, two arms under her body, and trudged up the bank as if she were light as air. She was soaking wet, the tunic pressing to her like a second skin. This had also never happened. No one wasted water like this back home.

  “Mine,” he growled.

  He reached a small clearing of grass between the trees. She struggled, and he fell to his knees, taking her to the ground with him. She screeched and tried to get away, because a tiny part of her brain still shouted “no!” and “escape!” but he had her pressed to the grass and was on top of her in lightning-fast movements.

  “Enough!” he roared.

  She stilled, a knot of emotion stuck in her throat.

  He leaned down and kissed her with all the force of before, and her mind was drugged again with the taste and the feel of all that was him, the warrior who wanted her desperately.

  He moved down her body and pushed her thighs apart, and his shoulders wedged between her legs.

  “What? No.”

  His nose was pressing down there, and she grabbed at his hair to pull him away. He snarled, refusing to stop. He lifted his head, and his passionate hazel gaze locked with hers. She was shocked and unbelievably turned on at the same time.

  “I want all of you,” he said in a deep, raspy voice.

  She gave him a jerky nod, fear and want warring within her.

  He pushed her legs even wider, and she let him, relaxing at his touch. His lips were on her inner thigh, leaving a trail of kisses that led to her core. He inhaled, filling his lungs with her scent. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Then his rough tongue was right there, on her clit. He licked right next to it, around it. Strong, claw-tipped fingers touched her in the same way she touched herself in the dark of her room. Her hips bucked; she couldn’t keep still. And then he was sucking on her clit.

  Her fingers dug in his hair, holding him close, closer. She was embarrassed at how quickly he was able to bring her to the very brink. Not that a man had ever touched her there before. No man had ever had his fingers or mouth at her core. But this warrior was surprisingly gentle. His touch unrelenting.

  “Right there,” she gasped. “More.”

  And then it hit her, brutally. She screamed as the orgasm to end all orgasms swept through her.

  Afterwards, he lifted up, and she gazed at him, dazed and boneless. His hair was wild, and his fangs were visible in the moonlight. His cybernetic eye glowed, and…damn if he didn’t look sexier than anything she’d seen before.

  He covered her with his wide chest, one muscled arm bracing near her ribs. His lower body shifted. She opened her thighs wider to accommodate his glorious big body and she felt the head of his cock sweep against the wetness of her core. She sucked in a breath.

  Not only had he been her first kiss, she was also a virgin.

  “Mine,” he growled again.

  He thrust inside of her in one smooth motion, balls deep. Hot and long and so, so deep. Her back bowed. Fuck, it hurt. Tears formed in her eyes. He snarled like a beast and started stroking, channeling inside. Rough. But, oh, maybe she liked rough, because each thrust was life-altering. At first it hurt like hell, but then she found herself shifting her hips, widening her legs because…oh, fuck, oh…it was starting to feel oh so good.

  He continued to kiss her, fucking her with his mouth and tongue the same as he did with his giant cock. And speaking of cock, it was now hitting her in ways she hadn’t thought possible. She held on to him with both arms and both legs, riding out the brutal rutting. One of his claws snuck up and pinched her nipple. It was like a bolt of lightning. A direct line of pleasure. He grabbed one of her hands and threaded his claws through her fingertips.

  His thrusts grew faster and faster, an uneven beat. And now as he bottomed out, that glorious cock was hitting a perfect spot. And hit it again. And she was coming. Coming hard. The pleasure so intense she didn’t know what to do with it. She whimpered against his lips. His hips continued to slap against hers, wet and noisy. Then he thrust in completely and shuddered. He let go of her lips, threw his head back and roared as he came inside of her, warm and pulsing.

  She watched him as he came. His corded neck, the straining of his arms and chest. His fangs. He was beautiful.

  He fell to her side, sweaty and panting, his heartbeat pounding against her ear. He gathered her in his arms, his chin rested on the top of her head, and her lips pressed against his glorious chest, near that bite of possession she’d left before. She let out a sigh of exhaustion. He hugged her tighter. And her eyes fluttered closed.

  4

  Kayzon woke up pressed against a female, his cock hard and insistent for more.

  Every muscle in his body clenched. His first instinct was to spring from the bed and run. Run far and long until his lungs burned and his feet bled.

  Because none of this should be happening.

  The bu
nk in his cabin was the same, the barely perceptible hum of the environmental unit-circulated air was the same, and the porthole showed the same visual of stars against black space. But one thing was irrevocably different: He’d claimed his Bride last night, planted his seed in her womb and started his line.

  How could he possibly have allowed this to happen? He knew it was wrong. It was illegal. And still, he’d allowed his raging beast free rein and…and…

  Oh fuck. Her scent.

  He silently pressed his nose against the back of her neck. Her hair tickled his face. He filled his lungs with her scent. His whole body relaxed. He indulged for a moment in the soft human skin against his own, her half-color in pleasant contrast to his royal pigment. It was the best and the worst moment of his entire life.

  When he’d completed the claiming ceremony and carried his sleeping Bride out of the holodeck and into his quarters, he’d placed her in the cleansing unit and noticed her blood on his cock. Pride had rushed through his chest. He’d been her first. They’d both been virgins. He’d washed her small, gorgeous body, dried her and placed her sleeping form in his bed. She’d been exhausted, barely awake. He’d tucked her into his arms on the bed and promptly fallen asleep.

  His jaw clenched as he thought of last night. How the claiming had taken his mind and body prisoner. How he couldn’t resist his primal urges. He shouldn’t have done any of those things to this female. He should not have been the male this human female gave her virginity to. He wasn’t fit for any mate, nor was he a proper father for any offspring. The law was clear. He was not only banished from Chronos for two generations, his line dispersed throughout the four sectors, but he’d also been removed from the mating database.

  They’d never let him keep her.

  But last night his raging hormones could not be denied. He’d claimed his Bride. This female next to him was the one his body chose, his companion for life. An overwhelming sense of dread filled his heart. It was suffocating. Kayzon pulled away, careful to not wake her, and rose from their bed. He turned his head resolutely away from her soft hair and firm breasts that he’d cupped perfectly in his palms. His shaft was primed and ready for more breeding. He desperately wanted to wake her, draw her close, kiss her and plunge his cock into her sweet pussy.