“ID modules? What are they going to say? I’m Sevglarkenbauer from the solar planet of Bravon? This is my brother Vinglarkenbauer, and my cousin Kal-blister-ass-bauer?”
“Of course not,” Kal assured them. “I told you, the general Earthling population doesn’t know aliens are real. We’ll have everything we need in our travel kit, so we’re undetectable while on the planet. When I signed us up, we were allowed to choose Earth sounding names. Don’t worry. I picked good ones for us. Tough names the Earth women will think are sexy and want to adulate. I saw footage of them worshipping men with names like these. They were screaming and putting green paper offerings into the males’ undergarments. Here, I’ll show you.”
Kal turned on the magazine chip and brought up the small holographic image of a blue planet. The strange coloring was a contrast to their ashen homeworld. Bravon was an unforgiving place with harsh temperatures that could spike to nearly seven thousand degrees in the one summer month.
“Is that place even inhabitable?” Vin asked doubtfully.
“Completely.” Kal pushed a button to show a bright, shiny city on the surface. The tall buildings flashed with lights. “This is the settlement we’re visiting.” He pushed the button again to show a shiny man in a loincloth standing in an odd pose with screaming women around him. There was no sound, but their mouths opened wide as the man shook his hips in circles. “See. They worship these men. Vin, your Earth name is Flame. Sev, your Earth name is Blaze. I’m Spark.” Kal grinned. “They all are manifestations of fire. That way the ladies will know we burn.”
“I have no desire to marry and burn a wife,” Sev stated.
“Burn in a pleasurable way,” Kal insisted.
“I knew what you meant,” Sev grumbled, then louder, he added, “This idea is ridiculous.”
“Hey, keep your voice down.” Kal shushed his cousin. “They can’t know we’re not serious. Because we’re poor lonely miners living in a settlement with no marriage options, they gave me a discount on the trip if we promise to give testimonials after we find Earth brides to say how happy we are. They need to prove that Earth women are compatible with alien men, but they’ve been having a hard time getting males to sign up to try their services. Only a few Earth beings know there are other life forms on other planets, and that is the reason why Galaxy Brides can’t go plucking them off the surface. How would it look to take terrified women and then introduce them to the likes of us?”
“I have no desire to—” Sev repeated.
“Hey, you don’t have to do it.” Kal interrupted, with a meaningful glance at a passing droid.
“I have no desire to be Earth’s first contact,” Sev grumbled. “And I don’t want someone telling me I have to marry a primitive bride.”
“What is the corporation going to do? Make us choose a mate?” Kal waved his hand in dismissal. “Just play along. Why do you have to complicate things? We’re out of the ash mines. We’re heading to a luxury ship, and soon we’ll be shown to our luxury suite. Enjoy it for the adventure it is.”
“Anything else we need to know about this luxury trip?” Vin asked.
“You might have signed a contract that you’d make every effort to find a wife,” Kal said, not meeting his cousins’ gaze. When they continued to stare, he sighed, and added, “I grabbed your thumb signature when you were passed out after the Summer Setting celebration last year.”
Silence met his admission. Sev arched a brow.
Suddenly, Vin began to laugh. He slapped his hand down on the top of his leg. “Oh, sunlight, you’re good! I never suspected.”
“This isn’t funny,” Sev stated. “Contractual obligations are—”
“Lighten up,” Vin dismissed. “Admit it. He tricked us. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. I think it’s great. A new planet, a new adventure, and,” he took the magazine chip from Kal and held it up to his brother, “look at this place.” He flipped through the holographic pages. “The women are…”
Kal had seen the images before, but he looked again. Scantily clad women wore sparkling bodices and private coverings with giant feathery hair adornments. Even their skin seemed to sparkle in the light. Everyone smiled and acted like they were having fun. Females in short pants brought strange drinks on round trays as males stared at gaming tables. How many women did a planet have where the men were more interested in holding thick paper rectangles and throwing tiny squares around, rather than appreciating the beauty all around them?
“Damn, they look pliable. And not all rough and…” Vin touched the holographic image of a woman’s face. “And…soft.”
“Imagine it.” Kal had visualized it often. From the many holographic images he’d seen over the years, he’d created his dream woman. If anyone asked, he was going to Earth to have a good time. But, secretly, in a deep place within himself that he would never admit to his cousins, he wanted more. If he wasn’t out drinking and sparring with the other miners, he was alone in his room, staring at the walls. That equaled a lot of lonely nights—lonely, lonely nights.
Kal refused to get his hopes up in case this service turned out to be a sham. He wanted to believe that he was one leap away from meeting her—the woman who he would make his own—but he wasn’t delusional. The best he could hope for was some moments of fun and an adventure to occupy his thoughts with memories later.
Of course, marriage brokers didn’t need to know he didn’t intend to marry. In the end, did it matter that he lied on his application? He didn’t expect to find anything long term, but rather some fast action. Fleeting fun was better than no fun at all.
“Soft? So not like the Killian gals, aye?” Sev mocked, drawing him from his thoughts.
There was nothing soft about a Killian woman. Like the men, Killian females grew up in the mines, and could hold their own. Kal answered, “The corporation assures me they’re sexually compatible. They’re humanoid, like us, and should acquire no serious injuries when we service them. However, they did warn me that they bruise easily and that we should not punch them or fight them.”
“So definitely not like Killian women,” Sev said.
“We are entering deep space,” the intercom voice announced, “and en route to planet Earth. As many of you know, ancient humans on Earth had frequent contact with many of your humanoid ancestors and are a blending of many alien races. This makes Earth a unique planet to visit—all the compatibility with none of the intergalactic politics alien mating can sometimes incur. Earth languages are also very similar to our own, so the sounds they make should not be upsetting to your ears. You have been chosen for this first trip to a sector called Nevada, in the territory the Earth people call the United States. The dense population and constant activity of the area will ensure optimal mating opportunities for everyone. There are also local officials everywhere near the landing site if the female you choose requires a local ceremony before takeoff. We can help you arrange such an event.”
“Told you,” Kal said, giving a subtly meaningful gesture. “Lots of mating opportunities.”
“In a moment,” the intercom voice continued, “you will feel the shuttle attach to the main starship. Any turbulence you feel will be natural. At that time, you will be unhooked from your launch seats and guided to embark on the main starship. From there you will be led to your suites by a personal droid. In a few hours, you will begin the first of several necessary lessons to help you integrate into Earth culture. We must remind you, Earth humans are not aware of alien life outside of their own. Informing them of it, or providing proof, is in direct violation of Federation law and your contracts. The only exception is any female you choose to mate. All necessary papers will be filed for your new mate when you leave the planet. Detailed information chips are in your personal quarters. Please, let your droid know if you have any requests or ship suggestions to make your flight more pleasurable. Thank you for joining us on the Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides’ maiden Earth voyage.”
“I have a bad feeling abo
ut this,” Sev said under his breath.
“What’s new?” Vin answered. “You have a bad feeling about everything.”
“No galactic traffic?” Sev insisted. “What happens if this company decides to pull out and leave us there? Or the Earth beings discover their ship in their airspace, and it becomes an intergalactic event, and we’re stranded. How are we getting home?”
“Stop worrying so much, Sev. This is exactly why you need to go on an adventure. You’ve been cooped up in the settlement too long. A little female companionship will make your grumpiness all better. Besides, since when have you been adverse to a little danger?” Kal kept a straight face as the words coming out his mouth began to repeat in his mind like a haunting echo in a chamber. Yes, officially, Earthlings as a whole did not know aliens were real, and no first contact had been made. However, the public being blissfully unaware wasn’t the same as the secret governmental groups being uninformed.
The fact was, Sev’s reservations were worthy to note. Kal had done his homework before booking the trip, beyond the propaganda advertisements Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides had sent to entice him. There were countless stories featuring Earth floating around the back channel communication forums to corroborate his cousin’s concerns. From the abduction of unsuspecting aliens for secret Earth government studies by space pirates who were not averse to trafficking in return for valuable planetary resources to the cloning black market where a healthy alien specimen were experimented on and studied like lab rats in a cage. And then there were the savants, a half human half alien creature, used by Earth’s organized crime families to track alien life forms, a crude but effective way of hunting visiting offworlders trying to blend in.
“Don’t worry. It’s gonna be just fine. We’re gonna have the time of our lives.” Kal put on a brave smile as he test drove some of the dialogue he’d learned from the communications Earthlings had been sending over the transmission waves into space.
“What is he saying?” Vin asked his brother.
“Hit the back of his head. I think he is having some kind of brain episode,” Sev ordered.
Vin lifted his hand.
Kal leaned away, with a laugh. “It’s one of Earth’s most popular dialects, a version of it at least. They’ll upload it into our brains so we can communicate. Doesn’t it sound entertaining?”
Sev didn’t seem convinced.
Conscious of what the other travelers around them might be thinking Kal raised a hand as if to apologize for the noise they were making and then he settled back in his seat to try to conceal his excitement. “Seriously, I promise, you have nothing to worry about. All the details will be taken care of in our travel kits just as soon as we choose what kind of Earth being we’d like to become. Here, look at some examples.”
Kal handed a couple of holographic chips to his cousins so they could look through the various archives of information.
“What transpires while you are in Vegas will continue to reside within Vegas,” Vin read a holographic translation of an Earth photo advertisement. “Huh, I wonder what they mean by that.”
With a wink, Kal tried to bolster the mood. “That Earth women better watch out. Things are about to heat up.”
Spark - CLICK HERE to get it now!
* * *
To find out more about Michelle’s books visit www.MichellePillow.com
The series world continues
Captured by a Dragon-Shifter is part of a much larger collection of Qurilixen World Books.
* * *
Dragon Lords Series
Lords of the Var® Series
Dynasty Lords Series
Space Lords Series
Captured by a Dragon-Shifter Series
Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides Series
Galaxy Mates Series
More Books Coming Soon
* * *
Want more modern day Qurilixen World Books?
* * *
Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides
Spark
Flame
Blaze
Ice
Frost
Snow
Spark
* * *
Mining ash on a remote planet where temperatures reach hellish degrees doesn't leave Kal (aka Spark) much room for dating. Lucky for this hard-working man, a new corporation Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides is ready to help him find the girl of his dreams. Does it really matter that he lied on his application and really isn’t looking for long term, but rather some fast action? Earth women better watch out. Things are about to heat up.
Flame
* * *
Vin (aka Flame) can't believe he's in yet another holding cell. Stupid Earthlings wouldn't know fun if it bit them in the hind quarters. Speaking of fun, the hot little number who claims she's a guard at the jail has been making his body respond in ways he's very happy about. If only she'd get on board with the plan and help him escape back to his ship. First she'd have to believe he's an alien. Right now she's taken to thinking he's crazy.
Blaze
* * *
Sev (aka Blaze) isn't looking for commitment, but there is no way in hell he's letting his brother go to Earth to search for a woman by himself. He's prepared to yank the idiot out of every jail house and ice cream parlor (don't ask) if he has to. It wouldn't be the first time. He can handle a good fight. But what this alpha isn't prepared for was the hardheaded beauty determined to follow him home.
* * *
To find out more about Michelle’s books visit www.MichellePillow.com
Join the Exclusive Club!
Join the Pillow Fighters’ Reader Club to stay informed about new books, sales, contests, giveaways, exclusive content, preorders and more!
* * *
SIGN UP HERE
About Michelle M. Pillow
New York Times & USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Michelle loves to travel and try new things, whether it's a paranormal investigation of an old Vaudeville Theatre or climbing Mayan temples in Belize. She believes life is an adventure fueled by copious amounts of coffee.
Newly relocated to the American South, Michelle is involved in various film and documentary projects with her talented director husband. She is mom to a fantastic artist. And she's managed by a dog and cat who make sure she's meeting her deadlines.
For the most part she can be found wearing pajama pants and working in her office. There may or may not be dancing. It’s all part of the creative process.
www.michellepillow.com
* * *
Printable Book List
All Books
Facebook Fan Club
Come say hello!
Michelle loves talking with readers on social media!
Free Reading Guides
Michelle M. Pillow Novels
Free Reading Guides
Download MOBI or EPUB
* * *
This guide is periodically updated. Please check MichellePillow.com to ensure you have the most recent copy.
* * *
Printable Lists
Michelle M. Pillow, All Book Checklist
Qurilixen World Books, Reading Guide
Please Leave a Review
Thank you for reading!
Please take a moment to share your thoughts by reviewing this book.
Headstrong Prince
Thank you to all the wonderful readers who take the time to share your thoughts about the books you love. I can’t begin to tell you how important you are when it comes to helping other readers discover the books!
Be sure to check out Michelle’s other titles at
https://michellepillow.com
0%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
Headstrong Prince Page 15
