The Hunt for a Vampire_An Alien Vampire Romance

by T. J. Quinn

  “My daughter and I manage to get by with help from Jensen.”

  “Stick close to your human friend if you make it to Earth. Our kind has not been welcome there for over a thousand years.”

  “Jensen is my little one’s preferred feeding partner and I am his protector. Our bond of friendship is stronger than most.”

  “Jensen has proven himself to be a friend to the Vampiere many times over the years. He has our trust and support. If a threat comes that you cannot manage alone, call upon you vampire brothers for support and know that we will come to your aid without question.”

  “Thank you, sir. I will remember. If Jensen and I can do anything to further the cause, you have only to ask.”

  Finishing their task, the two men who rarely had an opportunity to meet, went their separate ways. Each had their own worries about the coming battle. For his part, Tham was certain freedom from the intergenerational oppression they were subjected to aboard the Taron vessels was something truly worth fighting for. It was also something worth dying for, should it come right down to it.

  Tham was luckier than most, for he’d traded protection and food from his daily ration to a woman in exchange for giving him a daughter. Though her mother had eschewed responsibility for her from the day of her birth, Tham didn’t care. The beautiful little girl was his reason for surviving in this hellish environment. Caring for and protecting her was his only care. Thank the gods that Jensen had grown attached his little one because he keeping her fed. It was a deb Tham could never come close to repaying.

  Jensen had regaled him with tales of the females from Earth. The few times he’d been with the female, during the time they were trying to conceive, left him longing for more. However, that particular female wanted nothing to do with him after fulfilling her end of the bargain. Tham didn’t blame her. He was large, discolored, scarred and unattractive by anyone’s account. Still, he’d been shocked senseless when Jensen told him there were millions of females on his world and many never managed to find mates because there were significantly fewer men.

  Tucked into the far recesses of his mind was an idea that maybe one of those millions might find it in her heart to care for one such as him. The rational side of his brain cautioned him not to waste precious time and energy hoping for such a thing, but his soul called out for a mate. In his mind’s eye, she was sweet, delicate and in need of a strong protector. His imaginary mate looked at him with open acceptance, if not admiration. She wasn’t reluctant to be touched by him and easily slid her hand into his when they walked together. Tham let his mind drift, as he headed back to his section of the ship. Such daydreams were likely all he would ever have, but he enjoyed them none the less.

  Do you want to read the rest of Taron Invasion

  Alien Convict

  Taron Invasion Series

  A.J. Daniels

  GTQ LLC

  Orlando, Florida

  Copyright © 2017 by A.J. Daniels

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  GTQ LLC

  PO Box 540375

  Orlando, FL 32854

  www.gtq.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Alien Convict/A.J. Daniels -- 1st Ed.

  ISBN

  Chapter 1

  Loss and Love

  ~ Andrew ~

  Music Mix

  Tossing and turning in his sleep, Andrew relieved got pulled into a reoccurring dream. His little five-year-old self, choked on the thick smoke pouring out of the vents running along the top of the walls. Since he’d been born and raised on the Taron ship, he was used to emergencies every now and then. This felt different somehow. Everyone was running around, females were screaming and the normally stoic male’s voices were tinged with panic.

  It was getting difficult to breathe. His slight form was getting bounced around as people accidentally knocked into as they rushed past. Carefully searching every face, he found that none of the adults were his family. Getting emotional, he held his hand over his face. Suddenly out of nowhere, a large hand locked down around his wrist. Relief flooded his system as he realized it was his father.

  “Run faster. We are under attack.”

  Andrew moved as fast as his feet would carry him, thankful that his grandfather never let go of his wrist. Of course he wasn’t called Andrew back then. His name had been Androd.

  At one point they heard the familiar sound of Krador squalling. His grandfather quickly pulled him into his arms and began to run for one of the exits. Andrew had been too terrified to speak, for fear the Krador would find them.

  The moment they staggered out the door, a large human male grabbed them. Before his grandfather could react, the man fired a weapon over their shoulder. Andrew watched in absolute horror as an overlord feel motionless to the ground. The alien shouted in Kalian, “Survivors go to the right. Rescuers are waiting to transport you to safety.”

  The strange alien warrior shoved them to the right, just as a huge Krador came crawling out of whole in the ship’s hull. Several of the strange aliens gathered with long rifles, intent on taking the huge creature down. His grandfather staggered to the left, away from the creature. Andrew watched over his shoulder as the aliens shot at the huge creature’s many legs, then began targeting the triple row of eyes running back over its head. Andrew noticed something the strange aliens didn’t. Dozens of tiny Krador young scurrying from the vessel and taking refuge in the nearby woods.

  Finally his father stopped running. They approached a huge vehicle of some sort. It was white with large red sign upon it. The people there looked like medics to his young eyes.

  His grandfather, asked about other survivors. “We have family aboard the ship. I won’t leave without them.”

  An alien male stepped forward wearing green with a funny design on his clothing. He had weapons strapped all over his body.

  “You’re going to get your ass on the Red Cross transport right now and get your boy to safety.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Sergeant Marcus Ross. Now, move your ass.”

  Andrew watched a female with long red hair approach. “If you can’t interact with the newcomers any better than that, you need to leave.”

  Ross spat on the ground, and stood glaring at her for a moment before speaking. “The last time I checked sergeants’ outranked nurses.”

  “The last time I check, I was in charge of this unit and you were assigned to protect us. Unless you want us to file a formal complaint with your chain of command you will step back and allow us to access to our patients.”

  “We need to evac the area.” Holding his hand to his ear, he paused briefly and frowned. “A Krador is loose and just attacked a team of militia.”

  “Gather up as many as you can find. We don’t leave anyone behind.”

  The Sergeant gave a clipped response. “Yes, mam. You heard the lady. Fleece the area. If they have a heartbeat, they come with us, even if you gotta stun them.”

  The annoyed woman frowned. “That is not what I said.”

  As the males stalked off into the darkness, the woman turned to them. “Come, we have hydration packs and you can rest in our vehicle. It armor plated, so you will be safe there. What is your name?”

  His grandfather’s dispirited voice responded quietly. “I am Malok and this is my grandson Androd. How is it you speak our language?”

  “We were given an inoculation with of alien languages. My name is Rebecca and I’m a healer. It’s nice to meet you and your grandson. I know this is a difficult situation, but you are safe with us. Under the new inter-species treaty, Earth is
now your home. Is there anything you need right now?”

  “I just want to see my family survive this night.”

  Andrew watched the woman place a reassuring hand on his grandfather’s arm. “We’ll do everything we can to see that you’re reunited with them as soon as possible.”

  Before they could get onto the large transport, the males wearing green came back, herding dozens of rescued slaves. “We gotta go now. There are half a dozen Krador and they’ve torn people apart limb by limb back there.”

  Everyone rushed aboard the vessel. His grandfather sat him down and tried to get back off but was shoved back the alien males in charge. The man leaned over and stated quietly. “You don’t want to do that. There’s no one alive back there. The sight will haunt my nightmares until the day I die. You have the boy to worry about. He’s all you have left.”

  The older man’s knees buckled under him, and an agonized wail of grief escaped from his lips. The Keening was sound he would never forget. Andrew watched the nurse kneeled and wrap her arms around his grandfather. That was the moment it hit Andrew that his father, mother, brothers and sisters were all gone. Instead of the sounds his grandfather made, Andrew felt like his life-force had been knocked from his body, only to be filled by an infinite well of sadness.

  Jerking awake, Andrew padded through his house to check on his own two small daughters. They were each in their tiny bed, surrounded by their favorite stuffed animals. Shutting the door, he walked back to his room and stood in front of his nest. The lights were dimmed for the night cycle, but inside the clear glass his unborn child rested in the gently bubbling liquid. He checked to make sure the temperature was stable and the proper amount of oxygen and nutrients were circulating through the water.

  Running his fingers over the metal casing he remembered his joy in building the mechanical device meant to bring his children through their last stages of growth before being born into this new world of privilege and freedom for his kind.

  If his grandfather could see this one, it would have brought yet more joy to his life. Unfortunately, he had passed away shortly after his new human mate died. Andrew’s chest constricted painfully when he thought of his grandfather. The male had spent many long years enjoying this new human world alongside the human woman who lived only for his smile. Andrew had been loved and doted upon as a child. Now he was alone in the world, just his girls and him.

  Chapter 2

  Integrated Kalian Male

  ~ Danielle ~

  Music Mix

  Danielle noticed him immediately, as he meandered by her office. The huge glass wall afforded her a view of most of the work floor in her tiny law firm. Her firm had agreed to hire eight alien males. Their resettlement was related to a push by the central government to open new opportunities for the aliens who had supported them in the war effort.

  His soft brown eyes glanced over to find her admiring him and he nodded politely. Feeling her face flame, she quickly got back to work. Perving on her new employees, was bound to cause problems for her, since she hadn’t even been a full partner for year yet.

  Her assistant poked his head in her door and he asked politely. “Are you ready to get a bite of lunch, or should I order something for delivery?”

  Rubbing her temple, she shoved herself away from the desk. “Let’s eat out somewhere nice.”

  Smiling, he suggested helpfully. “How about Jackson Fife?”

  Unable to keep the grin off her face, Daniel nodded, That would be fantastic. We deserve a treat.”

  “I’m beginning to think that’s what company expense accounts are for.”

  “Our firm is pretty generous in that regard. Let’s bring schedules and come up with a strategy for turning alien rights into the next big social issue.”

  “Nothing would make me happier. That’s the reason I signed up with the firm, after all.” Jon’s brown eyes and pointed ears gave away his alien heritage, in much the same way as the soft green color of his skin.

  “In my humble opinion we were lucky to get you.”

  He preened a bit as he quipped. “Strangely enough, that is my wife’s opinion as well.”

  Laughing, Danielle tossed some her electronic tablet into her bag and followed Jon to his office to get his.

  Never one to miss an opportunity to chitchat, Danielle walked through the door he held open for her. “I’d really love to meet your wife sometime. I’ll bet she’s really sweet.”

  “She has my heart, or at least a piece of it.”

  There was no way she was letting such a mysterious statement fly right by without comment. “I can’t imagine or what has snagged the rest of your heart, Jon. Is that top secret information, or what?”

  “Human females are predictably curious. I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist asking.” Beaming at her, he lowered his head slightly. “Of course each of my young have a small piece of my heart as well.”

  “That’s about the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. My best friends growing up were Kalian. I really miss them a lot.”

  Of all the aliens that came down on the ships, Danielle preferred Kalian males. They were consistently attractive, accepted direction, and were meticulous about the details that could make or break a case.

  The being attractive part was always the piece that constantly got her attention. They were smaller than most of the other aliens; making them about the size of a human. Their compact, muscular bodies made the males look like body builders. A Kalian could lift twice his body weight, above their head easily. Their skin was lighter, like a human. Hair only came in two varieties; thick coarse black hair, which was almost always worn at shoulder length, or. some few had snow white hair. Any way you cut it, they were real lookers.

  Jon’s voice drew her from her thoughts. “What made you decide to relocate to this area?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  Smiling politely, he opened the door to the restaurant. “Please tell me.”

  “I’m looking for a mate. My home town was stuffed with single men but none of them were my one.”

  He expression shifted to one of understanding. “You are clever to move to large metropolitan area. I have no doubt that you will hundreds of new males over the next year or so. I wish you luck in finding your one.”

  A hostess led them to a cozy table with a view of the city. Leaning over, Danielle whispered. “Would you like to know a secret?”

  Looking intrigued her new assistant, nodded. “Only if it’s a really good one.”

  “I have a very strong feeling my one is Kalian.”

  Gasping, he pressed his lips together a brief moment before responding. “You can’t possibly know that.”

  Picking up her menu, she sighed. “I might as well come clean. The Kalian family I grew up with had a ton of sons. I made every single one of the kiss me because I was so convinced one of the was my one.”

  Jon stilled long enough for the server to fill their glasses with water. “What on Earth was that like?”

  “It was really disappointing. It felt just like kissing my brother.” Smacking her menu down on the table, she stated happily. “Don’t worry though, I’m not giving up without a kissing every single eligible Kalian bachelor in this entire city.”

  Jon made a small sound of shock. “You better get to it, cause there are a lot of my brethren running around without mates.”

  “I’m surprised women don’t snap them right up.”

  “Though we were highly valued as fighting partners during the war, I get the feeling human women don’t select mates based on the fact that they have highly developed senses, an tendency towards detail or an identic memory.”

  Snorting a laugh, Danielle responded. “Well if they don’t, they should. My father had a Kalian fighting partner, and they’ve remained best friends for life. The man can track like a bloodhound. It’s a good skill to have.”

  Now it was Jon’s turn to laugh at her antics. Strange that seem to value such traits. I can�
��t say my Kalian wife even cares about such qualities.”

  Looking over the menu, Danielle responded thoughtfully. “I’ve always the Kalian were most attractive of the aliens to land on our world. And not just because of the long hair and big muscles either. You all seemed to be less formal, warmer, friendlier, and you have a good sense of humor.”

  Nodding, Jon murmured. “I’ll have to give you that one. We are not quite as serious as most other species.”

  “Are you kidding me? A lot of the other alien males seem to have a stick stuck perpetually up their backside for no apparent reason. They’re quick to anger and often times they don’t play well with others. Over the years, she’d learned to be cautious.”

  “I can’t say I blame you for that. I’m cautious of many of them myself.”

  “God, I thought it was just me. Earth’s first contact with an alien species was a rude awakening for us. Then the long brutal war blindsided us before we could really get used to the idea that we aren’t alone in the verse. Goodness knows, we never would have won without the help of the alien slaves. Most humans recognize your people’s contribution, and welcome you with open arms.”

  Jon responded thoughtfully, “I believe many humans were compassionate, if nothing else, because of the hardships we endured on the ships.”

  Nodding, Danielle agreed. “However, there is still a lot of discrimination. Many states were struggling to update their legal codes to ensure the protection of the newest members of society.”

  “You believe in getting right down to the working part of the lunch without much small talk. I respect that in a boss.”

  “I think of us more as co-workers. I eagerly signed the agreement for our small firm to hire the eight aliens because I believe in our cause. However, I need you to understand that decision garner support among our partners for many different reasons.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Most of the partners are honestly dedicated to supporting alien rights. They general consensus is that since you all shed your fair share of blood for the cause of a free earth, you deserve a chance to participate in society on an equal footing. Please don’t be put off that all our new hires were assigned mostly to clerical functions.”