by Luna Hunter
Claimed by the Dragons
A Reverse Harem Romance
Luna Hunter
Copyright 2018 Luna Hunter.
Published by Luna Hunter at Amazon.
This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All characters represented within are eighteen years of age or older and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This work is property of Luna Hunter, please do not reproduce illegally.
Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Preview of The Alien General’s Baby (Zoran Warriors Book 1)
Also by Luna Hunter
More by Celestial Mates
Three Xhakan Dragons. Her soul bound to all three. Oh boy.
Drusilla is a survivor. Her driving force? Revenge.
Revenge on her father, the Djall King, who abandoned her and her human mother. Who left her mother to die.
The one problem? Valkronis, the homeworld to both the horned Djall and the impressive Xhakan warriors, is on the other side of the universe.
It’s unreachable — until she meets three gorgeous Xhakan princes.
Kolos, Ragnar, Aksel.
Ragnar’s sister Emla has been kidnapped by the Djall King, and the only way to get her back is with a trade.
His mate for his sister.
An impossible choice to make, but he has to do something. He turns to the Celestial Mates Dating Agency, and that’s when Drusilla makes her move. All she has to do is hack the system, match herself up with the Xhakan warrior, pretend to bond with him, and she’ll have her ticket to the Djall King’s doorstep.
Her plan works. A bit too well, in fact. The Celestial Mates select her, but not just for Ragnar. No, they say she’s a soul-match for all three Xhakans.
And ‘pretending’ soon gives way to white-hot desire, as she discovers how absolutely perfect the three gorgeous Xhakan warriors are.
Will she be able to forget about her plans of revenge and surrender her heart to the three Xhakan Dragons? Will the Xhakans be able to free Emla without having to surrender their mate?
Or will the Djall King destroy all they hold dear?
Claimed by the Dragons is a standalone Reverse Harem romance! No cliffhangers, happy ending guaranteed!
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Chapter One
“This is a bad idea.”
“Do you have a better idea?” Ragnar growls. “This is the only way we can get Emla back.”
Exotic smells offend the sensitive noses of the three Xhakan brothers as they make their way through the crowded streets of Gomorral. In nothing does this place remind them of Valkronis, of home. No sweeping mountain ranges, no open fields to soar through, no fresh, alpine air.
Instead, the gravity is strong here on this alien world, and the streets are narrow and busy. Dealers peddle their illegal wares on every corner. It’s an entirely different world out here.
“Qij. I can’t believe places like this actually exist,” Aksel mutters as he glances at a neon-sign promising pleasure. “I’ve heard there’s an actual underground slave-market here, too!”
“Underground?” Ragnar chuckles. “That’s a widely known fact, brother.”
“If that’s true, then why doesn’t anyone try to stop it?!” Aksel answers. “Slavery is against the law!”
Kolos shakes his head. No matter how many times he explains the intricacies of intergalactic law to his younger brother, he just doesn’t get it. Aksel is an idealist, through and through. “We’ve been over this, vella. The Protektorat laws don’t apply in Outer System planets like Gomorral.”
“Well,” Aksel says, slightly miffed. “They should!”
“Now that is something we can agree on,” Kolos answers.
An alien peddler, a short blue man with gills in his neck, approaches the trio, but he freezes when he sees the amulet on Kolos’s neck. He lets out a shrill cry, and the entire street turns and faces the three Xhakans. The crowd parts in front of them like the Strait of Amulon.
“We’ve been made,” Kolos says dryly.
“Astute observation, brother,” Aksel replies. “I can see why the Nine Circles want you as their High Judge.”
“Shut up, both of you,” Ragnar says. His red eyes are focused and narrow, on the look-out for any possible threat.
None arise.
“Qetesohu, Ragnar,” Aksel says. “No one’s on Gomorral is stupid enough to attack a Xhakan — let alone three.”
He places his hand on his brother’s arm, moving it away from the blade on his hip.
“I know you’re dying to use that fancy new sword the War Akademi gave you, but this is not the time nor the place to use it.”
“Fancy?” Ragnar says, turning to the young one. He pushes his massive shoulders back, facing his brother’s challenge head-on. “You dare to call Ciadril fancy?!”
The two man butt heads. Ragnar is slightly taller than his two brothers — something he gloats over endlessly — and he glares down at his younger brother, his red eyes filled with fury.
Aksel is no push-over either, and he meets the threat head-on. “Come on, madhvella,” he smirks, baring his sharp fangs. “Show me what they taught you at that Akademi. I bet you’re still no match for me.”
“Focus!” Kolos thunders, and his booming voice catches the attention of his two brothers — and half the street.
It’s always been like this; Ragnar and Aksel getting into fights, with Kolos being the mediator. The life of the middle child. Perhaps that is why he is now being haled as the greatest diplomat this side of the Fenrir Nebula — it’s been in his blood since day one.
“I know the news of Emla’s disappearance has us all on edge,” he says, “but that’s no reason to go brawling in the streets like a pair of Djalls.”
“You’re right,” Ragnar says, relaxing the tension in his many, many muscles. “We’re here to find the Celestial Mates Dating Agency.”
“I still think that’s a bad idea, for the record,” Aksel says.
“I don’t care what you think,” Ragnar says. “It’s the only way to save Emla! Or do you want her stay in the Djall King’s possession?!”
“Of course not, I want to free her as much as you do, but father said—”
“Father is a coward,” Ragnar says.
“Careful,” Aksel warns. “Father is trying to keep the peace on Valkronis — a hard-fought peace, that cost countless lives. I know you want to throw that all away for—”
“I want to save my sister!” Ragnar growls, the muscles in his neck bulging with anger. His skin shimmers, and his red pupils dilate. Ragnar’s inner dragon is struggling to break free.
“So do we, vella. So do we.” Kolos says.
“Then this is the only way,” Ragnar says decisively. “If you don’t agree, then fly off.”
“No,” Kolos says resolutely. “We’ll stay by your side, always. Right, Aksel?”
“Right.”
“Then let’s find these damn match-makers.”
The trio continue their search in the busy streets of Gomorral. Everyw
here they go the crowd splits open, the denizens of this world afraid to even brush against their elaborately decorated armor. The Xhakans are fabled warriors, known throughout the entire universe for their prowess and strength.
“Why can’t we rescue a slave?” Aksel says wistfully as they pass yet another brothel. “In fact, why can’t we rescue all of them?”
“As much as I’d like to, we can’t save every single soul in the universe,” Kolos responds.
“I intend to save everyone I can,” Aksel replies proudly.
“And that’s why you will become a High Druid,” Kolos mumbles to himself.
“Besides,” Ragnar says, “I need a true destinuar to barter for my sister.”
“Our sister,” Kolos corrects him.
The three Xhakans are not linked together by blood, but they are so close, they might as well be. Kolos is the only one who has Father’s blood flowing through his veins. Ragnar and Aksel are both wards, taken from their families as babies and raised besides Kolos. A common practice in Xhakan culture.
The three brothers made a pact when they were young Xhakanlings that they would never let this get between them. Their bond is too strong for jealousy, for favoritism, for strife. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they don’t have a healthy competitive side to them… but when it comes down to it, they have each other’s backs.
Always.
“That’s what I meant,” Ragnar says. “I didn’t mean to imply—”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Kolos answers.
“Are you sure about this?” Aksel says. “I know I’m repeating myself, but please, think about this, Ragnar. You can only bond once.”
“I know. The Djall King will know if the bond is faked — he’s too cunning. It needs to be my real destinuar if I intend to entice him into a trade.”
“But trading your one true mate for your sister…” Aksel says. “It’s madness.”
“It’s the only way,” Ragnar growls. “Father strictly forbid us from freeing her by force. A trade is the only way we can free Emla.”
“You can only bond once!” Aksel says, the desperation in his voice as clear as day. “Do you realize what you’re risking? If the Celestial Mates are as good as they as, if the destinuar bond takes, then you’ll never be whole again!”
Ragnar turns to his younger brother, his eyes filled with a deep, crushing sadness.
“Without Emla, I’m not whole either. I can’t imagine a pain greater than what I’m feeling right now. Anything will be worth saving her life. Anything.”
Finally, Aksel relents, his shoulders dropping.
“I see there’s no changing your mind. Very well. The Celestial Mates Dating Agency is over there.” He points at a neon sign in the distance.
“Finally,” Ragnar says. “Let’s find me a perfect match.”
Chapter Two
“What do you mean? You’re telling me there are no ships going to Valkronis? None?”
“None,” the local says with a smarmy grin. “So take your filthy Gulzin credits elsewhere. Next!”
“But—”
“NEXT!”
A heavy Nhai muscles the young halfblooded woman out of the way. She balls her fists, reconsider, and slips away, back into the crowd.
So close, and yet so far away…
Everything Drusilla has ever done has been for one reason and one reason only.
Revenge.
It’s burns like a volcano inside of her, the pure white heat smoldering away all other emotions. It’s what she breathes, eats, and drinks. It’s what flows through her very veins.
She will have her revenge on the Djall King, no matter what it takes… for he is her father. He abandoned her human mother and left them both to rot in poverty. He is the reason her mother died from black-lung when Dru was only twelve.
He is the reason Dru was forced onto the street, forced to fend for herself. He is the reason she doesn’t trust a single soul except her own.
And for all that and more, the Djall King must die.
“And, on your way yet?”
Drusilla grimaces as Pip’s voice blears trough her in-ear speaker. She turns the volume down as she looks for the nearest bar. If this stop is a bust, might as well get wasted.
“No,” Dru answers. “He wouldn’t take my credits. You’d think that there would be a flight from Gomorral to Valkronis, but alas.”
“See, it’s destiny. You’re supposed to ride with us, just like the contract you signed says!”
“Please,” Dru answers, rolling her eyes.
Pip, a techie working for the Gulzin Syndicate, is the only friend and confidant Dru has. In a rare bout of openheartedness, after a few too many glasses of Xhakan ale, Dru entrusted Pip with all the messy details of her life. It was the first time she opened up to someone — and if Dru has anything to say about it, the last as well.
Pip hasn’t betrayed that trust. Yet.
She’s a good friend, but she’s buys into the Gulzin brainwashing a bit too much. Dru sees it for what it is — hogwash. However, the pay is quite good, and more importantly, serving on a Gulzin vessel got her off Holanis, the dirt-poor rock where she grew up. Every stop thus far has gotten her closer and closer to Valkronis. Closer to her target. Yet now, it seems so far away…
“Focus!”
A booming voice that Dru feels all the down in her belly draws her attention. The halfblood whirls around and gasps. She’s looking right at not one, not two, but three Xhakans!
With their shiny armor, the dazzling chains on their necks, the tattoos on their arms, there is simply no mistaking them. These three are Xhakan royalty from Valkronis. What are the odds she’d run into them here, on Gomorral of all places?!
This could be it. Her moment.
Dru slips into the crowd and follows the three warriors from a distance. She’s used to being invisible — she had to survive on the streets of Holanis and fend for herself from a young age. Her pointy ears perk up as she eavesdrops on the three men, who seem oblivious to their surroundings as they bicker amongst themselves.
One sentence in particular catches her attention: Celestial Mates Dating Agency.
That rings a bell. The Celestial Mates have an agency on this planet, for Dru passed by it earlier. They claim to find you a mate, one that is absolutely perfect for you.
Sounds like a lie, Dru thinks to herself. Opening up yourself like that? Putting all your trust in another person? Where she grew up, that’s a surefire way to get yourself killed.
No, she saw what happened to her mother after she entrusted her heart to her father, the Djall King: He stepped on it and splintered it into a thousand little pieces. As far as Dru is concerned, love is for suckers.
However, if one of these men is looking for a mate, well… She could certainly do worse than Xhakan royalty, she thinks to herself as she studies the tall, imposing men.
It would be hard to choose who is more gorgeous amongst the three warriors.
They’re all tall and buff, towering over the other denizens of Gomorral. She has to stay out of sight, so she can catch only glimpses of them, but what she sees is enough to make her heart flutter — a reaction she quickly calls a halt to.
She’s here on a mission, not to fall in love (or lust…) with these warriors. Still, a girl can dream, and there’s been very little to look forward to for Dru…
Her daydreams come to an abrupt end when she hears one of the men utter his title.
The Djall King.
Her father.
Dru’s pointy ears perk up instantly and her heart skips a beat when she deciphers their scheme. It seems they intend to give their soon-to-be-found mate to the Djall King, in exchange for their captured sister.
This is it. My one shot at the Djall King. The moment I’ve been waiting for. All I have to do is… be a perfect soul-match for this Xhakan Warrior. That’s a tall order. I have no idea what Xhakan females do, but I assume it involves fancy dresses and galas. I’m no royalty. I
don’t know the etiquette. But, I do know how to stack the cards in my favor.
“Pip?” Dru whispers hastily into her comm. “Pip, are you there?! Answer me!”
“I’m here, I’m here!” Pip stutters. “What’s going on? Are you in trouble?”
“You’re a hacker, right?”
“I’ve been known to hack a place or two, yes,” Pip says proudly. “Some call me the space co—”
“Can you hack the Celestial Mates for me?”
“What? The Celestial Mates? But they’re—”
“I have no time to explain. Can you do it or not?”
“What, right now?”
“Right now.”
“W-well, I…”
“Yes or no?”
“I can try. Their tech though, it’s something else. Nothing like I’ve ever seen before. It’s not just otherworldly, it’s like… out of another dimension. What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to match me up with a Xhakan Warrior — one who is about to enter the Celestial Mates building as we speak.”
“Holy crap,” Pip exclaims. “I’m a hacker, not a miracle worker!”
“Just do your best, Pip,” Dru says. “That’s all I’m asking.”
“Alright, alright, let’s see…”
Through her headset, Dru hears a flurry of keystrokes and mouse-clicks.
