by Renee Rose
Rok’s urgent commands to his pilots came through his comms unit.
He changed the frequency to their other channels, hoping to pick up something—anything—from the troops fighting on Zandia.
He stopped when he heard the idle chatter of females.
His female, to be exact.
Every nerve ending in his body went to full alert. What was this? They were telling stories. Or were they acting out a holo-play? He attempted to get a hologram of them, but it wasn’t available. Just the sound.
They were offering a signal. For him? Were they in trouble? He started to trace the signal to a location.
“But I like my male to know there’s always a place for him to come home to,” one of the females purred.
Ah.
Not a distress signal. A beacon. Leading their pilots home.
Which must mean Seke’s troop was still fighting but needed help. Their base ship must’ve gone down.
Well, he’d have to get the galactacarrier over the damn planet to unite their efforts.
He armed the galactacarrier with all the firepower left. He’d have to use it up now, saving none for when he arrived.
It was a risk he’d have to take. He’d rather die on Zandia than out here in unclaimed airspace.
“Battle fleet, return to mothership,” he ordered. “I repeat, battlefleet, return to mothership immediately.”
Rok’s fighter pilots swooped and turned, zooming back to the galactacarrier.
Zander readied all his weaponry.
It was time to go home.
Paal laid the torpedo near an air vent to the mine. They were miles from the mine’s entrance, but this was the slope Lamira had described, with the exact scar on the side. Fluut was directly beneath them now, if Lamira’s sight could be trusted.
“This is the spot,” he murmured, keeping his voice low even though no one appeared to be in the area. They’d hiked for hours to get there, and he’d had to take turns carrying both the torpedos to give the humans a rest.
“Now what?” Lily asked, wiping sweat from her brow.
Paal stared down through the vent into the abyss. “Now we drop them down. Simultaneously, if possible. And then we run like hell.”
The females nodded. They arranged the two torpedos side by side near the edge of the vent and positioned themselves behind it. “On the count of five.” He bent down and placed both palms on the bomb.
“Five?” Cambry asked.
He couldn’t hide the flash of irritation at the question. “Yes, why?”
She grinned. “Humans say three.”
“Aw. Five is a sacred number for us. On the count of five. One...two…three...four...five!” He pushed hard and his torpedo toppled over the edge. He started running the moment the job was done, waiting only to make sure the females got theirs over the lip of the vent.
All three of them ran hard and fast down the slope of the mountain. They ran and ran until he realized something surely should’ve happened by then.
“Hold up.”
The three of them slowed to a stop and stared at one another, panting.
He cursed. “Stay here. I’m going back.”
“What are you going to do?” Lily asked.
He pulled the laser gun from his belt. “Shoot it.” He jogged back up the hill to the vent, half expecting the bomb to go off any moment, but it didn’t.
Peering down, he had no idea where to shoot—all he could see was inky darkness. He positioned himself on his belly, letting his head hang into the crevice and blinking as his eyes got used to the lack of light.
After a few agonizingly long moments, shapes came into focus. He spotted one of the torpedos where it had landed on a ledge not far down.
Well, it was better than nothing. He aimed the laser gun and fired, holding his finger over the trigger for continuous stream of laser light. The crystals in the mountain served to reflect the laser, lighting up the entire crevice.
And then it blew.
For the second time that day, his body flew through the air.
His back hit a tree trunk and he dropped to the ground, unable to move.
The entire mountain shook, explosions and tremors running through the earth, shaking the trees, the rocks, the dirt.
He attempted to move again, but couldn’t draw a breath, couldn’t make his body respond.
The two humans crouched beside him, speaking words he couldn’t hear, tugging at his arms, trying to get him to move.
The land slid beneath them, sending them skiing down the slope as parts of the ground simply fell away, crashing in on the mine.
“This way,” Cambry yelled, angling them down and away from the site of the explosion. At least he heard her this time. “Move, Paal, before we’re buried!”
As if he wasn’t trying. His limbs wouldn’t respond.
“Paal, if you want to see your female and meet your baby, you need to move!”
Leti. And his young. It was his young, he knew it had to be.
The females hauled him up. His feet obeyed this time and he ran. He ran for Leti. Because not seeing her again wasn’t an option.
Leti helped run Zandian crystals from the Crystal Bath to the exhausted pilots who had docked on the palatial pod for refueling.
Their plan had worked. The pilots heard them and were cycling in to refuel and recharge briefly before going back out.
“Did you see the battleships that departed from this pod?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking. “Paal and Cambry and Lily’s?”
The human pilot beside her whipped his head so fast she startled backward. “Cambry was on one of those ships?” His face turned pale. Now that she inspected his haggard face, she saw a resemblance. He must be Cambry’s brother.
“Wh-what is it?” she barely forced out a whisper.
A haunted look came into his eyes. “Those ships went down on the west side of the planet.”
Her breath whooshed out of her, leaving her empty lungs quivering for several interminable moments.
No. It couldn’t be. Paal couldn’t be dead. He wasn’t dead.
Cambry’s brother’s expression held the same level of terror mixed with denial and a dose of irrational hope.
“They’re not dead,” she declared stubbornly when she finally regained the ability to speak.
“They can’t be,” the pilot concurred.
Behind them, Lamira breathed, “It’s done.”
Every being on the dock stopped speaking to listen to her prediction.
A broad smile split her face. “Fluut is dead. Without his leadership, Zandia will soon be won.”
Leti joined the others in a great cheer. If Fluut was dead, that meant Paal had been successful. Which surely meant he was still alive, right?
The pilots who’d been resting surged to their feet. “Let’s get back out there and take our planet,” one of them said, running for his battleship.
“Oh! It’s nearly ready,” cried the servant refueling it.
Other warriors ran for their ships, waving off the servants hustling to finish. Within a few moments, they’d all departed and the energy on the deck was decidedly different.
A vibration buzzed through every being. The stale taste of fear and desperation faded, brightened by the cheerier notes of hope.
Winning Zandia was still possible.
All might not be lost.
Bringing the mine down around Fluut was one thing. Considering the way the entire mountain imploded, Paal was fairly confident of their success.
But now getting back to civilization posed a problem.
He, Cambry and Lily had hiked the remainder of the planet rotation, but without mapping equipment, he wasn’t certain he was leading them in the right direction. Basically, he’d kept his sights on the battleships in the sky and figured they must be over the capital. But he hadn’t seen one for a long stretch.
Which could mean the battle was over.
But who had won?
“Look!�
�� Lily cried, pointing toward the sky. “It’s the palatial pod!”
Sure enough, the pod appeared to be landing.
He flicked on his comms unit, which had received nothing but a crackle all day. “Commander Paal to flight deck, come in flight deck.”
“Ronan, here.” The young man’s voice was exuberant. “You did it, Commander. Zandia is ours!”
The females beside him screamed, throwing their arms around each other and then him.
“I have your location, and we’re sending a ship to extract you now.”
His legs turned weak with relief and joy. “Thank the one true Zandian star,” he breathed.
Ronan chuckled and ended the communication.
He tried to stay in the moment, but his mind wouldn’t stop running over his biggest problem. Now that they had a place to live, would he have a female to share it with?
Could he convince Leti to give him another chance?
The battleship zoomed into view and landed and the hatch opened. Paal expected to see a warrior come out, but instead, his little female burst from the entrance, running for him.
His knees hit the spongy earth, too weak with gratitude and relief to hold him. Or maybe it was to beg her forgiveness—he wasn’t sure.
“Paal!” She barrelled toward him, throwing her arms around his neck and nearly knocking him over.
Two more battleships skidded to a stop around them, and Rok and Lundric tumbled out and raced for their mates.
“Leti, beautiful female. Can you forgive me?” He’d rehearsed his apology so many times on the trip, it tumbled out now, even though she didn’t seem to be listening. “I had my head wedged when I accused you of trying to trap me. I don’t care if that young is mine or not.” She laid dozens of kisses on his cheeks and forehead, still strangling him in a tight embrace. “I’m claiming you, and I claim that young. You’re mine. It doesn’t matter if you want me or not.”
“Your apology needs work.” Leti laughed and only then did he notice the wetness on her face.
He wiped her tears. “Oh stars, please don’t cry.”
“No, these are happy tears.” She gave him a tremulous smile. “So it doesn’t matter if I want you or not? You’re forcing me into this?” There was a tease in her voice, but he ran a frustrated hand over his closely shorn head.
“That’s not what I meant. I’m trying to say I know you’re not trying to trick me into mating you. Or if you are, then I accept. I want to be trapped by you. Because you’re mine as much as I’m yours, lovely.”
Veck, he’d botched this speech royally.
Leti didn’t seem to care. She kissed his neck. “It’s your baby,” she murmured in his ear.
“It is? Are you sure?” He gave his head a shake. “I don’t care either way, sweet girl. You’re mine, and that means the babe is too.”
“No, it’s yours. I only said that to push you away.”
He ran his hands up and down her sides. “But you’ve changed your mind about that?” His voice sounded choked, even to his own ears. He brought one hand to rest on her ass and squeezed.
Her husky laugh turned his dick crystal-hard. “Yes, I changed my mind. I want you for my mate. Only you. This baby and I need you.”
In a flash he had her on her back on the ground, claiming her mouth as he thrust the hard bulge of his cock into the notch between her legs.
“Oh hey there, Paal. I think you should wait until you’re back in your chamber for that!” Rok called out, laughing.
He didn’t want to pull back, wanted to keep kissing his mate until the sun rose, but he forced himself off and lifted her to her feet.
A beautiful blush colored her neck and then he had to kiss her again.
“Mine,” he growled when they broke apart.
Her smile lit up the entire galaxy. “Yes, yours.”
11
“Paal, we’re going to be late for the gathering.”
All right, maybe she didn’t care. Not when her mate had her bent over the dresser, fucking her like he was about to go back out to battle. It was the tenth time he’d claimed her since they returned to his chamber in the palatial pod the night before, which was now resting in the capital of Zandia, right where it belonged.
“I just. Can’t. Get enough,” Paal growled through clenched teeth. “...going to veck you all planet rotation.” His fingers dug into her hips, holding her in place as he drove deep.
“Yes, Master,” she murmured, knowing what it did to him to be called master.
He roared, pivoting their bodies and throwing her over the edge of the sleepdisk instead. His purpose for the change immediately became clear. He thrust into her now with his full weight, slapping his loins against her ass, which had already been reddened by his palm.
“More, Master,” she whimpered, though it seemed impossible for him to give her more.
Oh, but he did.
He drew farther back and slammed deeper with each stroke until she babbled incoherent pleading words about letting her come.
A roar and he slammed deep. Another bellow as he came.
Her body catapulted her into orgasm, every muscle trembling and shaking as her channel squeezed the last drop of cum out of him.
He collapsed over her. “Now I might let you wash up,” he panted.
She smiled.
“But I’ll probably veck you in the washtube, too.”
“Paal, Prince Zander will be honoring you at the meeting. We can’t be late.”
He groaned and lifted his weight from her, then helped her to stand. He turned her around and picked her up, straddling his waist, to carry her to the washtube.
She sighed and tucked her face against his neck. Being cared for by this male was such pleasure.
How much more tender would he be when they had their child? She couldn’t wait to see how it changed him. Them. Sweet mother earth, she was having a baby! They would be a family.
It seemed life couldn’t get any sweeter.
Paal stood in his crisp white Zandian dress robes with Leti tucked up against his side. His mother wiggled her fingers in a dainty wave from across the plaza. Seeing her with her new beau—hell, seeing her at all—didn’t bother him a bit this planet rotation.
Leti had helped him heal that wound.
They stood in a semi-circle on the ruined marble expanse. The servants had cleared the majority of the rubble to make space for the gathering. All Zandians gathered, along with the humans and a few other species who had come from the training pod.
Many were wounded, bandaged or in hoverseats.
Prince Zander stood on a makeshift dais—a stack of broken marble— and activated an amplifier in his collar. “Welcome, my loyal subjects and honored guests. Welcome to your home—our giving planet, Zandia.
“Let me first offer my deepest gratitude at the sacrifice so many of you have made to get us here.
“We honor each and every lost life.” Zander bowed his head for a moment of silence.
“We honor our wounded.
“We honor those who cared for our wounded.
“We honor those who showed great courage and risk to get us here today. In particular, I wish to recognize Paal, son of Paal; Cambry, mate of Lundric; and Lily, mate of Rok for changing the tide of the battle by taking out our enemy king. Please come forward to receive your crystal of recognition.”
Leti beamed at him as he stepped forward and Master Seke placed a ribbon with a large Zandian crystal around each of their necks.
Paal looked over and was shocked to see his mother wiping tears. Again she waved. He smiled and bowed in her direction.
Zander waited until they’d returned to their places before he spoke again. “We honor our non-Zandian comrades who joined this fight with us. You were promised a home here on Zandia, and it will be yours. We must determine how best to accomplish a co-existence, but I am confident we can. As you know, my mate is human. My young is a half-breed.” Zander stretched a hand out toward Lamira, who stood to hi
s right. She bowed her head over the babe in her arms.
“Rebuilding our planet is important, but repopulation is an even more pressing concern. As such, we will be developing a rehabitation plan to encourage both resettlement and mating.
“The Zandians require brides.
“I will work with my team this week on developing a policy and structure, but I will tell you this—those standing before me now will have first priority in obtaining homesteads. So long as you are mated. As we are dangerously short on females, mating in multiples seems to be the best solution.
“If you wish to receive a land and homestead grant, I suggest you form a group, find a female, and ready yourselves to petition. That’s all I’ll say for now.” He bowed.
For the hundredth time that planet rotation, Paal pulled his female up against his body and claimed her mouth. “Good thing I already have my bride.” He gently thumbed her nipple, where his piercing ring hung. “Freshly pierced.” He gazed down at her, basking in the glow of her warm smile. “I’m just trying to figure out where I’ll hang this on you.” He palmed the heavy crystal around his neck as if weighing it.
To his delight, his female blushed.
“I’m sure we’ll find some use for it.” He grinned and nibbled at her lips again. “Is it time for your next vecking?”
She wound her arms around his neck. “I think it must be.” The huskiness in her voice had him lifting her up to straddle his waist as he marched back to the palatial pod.
He had serious business to take care of—pleasuring his female.
The prince and his rehabitation plans could wait.
Want More?
Please enjoy this preview of
Night of the Zandians: A Reverse Harem Romance
(Zandian Brides Book 1)
Night of the Zandians - Chapter One
Riya
The Zandians require brides.
Prince Zander—no, King Zander now that he’s taken back his planet—stands in front of all of us, human and Zandians alike, and makes his intentions for repopulation clear.
