by Sophie Stern
Table of Contents
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
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Vanquished
Sophie Stern
Ezra Fox has lived on Sapphira his entire life. He's cold and heartless, but that's the way he likes it. As a hunter, he has to be precise in everything he does. If he's not, his prey will get away. He learned long ago he couldn't trust anyone but himself, and that's how he lives his life.
Dagger is being hunted. She runs as fast as she can, and as far as she can, and finds herself on the hidden planet of Sapphira where she promptly gets lost. The man who finds her is big, blue, and a complete badass.
Dagger finds herself falling for Ezra, but what will she do when her past finally catches up to her?
Copyright © 2017 by Sophie Stern
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by Melody Simmons // www.ebookindiecovers.com
Contents
Vanquished
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
Chapter 17
Epilogue
About the Author
Alien Beast
Chapter 1
Honeypot Darlings
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
For Beatrice.
Chapter 1
Ezra
Aliens have a bit of a problem with stealing.
It’s not our fault, really. It’s like it’s programmed inside of us. It’s like we have this urge that we just can’t fight.
My brother? He stole a ship. He took it from a bastard who deserved it, but the action was still frowned upon. Apparently, stealing ships from people is bad: very bad. Luckily, Quinn learned his lesson: no harm, no foul. Now he’s traveling the universe with his beautiful bride.
He’s having the time of his life.
But me?
I’m on Sapphira: stealing things.
You’d think I would have learned my lesson after all the drama with Quinn, that I would have learned from my brother’s mistakes and thought, “Nah, that’s a bad idea.” You’d think I would have decided to live an honorable life, but that’s not me. That’s not my style. That never has been.
I learned long ago that the only person I can count on is me. I learned that no one else will be able to help me if I get into trouble. I learned that no one will be there for me when I stumble, when I fall. My brother and sister are great, but I’m the oldest. I’m the one pulling them from the wreckage when they get in trouble.
I can’t count on anyone.
Today I’m in the jungles of Sapphira on a one-man hunting expedition. Typically, I bring four or five men with me on these excursions, but this week, I wanted to be alone. I gave some bullshit excuse about wanting to clear my head, but that was all a lie. The reality is that I “borrowed” a new bow from my friend and I’m hoping to return it before he notices that it’s missing.
It’s not that he wouldn’t have loaned it to me, but that he wouldn’t have loaned it to me without wanting to accompany me on this outing. While I normally don’t mind having people with me when I hunt, this week I really need some time to myself. This week, I really need some “me” time.
Armed with “my” bow and a week’s worth of camping gear, I’m trudging through the jungles with the goal of finding a fereer. The creatures are notoriously difficult to catch, but the meat is incredibly delicious and goes for a great price. If I can acquire several this week, I won’t have to hunt again for two months. It’ll be enough money to last me that long, plus a little extra.
It’ll be enough for a down payment on a ship.
It’ll be enough to get out of Diamond if I want to.
Not that I want to leave Diamond. Not that I want to go explore the world. I’m not Quinn. I’m not Fiona. Traveling is their dream: not mine, but it would be nice to have options. It would nice to have some change.
I slink through the overgrown grass and duck under hanging branches as I move through the darkness of the jungle. I’ve been a hunter long enough to be able to distinguish the different sounds that surround me.
The sharp, high-pitched squeak coming from my right?
A bearkeya.
The low growl coming from the left?
A dragoa.
None of the animals nearby are the ones I’m seeking, though, so I continue moving stealthily through the darkness with only my thoughts for company. Hopefully, I’ll find a fereer nest in the next day or two. I brought enough supplies to be gone for a week or a week and a half. Ideally, it won’t take me the entire time to find what I’m searching for.
The thing about fereers is that they’re both delicious and sneaky. They’re notoriously difficult to find and to hunt, so most Sapphirans don’t waste their time looking for them. There are plenty of other kinds of beasts to hunt for food that don’t require the patience finding fereers does.
Then again, patience has never been my problem.
Being a normal person has.
Despite being in the jungle, the early afternoon heat has me sweating and regretting how much gear I chose to bring.
“It’s fine,” I tell myself. “You’ve got this.” Only, the reality is that I don’t know if that’s true. Recently, I’ve been more lost than I’ve ever been before. I’ve been more alone. Maybe it’s seeing Quinn and Fiona and how happy they are together. Maybe it’s the fact that my brother just called me to tell me they’re going to have a baby. Maybe it’s that my little sister is finally moving on from the attack that nearly ruined her life.
Maybe it’s just part of growing up.
No matter the reason, though, I realize I need to find something that makes me happy. I need to find something that makes me feel good, comfortable. I need to find something that makes me feel at home.
I’ve been on Sapphira my entire life.
I’ve never wanted to leave until now, and even then, I’m not sure that a new home is what I’m seeking. I just want something – anything – that brings me peace.
I just want something new, something fresh, something that’s entirely mine.
I keep walking toward the center of the jungle, lost in my thoughts. I’ve covered a lot of ground in the last 24 hours. It’s hard to believe I’ve only been gone a day. Maybe I’m getting faster or perhaps I just know the jungle better than when I first started hunting. I recognize exactly where I am even without my location devices, and if my calculations are correct, I should be in fereer country pretty soon.
My eyes swivel as I move, careful to watch for any clues I might be nearing a nest. When I round the next set of trees, I spot a little creek. Good. Th
is could be a good chance for a water break.
I drop my pack beside a tree and stretch, enjoying the way my body feels a little lighter. Even after years on the job, I’ve never quite gotten used to the pain and heaviness that comes from hauling gear around. A lot of hunters choose to travel with miniature hover cars or tiny ships they can navigate through the wider areas of the jungle, but I’ve always found that bringing vehicles tends to restrict movement.
Besides, animals are smart. They aren’t going to be hiding in plain sight. They’re not going to be lurking around little roads or places people bring big vehicles. Instead, they’ll be hiding in the darkness. They’ll make their nests in places where people never go. They’ll hide, and they’ll wait , and they’ll survive.
At least until a hunter as good as me comes along.
I’m approaching the water when all of my senses go on high alert. Suddenly, I get the feeling that I’m not alone. I instantly drop, flattening my body in the tall grass that leads to the creek, and I peer out. There shouldn’t be other hunters in this area. It’s not exactly a highly-populated place. It’s certainly not a place that’s on many maps.
Why would someone be out here?
Although I don’t hear any strange noises, I can’t shake the feeling there’s someone here, so I wait patiently, once again calling on those predatory instincts, until I figure out who is out here and whether or not they’re a threat.
I don’t have to wait long.
After only a few minutes, I spot the disturbance, but it’s not a large animal, like I suspect. It’s not a Sapphiran, either. Nope, the creature at the water is a tall, blonde-haired human, and she’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.
Chapter 2
Dagger
I don’t know what planet I’m on.
I don’t recognize the terrain or the trees or the fucking flowers. I should, probably, because there are a ton of flowers. Seriously, what kind of jungle is sprinkled with beautiful pink-and-purple flowers? Is that even allowed? Jungles should be harsh and unforgiving and ugly. They shouldn’t be pretty. They shouldn’t make me want to curl up and take a nap.
They shouldn’t make me feel comfortable.
They shouldn’t make me feel safe.
It’s been about an hour since I crashed my pod on this planet, about an hour since I started running, trying to get as far away from it as possible. I don’t know what kind of tracking devices are on the ship, but I don’t want to let anyone get close to where I am. I don’t want to be dragged back to Mars.
No thank you.
The pod I took was only small enough for one passenger. It was perfect for what I needed: a quick, unplanned escape. In actuality, it was stupid to take it. The pod didn’t have any food or supplies or anything that would help me survive once I reached my destination, which is apparently a jungle.
I live in the jungle now.
This is my new home.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and stumble across a little house hidden in the trees. That’s what happens in the fairytales. My mother used to read me stories from a book she liked on Earth, and in those stories, the characters always find a place to live.
They always find hope.
They always find love.
In those stories, the characters always have wonderful adventures with happy endings. Somehow, I’m not so certain that my own ending will be happy. If Stremon finds me, it’s all over. If he hunts me down and catches me, there’s no one here to save me. Maybe running was the stupid choice. Maybe I should have just gone straight to the authorities. Maybe I should have been braver or smarter.
Maybe.
“You can’t live in the past,” I whisper, shaking my head. I’m not so great at convincing myself, but I’ll try. When I hopped in the pod, it was only as a hiding place while Stremon and his goons were looking for me. I never planned to take the ship. I never planned to leave Mars.
When I thought I was alone, though, I realized there was nothing left on Mars for me. I could spend the rest of my life hiding, being hunted, being miserable, or I could go somewhere new and start again. I could go somewhere else and start a new life.
I know enough about piloting ships to figure out exactly how to get the pod up in the air and off the planet. It wasn’t until I turned on the speakers in the ship and started listening to the incoming and nearby transmissions that I realized Stremon knew exactly what I was doing and he was going to follow me.
I took every twist, turn, and shortcut I knew to try to get somewhere I knew he wouldn’t dare go: Dreagle. It’s the darkest, worst planet I’ve ever heard of and surely, it’s a good place to hide when you’ve got nowhere else.
That’s not where I ended up, though.
Apparently, the pod I took wasn’t designed for extremely fast flying because the tracking and mapping systems completely died after my first day. Then I was just flying through space. Then I was out of gas and falling and crashing.
And now I’m here.
I’m here in the middle of the prettiest damn jungle I’ve ever seen and even though I’m sore and hungry and tired, everything is so lovely that I just can’t be mad.
After trudging through the jungle for awhile, I spot a creek, which is beautiful, just like everything else I’ve come across. I hurry up to it and kneel down, desperate and eager to sate my thirst. I’m starving, but I’ll start with water. Even if I can’t find anything to eat, at least I won’t die of dehydration.
I scoop up some water and sip it quickly from my hands. It’s cool and refreshing and tastes like wild berries. How is that even possible? I may have grown up on Mars, but there’s nothing on that planet like this. Wherever I am, it’s beautiful, and I kind of think I could stay here forever.
That is, if Stremon doesn’t find me and kill me first.
I push the thought from my head because this is a happy moment. I don’t want to think about the fact that he might have followed me, that he might know where I am. I don’t want to think about anything except enjoying this drink.
I don’t want to think about anything except the fact that maybe, just maybe, I’ll find a magical hut in the forest where I can hide out and live forever and have some pet birds and maybe even a wild animal friend.
That would be the life.
That would be perfect.
And I know it will never happen.
After I drink my fill, I take off my shoes and sit with my toes in the water. It’s cold and refreshing and feels wonderful in the afternoon heat. Wherever I am, it gets hot. I wouldn’t have thought jungles would be hot considering how many trees there are, but despite sitting around resting, I’m sweating more than I ever have in my life.
When I’m done splashing and playing in the water, I regretfully put my shoes back on. It’s time to find some food and keep moving. I need to eat something for energy, but then I need to put more distance between myself and my ship.
If Stremon finds this planet, he’ll go to any lengths to find me, and he’s a damn good hunter: possibly the best on Mars. Oh, he doesn’t hunt animals. That would be too simple. No, Martin Stremon hunts people. He’s a bounty hunter, and an incredibly well-paid one. Personally, I think his job should be illegal, but it’s not up to me.
I walk along the bank until I spot some red berries up ahead. Good. Those look edible. I’ve always loved berries, ever since I was a little girl. I’ve always loved the way they’re so cool and refreshing and just explode in your mouth.
I grab a handful, careful to avoid the sharp thorns on the bush. It’s curious that there are so many berries here. When I think about jungles, I imagine places that are full of life and animals and creatures. Surely birds or tigers would have eaten these by now. With a shrug, I lift my hand to drop the berries into my mouth, but before they hit my tongue, something hits me with a huge force and knocks me to the ground.
I scream as I fall and land in the damp soil.
I’m going to die.
An animal is going to eat me.
Stremon doesn’t have a chance at finding me now because in just a few seconds, I’ll be dead. I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting to look at the creature that’s going to devour me whole in just a matter of minutes.
Then it speaks.
“Are you fucking stupid?” The voice says. “Myrkky berries are poisonous.”
My eyes pop open of their own accord and I see two bright, beautiful blue eyes staring into mine.
It’s not an animal.
It’s not an animal at all.
Chapter 3
Ezra
“You’re a man,” she says, but I don’t move.
“Did you get any in your mouth?” I ask her, ready to force her to puke if she’s ingested any of the most poisonous berries on the planet.
“What?”
“In your mouth, woman!” I practically scream, but I reel in the crazy. I can’t freak out on this stranger, even if she is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
“No!” She yells, but I grab her jaw and force her mouth open the way I would a small animal. She protests loudly and tries to fight me, but I’m much bigger and stronger than her. She doesn’t have a chance. I pin her down and manage to see inside of her mouth. Once I’m satisfied that there are no berries on her tongue or in her cheeks, I let go of her mouth and climb off of her. She jumps to her feet.
“All right, you’re safe,” I say, but I’m not prepared for the sharp slap across my face.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” She asks, rubbing her jaw. She glares at me like I’ve somehow betrayed her, like I’m a monster, like I’m a beast.
“Damn it, woman!” I rub my face. She’s a tiny, scrawny girl, but she can hit. Fuck, can she hit. “What was that for?”
Her jaw drops. “What do you mean, what was it for? It was for tackling me, pinning me down, and forcing my mouth open like I’m some sort of cat. I’m not a cat; I’m a girl, and I don’t appreciate being treated like that by some stranger.”
