by Averi Hope
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Mortal Flames
by
Lacey Carter Andersen & Averi Hope
Copyright 2018
Published by Averi Hope and Lacey Carter Andersen
This work of fiction is intended for mature audience only. All characters are over the age of eighteen. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ASIN B077X56762
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
To my middle child—you amaze me each and every day. Your smile lights up any room. Your creative spirit and gentle heart make the small moments in life worth living. In this life, you are going to make so many people happy, but I think most importantly, you’ll make yourself happy. And always remember, my love will follow you wherever you go throughout life, so never feel lonely.
Averi Hope
To my family—thank you for your love and support. It takes a lot of bravery to hit “publish” at the end of a story, and you guys give me the confidence to do it.
Lacey Carter Andersen
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
More Works
About the Author
Chapter One
The two dark-haired, young girls stared at Saura Moro, their fresh young faces a mixture of nervousness and excitement. I remember my first day in the Garden of Virtue. Everything seemed so magical, but it was hard to leave behind everything I had ever known.
“Please, seat yourself in the grass.” Saura gestured to the bank near the babbling brook. “And we will discuss the most important rule of your new life as a maturing female.”
The two girls sat down, arranging their new matching white gowns around their legs. Thin clothes without undergarments, another adjustment to life in the gardens. Saura smiled, remembering how long it had taken her to not feel naked in the strange gown. But soon they will learn, without men around, there’s no reason for such shyness.
Seating herself in front of them, she ran her finger through the cool waters, smiling as the small fish in the slow-flowing river nibbled at her fingertips. Very gently, she let her magic flow. A small chunk of ice floated to the top of the river, then was swiftly swept away. “Each Sula has a role in your education here. Mine will be to discuss the blue pill with you. The pill that you will take each day until your time here is done.”
“What does it do?” Asa, with pale brown hair chopped near her chin, asked.
Saura inclined her head. “That’s a good question. The blue pill keeps us from entering our Biryut. Our mating frenzy.”
The girls exchanged a look of panic.
“So, without it we’ll enter our Biryut?” Asa turned big brown eyes back at her.
Saura nodded. “That’s right. And do either of you know why that might be a bad thing?”
Meeko peeked at Saura from a curtain of dark brown hair. “Because then we must take a mate. Immediately.”
It’s always nice when the girls are taught something about our biology before they come.
“Yes. The reason the Garden of Virtue and other places designed for females only were created is to keep females safe. With men outnumbering us four-to-one, we are treated as something precious, as we should be. It would be too dangerous to allow females among the male population after we have reached maturity. Instead, we remain here while our fathers negotiate proper husbands for us. And when we come of age, and our husbands are ready to take us on as their wives, we leave the Garden of Virtue. Only then do we stop taking our blue pills. Only then do we enter our mating frenzy.” The girls blushed and looked away. “That time, locked away with our mates, is a natural part of our existence and nothing to be ashamed of.”
“And then we are tied to them for life?” Asa asked, uncertainty in her tone.
“That’s right.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “But what if our chosen mate is wrong for us.”
“A smart question.” Saura praised her, smiling. “We are matched very carefully. They take into account our genetics, family lines, personalities, and how powerful we are. Then, our fathers meet to ensure combining our bloodlines will bring everyone involved happiness.”
Meeko’s soft words caught her by surprise. “Is that how you were chosen as The Son’s mate?”
A giggle exploded from Asa’s lips. “Raiden is the most handsome male on any ship, and he’ll be Khar one day! I wish I was so well matched.”
Just the mention of her betrothed sent uncertain feelings stirring inside of her. Yes, he’s handsome, smart, powerful, and the future leader of our people. But, it seems, he’s not as eager to be my mate as I am to be his.
She brought her thoughts back to her young charges, trying to muster a response that didn’t reveal her complicated emotions. “You can’t be as poorly matched as you think. Only the finest females are sent to the Garden of Virtue, which means your male is your equal. And as for me, Raiden and I are as near a perfect match as we can be. My family has sat on the Khar’s Council for longer than any other family, and our blood is as pure as the royals themselves. As powerful as we are
, our children will be more so.”
And yet, unlike most couples, it’s more than that for us. He was my best friend when we were children. All who saw us knew we were destined for more than being a respectable match, we were destined for love.
So where is he? A voice nagged at the back of her thoughts. Maybe you only imagined his love.
“But until we are called by our mates, we must take the blue pill?” Meeko asked, bringing her back to the present.
“That’s right.” Saura reached into the pocket of her gown, then held her hand out, palm up. Three blue pills lay for the girls to see. “We shall all take them together this first time. Then, they will be handed to you each morning. It’s very important that you never skip a pill. Perhaps we’ll be able to keep your mating frenzy at bay, but there’s always a chance that it will start…and then you’ll have to leave the Garden of Virtue early, taking a husband before your ideal time.”
The girls both reached for their pills at the same time.
Saura smiled and brought her own to her mouth.
“Saura, no!” The Mother cried, rushing through the stunning orange and soft blue trees with remarkable speed for a woman of her years.
She froze. “What is it, Great Mother?”
The older woman, with her gray hair falling all around her, leaned forward and closed her hand around Saura’s. “No pill today.”
Saura stared in confusion. The dark blue ring around the old woman’s eyes was nearly black. “Mother…”
Her thin lips twisted into a smile, bringing a breathtaking beauty to the wrinkles gathered at the corners of her mouth. “No pill today, child. Today, you leave the Garden of Virtue.”
Saura froze.
It can’t be. It can’t finally be my time.
I’ve watched girl after girl, most younger than myself leave, wondering why Raiden hadn’t called for me. I’d finally thought he might never call. Hope bubbled up within her chest. Raiden had been a young man when she left, but even so, he was fierce, tender, and entirely dedicated to their people. Like me.
We’ll rule our people together in harmony. The Khar and Khara they’ve needed for so long.
Smiling, she felt light as air. He does want me.
She touched a hand to her chest. “Are you sure, Mother?”
The older woman reached down and cradled Saura’s chin in her soft hands. “Without a doubt. Come on then, let’s get you ready to meet your new mate and introduce our people to the female who will one day be their Khara.”
Her head spun. Today, she would not only see Raiden after seven long years, she’d also become his mate. What I want, all I’ve ever wanted, is Raiden. Her stomach muscles tightened. The heat of his gaze. The hardness of his muscles. The softness of his lips.
And I didn’t take the pill.
Tonight, we’re going to mate.
It was almost too much to believe.
I guess some dreams do come true.
Chapter Two
Tayker’s palms were sweaty as he stroked the hilt of his hidden dagger. Please don’t make me kill you, he begged silently. He’d killed before when necessary, but he preferred to do so from afar…and not in his apartments where his expensive and one-of-a-kind rugs would be ruined from the bloodshed.
But Kaemon might not give you a choice.
The younger man paced, eyes flashing with anger. “How could you let them send for Saura?”
Arrogant prick. How can he possibly think that he can be Khar to his people when he can’t even control his temper? And yet, helping Kaemon to steal the throne would be better for the Elementas. And for you.
Tayker took a deep breath, trying to sound calm and wise as he wiped his palms on his long crimson robes. “It wasn’t my choice.”
“But you could have stopped it!” Kaemon glared, daring his advisor to challenge him.
“Perhaps—“
“Are you double-crossing me, old man?” Kaemon stalked toward him, no longer a foolish youth, but an aggressive male. He weighed far less than Tayker, and yet his entire body was like a well-crafted weapon, not quite thin, but toned to the point that his every movement sent muscles rippling.
Fear spiked through Tayker’s chest as he slid his hand back to the hidden blade. “No, I am not double-crossing you. How can you even ask me that when I helped you kill my own brother? I simply realized that we could use this to our advantage.”
Just the thought of handing Kaemon the small black bottle of Puffery poison still brought bile rising in the back of his throat. But it was necessary, my brother would have stopped at nothing to save his son and discover the truth about the small blue planet.
We’d be trapped in space forever
Kaemon stood just above him. “And how can bringing my rival’s beautiful mate-to-be do anything but remind the people of their missing Khar?”
Even though Tayker’s heart raced, he plastered a confident smile across his face. “Because when my niece comes, already in the throes of her mating frenzy, a male will need to claim her. You can claim her. Then you will have the daughter of the man most opposed to putting you on the throne as your mate. He will have to give up his goal of finding Raiden, and the throne will finally be yours!”
Yes, putting Kaemon on the throne meant betraying Tayker’s entire family, but it couldn’t be helped. If his brother got his way, the Elementa fleet would never invade a planet with intelligent life. But the small blue planet was too perfect a new home, and planets like it too rare, for them to give it up for the good of some lower life-form.
The younger man stroked his smooth chin, his expression thoughtful. “You really think I can make Saura mine?”
He’s imagining her. Even as a young girl, her beauty was breathtaking. His greed and desire will cloud him of all rational thought.
“Yes,” Tayker said, leaning back. “Let her come, and before we reach the blue planet, she will be yours.”
“But if she still holds her father’s beliefs, she will want us to bypass the blue planet and continue this awful voyage to the next livable planet. Which could take decades. And is exactly what we’re fighting against.”
Tayker laughed. “Once you have her in your bed, do you doubt your ability to tame her wild ways?”
The younger man stood up straighter. “She will be on her knees, begging for my cock before her Biryut is over. I will destroy her loyalties to Raiden and her father. And before the month is out, we will purge the blue planet of its dominant species and take it as our own homeplanet.”
Tayker turned away to hide his skeptical expression. I certainly hope he’s as good in bed as he thinks, because if Saura is still the rebellious young woman I remember, she won’t make this easy for him.
Chapter Three
Saura lay naked in the flower-scented waters of the purifying pool, preparing herself to meet her mate-to-be. This room, unlike the rest of the ship, was a contrast of technology and nature.
In the gardens, there was a hologram of the real sky projected above them. There were trees, rivers, and nature of every sort. It was easy to forget they were on a ship, rather than back at home. But here…the room had metal walls lined with panels, grass growing wildly, and a pool that appeared to be a hot spring with smooth rocks lining the bottom.
I will have to get used to technology again when I am back on Hope, the mother ship. When I am Raiden’s mate.
In just a few short hours, she would arrive on the mother ship. There, Raiden would have prepared their joining ceremony according to her desires, and within hours, she’d be in his bed.
She closed her eyes as an image of him came to her mind. The last picture she’d been sent was more than two years old, but she hoped he hadn’t changed much. The red rings around his eyes were a blend of deep red to pale red that spoke of his pure bloodline. Dark, spiked hair, a dusting of a beard, and a perfectly square jaw made for a breathtaking combination. And his large, muscular body…something warm rushed through her.
Gasping, she s
at up straight, her heart racing. What was this feeling? Her body felt strangely warm, goose bumps erupted on her flesh, and she felt her womanhood tingle.
Breathing rapidly, she forced herself to lay back. Somehow she knew this was connected to her mating frenzy, to not taking the blue pill. For the first time in longer than she could remember, her thoughts weren’t calm. She was no longer simply focused on the present, but the past and possible futures came swirling into her mind with a presence that was almost overwhelming.
What is this? The mating frenzy should impact her mate…but no one mentioned how it might impact her. Suddenly, she found it strange that in all her time in the Garden she hadn’t thought to ask.
Feeling so hot it was almost suffocating, she threw one leg out of the pool. To her shock, her flesh was no longer a soft blue. Was it actually taking on a slight red hue?
The thought terrified her. Males were fire. Females were ice. Together they were perfectly complete. But what would it mean if she ran as hot as her male?
