by Jenny Foster
Chloe’s heart was beating in her ears. It was the old, instinctive fear of a foreign species and it left no room for her to form a clear thought. It was the fear that lay in a human’s genes, ever since that first primate with an upright gait had wandered into a predator’s cave. Maybe she could use her fear to her advantage. Her plan was to influence Dasquian to the point that he decided to take her to Isabelle, seemingly of his own free will. Anything else just didn’t make sense, mostly because he was always surrounded by bodyguards and because it was physically impossible for Chloe. Even if Chloe could have smuggled a gun into the club, she would have been dead before she could have gotten anywhere near close enough to him. Nobody other than Dasquian himself, knew of her ability to influence others and she was going to use this to her advantage. None of his companions ever dared to question his orders, so if she could get him to drive her to Isabelle, then his men would accept that blindly.
At least she hoped they would.
****
He watched as Dasquian’s men carried the unconscious man from the ring. They were not especially gentle and, more than once, the defeated fighter’s head bumped into an obstacle. Coran pretended not to notice a doctor lift one of Shassir’s eyelids and then exchange a few words with one of the men. He silently wondered if this would be the last time he saw Shassir alive and tried to feel some regret. As always, when Coran knew that he should feel something, he primarily felt only one thing: the absence of a feeling. He had found an expression for this that seemed fitting to him – he called it a phantom emotion. He had gotten the idea from the imagined pain some people had after a body part had been amputated.
Only rarely did he ask himself if the absence of deeper feelings was part of the inheritance from his unknown parents. Coran had grown up with guardians. He hadn’t seen them for such a long time now, and the memory of their faces had faded into well-meaning, but pale, shadows. It was almost as if he didn’t consider his life as anything worth remembering, prior to his admittance into the Starfighter Academy. Sure, he knew the milestones of his life: Dropped off at a convent as an infant, handed over for adoption, a career as an average student, and lastly, the accidental discovery of his impressive abilities by Master Commander Phillips. The man, who would later become his mentor, had discovered from the guardians that Coran’s future lay with the Elite Soldiers.
When he entered the academy, Coran had started a new life. Here, it didn’t matter that his skin was light blue and covered in tiny scales. You could only see them if you looked closely. From afar, Coran could definitely pass as a human, especially if the observer couldn’t see his face. One look at his foreign features, however, and anyone would know that he was not human. At least not a pure human. On top of that, Coran could perceive the emotions of other creatures, but could not understand them. He had learned to imitate the expressions and gestures of others, and to use them at the appropriate times. If someone told a joke, he would give his brain the order to laugh, even if he didn’t understand the reason for the merriment. His mouth would turn up in the direction of his cheekbones, and his eyes would squint. It looked like a real “smile” but most humans seemed to feel that something wasn’t right. They looked at him, thought about it for a second, and then beat a hasty retreat.
He never saw most of them again.
This had changed when he’d first stepped into the hallowed halls of the Starfighter Academy. He and Daniel had become friends immediately and their friendship had survived everything. Even after Daniel decided to pursue a career as a stuffy and dry public official, and Coran had preferred to stay on active duty, their friendship had remained intact. His current mission had reunited them.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Harold had grabbed Chloe Walker and was leading her away from the jeering crowd. Her head was hanging low and her hands were clenched into fists, but she held her shoulders straight. This woman was a bundle of contradictions and she was difficult to read. Her expressions and gestures sent him almost exclusively contradictory signals, like now. She was the only employee whose assignment in Dasquian’s empire he had been unable to figure out. Chloe Walker confused him and, for reasons he couldn’t understand, put him in a state of high alert.
Not knowing what her exact job was felt like an itch in a spot he couldn’t reach to scratch. His line of work demanded careful planning and the elimination of all uncertainties. She didn’t appear to hold a key position in Dasquian’s empire of murder, drugs and illegal fights, but he wasn’t one hundred percent sure, either. Maybe she could even be a potential ally. Coran was almost sure that Shor Dasquian held something over her, thus ensuring her cooperation. In his presence, Chloe tried painfully hard to keep her face empty of all expression. The only things that gave her away were the looks she gave the slimy guy when she thought nobody was looking.
Now, she was being led away. He couldn’t call it anything else. What had she done to earn Dasquian’s ill will? His triumph had put her into a state that he could only describe as panic. It was hard for him to assess Chloe, but if you took all facts into consideration and logically discounted everything that was impossible, then there was only one possible solution. The fight was supposed to have ended differently and Chloe would be held responsible for his winning instead of Shassir.
What could this young woman, who was almost still a girl, have done to make that happen? She hadn’t talked to him and hadn’t offered him anything in exchange for delivering a fake fight. Obviously, Dasquian had bet, via front men, on his defeat, and had lost a lot of money. Coran turned around once in a full circle with his arms raised, just as the audience expected, and then exited the confines of the ring with one, elegant leap. As he had expected, the crowd made room for him, and before they had time to recover from their shock, he had already reached the exit and pushed past the two security men. They let him pass without stopping him. Instead of turning left towards the dressing room, he turned in the opposite direction. He caught a glimpse of Chloe and Harold just as they turned down the tunnel, so he snuck after them.
Strange things were happening in the Starfighter Club, and he was going to find out how Chloe Walker was involved.
****
As soon as Harold had dropped her off, he left. Even the obligatory bodyguards were nowhere in sight. Chloe’s heart was beating like crazy. This was the chance she had been waiting for all this time. She was alone in a room with Shor Dasquian, and if she did everything right, then she and Isabelle would be free in a few hours. The questions of how they would leave the planet and where they would find a good hiding place until their departure, would have to wait until the appropriate time.
Dasquian hooked one finger towards her and waved her closer to him without saying anything. Chloe was surprised that he was taking the risk of being alone with her. He, of all people, knew what she was capable of! He either considered himself immune to her and thought that she wouldn’t be able to influence him, or he hadn’t even considered the idea that she could pose any danger to him. To give him a false sense of security, she went closer to him and lowered her gaze as she fell to her knees in front of him. He loved to see others in the dust, and he loved it even more when he could prove himself to be unexpectedly generous. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very likely that he was planning to give her a second chance. If that were the case, he would have made that gesture in front of a large audience. However, the opposite wasn’t the case, either. If he had planned to make an example of her, many spectators would have been witnesses to her death.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?” His voice was soft as silk and as smooth. Those who saw him for the first time could easily succumb to his dazzling good looks, piercing blue eyes, and the considerable charm that Shor could display when it was worth it to him. His black hair hung down to his shoulders and fell into his face.
End of the Reading Sample.
„The Dragon“ will be available soon on Amazon!
More Romance Reads
Dear Readers,
When you reach the end of a book, it is high time to start the next one. I want to share a few titles with you, because I think you will like them (none of the authors asked me to recommend their books). I just can’t help myself – books are my passion!
I recently discovered Bella Forrest. “Gender Game” was great, but her book “Hotbloods” turned me into a glowing fan. You can’t make a vampire any hotter than that! If you think that everything has already been said and written about these bloodsuckers, prepare to be surprised!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1978277733
The heroes in Lora Leigh’s books are wild and untamed, which is exactly why I like them. The attraction between a man and woman, between a shape shifter and his companion, has never been described better, and has never been more relentless or hotter than in her novels. Her “Breeds” are not like lapdogs (or tigers or leopards), which makes the love between them and their companions even more moving.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001I9RQR2
“Born of Embers: Phoenix Rising Book One” is unique and thrilling. Harper Wylde and Quinn Arthurs created a heroine who is loveable, but not naïve. Her unbelievable adventures in the Reverse Harem story are believable, despite the fantastic world they take place in. The only disadvantage: there is only one book so far... and I can’t wait to keep reading.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079KW6WKQ
Can’t get enough of dragons? Then “Dragon’s Gift: The Valkyrie” by Linsey Hall is for you. It features a tough heroine, who calls herself a “supernatural nightmare”. She and the Celtic War God Cade conquered my heart. The sparks fly when the two of them meet. Beware of acute fire danger.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079LFQLKR
Happy reading!
Fondly,
Jenny Foster
The Author
Hello,
I am Jenny Foster.
Ever since I can remember, I have loved to write. These days, I concentrate mostly on romantic fantasy stories and sci-fi novels.
Sometimes I still shake my head at myself. Me and sci-fi? “Never,” I would have said, even just a few years ago. I am much too caught up in the here and now for that. Thinking about how big the universe is, and how small we are in comparison, leaves me awestruck. Just the idea of black holes gives me nightmares, especially when I consider the possibility of being swallowed up by one. And yet - something about the idea of aliens just wouldn’t let me go.
That is how the idea of my first novel with an extra-terrestrial was born. It doesn’t matter that this first try is still in the bottom of a drawer, and that it definitely should stay there. Now I am able to develop my aliens into characters that speak to my romantic side: men who just happen to come from a distant galaxy, but who are also as loveable, crazy, and passionate as I want them to be (and you, too!)
My other passion in writing is for the creatures who live at the edge of our world. Werewolves, panther shifters, and possibly vampires – all of them fascinate me. So, I try to capture them with the help of my keyboard and bring them to life. However, I gave up trying to tame them a long time ago.
Other than writing, I am passionate about two things: reading and my dog. Sometimes I also bake in order to relax. But I would much rather dive into strange worlds. It never ceases to amaze me how many strange worlds are snoozing in our heads, and I look forward to every book that makes me lose track of time.
My dog makes sure that I don’t spend all day in front of my laptop or with my head buried in a book. My day begins and ends with the little black rascal, who also lets me know if I have been writing for too long. Without this clown, my apartment would definitely be cleaner, but I would probably weigh 40 pounds more and wouldn’t laugh at least once a day.
Let’s get back to writing.
A few years ago, I got together with other Indie authors, so we could support each other in our careers and in promoting our books. All of us love to write romance novels with heroes and heroines who give everything (and sometimes more) to find what is most important in every life: love.
Lastly, I would like to invite you to sign up for my newsletter at www.jenny-foster.com/releases. You can unsubscribe any time you want, of course, and I will never pass your information on to others, nor will I ever send you any spam. Instead, you will receive a lot of news about alien men, thrilling fantasy stories, and crackling romance novels.
Sincerely,
Jenny Foster
Sign up to receive an alert when Jenny Foster’s next release is available:
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Legal Information
Copyright © Jenny Foster
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
The characters, places, and events portrayed in this book are completely fiction and are in no way meant to represent real people or places.
Warning: The author’s stories contain mature themes and language. They are intended to be enjoyed by an 18+ audience only.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
„The Human (Betania Breed Book Three);
A SciFi Alien Romance
by Jenny Foster;
Published by:
ARP 5519, 1732 1st Ave #25519 New York, NY 10128
May 2018
Contact: [email protected]
1. Edition eBook (Version 1.0); May 8th, 2018
© 2018
Image Rights:
© theartofphoto – Fotolia.com
Source Reference:
Quote from the Egyptian Book of the Dead: "I am today." I am the morning, Passing through my repeated births. Egyptian Book of the Dead, Chapter LXIV 'From the emergence of the soul in the light of day,' after the translation of Gregoire Kolpakatchy,
(orig.: Livre des morts des anciens Égytiens, Paris 1954), Scherz Verlag, Bern, Munich, Vienna 1970, ISBN 3-502-19385-1, p.115)
Table of Contents
Dear Readers
About this Novel
Contents
Part 1: The Encounter
Part 2: His Companion
Part 3: The Ally
Part 4: The Protector
Mysterious Background Material
Sneak Peek Volume IV
More Romance Reads
The Author
