Aria's Ascension (Taken Book 2)

by Stacy Jones

  “Yes!” she gasped and launched herself at them, taking them both to the floor.

  “Ha HA!” Tirox boomed, wrapping his arms around her. “I knew she would say ‘yes’!”

  Kix paused in peppering her face with kisses long enough to give Tirox a disbelieving look and scoffed loudly, “No, you did not! I knew. You thought she would maim us for speaking to the other human females to learn her mating customs.”

  Chuckling, she shook her head and demanded, “Both of you shut up and kiss me.”

  To be continued…

  VICTORIA’S DISCOVERY (Taken Series Book Three)

  COMING SOON!

  Obituary

  Aria Luciana Taylor, 30 at the time of her disappearance, of New York City, New York, was declared dead in absentia on September 27th, 2040 after being missing for twenty years.

  The funeral service will be held at Gloss Funeral Home in New York City. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on September 29th, 2040 at Gloss Funeral Home. Burial will follow the funeral at Cypress Hills Cemetery.

  Aria was born in Los Angeles, California on November 1st, 1990. She had a distinguished career as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation beginning in 2010.

  Aria was unmarried and leaves behind no children. She is survived by her mother, Valentina Taylor, 77; father, Thomas Taylor, 79; brother, Sebastian, 54; and two nieces, twins Sofie and Camilla, 28.

  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Lena June Women’s Shelter or Save The Paws Animal Rescue. Condolences to the family can be left on Aria’s Link wall and memorial netsite.

  Glossary

  Aware/Awareness– term used to describe the phenomenon of a slave breaking free of mental suppression.

  E.I.R.– stands for ‘Embedded Immersion Reality.’ Technology used to project a slave’s home into their minds to keep them docile, similar to I.R. which is non-invasive and used in Immersion Games to allow paying spectators to control a gladiator’s body during a tournament.

  Gaelli– species name for the slaves used as workers on Gaiaesh. Aria refers to them as ‘ant people.’

  Gaulik– species name for the beings often referred to as ‘fish people.’

  Gdeq– undescribed species. Responsible for creating the translators used throughout the civilized galaxies.

  Hassilt Stone– glowing stones mined from Gaiaesh.

  Isshrik– translates to ‘Stalker.’ Gladiator name given to Skaa.

  Jelek/Jeleking– translates to fuck/fucking in Tirrile

  Kineticrete– kinetic concrete.

  Octofly (Sulura)– biomechanical animals used as cameras.

  Rzklii– translates to ‘bastard’ in Tirrile.

  Udeshi– undescribed species. Responsible for designing the ‘bubble tent’ used in tournaments.

  Veiling– name of the technology used to suppress a being’s mind so they can legally be considered a slave.

  Vezsiirax– translates to ‘Venom.’ Gladiator name given to Kix.

  Vhraress– translates to ‘Assassin.’ Gladiator name given to Aria.

  Zgalish– term used for a chemical process specific to the Wrag species, similar to a metabolism.

  Zhrovni– translates to ‘Overlord.’ Title by which the most successful arena owners are called.

  Zlagek– roughly translates to ‘disgusting animal’ in Tirrile.

  Zvikah– translates to ‘Barbarian.’ Gladiator name given to Tirox.

  Rukan Terminology (Tirox’s species):

  Ashukwa– underground river running through the An’il Clan’s cave system. Considered sacred because of its healing properties.

  Awakening– a hormonal change experienced by male Rukan wherein their bodies become primed to breed. This process is marked by the emergence of mating spines when the male has an uncommonly strong reaction to a particular female.

  Endless– an endless void the Rukan people believe a soul is sent to after death if it is judged unworthy to be reincarnated.

  Hahariz– carnivorous animal on Ru’akna that uses a rudimentary form of telepathy to aid it in hunting.

  Im’er– the name by which a soul is known.

  Krashka– the Matriarch of a Rukan clan.

  Rhiski– distance measurement roughly equal to six feet.

  Rwy’n la– roughly translates to ‘mate of my heart.’ Term of endearment used between life mates.

  Si’ilka– translates to ‘cunt.’

  Tik– Ru’akna year equal to .463 Earth years.

  Vi’itus– herbivore on Ru’akna renowned for his ability to heal from almost any wound.

  Vrickrt– omnivore on Ru’akna often hunted for its meat as well as its hide.

  Caljaan Terminology (Kix’s species):

  Aessa– roughly translates to ‘soul song.’ Term of endearment used between resonance mates.

  Azii– sentient aquatic species on Caljaah from which Caljaans originated.

  Cajasii– a female’s court of mates.

  Cajasiira– mated males.

  City Head– an elected leader on Caljaah.

  Cirri– thin tentacles surrounding a male Caljaan’s penis or ‘stem.’ Used to stimulate a female during mating.

  Crux– translates to ‘fuck.’

  Favored– term for a male after a female has accepted his Harmonizing.

  Fhara– the single continent on Caljaah.

  Halai– a style of martial arts.

  Halraj lav erhla– roughly translates to ‘sheathless rock fucker.’ Phrase used to describe someone who is particularly contemptible.

  Harmony– when two souls resonate to one another.

  Hrykaask– a large, carnivorous, flying animal on Caljaah that resembles dragons from Earth folklore.

  Khalik– Caljaah drink made from the seeds of the khal plant. Very similar to Earth coffee.

  Majaha Ceremony– ceremony where potential mates delve into each other’s minds to discover if they are mentally and emotionally compatible as well as biologically matched.

  Maxiilu Stones– large stone pillars that enhance a Caljaan’s natural telepathy. Used exclusively during the Majaha Ceremony and criminal trials.

  Qalija– a large moth-like insect.

  Rajas– distance measurement roughly equal to one and a half feet.

  Sahaat– the peacemaker in a female’s court of mates.

  Sol– Caljaah year equal to .443 Earth years.

  Ule– time measurement roughly equal to 1.2 seconds.

  Unfavored– term for a male when a female has yet to acknowledge and accept his Harmonizing.

  Thrarian Terminology (Thrasin’s species):

  A roínseah– roughly translates to ‘My Light.’ Term of endearment used for a Svarian by their mate.

  Svarian– female Thrarian.

  Vrasai– a male Thrarian who has shamed himself beyond forgiveness. They are forced to live as outcasts and guard their former mate from afar for the rest of their lives as penance.

  Nktari Terminology (Sauran’s tribe):

  Drowning Season– Nktari term for the time of year when groundwater rises up to flood Shakti, the planet from which Sauran and Skaa hail. Also known as the ‘time of cleansing’ by the Shevari tribe.

  Knowing– a sixth sense that is triggered when a person encounters their fated mate.

  Meketar– large, carnivorous, flying animal on Shakti. Also called ‘aviarr’ by the Shevari tribe.

  Njeri Sap– sap from a bush that grows on the mountains of Shakti that has an effect very similar to alcohol.

  Rreshek– roughly translates to ‘ghost.’

  Shkull– translates to ‘harem.’

  Turrska– translates to ‘Present.’ A Shevari mating ritual.

  Gaiaeshi Terminology (Rellik’s species):

  Hesse– one Gaiaesh month, roughly equal to thirty-four Earth days.

  Sarasha– translates to ‘queen.’ Used as both a term of endearment and as a title.

  Acknowledgments

&nbs
p; As always, my first thanks are to the readers. Seriously, without you reading, recommending, and loving my books I wouldn’t be able to do this authoring thing that I adore so much. Thank you! I hope you loved this story and that you’ll take a second to write a review. I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times, but reviews really are worth their weight in gold and I value each and every one.

  My alpha and beta team: I acknowledge you in every book, but that’s only because you deserve the praise ;) None of my books would be the same without each and every one of you taking the time to help me make them the best stories they can be. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I appreciate your support. Love y’all.

  To my editor, H: Lady, you deserve a cookie after this monster! Here’s to another one done, and the next to come.

  To Missy: You are such an amazing friend and I appreciate the hell out of you. I look forward to countless more sprints, brainstorming sessions, and the occasional vent with you in the years to come <3

  Also by Stacy Jones

  Chosen Series

  Chosen (Book One)

  http://books2read.com/u/bzPZd2

  One minute Lily is trying, and failing, to run her grandmother’s farm—her last remaining connection to her family. The next, she wakes to find herself in a cold, sterile cage surrounded by monsters, with no memory of how she got there. Accidentally abducted by alien poachers, unsure if she will live or die, she is dreading the worst. What she doesn’t expect is for her captors to dump her on an alien planet, leaving her to fend for herself. Now, she must fight to survive the planet... or die trying.

  Frrar, Tor, and Arruk have been Searching endlessly for a mate to belong to, someone to finally accept them, but they are losing hope. The time of cleansing, when the great waters drown the land, draws near. They are on the verge of abandoning their search and fleeing the forest when they spot a strange, tiny, two-armed female. They are immediately drawn to her, fascinated by her differences, but they must act fast to save her life, and their own, from the coming flood.

  Tribe Outsider (Book Two)

  http://books2read.com/u/47ZQOL

  Despite being dumped on a primitive alien world, Lily is adapting to life there, with the help of Frrar, Tor, and Arruk. But they can’t stay in the safety of the caves forever. The flood waters have receded and it’s time to join the rest of the tribe…

  While traveling, their group meets a familiar face from Arruk’s past—a man half feral and covered in vicious scars. Something about him draws Lily in, despite those who already hold her heart. But that isn’t her biggest concern.

  Can Lily keep the Tribe Mother from discovering just how much being with her has changed her new mates? Will the tribe accept her, a stranger in their lands? Or will Lily have to fight the very people who were supposed to offer her safety and a home?

  Tribe Protector (Book Three)

  http://books2read.com/u/b62oMW

  Lily thought she had her hands full with her conflicted feelings over her quickly progressing relationship with Arruk’s wild twin, Drrak, the uneasy truce with the tribe leader, and trying to prove she’s trustworthy to a people who want nothing to do with her. But all that pales in comparison to what’s coming.

  When Lily and her mates are sent into the forest to investigate the intruders closing in on tribe territory, they find something so horrifying it shocks Lily to her very core. But more than that, it pisses her off.

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  Aria’s Awakening (Book One)

  Link

  A deadly alien arena isn’t the place to fall in love…

  For the last three years, Special Agent Aria Taylor’s nights have been filled with images of battling alien beings in a foreign land with purple skies and two suns. She thought they were just strange nightmares, but when a therapist suggests lucid dreaming, she wakes to find herself trapped in an alien arena, forced to fight in gruesome, deadly tournaments as one of their gladiators.

  She needed to escape that place and make her captors pay, but if she’s going to have any chance of success, she needs help.

  Hazy memories push her to find two males. She doesn’t know their names, or where they’re from, but she recognizes them the moment she sees them, and her heart tells her they are hers just as much as she is theirs.

  Together Aria, Tirox, and Kix fight to free the beings enslaved with them and take down the Overlord, all while trying to understand the soul-deep bond they share.

  A deadly alien arena isn’t the place to fall in love, but Aria isn’t sure she can help herself.

  Aria’s Ascension (Book Two)

  Link

  They should’ve never taken her. Because now she’s going to show them just what happens when you get between a woman and her mates.

  After being caught by the Overlord, Aria is sent back to Earth with her memory wiped. But, the mental suppression isn’t strong enough to control her forever. Bit by bit, it begins to crack until, finally, she remembers.

  The arena. Her mates. The hundreds of slaves she’d sworn to free.

  She remembers everything.

  Still struggling to distinguish what’s real and what isn’t, with the suppression constantly trying to drag her under, there’s only one thing she knows for sure: she must find a way off of Earth, back to that alien slave planet.

  But, not everything is as it seems. And when she finds out the truth…

  The Overlord should’ve killed her when he had the chance, because nothing will keep her from returning to Tirox and Kix. When she gets back, she’s going to take him down, claim her mates, then take over the planet.

  Who said plotting world domination was only for the bad guys?

  Sometimes, to be the hero, you have to get your hands dirty.

  Victoria’s Discovery (Book Three)

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  Zaek is losing hope after waiting centuries for rescue, but the time has finally arrived. The lost emergency beacon has fallen from orbit and gone active. All he needs to do to get off this damn planet named Earth is find it and get to the pick-up location in time. The problem? The beacon comes with an addictively confounding, Earthian female who makes his mating gland swell, marking her as his true mate. Zaek hasn’t been around a human who didn’t run away screaming monster in a millennium, so how the hell is he supposed to convince this smart, beautiful, sarcastic female to give him the opportunity to win her heart before he loses his chance forever?

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  With a black ops team hot on their heels, determined to kill or capture them both, time is running out and their fumbling romance isn’t the only thing standing in their way to happiness.

  Hard as Rock by Stephanie West (Khargals of Duras Book 2)

  Heart of Stone by Regine Able (Khargals of Duras Book 3)

  Sticks and Stones by Tamsin Ley (Khargals of Duras Book 4)

  Etched in Stone by Abigail Myst (Khargals of Duras Book 5)

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  I’ve always known things I shouldn’t know and seen things I shouldn’t see. One terrifying vision—and my reaction to i
t—lands me in Brocker’s Center for the Criminally Insane.

  I’m convinced I can survive my time here unscathed. After all, I’m not crazy. But after spending time with three guys—a schizophrenic with two personalities, a pathological liar who can’t be trusted, and a nymphomaniac with a penchant for knives—I’m beginning to doubt my sanity.

  Can I separate the real from the mad, or will this place make me spiral further down into the dark recesses of my mind?

  Am I crazy?

  I’ll let you decide…

  *This is a dark romance novel that’ll leave you questioning if what you’re reading is true, or just a Kiss Of Madness*

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