The Alien's Ransom: A SciFi Alien Warrior Romance (Drixonian Warriors Book 1)

by Ella Maven

  “With my chit,” I spat. “Sax never bred her because your drug doesn’t work. He’s a good actor, isn’t he?”

  Trupa’s eyes fired. “No. No, this can’t be.” His jaw clenched. “You’re mindless warriors, and you will be brought to heel, in this generation or the next.”

  “I doubt that,” I said. “But either way, you won’t be around to see it.” With a roar, I charged him. He dodged out of the way and brought his blade down across my back. It skittered off my machets, and he cursed.

  I slashed with my forearms and delighted in the zreeep of his shirt ripping and his pained cry as blood bloomed from a cut on his chest.

  He staggered back, chest heaving as blood coursed down his stomach to stain his pants. I came at him again, now with my fists. I wanted him to hurt. I wanted to watch him bruise and bleed as payment for what he’d done to Rex and to Sax. For chaining me in a cell. For scaring my Fra-kee.

  My fist landed on his cheek, and bone crunched beneath my hand. My other fist connected with his side. He gasped for breath and fell to his ass on the ground. He scrambled away from me, dust swirling around his body as he fumbled for his fallen blades. I stomped him in the stomach, and he curled into a ball.

  “This isn’t a fair right,” he spat, blood flying from his mouth. “You’re a trained Drixonian warrior with machets. And even if I beat you, your man has a gun trained on me.”

  I kicked him again, and he cried out. “I don’t give a fleck about fair. Was it fair when you killed Rex? Was it fair when you stole Sax? Was it fair when you tricked me and chained me, then tried to use my mate as your incubator?” I stomped him again before slapping him across the face with the end of my tail. His head whipped to the side.

  I kneeled on his chest, and he gasped for breath. “You can take your fairness and shove it up your ass, you prick.”

  I brought my forearm across his neck, opening a jagged wound. Blood poured out and his eyes went wide. He knew this was the end. I didn’t move because I wanted to be the last thing he saw before he died.

  But of course, Trupa couldn’t go out quietly. “You’ll never know,” he gasped. “You’ll never know… who’s responsible… for the loss of your precious Drixonian females.”

  I gripped his chin and squeezed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. A virus was responsible.”

  “And how… how did they get that virus?” The life in his eyes was fading.

  I shook him as the blood continued to ooze from his mortal wounds. “Explain!” I barked at him.

  “You’ll never know…” He grinned through blood-stained teeth. “And you’ll also never know…” He heaved a breath and then let out a sick laugh. “You’ll never know what actually happened to your precious Rex.”

  I picked him up by his ruined shirt and shook him. “What do you mean? Rex is dead!” Trupa’s breath rattled. He opened and closed his mouth, but no other sounds came out. He coughed one more time before his eyes went dark, and his body slackened in my grip.

  I continued to shake his limp body while hollering at him until Fra-kee’s soft hands touched my shoulders. I turned to her, needing her comfort and her love. I wrapped her in my arms, and she held on tight, clinging to me. Her tears wet my hair and her golden threads soothed me with their soft, warm glow.

  Two shadows fell over us. Nero held his modified long-range solar gun over his shoulder. I’d heard the hum of the weapon right before Trupa had begun speaking, so I’d known I wasn’t alone and had backup. I’d never been so happy to see my males.

  “You two saved my life.”

  Nero shrugged with a small smile. “You’ve saved ours more than we can count.”

  Xavy toed at Trupa’s body. “What the fleck was he on about?”

  I gritted my teeth as I stared down at the Uldani body. “I don’t know.”

  “He might have just been talking, trying to get a rise out of you,” Fra-kee said. “He knew he was defeated and dying.”

  “Maybe so, but maybe not,” Nero said. “The things he said about the virus…”

  My mind spun. We’d always assumed the virus was just that, an infection brought back unknowingly by one of our males from a neighboring planet. To think there was more to it…

  Fleck Trupa. Fleck him and his loose, lying tongue.

  “I can’t.” I shook my head. “I can’t question the past right now.”

  There’d be time for that later. Nothing would return the thousands we lost, or Rex.

  I quickly explained to Nero and Xavy what had happened with Sax, and how he’d stayed behind because he felt like he had a mission with the Uldani. “He said Fra-kee is my future, and that’s what I have to focus on now.” I rose to my feet and gripped Fra-kee’s hand in mine. “We can’t change the past, but we can continue to live with a purpose and protect the females Fatas has blessed us with.” I smiled down at Fra-kee, who watched me with tears in her eyes. “Plus, I have a pregnant mate to look after and a chit on the way.”

  While Nero grinned, Xavy hooted his joy to the sky. He picked up Fra-kee and spun her around, while she sniffled and laughed and leaked tears.

  “Put her down before you make her vomit!” I punched Xavy in the arm with a laugh and he passed my mate to me. I gathered her in my arms and pressed my forehead to hers. “Ready to go home, cora-eternal?”

  “I’m ready to go wherever you go,” she said. “Because that’s where home is to me.”

  Frankie

  I jumped off Daz’s bike before it had fully stopped descending and hobbled toward the hideout building, ignoring the twinge in my injured ankle. Daz yelled a reprimand, but I was on a mission. A shout went up from inside the house, and then three women sprinted outside. Miranda was in front, her arms wide and braids flying. Tears streaked down her face as I leapt at her. We met with a smack and then two more women joined the fray. The four of us went down in a pile of limbs and laughter and tears.

  “I didn’t think I’d see you again,” Tab sobbed, her pretty face splotched with tears.

  “Thanks for your confidence in me.” I laughed.

  Miranda squeezed my arm. “Hey, you made it back to us once. I thought you could do it again.”

  “To be honest, there were times I wasn’t sure we were going to make it back, but we did.”

  Naomi squinted at the group of males who watched our sob fest with concern. “Where’s Daz’s brother?”

  I reached for her hand. “He isn’t with us.”

  Her eyes darted to me and went wide. “What? Is he okay?”

  I loved how much these women already cared for these males, and Daz’s brother who they’d never met. “He was alive when we left him, and I have faith he’s still alive.”

  “What happened?” Miranda asked.

  As we rested together in the grass, I gave them a rundown of how the Uldani wanted to use us to breed little Drixonians who would grow up to be Uldani slaves. Justine’s lip curled, Miranda’s face went to stone, while Naomi and Tabitha curled themselves closer to me, like I’d protect them.

  “Sax sacrificed himself to help Daz and I get away.” I placed a hand on my stomach. “I’m, uh, pregnant, according to the Uldani.”

  “What?” Miranda screeched.

  Justine whistled. “Holy balls.”

  “I don’t know a thing about babies, but I’ll babysit when you and Daz need a date night,” Tabitha piped up.

  I burst into laughter. “Yeah, I’m sure we’re going to need plenty of time to travel into the city and get caviar.” I fluffed my hair with a dramatic toss and grinned.

  Miranda linked her fingers with mine. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m not sure. The Uldani said I was, and I have had a feeling, like another aura has been inside of me, for a few days now.” I bit my lip. “I know that sounds crazy.

  Justine raised a thinly arched eyebrow. “Crazier than blue aliens with mutant blades in their arms and magical wrist tattoos?”

  “It’s all crazy,” I admitted. “I guess
we’ll see if I start to show or not.”

  “Are you nervous?” Naomi couldn’t seem to take her eyes off my stomach.

  “Terrified,” I admitted. “But I feel a little better knowing Anna has gone through it. I can’t imagine how she felt going through it all alone.”

  “I want to meet her,” Tabitha said. “She sounds awesome, and she can sew. And cook.”

  “She’s pretty much all-around amazing,” I agreed. “And Bazel is the cutest.”

  I turned to Miranda and reached inside my shirt. Her eyes widened when I pulled out her mangled necklace. Even though the clasp had broken, Daz had tied the string around my neck so I could wear it home. I wasn’t taking any chances. “I’m sorry for how it looks,” I said. “But you have to know, this saved our lives. It’s the luckiest charm I’ve ever had.”

  By the time I finished explained how Daz and Sax had used it to pick the locks and rescue me, tears streamed down Miranda’s face. When I tried to hand it back to her, she shook her head. “No, you keep it. I can’t tell you how happy I am that it helped you. But I think it’s yours now.” She smiled. “I’ll find a new lucky charm.”

  “Thank you,” I said, choking around the lump in my throat.

  She squeezed me tightly. “Anytime,” her soft voice whispered in my hair.

  The men, who’d been talking quietly, approached us. Daz helped me to my feet. “I want you to catch up with your females,” he said. “But you need food and rest. We journey to our settlement at sunrise.”

  Excitement filled me at the thought of finally seeing Daz’s home. “How far is it?”

  “About three-quarters of a rotation’s time.”

  I nodded and turned to find Gar barking at Miranda. “I told you not to leave the hideout until I gave you the all-clear.” His tone was sharp, and I immediately stiffened. Were they still not getting along?

  Miranda rolled her eyes. “Ah yes, how could I forget I needed your permission to breathe?” She smirked at him, clearly not afraid of his harsh words. “Am I allowed to eat now? Can I pee afterwards? Should I walk starting with my left or right foot?”

  Gar’s lips lifted into a what I assumed was a smirk, even thought it was lopsided and slightly terrifying. “Yes, yes, and right.”

  Miranda hooted a laugh. “Smartass.”

  “Pain in my ass.”

  They walked beside each other toward the building, but I also didn’t miss the way Gar’s eyes slid over Naomi’s body before focusing ahead.

  “What the hell is going on?” I asked Hap.

  He grinned. “Miranda and Gar are finally getting along. They bicker like brother and sister.”

  “Ah, okay.”

  Hap cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “Xavy said Gar had an older sister he was close to, and Miranda reminds him of her.”

  My heart ached. “Oh Gar.”

  “And with Ward still missing…” Hap shook his head.

  “We still haven’t heard from Ward?” Daz asked.

  “No, nothing.”

  Daz frowned, and his aura darkened. “Fleck. That’s not good. When we get back, we’ll send out a search party. I’d start now, but we need our females safe.”

  I clasped his hand. “Then we need to get home soon. Can we leave now?”

  He glowered at me. “No, you need rest.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but then stopped. Daz probably needed rest. He’d been drugged and shocked. He’d carried me on his back for what felt like miles. He lost his brother, and he’d killed his enemy. Sure, he was superhuman, but he wasn’t invincible.

  So, I swallowed my disagreement and followed my mate into the hideout to do what he asked.

  The next morning, my heartbeat fluttered nervously, and as I looked at the other women, I could tell I wasn’t the only one anxious about what was to come. We’d grown used to our aliens and knew we had to meet dozens more. Would they all be as nice and protective? Anna had spoken of Tark’s old drexel, who had been cruel. I had to trust that Daz was a strong drexel and led by example.

  Last night, Daz had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the bedding. This morning, I’d woken him up with my lips wrapped around his cock. He’d been so surprised, he’d lifted his machets, but calmed down when he saw it was just little ol’ me trying to give him a blowjob. I couldn’t blame the guy; it wasn’t like he’d ever had one before. Once I’d blown his mind, and then he’d blown mine, we’d had to get the hell up before Gar started pounding on our door.

  I sat on a rock munching the last of a tein bar as the men loaded the last of our supplies on their bikes. I squinted into the sun and turned my head to get a look at Corin, Daz’s homeland. It was gorgeous with its green land and clouds and blue patches of water. I wondered if there was an ocean on Torin. A beach? I could so go for a beach day. I’d have to ask.

  As much as I missed Earth and my life there, I hadn’t ever felt like I belonged. Maybe it was because all along, Fatas had plans for me here. There was the looming threat of the Uldani and the unknown creatures who would make me their dinner. But there were threats on Earth too—war, car accidents, brown recluse spiders. I shuddered.

  On Torin, a lot of the threats were unknown, so I’d have to ask questions and learn about my new home. I couldn’t be some whimpering, ignorant mate. I had to be a leader to the other women. And it was possible the Rahgul would try to dump more on this planet. Something told me we weren’t the last shipment.

  A shadow fell over me, and Daz crouched down on the balls of his feet. His hair was pulled back this morning into a low ponytail and I missed the way it swirled around his shoulders, all black and shiny. I brushed a stray hair out of his eyes, and he grinned at me. It seemed like years ago when his fangs terrified me.

  “Hey,” he said softly.

  “Hi,” I responded.

  His warm palm covered my knee. “It’s time to leave.”

  “I know,” I sighed. “I’m just saying bye to this place.”

  He frowned and glanced at the hideout. “Really?”

  I nodded. “It’s where I fell in love with you.”

  He sucked in a breath and blinked a few times. His full lips parted, and he tongued the corner of his mouth. “I think… this love… it happened for me in bits and pieces. I’d have to say bye to the place where your laughter first charged the air around me. I’d have to say bye to the place you gave yourself to me and I first got a taste of your cunt.” I blushed, but he wasn’t done. “I’d have to wave bye to where you showed your bravery in stabbing the Kulk. And then where you showed your smarts in the Uldani cells—”

  I placed my hand over his mouth as my eyes burned with tears. I smiled through my blurred vision. “Okay, I get the point.”

  He tossed his head and dislodged my hand. “I’ll say bye to this place too, because this is where my Fra-kee wrapped her golden threads around me and lit up the darkest parts of my soul.”

  I choked out a sob. “Now I’m crying, you mean bastard.”

  He laughed and swooped me off my perch on the rock. He nuzzled me before placing me on his bike. “Wipe your eyes and get used to it, cora-eternal. I plan to never let you forget how much you mean to me.”

  I swiped under my eyes. “Fine. I’ll tell you too when I’m not mad at you. Like I am now. For making me cry.”

  He swung his leg over the seat and settled behind me. His lips tickled my ear. “Hold on tight, Fra-kee. We’re going home.”

  He started his bike, and I gripped his thighs as they surrounded me. The steady thrum of the bikes filled the air as the rest of the Drixonians mounted their bikes with the rest of the women. We lifted into the air and I smiled at my friends. Daz pulled into the front of the formation and we were off to a new destination. A new home. “I’m never letting go.”

  Thank you so much for reading The Alien’s Ransom! Interested in Tark and Anna? Get their story FOR FREE and get loads more bonus content when you sign up for my newsletter.

  The Alien’s Ransom is my
first foray into the SFR genre and writing about my Drixonians has been so much fun, it should be illegal! I am grateful you took a chance on my book. Consider leaving me a review on Amazon or Goodreads!

  Want to know what happens to Sax? Find out in

  THE ALIEN’S ESCAPE.

  Read on for a sneak peek!

  The Alien’s Escape

  Excerpt from Chapter One of

  THE ALIEN’S ESCAPE

  Sax

  The small creature in the back of the cell screamed, and I remembered now. That was the sound that had woken me up. I blinked as I got a good look at my new cell mate. Long yellow hair. Pale flesh. Two blue eyes and a lush pink mouth. That scream? The uneven breathing? They belonged to a human female.

  She sat huddled with her knees tucked tight to her chest. Her wide eyes took in my machets, and stark fear drained her face of color. Fleck, of course she was terrified. I slowly rose to my feet and let my machets slip back under my skin. She didn’t look any less scared as she tracked my every moment.

  Anger roared to life inside of me, swift and scorching. The last thing I wanted the Uldani to possess was a human female. I knew their plans for her, and the one fact that had been keeping me going since waving goodbye to my brother was that the Uldani didn’t have a human female to manipulate and use. Now, they did. She sat in front of me, all long hair and pretty skin and soft curves. The most precious object in the galaxy huddled in a dirty cell in a torn dress.

  My machets itched to lift again, to rage and fight and burn down this entire flecking city to make every last Uldani pay for putting this creature before me behind bars. The human whimpered, and it was then I realized my scales were rippling, the colors shifting and rolling over my skin as a sign of my inner turmoil.

  Willing myself to calm down, I lifted my hands up, palms out. She wouldn’t be able to understand me, but I hoped my tone conveyed my words. “I won’t hurt you.”