Confiscated Bride

Confiscated Bride

Yaoimila’s Newest Sci-fi Romance! 
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Ambassador Janel is proud to have finally brokered an alliance with the powerful Haraden.  What cinched the deal?  The Haraden warriors want brides. Since war ravaged her planet’s male population they actually have a surplus of women looking for husbands.  It seems like a win-win.
General Kordan, the austere Haraden negotiator Janel spent days wearing down, approaches her out of the blue.  She’s not married—and the warrior general has his eyes on her.  For some reason, she feels compelled to go to him.  
Unfortunately her timing for a visit to a Haraden home world could not have been worse.  Was she being courted or confiscated?  From the author of Indentured Bride!
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~ Excerpt ~
“It is my great honor,” High Council Leader, Ansella Devar-Ne said, “to imprint this permanent Alliance with our new friends, the mighty and honorable Haraden Empire.”
She placed her hand on a panel on the ceremonial table before her.  A massive screen behind her broadcasted the live image of the Haraden viceroy, a wisened blue alien with pronounced jowls. After a moment his hand print appeared beside him on the split-screen.
“The alliance is sealed,” said the viceroy, and then he leaned down to turn off his communicator.  The screen went blank on his side.
The thousands of Malakeezan’s in audience rose in unison with an eruption of cheers.  Janel saw many of her people break into joyful tears from her seat on the stage. Their emotion was reflected within her, but she felt too wrought from her hellish negotiations to show much exuberance.
The very man she’d dueled with sat a few feet away from her on stage, causing her to imagine the sensation of heat emanating from that side.    She rose from her seat and clapped while making sure not to gaze toward the alien general.
“What a joke,” said Councilor Karrin from the opposite side of her.
She eyed him.  The scrawny senior looked shrunken in his ceremonial robes.  “Is there a problem, Councilor?”
“This whole farce of an alliance is a problem.”
She gave him a stony stare.
He turned toward her, while clapping too softly to be heard above the audience’s cheers.  “I beg your pardon, Ambassador; I know you put some measure of effort into brokering this…”
“You’ve no idea the effort I put in.”
“…but we’re selling our spirits to these warlords.  And for what?”
Her eyes narrowed.  “Protection from the Hax-Rah.”
He pulled his wrinkled lips into a grimace.  “Feh.  The Haraden helps no one but themselves.  I tell you, once they get this vaunted grid of theirs up they’ll start pillaging. The few men remaining will be enslaved, and you women, well—”
“Shut your damned mouth, Karrin.”
He scoffed.
The High Council Leader turned to the Haraden delegation seated on the stage a short distance from Janel’s group.  “Good warriors, there’s to be a celebration in the High Council ballroom. If you’ll follow these attendants.” She gestured to three women in starched uniforms.  “I shall meet you there shortly.”
Four blue-skinned Haraden soldiers, bulging with chest and torso muscles which their black formal attire left exposed, looked to their leader, General Kordan.  Her adversary was the eldest of the group, though Janel grudgingly admitted he was still quite handsome.  The general sat with his arms crossed and an expression of disdain.  For a moment Janel thought he was going to decline the invitation.  Instead he flared his nostrils for a snort and gave Ansella a nod.
“Magnificent,” Ansella said.
The aliens filtered off the stage behind the attendants.  Ansella looked towards her group next.  Janel had the seat of honor closest to her beside the six ruling councilors.   All were female except for Karrin.
“I expect you all to be at the party, ladies.  You also Councilor Karrin.”
The old man stomped past the women to leave the stage with a sneer.
Ansella stepped in front of Janel and took her hand.  The High Councilor was a grandmother with kind eyes and soft lines on her face.  She wore her white hair in a loose bun.
“You must attend, Janel.  You’re the guest of honor.”
She closed her eyes with a quiet groan.  “Sella, I don’t want to be anywhere near General Kordan.  He put me through the knife-circle during negotiations.”
Ansella smiled.  “Just make an appearance, dear.  Have a few drinks.  We can’t risk offending them.”
Her shoulders rose and fell in a sigh, but she forced herself to nod.
She took a tram home first to change out of her ceremonial robes.  Her closet was full of dour work clothes, some a bit faded and worn.  Janel sighed. What could she wear to a party? Her black gown would do if she added a sash, but she always wore that.  There was a white lace gown, sheer on the stomach and back, that showed a great deal of cleavage and thigh.  She plucked it from her rotating display.  Why not?  The Haraden men were always happy to flaunt their sexy chests and stomachs.  Maybe she’d get that asshole general flustered.
Another tram ride brought her to the council buildings.  She entered the ballroom through a side door, then grabbed a drink and cloistered herself in the furthest seating area from the door.  
Janel slouched back in the soft cushions of a couch.  A pleasant buzz from her strong potion began to course through her.  It allowed her to ignore the low rumble of voices.  A few dozen revelers were already in attendance to schmooze.  She closed her eyes and tried to slacken her tight shoulders.  Maybe if she appeared to be asleep no one would bother her.
She felt a dip in the cushion beside her.  Janel kept her eyelids sealed.
Go away.
“And another thing.  The viceroy couldn’t even attend in person?” Councilor Karrin said.  “What an insult.  Planet Arkzin is only one causeway jump from here.  It’s not even a major Haraden holding.  Who does he think he is?”
Janel leaned forward to massage her temples.  She flashed the old man a dirty look.  He’d changed from his ceremonial robes to what looked like one of his grey work suits.  
The majority of the gathering was still up front near the glavadeer musicians and buffet.  No one other than Karrin had ventured near her far corner.
“Why are you sitting next to me?”
He grudgingly moved over one cushion space.  “You have the right idea.  Who wants to rub noses with these barbarians?”
And also you have no friends.  She leaned back again.  “I have legitimate reason to keep my distance.  General Kordan made negotiations arduous for me.  We went to the Haraden on our knees with every resource we had to offer on a platter for them.  He tried to get far more than that—even more than what the Hax-Rah tried to take from us.  It took me a week to get a reasonable accord.”
“Well of course.  That’s how they are.  You give them a brad they take a braddock.  You think they’ll ever be satisfied?  Ha!”
“They’re honorable.  That’s the whole reason we went to them for an alliance.  They keep their word.”
“You’re a naïve imbecile, Janel.”
She drew a hand over her forehead.  “Please go away.”
“You’re a symptom of the disease of our government.  Female leadership is all about talking, talking, talking.  Some aliens don’t listen.  It was better before the war.  Men knew how to take action.”
She sat up again to glower at him.  “And that’s why there’s so few of you left.  Kindly get the fuck away from me.  There must be someone else you can annoy.”
Karrin scanned the room and rolled back his top lip in disgust.  “Feh.”
She drained the rest of her glass and thrust it at him.  “Make yourself useful then.  Chal-am potion.  A double.”
He took her glass and hoisted himself to his feet.  “I go only because I want a drink for myself.  In my day women serviced men—not the other way around.”
“Just go.”  She closed her eyes again.
For a few moments she enjoyed her solitude.  Then she felt another dip on the cushion beside her.
Janel didn’t bother to look.  “You couldn’t have possibly gotten drinks that fast, Karrin.”
“Are you and he a couple?”
Janel’s eyes opened wide.  Then she sat up with her spine rigid.  General Kordan’s large frame was taking up one and a half of the cushions beside her. He assessed her with auburn eyes that had been hidden by a black skullcap during their negotiations.  Now he allowed glossy black hair to fall in free tresses over his forehead.
She turned from him.  “Me and the Councilor?  No. I…I don’t even like him.”
Kordan gave a grunt and a nod.  “Good.”
She blinked.  Good? Why is it good?
“After this gathering I’m returning to Arkzin.  I would like for you to accompany me.”
Janel’s heart began to thud.  “I beg your pardon?”
Kordan lowered his head.  He was a man used to getting his way, that’s one thing Janel had learned ad nauseam, but they were no longer staring each other down from across the negotiating table. The alliance was sealed.  Her work with him as ambassador was done.  She never had to deal with the demanding alien ever again.  Just why the hell did he want her to go with him to his home world?
“Ambassador…”
“You may call me Janel.  We’ve no longer a need to deal with each other in our official capacities.”  Got it?
Kordan’s auburn eyes fixed on her.  “Janel.”
Hearing him say her name for the first time with his deep gravely voice sent a crackle down her spine.
“I no longer wish to be your enemy.”
The crackling lingered, along with a tightening in the pit of her stomach.
“I’m not sure I understand you,” Janel said.
“It was my duty to be ruthless when we were negotiating the alliance.  My masters told me what I had to gain and I couldn’t fail.  In fact, I was meant to exceed their expectations.”  He paused to sigh.  “You made things more difficult for me than I was accustomed to.  I thought your planet’s use of a female negotiator was a bargaining tactic.  I refused to be disarmed by you—and yet I was affected.”
Her brow rose.
“It frustrated me.  I resolved to be more vicious than I ever had been before.  I’d tear you apart before your charms could infect me.”
My word.
“You’re right.  We no longer need to deal with each other in our official capacities.  I would like the opportunity to show you I’m not as cruel as you perceived.”  His eyes grazed her face, not quite meeting her own.  “And also, an opportunity to make amends with you.”
Janel couldn’t find words for several moments.  She realized she was gaping at him like a dullard.  This was not a response befitting her.  She cleared her throat and attempted to regain some footing.
“So you’ve come to me out of guilt?”
Kordan drew an audible breath through his nostrils.  “Guilt.  And desire.”
Her eyes flashed wide once more.  She wrung her hands together.
“Not just for your body.”  He added the words speedily.  “I desire to have you as my wife.”
She turned to look straight ahead.  “I see.”
“Janel, I know you’ve no reason to grant me sympathy, but it humiliates to come to you this way.  I wanted to abandon the notion.  I couldn’t. This alliance has created a bridge for our people to intermarry.  My rank entitles me to a bride, and my masters said I may pursue bride candidates from Malakeeza.  I wrestled with the thought of pursuing anyone other than you.  Of course you despise me.  It’s what I deserve.  But I…I don’t want to be with anyone but you.”  She heard him swallow.  “You’re my equal, educated, cunning—vivacious, and yet gentle.  You even exceed me in some ways.  You never lost your temper.  You were always the embodiment of grace throughout the negotiations.”
“On the outside,” she said, while only turning her head toward him slightly. “I was a wreck just below the surface. I couldn’t let my anger erupt because you might have gotten fed up and walked away.  My people needed this alliance desperately.”
Kordan gave a grain of a laugh.  “As did mine.  I didn’t have the luxury of storming off.  This alliance was too important to the Haraden.”
Now she looked at him.  “It was?”
Kordan nodded.  “The looming wars three decades ago caused our gestation facilities to produce five hundred male Haraden to every one female.  We expected to lose so many soldiers to battle that the numbers would eventually even out.  And then the Confederation of Planets accepted the Haraden Empire as a member rather than succumb to a full-scale war.  We scarcely lost a soldier.  Now we don’t have enough females to maintain our population.  We’re short a billion brides.  Not even men of my rank can find a wife.”
Janel bashed her fist into the arm rest.  “Damn you!  Why did you fight me so hard?  Malakeeza was the perfect fit for your empire.  I kept saying this from the beginning and you kept acting as though you didn’t need us.  This could have been so simple.”
“There is no simple way to join the Haraden Empire.  We must always have the advantage, even in an alliance that benefits us.”
Janel rubbed her hand over her face.  “My God.”
“We’ve both been under tremendous stress during these negotiations,” Kordan said. “I’ve a mansion on Arkzin and a seven day break from my duties.  Come with me. .  This would be a time to rest, recover, and enjoy each other’s company. I believe we’re compatible, but perhaps we’re not.  If it ends after my break is over, then so be it.  I just can’t bear for it to end now.”
Janel brought her fist to her chin.  Was she actually considering this?
“No harm will come to you, Janel.  You know we are a people of honor.”
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Mated to the Jaguars - Paranormal m/f/m Menage

Mated to the Jaguars - Paranormal M/F/M Menage

A new paranormal romance by Yaoimila!!
Recent college grad and rare female jaguar Michelle is ready to mate, but her spirit has bonded to two Jaguar males instead of one.  How can she reconcile her love when the men she’s bonded to despise each other?
Maximon built a multi-million dollar empire in Manhattan with the help of his Jaguar god powers.  He’s eager to share it all with Michelle—but not with his rival.
Votan embodies the warrior jungle cat, and lives the most authentic life for one of their kind in the ruins of Yucatan.  He’s repulsed by any jaguar who would use their powers for financial gain.  He knows he’s the only mate worthy of Michelle.
This paranormal ménage romance includes several intricately described scorching love scenes of m/f and m/f/m.  The story’s twists and turns will leave readers spellbound, and lead to a guaranteed HEA.  By the author of Indentured Bride!
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~ Excerpt ~
Michelle sat at an outdoor table at the coffee shop and kept her gaze fixed on the massive glass doors of the Woolworth building. It was tough to get a clear view with the foot traffic on the broad sidewalks.  She kept focused and tried not to get discouraged.  Maximon would be able to sense her even if they didn’t see each other.  He’d know she was there and he’d come to her.
He better.
She tore a bit of cuticle from beside her thumbnail.  Beside her leg were two large suitcases that had made her arms ache when she lugged them onto the train from LaGuardia.  On top of the small round table was a purse that contained the remainder of her belongings as well as her meager life-savings.  The trip was a gamble but her spirit form, the jaguar goddess Ixchel, was certain it would pay off.
She didn’t have the same confidence in her human form.  She felt so out of place she couldn’t even lean back in her chair. The café looked like something out of a Hollywood set, and the flood of people passing her was making her head spin.  How could a sidewalk be clogged with so many people?
Her heart was thumping under her cardigan.  Running off to a titanic city with hardly any money was not something she did.  She had to tell her parents a dozen lies so they wouldn’t worry.  A made up job, a made up apartment, even a made up person who was going to pick her up at the airport.  The truth was too outrageous to admit to anyone.
She came because of her spirit dreams—something so crazy even she wouldn’t trust them to be true, except they only happened when she took the form of a jaguar.  
The need she felt had propelled her to such drastic actions.  It seized her heart and body fiercely enough to make her desperate.  She wanted to touch this beautiful man from her dream, and have him touch her in return. It was an ache that gave her tightness in her sex even as she sat there.  She’d never known that kind of hunger before.
Maybe it had made her crazy.  She wasn’t even sure if this was really where Maximon worked.
No.  Don’t start second-guessing yourself.  This has to be the right place.  You saw the words over the door in your dream as clear as day.  He’ll be here.  Everything will be fine.
Would it though?  There was still that little detail…but it wasn’t worth stressing over that now.  One thing at a time…
She looked at the plastic Timex watch on her wrist.  Two thirty.  Max probably wouldn’t be leaving the building until five or six.  Hopefully the café owner would let her nurse her $6 coffee until then.
At the table next to her was a sharply dressed woman tapping the screen of an expensive looking cell phone.  One of her satiny shoes had to cost more than Michelle’s whole outfit. This was probably the type of woman Maximon wanted.  Not some hayseed from Podunk New Mexico.
Stop it!
She bit her lower lip.  You’re spirit-bonded.  That crazy desire you’re feeling right now is the same thing he’s feeling.  
Right?  It hit them both at the same time, didn’t it?  New doubts cropped up in her mind.
Then all her thoughts halted in an instant.  The hair pricked up on the back of her neck, and her stomach grew tight. She turned to look behind her slowly—too slow.  Like things had gone into slow motion in a movie.
Standing ten feet away was a man with shoulder-length ink black hair in a dark tailored suit.  His irises were red and the pupils were like black blades going down the middle of them.
Michelle felt as though her heart had moved into her throat.  She began to tremble, to quake right at her core. She’d never known this kind of terror before.
That’s not Maximon!
Michelle turned away and closed her eyes.  She placed a hand on her chest and felt her heart thumping beneath it.  Get it together.  The sound of chair legs scraping the ground made her eyes dart up. The man was right in front of her now—taking the other seat at her small table.
Michelle gaped at him with her eyes wide.  He had to be around ten years older than her, 33 or so, and in addition to his weird eyes he had skin that was almost white.  Only the tiniest brush of coloration touched the round of his cheek and the well of his throat.
He was grinning at her.
Caquix.
It was a spirit memory that came like a whisper from her subconscious. Caquix?  Who was Caquix again?
Damn!  How could she get so rusty on her Books of B’alam?  She was one of the goddesses in the actual text.
She lifted her nose and dredged up some false courage.  “Mr. Caquix.”
He gave a shallow bow of his head.  “Ixchel.”
No one had ever called her by her goddess name before.  This is so surreal.
He gave the smile of someone about to devour her.  “Welcome to New  York.”
She squeezed her purse strap.  “Thank you.”
“It’s wonderful to meet one of our kind, don’t you think?  It’s been so long.  I’d love to hear what this lifetime has been like for you.”
Michelle swallowed.  Every instinct she had was screaming to get away from him.
“Do you have a hotel?  I could drive you there.”
“I’m waiting for someone.”
His smile stayed the same, but his eyes grew narrower.  “Maximon.”
She stared at him without nodding.  It had to be obvious, but she didn’t dare offer one spec of information.
Caquix leaned back in the ornate metal chair.  “He’s out of town, you know.”
Michelle blinked.
“He won’t be back until Monday.  Tell me—had you planned on staying with him?”
Her heart began to race once more.  She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat went dry.
“I have a condominium in Columbus  Square. You’re welcome to stay with me until he gets back.”
She looked at him with renewed terror.  It was equal parts the terror of going with him, and the terror of not having a place to stay for the next three nights.  She could take her jaguar form, sure—but what about her things?  What about—
“You don’t have to be frightened.  We’re practically family.”
Ice dripped down her vertebrae.  She drew up enough spittle to form words.  “I’ll be fine.”
“Who do you think you’re fooling?”  He snatched her wrist.
Michelle gasped.  She tried to jerk free, but the bastard was holding tight enough to hurt her.
“You’re coming with me.”
A red haze began to spill from his eyes.  Michelle’s breath caught in her throat.  She felt paralyzed, and the dark eyes at the center of the haze were pulling her in like a vortex.
No!  
Growling.  She heard growling past Caquix’s hypnotic thrall.
He turned to look over his shoulder, breaking the dark magic’s hold.  Michelle gasped for breath.  She managed to yank her hand free, but was still too addled to wrench herself to her feet.
The growling was coming from behind him.  On the sidewalk was a jaguar a third larger than what she was when she took the form.  Its teeth were bared with a crinkling of its regal nose.  Its spotted shoulders were bulging with muscles and its clawed paws looked as big as Michelle’s palms.  The beast’s eyes were fixed on Caquix.
“Damn it!”  He edged back his chair to stand.
Michelle soothed her wrist while continuing to catch her breath.  Dozens of people were walking by them on the sidewalk and still more were dining in the outside area of the café.  Not a single person looked at the giant wild cat even though his roars were loud enough to vibrate in her chest.
“Don’t you dare—repulsive beast!”  Caquix backed from it with fury etched in his pale face.  “If you destroy this mortal life I’ll avenge it in the spirit world!”
The jaguar leapt for him with spittle flying from its bared teeth. Caquix jumped while his feet simultaneously shrunk upwards.  He transformed into a massive black bird whose wing beats swept Michelle’s hair around her face.  The cat swiped a paw-full of feathers, but the great bird escaped with a shrieking caw.
Michelle swallowed down the lump that had built in her throat.  The evil pall in the air dissipated, taking with it the oppressive feeling of dread in her middle.
No one around her noticed the man turning into a bird or the jaguar leaping after it.  However, once Caquix was high in the air, a couple at the table next to her pointed and made comments about a ‘huge bird’.  A few other heads turned up when they pointed.  This made Michelle tense.  She thought humans weren’t able to see any B’alam magic.  Apparently they can see us once we can be rationally explained.
The jaguar transformed into a tall man in a slick black suit with a sheen to it. He captured the entirety of Michelle’s focus at once, because she knew he was the reason for the yearning inside her. She looked into a set of eyes that were as yellow as the ones she saw in the mirror.  They captivated her a moment, delaying her appreciation of the strong chin and high chiseled cheekbones around them.  The handsome face was framed with black wisps of hair that made a sultry trail over his forehead.
“Maximon,” she said with barely any breath.
“Ixchel.”  He drew a breath that made his large shoulders lift and fall.  The sigh made her cringe with doubt.  Wasn’t he happy to see her?  Wasn’t he feeling the same gush of heat and need that was churning through her insides?
“I’m glad you came.”  His eyes lowered as though looking at her were difficult.  “I couldn’t go find you.  I’ve been extremely busy—especially lately.  I just…”  Finally he met her eyes again.  “Did he hurt you?”
She placed her hand over her wrist.  “No.  That was Caquix…right?”
He looked toward the sky.  “Was it? I don’t really know.  I’ve never seen a demon in a human form before.” His eyes moved back to her.  “Well, anyway, he should know better than to go after you again.”  He extended his hand.
Michelle rose from her seat.  When she took Maximon’s hand there was a scintillating shock of chemistry that almost made her lose her bearing.  The longing seized her, making her middle feel like it caved in.  She wanted their mouths and bodies to connect so desperately. Her nipples perked into hard buds, fortunately hidden beneath her sweater.  It became hard for her wobbling legs to support her.
She saw Maximon’s lips part and his eyes glimmer.
He feels it too.
He closed his eyes and shuddered.  Then he drew another long breath and wrest his hand from hers.
Maximon turned to a man Michelle hadn’t noticed before.  He was tall and thick with a full beard and a grey suit that looked less expensive than Maximon’s.
“Dom, this woman…what do you see when you look at her?”
The man tipped up his chin.  “Sir?”
“This woman.  This one standing here right next to me.  Tell me exactly what you see when you look at her and don’t lie.  It’s important.”
Michelle curled her trembling hands close to her body.  She saw Dom wet his lips and then look her over.
“Yes, sir.  Uh, well, she’s attractive.  She’s got dark blonde hair going to the middle of her back that looks natural.  A good figure.  Looks in her early twenties.  A really pretty face, without even much make-up it looks like.  Clothes…um…probably need a little work, but she’s got a girl next door quality to her I guess you could say.”
Max nodded at him.  “Then you see the same thing I see.”  He turned to her.  “I wasn’t sure.  I can’t trust my own eyes with this spirit-bonding.  It’s like some vicious type of mind-control.  It’s turned me insane.”
She swallowed.  “Me too.”
He walked to Dom.  “Take her to my condo.  Just leave her there.  She’s moving in with me.”
The man looked confused.  “Oh. Ms. Jerrica…she’s not coming around anymore?”
“I broke up with her last week.”  He scowled.  “Ever since this—whatever it is started happening.”
Dom’s brow rose.  Michelle felt like a dark cloud of grief had descended on her.
He thinks it’s a curse.
He turned to her sharply.  “You are moving in with me, right?”
She managed a quick nod.
“Dom will take you to my place.  I have to go back to work.  I’ll see you this evening.”  He headed for the crosswalk.  There was a stagger in his step that he quickly recovered from.  He paused a moment, but didn’t look back.  “Make sure she gets something to eat.”
Dom moved forward to gather up her bags.  “Alright then Ms…?”
Her eyes stayed fixed on Maximon as he tore free from the thread of connection that had entwined her heart when they touched.
“Nacan.”  Tears built behind her eyes.  “Michelle Nacan.”
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