Confiscated Bride
Yaoimila’s Newest Sci-fi Romance!$.99 for a limited time or FREE with KINDLE UNLIMITED!
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!
$.99 for a limited time or Free with Kindle Unlimited!
Click your country to grab it now!
Kindle USA, Kindle UK, Kindle Canada, Kindle Germany,
Kindle Australia, Kindle France, Kindle Spain, Kindle Italy,
Kindle Netherlands, Kindle Japan, Kindle Brazil, Kindle Mexico,
or Kindle India!
~ 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.”
$.99 for a limited time or Free with Kindle Unlimited!
Click your country to grab it now!
Kindle USA, Kindle UK, Kindle Canada, Kindle Germany,
Kindle Australia, Kindle France, Kindle Spain, Kindle Italy,
Kindle Netherlands, Kindle Japan, Kindle Brazil, Kindle Mexico,
or Kindle India!
No comments:
Post a Comment