Alien General's Baby (Scifi Alien Romance) (Zoran Warriors Book 1) (6 page)

I
’ve barely closed
my eyes all night. How can I, after everything that has happened? If you told me a month ago that getting semi-kidnapped (I certainly didn’t have much say in it) by Zorans would be the
least
of my troubles, I would have taken the first shuttle down to Earth and hid in a jungle somewhere. Well, I would have, if there had been any jungle left.

Now I’m
actually,
for real
kidnapped by a Zoran Senator, who according to Vinz, is going to present me to his Emperor in a few short hours.

Oh yeah, and I’m pregnant. With a Zoran baby.

And Vinz is planning to overthrow the entire High Command and bust me out of the Emperor’s palace. What’s next? Flying off into the sunset on a hovering motorcycle?

So yeah, I can’t really sleep right now.

Kelly slept like a baby however. “Morning,” she says, stretching her arms above her head. “Are we there yet?”

“No,” I snap. “How can you sleep right now? Aren’t you freaking out?”

She smiles at me. “Relax, Jill. Would you be mad at me if I told you that getting kidnapped by alien royalty has always been on my bucket list?”

I throw my pillow at her. “This is not the time for your jokes!”

“It’s the perfect time,” she says, throwing the pillow right back at me. “It’s the only thing I can do, now. We have to trust Vinz to come through. Do you?”

“I do,” I answer. At least, I really, really hope so.

“So do I,” Kelly says. “So we have nothing to worry about!”

I wish I had an ounce of her optimism and carefree attitude. I have zero knowledge on how Zoran pregnancies go, so I have no idea what to expect — this worries me quite a bit! I wish Vinz was here…

The engines kick in to slow us down, the rumble reverberating all throughout the ship. Slowly but surely, the spaceship comes to halt.

“I guess we’re here,” I say, taking a deep breath.

“One alien home world, coming up,” Kelly says. “What?” She says after I give her a look. “You can’t tell me you’re not curious.”

The doors to our cell opens, and Senator Dimtri stands in the doorway. He’s wearing that same awful, yellow garment he had on back on the Vonnegut. Even though he’s taller than me, he’s still quite a bit shorter than Vinz. It’s hard to believe they’re actually the same species – Vinz is tall and broad, while Dimtri is comparatively quite lanky with no muscles to speak of.

I guess what he lacks in muscle he compensates with cunning and trickery.

“Welcome to Exon Prime,” he hisses. “Follow me. The Emperor awaits us.”

Kelly and I follow him down the winding, dark halls of the ship, flanked by his guards on either side. They take us to a shuttle, and my heart flutters with joy when I see Vinz is waiting for us inside.

I run over and jump into his arms, pressing my lips firmly against his. I can’t stop myself – this could be the last time we see each other. He kisses me back, his arms holding me tightly.

“Are you done?” Dimtri says as gets on board with us.

“Sorry,” I mutter as Vinz puts me down on my feet. I interlock my fingers with his, gripping him tightly. I’m never going to let go. I feel a slight prick – and that’s when I notice the charcoal-colored axe resting on Vinz’s hip, the weapon decorated with golden lettering and ceremonial symbols.

“The general here kindly offered to help escort you to the palace,” Dimtri says with a smarmy smile.

The shuttle bay doors open, providing us with a breathtaking view of the Zoran home world. For a second I forget all about my predicament as I gaze upon the alien planet.

The brilliant marble is a splash of colors, all different hues of purple and blue. I’ve never seen anything as radiant, as beautiful and humbling as that planet.

The shuttle starts its slow descent, and Kelly and I are glued to the window, drinking in the magnificent sight.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Dimtri says.

For the first time, I have to agree with the man.

As we get closer, shapes take form. I see continents, mountain ridges, swaths of deep purple forests, and an azure-blue ocean covering the planet’s surface. Even if everything goes south once we reach the surface, I feel privileged for having seen such an amazing sight.

A massive, sprawling city comes into view as we get closer. I’d estimate it’s the size of a whole worldly continent — buildings upon buildings, all rich, different colors, as far as my eye can see.

“The great city of Rydam,” Dimtri says, spreading his arms. “The Grand Jewel of Exon. Oh, how I’ve missed you. It’s good to be home. Take a good look, humans. Not many outlanders are allowed the privilege of gazing upon its splendor.”

Even the largest mega-city on Earth pales in comparison to what I’m seeing. Human cities are covered in a thick layer of smog, with drab, gray skyscrapers disappearing into black clouds the only view. Here, the sky is a beautiful violet and the odd-shaped buildings are a fiery red, a cool blue, a warm bronze, a bright yellow. I didn’t know colors could
be
this vibrant.

Besides being galaxy-renowned warriors, I never thought the Zorans would also prove to be exquisite architects and designers. They keep on surprising me.

The shuttle lands and the doors open to let fresh air rush in, and the guards at my sides stand to attention, bringing me back to reality. I’m not a tourist here. I’m a prisoner.

A fanfare is waiting for us outside. Thousands of Zorans are lined up, all in uniform, the colors of their skin as varied as their buildings. The crowd buzzes with excitement, and Dimtri smiles and waves. Kelly was right: We’ve really been abducted by alien royalty.

The guards march us through the crowd, the sea of people parting for us. Vinz trails behind us, his sight not leaving us for even a second. Dimtri leads us to what I can only describe as a motorized chariot.

“Wave,” he hisses under his breath. “Wave to the people.”

We hop on the strange contraption and it hovers up in the air, gliding over the masses. I wave at the crowd. They all appear so happy and innocent, no doubt completely clueless to how evil their leadership really is. Anger bubbles up inside of me, and I have to stop myself from whacking that smarmy grin of Dimtri’s face.

We turn a corner and a gigantic golden palace dooms up in front of us. Trumpets greet us from both sides as we glide through an intricately adorned archway. There’s a long, steep staircase in front of us, a plush purple carpet leading up all the way.

Vinz takes my hand and helps me and Kelly disembark from the hovering chariot.

“Nice place you’ve got here,” Kelly says. “I could get used to this.”

“Silence, human,” Dimtri snarls. “Do not speak until spoken to. You will show the Emperor the utmost respect. Is that understood?”

Kelly points her finger-guns at the angry senator. “You got it, boss.”

Dimtri mutters under his breath as he leads us up the staircase, and I can’t help but laugh, despite the tension. He brings us into the palace and to the throne-room. Every second I wait for Vinz to make his move, but he doesn’t match my gaze. He’s completely focused, every muscle in his body on edge.

Any time now, Vinz. Save me.

The throne room is a large, circular room, with two levels. In the midst stands a golden throne, and upon it sits a horrifying, shriveled up creature. He is flanked on either side by men dressed similar to Dimtri, and I realize this must be the High Command.

“Ahh, Dimtri, welcome back, welcome back,” the creature on the throne says. He’s all wrinkles and lilac skin, a violet sash draped across his small chest.

“Emperor Qleiord,” Dimtri says with a deep bow. “Thank you.”

This
is the emperor of the might Zoran Empire? I expected a beast of a man, a brutal warrior, but this old man couldn’t even dent butter.

“I bring you a gift, my dear Emperor,” Dimtri says. “Two human females.”

A guard prods me in the back, and I hesitantly take a step forwards. Multi-colored alien eyes bear down on me from all sides, and I feel very much like a circus-freak. Kelly, however, smiles and waves at them, even doing a little twirl as if she was on a catwalk. She’s crazy, and I love her for it.

“And due to General Vinz here, I have some more good news to share with you. For you see, the brown-haired one is pregnant with his child!”

The crowd erupts in an excited buzz at this revelation, and the Emperor even licks his lips as he stares down at me. A cold shiver runs down my spine.
Any time now Vinz, really.

“Is this true?” the emperor croaks.

Vinz walks to the middle of the room. He stares every senator down, one-by-one. He’s twice as broad as any of them, and the room falls silent. I forget to breathe as I watch him.

“Yes,” he says. “Yes, it is true. Jillian is pregnant, with my child. She is my mate. You must be surprised, hearing that a general will father a child. After all, such a thing is unheard of, since
the trouble
started, is it not?”

The senators exchange some quizzical glances, and I struggle to suppress a smirk. They have no idea what’s coming. I love watching my man work, to see him dominate a room so. That’s what he is.
My man
.

Vinz reaches into a pocket and throws something on the ground. I recognize the slimy, black goo instantly. A
quino
bar. The food the emperor used to poison his own people.

“Look familiar?” Vinz asks.

The emperor’s eyes widen, his nostrils flaring. “Seize him!” he bellows.

Two guards hesitantly approach, but they freeze dead in their tracks when Vinz casts a glance towards them. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he says. He turns back to the throne, shoulders squared, his eyes fixed on the emperor himself.

“Your time is up, Qleiord. Your toxic reign ends. Now.”

The emperor musters a haughty laugh. “You and what army, Vinz? You are in my throne room, and you dare challenge me? I’ll have you flayed and quartered.”

“This army,” Vinz says.

At his signal, a soldier steps forward from behind every pillar in the room — and at that moment, everything happens at once.

T
yr steps forwards
from the shadows and with one, smooth motion runs a sword through the emperor’s chest. The old fool falls to the ground, a surprised look on his accursed face. I would have loved to have done the honors myself, but I am the distraction. Dimtri, however is
mine
.

I grasp my trusty axe by its handle and lob it towards Jillian. It flies through the air, cutting through the throats of the two guards at her side, before returning to my hand. We’re consumed by chaos. All around us my and Tyr’s soldiers battle the emperor’s guard. They may outnumber us, but we outgun them.

“Get down,” I tell Jillian and Kelly. “Stay close to me!”

I press my back towards them as I cut and slash my way through the crowd, the emperor’s men falling like fleas before my onslaught. It brings me no pleasure to kill my own kin, but they leave me no choice. Some senators lie dead on the throne room’s floor, but to my anger, a few managed to escape their just rewards in the chaos.

“Where’s Dimtri?” I growl. “I don’t see him!”

“Vinz!” Jillian cries out.

I turn on my heels to find Dimtri — and he’s pressing a knife to Jillian’s throat.

“Easy there, Vinz,” he says. “Nice and easy. Put the axe down, or I run this knife through your mate’s throat.”

“Do that and I’ll tear you limb from limb,” I growl.

He draws a trickle of blood, and Jillian struggles against him. “Don’t test me,
traitor
.”

“You’re the traitor,” I scream. “You poisoned all of us! All these years! Whose idea was it? You?”

He snarled, exposing his fangs. “You forced our hand, Vinz. The generals were getting unruly, they forgot their station, they started to covet our position. All we did was help… thin the numbers a bit. Make everyone fall back in line. Bring back stability.”

“You did more than that,” I say. “You brought us to the brink of extinction!”

“On the contrary,” he says, licking his lips. “The aristocracy has never been more plentiful.”

“Not after tonight.”

His eyes narrow. “Drop the axe,” he hisses.

I see no other choice. I drop my axe to the ground where it clatters.

“No,” Jillian gasps, struggling against the knife at her throat. “Don’t do it!”

“That’s the first smart decision you’ve made in in years,” Dimtri says. He pulls the knife back, as if he were about to throw it at me — and at that exact same moment a vase shatters on his head.

“Kelly!” Jillian says, struggling free from Dimtri’s arms. He crumples to the floor, unconscious.

“I’ve been waiting weeks to do that,” her blonde friend smiles.

I rush to Jillian’s side. “Are you okay?” I ask. “Did he hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” she smiles. “Thanks to you.”

All around us the fighting comes to an end. The High Command lies on the floor, either dead or unconscious, and the emperor’s men lay down their weapons in surrender.

Tyr strides towards me, wiping the blood off his blade with a cloth.

“This is your mate?” he asks me.

I introduce Jillian and Kelly to Tyr.

“It was nice to fight by your side once again, brother,” he says to me, resting his hand on my shoulder.

“I agree.”

“Two senators remain at large, but my men will hunt them down.”

“I’ll join your hunt,” I say. “I want to make them pay. Every last one.”

“No,” Tyr cuts me off. “You must stay here. These people, this city, needs a leader. This has not gone unnoticed. You must make a speech, explain yourself to the public.”

“Me?” I scowl. “I’m a warrior, not a politician.”

“We see what happened when we let the politicians in charge last time,” Tyr grins. “You started this, Vinz. Now you’ve got to sit on that throne.”

I can barely stand the thought, but Tyr’s right. The people need a leader.

“For now,” I say. “Temporarily. I’ll call a meeting of all the generals, and we can sort it out then. I’m not crowning myself Emperor, though,” I warn him.

Tyr smacks me on the shoulder. “Good. You’ll make a fine Warrior-King.” He turns to Jillian and Kelly and gives them a polite nod. “Until next time.”

He stalks off, his men following close behind him. The throne room looks like a slaughterhouse, countless bodies strewn around. My men busy themselves disarming the emperor’s guard, and providing medical aid to the survivors. My first decision as a temporary leader is to pardon everyone who fought for the High Command — it was not their fault. They were misguided.

“It seems I have to make a speech,” I tell Jillian. “Any tips?”

“Just be honest and straightforward,” she tells me. “I think the people will respect that.”

“Fine,” I grumble. “But the moment this is over, I’m taking you to up to my royal chambers.”