Alien Alliance Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Epilogue One

  Epilogue Two

  Author’s Note

  Other Titles

  Alien Alliance

  Alien Invasion Book 4

  Honey Phillips

  Copyright © 2019 by Honey Phillips

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author.

  Disclaimer

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Pro Book Covers Studio

  Edited by Nikki Groom @ Indie Hub Editing Services

  Chapter One

  “Where are you going, L’zabet?”

  With a sigh, Lizabet turned to face the massive alien warrior who had been a father to her for the past seven years—a much better father than her biological parent had ever been. Even in the darkened living room, he was an imposing figure, his grey skin and towering black horns clearly visible.

  “I’m going up to the cabin, T’chok,” she said.

  “R’chel will not be happy if you leave without saying goodbye.” Of course, his first thought was for his mate’s happiness and that just made her own hurt a little bit worse.

  “I know.” She bit her lip. “I left her a note, but if I go talk to her, she’s only going to try and change my mind.”

  He frowned at her. The lowering horns would have been intimidating if she hadn’t known it was concern, not anger.

  “You only arrived home two days ago. Your brother and sisters will not be happy that you are leaving so soon.”

  “I spent most of the past two days with Sophie and Jannie, but they’re too young to really notice that I’m gone. And Benji is too busy following the warriors around to pay any attention to me.”

  “There was a time when you would have been happy to join him.”

  “Yeah, well that was a long fucking time ago.” Despite her defiant words, she blushed.

  “Not that long,” T’chok said calmly. “Is that why you are leaving?”

  “No! Maybe. I don’t know.” She attempted a casual shrug. “I just need to get away.”

  “You have been away.”

  She had just completed her final semester of college, only a semester late despite her frequent changes of major.

  “I know.” She twisted the strap of her bag and refused to look at him. “I thought now that I’ve graduated things might have changed. But they haven’t. I have to come to terms with that, but I can’t do it here with T’k—, with all of the warriors around. I’ll just go up to the cabin for a few weeks. I’ll be back in time for Christmas.”

  He regarded her thoughtfully, the four long black claws on one hand clicking together.

  “Have you tried talking to T’kol?” he asked at last.

  Her cheeks heated as she remembered that encounter. “Yes. It was a fucking disaster, okay?”

  “Did he behave dishonorably?” he growled, the blue streaks surrounding his slit pupils starting to glow.

  “Dishonorable? T’kol?” The sarcastic laugh she intended came out a little too unhappy. “Of course not. He treated me the exact same way he’s treated me for the past seven years—like an annoying little kid.”

  Not that she’d ever breathe a word of it to T’chok, but her statement wasn’t exactly true. There had been one or two times over the years when T’kol had given in to her teasing—and the memories still had the power to send arousal flooding through her body—but the older she got, the less willing she was to chase after someone who was so clearly opposed to being caught.

  To her relief, he dropped the subject. “You can not take a flyer.”

  “I know.” She rolled her eyes. “Break the rules one fucking time…”

  “You break the rules all of the time, L’zabet. If anything, I would say you try and break them.”

  A giggle threatened to escape. He was right, of course. She loved to fly, but even more she loved the thrill of pushing the craft to the limit of its ability and testing her skills. Unfortunately, that meant that her flying privileges were revoked on a frequent basis.

  “No. I’m taking the truck,” she said.

  “By yourself?” He frowned again. “It is not safe for a female alone.”

  “T’chok, I may not be at Benji’s level, but I can more than take care of myself.” Her brother had been training with the warriors since he was ten. “Besides, I have this, remember?” She opened her bag and pulled out her blast tube. The Yehrin weapon was strictly forbidden to humans, but T’kol had given it to her before she left for college. With T’chok’s permission, of course, because heaven forbid that he violate some precious rule.

  “I still do not like it. Why not ask B’nji to accompany you?”

  “A, because I want to be alone. B, because high school isn’t out yet. And C, because he’s really working on his training and won’t want to leave.”

  Benji was not actually her brother, he was Rachel’s, but she had thought of him as her brother since they had met. And she loved the little twerp enough not to try and drag him away when he was so happy right where he was.

  “You will take a communicator and report in.” He held out the small device.

  “For fuck’s sake. I’m twenty-two. I’m not a child.”

  His hand remained outstretched and there was absolutely no compromise in that stern blue gaze. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the communicator.

  “Fine.”

  “I have never yet known the word to be used in the way described by the translator,” he muttered, and she grinned.

  “Earth women defy translation.”

  “You are quite correct, my L’zabet.” He pulled her into a quick, hard hug and she had to fight back the urge to just give in and stay with the family she loved so much. But the thought of seeing T’kol again, his face still set in those same stern lines, hardened her resolve. She needed to take this time, accept that her dreams were never going to come true, and work through her grief. Then she could return and dismiss him as easily as he had dismissed her.

  “Travel safely, my daughter.”

  “I will.” She forced a grin. “I’ll even obey the speed limit the whole way.”

  “I do not expect miracles,” he said dryly, and her smile became more genuine.

  “I’ll try anyway,” she promised. As she walked out of the house, her heart felt a little lighter. Unfortunately, her gaze imme
diately fell on the warrior complex at the far end of the clearing that made up the center of the Yehrin-human complex. Commander T’lan, the Yehrin leader of the Eastern Region, had established New Haven as both a military headquarters and a place where warriors with human mates could live in peace. She had foolishly assumed that one day she would take her own place here with T’kol.

  A light still glowed in T’kol’s window. What would he do if she just showed up at his door naked except for the necklace he had given her? Her hand automatically went to the sparkling green stone dangling between her breasts as she considered the option. The same spirit of adventure that sent her soaring across the sky made her want to abandon caution and try again, but her heart was not as brave. No matter how much he wanted her—and she was quite, quite sure that he wanted her—he had proven more than capable of ignoring that desire when he thought it was in her best interests.

  With a sigh, she threw her backpack on the other seat and started up the old truck. Her breath clouded the air as she waited for the heater to kick in. Even in North Carolina, early December was a cold month and Montana would be much worse, but she had never minded the cold. Tonight, she even relished the crisp bite in the air. Maybe it would help clear away the foolish dreams that had been clouding her mind. As she began driving—slowly—down the narrow mountain road leading away from her home, her mind flashed back to her earlier conversation with T’kol.

  “You are too young, L’zabet,” he had said, his back turned to her. She had sought him out as soon as she was home, but he had not greeted her as joyously as she had expected. She had been so sure that now she had graduated from college, he would finally see her as an adult and claim her as his L’chka—his mate.

  “You had me half-naked and bent over a log when I was eighteen,” she said furiously. “I wasn’t too young then.”

  “I am ashamed of myself. I praise the Ancestors that I was able to stop in time.”

  “You told me then that I had to grow up. Well, I did grow up. I’m old enough to vote. Old enough to graduate college. Just how fucking old do you want me to be?”

  “It is not a question of physical age,” he said slowly. “I am just not sure that you are ready.”

  “Ready for what?”

  He finally turned and looked at her. “For a commitment. You still want to fly from one thing to another; to experience everything. How many times did you change your course of study? How many times has your flyer been taken away?”

  Now it was her turn to look away. There was an element of truth in his words that she couldn’t deny. She did get restless and easily bored, her mind always searching for a new outlet, a new challenge.

  “I commit to the things that matter,” she said quietly, but then anger once again replaced the hurt. “Maybe you’re the one who can’t fucking commit. Not to me or any other woman. Now that I’m at least physically ‘old enough,’ maybe I should try a breeding contract. Find a Yehrin warrior who isn’t afraid to commit.”

  He growled and snatched her up against him so quickly that her head spun. She could feel every inch of his hard, muscled body and despite her anger, her nipples stiffened and an ache started low in her belly. His nostrils flared and she felt the unmistakable ridge of his erection against her stomach. Only a burning ring of green remained as his pupils expanded, and for a moment she wondered if he would finally let his desire overcome his caution.

  “You will not apply for a breeding contract,” he growled.

  “Why not?”

  “Because you are mi—” He stopped and she held her breath, but he only sighed and stepped back. “Because you are smart enough not to take a course in anger which will alter your future.”

  “Oh, yeah? Don’t be too fucking sure about that.” Combined hurt and fury made her voice shake and she whirled away. She heard him call her name, but she didn’t stop until she reached her home. Unfortunately, she ran into Rachel as soon as she entered. If T’chok had been her father, Rachel had been a combination of big sister and mother to her for the past seven years. Lizabet loved her fiercely, but she just couldn’t discuss her frustrations with someone who’d found her own warrior at nineteen and was already living happily ever after. Despite Rachel’s concern, she had managed to divert her attention to Sophie and Jannie. But knowing that Rachel would worry and fret about her had only added to her decision to leave.

  Now, as she reached the bottom of the mountain, she momentarily considered turning east. There was a breeding center in Charlotte, only a few hours away. The breeding centers had been started the first year after the Yehrin conquered Earth in a desperate attempt to allow the warriors to father children. They offered a lifetime stipend to a human female in exchange for thirty days with a warrior, or warriors, in an attempt to become pregnant. At first the breeding centers had been greeted with distrust and only desperate women applied. Now they acted more like match-making services and even well-off women would choose to apply.

  With a sigh, she turned the wheel in the other direction. T’kol, damn him, was right. The primary function of a breeding contract was to have a child, even though it often resulted in a permanent mate as well. As much as she loved her little sisters, and indeed all the children that now occupied New Haven, she wasn’t ready for one of her own.

  The Yehrin curfew against driving at night without a specific purpose had been lifted a couple of years ago, but there was very little traffic. As her headlights cut through the blackness to show the long, empty road stretching out before her, her heart lifted a little. She always loved the anticipation of setting out on a journey. She cranked up her girl power playlist and put her foot down.

  Chapter Two

  T’kol heard a truck pass his window—L’zabet’s truck. Where was she going at this time of the night? Surely, surely, she would not be foolish enough to actually carry through on her threat and go to the breeding center? Not that it would do her any good. He had made it quite clear to the supervisor that if she showed up, she was to be immediately rejected. The officer hadn’t quite dared to laugh, but T’kol could sense his amusement. No matter. The warrior would obey his order and that was all that was important.

  But she should not be traveling alone, especially at night. Perhaps he should go after her. His unruly cock jerked just at the thought of seeing her again. He had been painfully hard since their last encounter. The feel of her lush body pressed against his haunted him and he added it to his small list of memories of the times when she had been close to him. Inevitably, his mind traveled to the one time he’d had her naked in front of him, the lush curve of her hips filling his hands, her legs parted so that he could see the coppery curls surrounding the delicate pink folds glistening with excitement. His cock had actually kissed that silky heat before the sight of his massive head against her tiny entrance had made him pause. And when he paused, all of the reasons why he could not, would not, lay claim to her came rushing back. Pulling back had been the hardest thing he’d ever done.

  And she still hadn’t forgiven him. Yet another of the many missteps he had made in dealing with her, starting from their very first encounter, almost seven years ago now. Some Yehrin warriors had been gathered to celebrate the end of the Forbidden Cycle—the first year of their occupation where interaction with human females was forbidden. He had known some humans were present and he had seen her from a distance, watching intently as he engaged in a training bout with one of his men. When he emerged triumphant, he had seen her slip into the woods with a provocative glance over her shoulder and flushed with victory and delighted that the ban was lifted, he had followed her.

  She had been waiting for him, her scent intoxicating in the darkness and after only a few words, he had drawn her close, as excited then as he had been today to have her lush body against his. Yet despite her curves, her head only reached his chest and he lifted her up into his arms to pull her closer. Her breath had escaped in a shivering gasp as he deliberately drew her up over his rock-hard cock and her scent had inc
reased. He had been about to lower his head to her shoulder, to taste her skin, when the moon had emerged from behind the clouds and he had seen her face and her unmistakable youth. For a fleeting second their eyes met, and he had felt the connection between them, but then his shock and dismay had taken over. He had pushed her away and he had not been as kind as he should have been.

  That first encounter had colored every subsequent meeting. She teased him, tormented him, kept him awake at night with longing, but every time he allowed himself to succumb to her wiles, even briefly, he remembered her youth and was overcome by guilt. For years he had been promising himself that he would wait until she was ready, but she still seemed just out of reach. Was she right? Were his concerns about her readiness genuine or was some part of him still afraid to pursue her? In every other area of his life, he was known for his ability to make rapid decisive moves. And yet, one little human made him feel like he’d just emerged from the Warrior House.

  But while he might not yet have the honor of being her mate, he could at least make sure she came to no harm. Perhaps a cloaked, late-night flight was in order…

  He was on his way out of the door when his communicator signaled.

  “Yes?” he asked impatiently.

  “Commanders T’lan and T’gana request your presence in the main conference room.”

  Fuck, this couldn’t be good. He immediately changed direction.

  Senior Commander T’lan supervised Yehrin activities for the Eastern region of the United States, in addition to being the leader of New Haven. He had been the first to take a human mate and sire a female child. Despite the fact that many more had been born since that time, the miraculous fact that the Yehrin had at last found a race with whom they were both genetically compatible and who could provide them with rare female children had been established by this male. His legend had only increased when he subsequently sired twin daughters.

  Commander T’gana was an expert in the ongoing war the Yehrin were fighting against the Saviji—vicious bug-like aliens—in other sectors of the galaxy. He too had a human mate plus two adopted daughters and a young son.