“I never dared dream I’d have this—any of this,” I say. “Freedom from slavery. One mate, much less three. Babies.” My eyes swim with tears. “And now I have it all.”
My mates tighten their circle around me, stroking my hair back from my face, kissing the top of my head.
“We dreamed. We dreamed of winning back Zandia. Being near our crystals again.” Jax strokes a thumb down my cheek and I lean into his palm. “But we had no idea the real treasure on Zandia would be you.”
“That’s right,” Tarren agrees.
“What he said.” Ronan flashes his boyish grin.
I blink back the tears and smile up at them, my heart full to bursting. “I love you.”
And then they smother me with kisses, making me giggle, the moment complete.
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Night of the Zandians Bonus Scenes!
Click here to read a the scenes where Tarren and Riya first meet, and one with Riya reflecting on what happened with the Ocretion guards.
Please enjoy this excerpt from Bought by the Zandians, Zandian Brides Book 2, coming soon!
Bought by the Zandians - Chapter One
Aurelia Minor 2, Slave Auction
Danica
Naked, strapped to a post on the auction block, I suck the blood from my cracked lower lip.
Please let this be quick.
The longer I stand up here, trembling and on full display, the greater the chance of some being searching my barcode and discovering me wanted.
I guarantee my former master, Akron, put a bounty on my head the moment he realized I escaped. And he doesn’t even know the secret I’m keeping. The one that would spell my death.
Yeah.
So it was escape or die. And I escaped. Briefly.
Three Ocretions walk by chortling to themselves. One of them slaps my tit and the three of them roar with laughter. I make my stare blank, like no sentient being is inside my body, as I fiercely pray they won’t stop. Ocretions would know to check my slave barcode and trace my history back to Akron. It wouldn’t take them more than half a planet rotation to find out about the bounty and deliver me to my rightful owner
.
I hold my breath until they move on.
Other than them, I really don’t care who buys me. I plan to escape again as soon as possible. Supposedly, there’s a planet where human slaves can go and be free. Jesel. It’s wildly dangerous, but that doesn’t bother me. My life is probably forfeit, anyway.
I wriggle in my tight straps. The animal hide bites into my skin. My arms and legs have gone numb, but worst of all, the one around my neck is too tight and I can scarcely breathe. I work to slow my inhalations, because panic will only make this worse.
The market is full of beings of every species. Most appear too poor to even offer twenty steins for me.
Of course, I don’t look like much. I’m filthy and bruised, covered in scrapes from getting here. When I first arrived, I rubbed some of the crimson dirt from this planet on my hair to cover the exotic color. Blondes are considered a rarity amongst human slaves. Unfortunately, I was caught moments later. At least I was grabbed by a small-minded, greedy smuggler, whose only interest was a quick sale.
Two large purple beings with horns stroll idly along the stalls of the market. Muscles bulge beneath their clean white tunics and they carry old-fashioned swords on their belts.
Real Zandian warriors.
I’ve never seen one before, but I’ve heard of them. They study for battle until it becomes an art. Long rumored to be extinct, the recent word around the galaxy is they just took back their planet with a tiny army.