Deceit: BBW Alien Lottery Romance (Chosen by the Karal Book 1) (11 page)

“Really? Because they sound terrifying.”

“Let us go now. They will grant us an audience, I am sure.”

“No, we can leave it until tomorrow.”

“Now. I want an answer.”

He would take no argument from her, and so they climbed back into his vehicle and skimmed the ground, covering the distance quickly. The tower loomed up in front of them. Elissa’s nerves were becoming more frayed. Her emotions were definitely in turmoil; her hands glowed, the colours chasing around her palms. It fascinated her, and took her mind off how scared she was as they left his cruiser to walk the short distance to the tower.

Guards met them; these were the first Karalians she had met since they left the station. They were dressed in ceremonial uniforms, although they were still muted tones, and their skin was neutral, their emotions in check.

“They have to know how to control themselves,” Marin whispered. “Or they are not accepted. It would be inappropriate for them to show their allegiance to anyone other than the Hierarchy.”

“And the Hierarchy, are they in control of their emotions too?”

“More than anyone. They are difficult to read. But don’t worry.”

As they walked into the huge hall, she looked up at the carvings. While in old buildings on Earth, they depicted man and maybe animals. Here they showed the stars and other planets. So alive with colour they might have been real.

However, her eyes were drawn away from the carvings when the great doors opened, leading to an even bigger hall, but this hall was plain. It was as if to signify the importance of what happened here. There were no distractions for the Hierarchy; they were grounded in the present.

“Marin.” A man stepped forward; he was dressed in the same uniform as the guards outside, with only a splash of red across his chest.

“Hier Commander,” Marin answered, bowing his head.

“You have brought the female. Why?” He looked at Elissa as if she was a common whore. As, perhaps, she was to them. But she knew she was more.

“She has shared much of her home world traditions with me. And we have travelled to the place where the children are born. It is old, built for females who were frightened of us. I have come to ask if Elissa may remain with me.”

“It is not our tradition.” Another man, dressed in plain clothes but with the air of a king came forward; this, Elissa knew, was their Hier Ruler.

“It is not our tradition to help the planets we farm,” Marin pointed out. Elissa winced at this word, something that did not go unnoticed, although no colours burst forth across the skin of any of the men. Even Marin had his emotions under control when he continued, “But you have chosen to become more than your father and do things differently.”

“What gain is there? Allowing a female to stay with you? Especially one so dangerous.” The Hierarchy looked at her, his hands twitching at his sides. He longed to touch her, to read her emotions through her skin.

“Elissa has admitted everything. She has given these to me. They were planted in her luggage.” He showed the Hier Commander the wash bag. “They can be assembled to make a bomb.”

The Hier Ruler looked down at her hands. “The skin, it is new? It is part of us.”

“Yes. She burned them and I had the decon' repair them.”

The Hier Ruler held out his hands. “Show me.”

Scared, Elissa looked at Marin for support, he simply nodded. She had no choice but to put her hands into this imposing stranger’s. As she did, he clamped his fingers around her hands, cruelly; she tried to pull back, but she was held firm.

His hands flashed colours, they spread through her skin, hurting at first, she was glad the new skin didn’t cover her whole body because it felt as though her skin was no longer her own. She wanted to claw it from her body and strip it from her flesh. A sob escaped her. She hated how powerless she felt in his hands.

And then he released her. “For now, you can stay. When the others come, I may change my mind. I am not convinced that having hundreds and thousands of women running around is the best thing for our planet. But enjoy your time together for now. Marin, you are to learn all you can about this race.”

“One more thing,” Elissa asked. The Hier Ruler turned to look at her with disdain. She didn’t wait for him to answer, she just plowed on. “I think it might be valuable to your research if I helped in the lab here.”

“You are a woman,” the Hier Ruler hissed.

“An educated woman. I specialise in the environment. Please, let me help you to save my people.”

“This is why women live in the breeding house,” he said forcefully.

Elissa cursed herself for not knowing when to quit. She should have taken the crumb of hope he had given her instead of holding out for the whole loaf. At her side, Marin moved towards her. She knew she was going to get him into trouble. Or worse, lose him and never see him again. If she had been in this situation yesterday, she wouldn’t have cared. Now, he was the most important thing in her life. Him and the child she carried. A child whose future she wanted to be a part of.

“I apologise,” she said, and turned to leave. Marin stood still, reaching his hand out to hers, making her stand still.

“Wait,” he said quietly. The touch of his skin on her hands telling her they needed to be respectful.

Elissa turned back to stand by Marin’s side, their fingers entwined. He sent soothing emotions to her, trying to keep her calm, although she could sense his own unease. Elissa tried to tell him she was sorry, his fingers tightened around hers, letting her know he understood.

In front of them, the Hier Ruler kept his back to them. Elissa looked at the other six tall Karalian men who stood toward the back of the hall. These men, who knew nothing about women, were deciding her fate, and it felt so unfair. She opened her mouth to speak, but Marin squeezed her hand hard. Elissa had to obey; these were his people and he knew what was best.

Then the ruler of Karal turned to face her, his eyes flickering down to take in their joined hands. “Very well. You may take part in an experiment. For the first year, you may live and work with Marin. As other women join you, they may take on tasks and live with their mates, if they are compatible. After a year, we will know how we are to proceed with your planet, and I will decide what is to be done with the females.”

“Thank you,” Marin said.

“Thank you,” Elissa tried to sound grateful, but she wanted to know what would happen after the year. By then they would have a child: how would she ever part with it, if that was what the Hierarchy required? Yet she knew that there was no way to change this new world in one day. They had years of tradition and superstition to overcome. She had to prove that women had a place in their daily lives.

For now, she left, hand in hand with Marin, ready to return to his home and celebrate this first victory. As the colours flashed between their hands, she knew just how they were going to celebrate. A joining of two species, who had overcome their deception and found that deep down they wanted the same thing. Love, hope, and happiness.

“Is it wise to allow the female to live among us?” the Hier Commander asked.

“Torac, she handed over the goods you planted in her bag. She was honest with Marin. I think that if our species were to become secure, these human women would make good breeding stock. So we will see how they cope with integration,” the Hier Ruler said.

“I still do not trust them.”

“Neither do I, Torac, which is why I want you to take the next lottery winner as your mate.”

“Me! I am the Hier Commander.”

“That is why it has to be you. You are completely in control of your emotions. That makes you the perfect choice. I need to know if these Earth women are capable of affecting you.”

The commander did not object. However, deep inside, he resented being made to look like a guinea pig. So he resolved that the woman he was given would know her place, and would go and live in the breeding centre when he had put a child in her womb.

However, Torac had yet to meet Celia, a young woman with an innocent heart.

Other Books By Harmony Raines

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Harmony Raines Author Page On Kindle

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The Escort Box Set

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The Escort (The Escort Series Part One)(Free in some regions)

The Escort (The Escort Series Part Two)

The Escort (The Escort Series Part Three)

A Curvy Christmas: Robin's Romance (BBW Romance)

Helen’s story:

His Secretary (Her Second Chance Book One)

Found (Book One)

Lost (Book Two)

Return (Book Three)

Rescued by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book One)

Finding Her Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Two)

Tamed by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Three)

Snowbound With The Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Four)

Biker Bear Billionaire (Bear Creek Clan Book Five)

A Bride for the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Six)

Bound To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book One)

Doctor Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book Two)

Stranded With Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Three)

Soul Of The Dragon

Blood of the Dragon

Heart Of The Dragon

Love Of The Dragon

Fate Of The Minotaur

Bound To The Flame - A Virgin For The Dragon

When the dragon egg hatches for Trinity she becomes the Dragon Princess and must remain pure until the dragon comes back to claim her as his mate on her twenty first birthday.

An Heir For The Flame (Dragon Fantasy Romance)

The elder dragons have predicted that Trinity will conceive the new dragon child tonight. So she mates with ShanRohit under the full moon.

Waiting For Curves (Curves For Her Wolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)

Curves For Her Wolf Doctor (The Greystone Wolves - BBW Paranormal Erotic Romance)

Mistaken Curves (Her First Time With A Wolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)

Sold To The Wolf (Auctioned Curves For The Werewolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)

Curves For The Lone Wolf (BBW Erotic Romance)

An Auction Of Curves (BBW Erotic Romance)

Anna (Curves in the Family (BBW Erotic Romance))

Heated Curves (Curves For Her Firefighter) (BBW Erotic Romance)

Words Unwritten (Curves For Her Soldier) (BBW Erotic Romance)

Christmas Curves (BBW Erotic Romance)

Winning Her Curves (previously titled Virgin Curves)

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For The Love Of The Wolf (Erotic Romance Fairy Tales)

Marianne : Unmarked (His) (Paranormal Shifter Romance)

Bred By The Unicorn (Virgin Paranormal Erotic Romance)

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