The Zoran's Captive (Scifi Alien Romance) (Barbarian Brides) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  The Zoran’s Captive

  Barbarian Brides

  Luna Hunter

  Contents

  Also by Luna Hunter

  Foreword

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Preview of The Zoran’s Bride

  Preview of Alien General’s Baby

  Preview of Nero

  Also by Luna Hunter

  About the Author

  Also by Luna Hunter

  Zoran Warriors

  Alien General’s Baby

  Alien Warrior’s Baby

  Alien Soldier’s Baby

  Alien Guardian’s Baby

  Galactic Mates

  Thabo

  Fenrir

  Bojan

  Novak

  Dusan

  Zivan

  Vukan

  Drakan

  Barbarian Brides

  The Zoran’s Bride

  The Zoran’s Mate

  The Zoran’s Baby

  The Zoran’s Fated

  The Zoran’s Touch

  The Zoran’s Kiss

  Cosmic Champions

  Nero

  Romulus

  Celestial Mates

  The Alien Prince’s Captive

  Copyright 2018 Luna Hunter.

  Published by Luna Hunter at Amazon.

  This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All characters represented within are eighteen years of age or older and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This work is property of Luna Hunter, please do not reproduce illegally.

  Foreword

  The Zoran’s Captive is the seventh entry in the Barbarian Brides series, but it can be read as a complete standalone.

  If you want to completely submerge yourself in a universe filled with imposingly tall alien warriors, I’d suggest starting with my Zoran Warrior series and reading your way through. However, it’s not needed to enjoy this book!

  Never want to miss another book? Sign up for my newsletter at http://lunahunter.com/newsletter/

  You’ll also get Zoran Wedding for free! It’s a short story that takes place between the events of the Zoran Warriors and Galactic Mates series.

  Happy reading!

  Introduction

  Barbarian Brides is a series all about the Zorans: Seven foot tall, brightly colored, growly alien warriors who will stop at nothing to please their fated mates.

  Their home planet Exon destroyed, the alien warriors seek refuge on Earth. They are welcome… at first.

  Soon, tension builds, and erupts.

  Violently.

  In this chaos, humans and Zorans discover that their love is stronger than war.

  Their bond can’t be broken, no matter what the human Federation or the Zoran Admiralty demands.

  That is the story of:

  Sarah and Kazim. (Book 1)

  Ava and Turnon. (Book 2)

  Aria and Dost. (Book 3)

  Lilith and Daruk. (Book 4)

  Yet, a lot has changed since The Zoran’s Fated (Book 4).

  After the horrible events at Pazar, all Zorans were exiled from Earth. The human/Zoran alliance is thoroughly broken. The imposing alien warriors are shunned, hated, and feared by humans everywhere.

  Most Zorans followed the order to leave..

  Some still resist.

  Some still believe in a shared future with their human mates.

  This is their story.

  Chapter One

  Nora

  I never expected my first case to be an infamous Zoran killer.

  My mouth hangs open as I stare blankly at my boss.

  “T-Torin?” I stammer. “One of the Exon Four? Are you sure?”

  “Very sure, miss Baker,” Samson Calloway says. He takes a deep breath and for a moment I fear the buttons on his crisp white shirt might pop. He shoves a thick manila folder my way. “These are the documents. Read them. Breathe them. Live them. You’re going to need to if you want to save this sorry son of a bitch.”

  I flip open the folder. Torin’s intense, purple eyes catch my attention immediately. A shiver runs down my spine as I stare at his turquoise face. He’s a monster, a killer, a human-hater. At least, that’s what the news broadcasts say.

  Now, it’s up to me to find the truth. I’ve been through law-school, I know what I should do, but now that I have this case-file in my hand, doubt grips my heart.

  “I don’t know if I’m ready for this, sir,” I say, pushing my shoulders back. “With all due respect, this is the case of the century. And he’s already been sentenced — what else is there that I can do?”

  “He appealed his verdict, so the court appointed our firm, and I’m appointing you,” my boss gruffs.

  “I still don’t know if I’m ready for this,” I whisper.

  “Which is exactly why I’m giving you this case, my dear.”

  My brow furrows. Slowly it dawns on me, like a cube of ice sliding down my shoulders. He’s not giving me this massive case because he thinks I can do a good job — quite the opposite. He’s giving me this case because he’s counting on me to screw it up!

  “Why?” I ask, my pride wounded.

  Samson Calloway leans back in his chair and throws his feet up on his mahogany table. He lights up a cigar while I remain in my seat, unmoving, waiting for an answer as my cheeks glow red with anger.

  “Do you have any idea how bad it will look for our firm if we got this guy off the hook?”

  “Yeah, we’ll look like a firm that does their job,” I say sarcastically. “Who can imagine, right?”

  My boss scoffs at me as he blows a cloud of smoke my way. “This is the most hated man in the universe we’re talking about right now, Baker. No one wants to see him walk. The public is practically begging for his casket.”

  “So you expect me to do nothing?” I huff.

  “No, Baker. I expect you to do your best.”

  His eyes flare up with anger, the words intended to cut me deep. He has Anikd all I need to know. This callous man doesn’t care about me, doesn’t value me. And I know exactly why.

  “Is this because of the party?” I ask, my voice quivering with anger. At the last Christmas dance he laid his hand right on my ass. I removed it and reprimanded him right in front of his wife. She was not amused. Perhaps not the smartest thing to do if you want to move up the corporate ladder, but I studied too damn long to let old men like this treat me like a piece of meat. I want to be judged on my merits, on my own abilities, and not on how good my legs look in a pantyhose.

  Even though they look mighty fine.

  “Let sleeping dogs lie, Baker. Just do your job. Dismissed.”

  I get up, steam coming out my ears, and grasp the folder from his desk. The moment my hand touches the doorknob he calls me back.

  “Oh yeah, one more thing. I think you should talk to this man. See what he has to say.”

  Fear crawls up my spine, and I whirl around.

&n
bsp; “What do you mean?” I ask. “He’s already been sentenced. All I can do is read the case-files, see if they made any mistakes. That’s it.”

  “No,” Samson says sternly. “I want the world to know our firm did our very best. That’s why I want you to interview him personally. There’s a ticket for you in the back of the folder.”

  My hands tremble as I take a look. One direct flight to Blackgate with my name on it. Leaving first thing in the morning. The prison planet. The most inhospitable damn place in the entire universe. And I’m going there.

  I start to regret calling my boss out in front of his wife more and more — but not enough that I wouldn’t do it again.

  The entire subway-ride home the folder doesn’t leave my hands and my eyes don’t leave the page. I frantically scour every line, looking for a small mistake, a clerical error, anything that I could use… but so far, nothing comes up.

  This was the trial of the century. Some of the best lawyers in the world worked on this, and they did their very best. And who am I? I’m just a rookie who didn’t kiss up to their boss…

  However, I fully intend to prove my worth. Samson takes me for a fool. He thinks I’m just some fresh faced new graduate who will do nothing but screw up. I’ll show him! I’ll free Torin, and then I’ll quit. If I pull this off, there will be plenty of firms who will want to hire me.

  Or the whole world will hate me.

  That’s also an option. A very likely one. This guy, this Zoran warrior, he’s not your average-run-of-the-mill criminal. Torin is the only convicted member of the Exon Four. All the others escaped custody and are still at large.

  I still remember the news broadcasts. Every screen in the entire city was lit up with Federation News, the images burned into every retina on the planet. A sea of medical-ships headed towards Pazar… how long ago has it been? A few months? A year, tops? Time flies.

  I re-read the introduction to remind myself of the case’s facts. Four Zorans attacked the space station of Pazar, seemingly without provocation. Dozens were killed. All four of them were arrested, but the three others were freed by their kin. In the wake of the attack, the Federation decided to ban all Zorans from Earth. Every single alien was forced to relocate to New Exon, their new home world.

  Torin was the only one who stood trial for the attack. He claimed he had no idea what happened, Anikd he doesn’t remember a thing. Anikd he was innocent. His lawyers pleaded temporary insanity, but the judge threw the book at him.

  Sentenced him to death.

  And now… I’m this guy’s last and only hope.

  I tear my eyes from the page and gaze out the window. Tall glass structures whiz on by. I think everyone deserves a fair trial — that’s why I became a lawyer. I believe in our system. However, reading some of these facts, seeing the photos… it makes me sick to my stomach. Can I be impartial?

  I have to be. I can’t judge this man. Not yet. I’ll have to meet him… even though the thought alone makes my heart race.

  The subway is buffeted by rain, thick drops gliding past the window, and it distracts me from my deep thoughts for a brief moment. It always seems to be raining here in Seattle. I hate it at times, but I think I’ll miss it real fast when I get to Blackgate.

  The prison planet. Its name is enough to make people recoil and change the topic of conversation. No one wants to think about a planet encapsulated in darkness and filled with the universes most heinous criminals. It’s something people would rather forget. And I can’t say I blame them.

  Only problem is… I’m headed there first thing in the morning.

  Yay.

  “So you’re going to see the alien, huh?”

  The spaceship rumbles constantly. I can barely hear the pilot over the groaning metal and the deafening hum of the engine’s warp core. It’s more than enough to drive anyone insane. Luckily for me, I’ve got a meeting with a scary Zoran warrior looming over me, so I don’t have enough mental energy to let the sound bother me.

  “You don’t feel like talking?”

  I glance up from my files to see the pilot standing at my table. Burt Kingsley is his name. Nice guy, but a bit too nosy for my tastes.

  “Sorry,” I say, though I don’t mean a single syllable of it. I gesture at the fort of folders that surround me. “Kind of busy.”

  “Gotcha,” he says. “It’s just that I can’t imagine meeting him, you know? Aren’t you scared?”

  “I guess,” I say.

  That’s a total lie. I’m freaking terrified. But I can’t back out now. I didn’t bust my ass in law school for years, fought every teacher along the way, pulled all those all-nighters, canceled all those dates just to give up now.

  I won’t let Samson Calloway win. I’ll prove him wrong. I’ll prove them all wrong.

  “It’s part of my job,” I say, trying to appear casual. Relaxed. At ease.

  Like meeting convicted murderers is just par for the course.

  Burt sits down across from me and rifles through my files.

  “Please don’t,” I try, but it’s too late. He’s already made a muck of things. “Don’t you have a ship to fly?”

  “This old thing? Nah, it flies itself,” he grins. “So this is him, huh?”

  He shoves the photograph of the tall, imposing, turquoise warrior towards me.

  “Yep,” I say, glancing at the picture.

  That’s him all right. I try damn hard to keep my cheeks from blushing. Quite unsuccessfully, I might add. It’s like his gaze pierces my very soul.

  I’m a professional, damn it! Meeting my first client shouldn’t make me weak at the knees. Yet, every time I close my eyes, I see that intense gaze of his… and this is just a picture.

  Imagine the real thing.

  I have.

  “You aren’t actually going to free this guy, right?” Burt says, scrunching his face. “Look at his mug!”

  “His mug is certainly something.”

  “That’s a killer if I’ve ever seen one.”

  “Have you?”

  “Have I what?”

  “Seen a killer?”

  He points at the picture. “Right there I have!”

  I shrug. “What if he’s innocent, though?”

  Burt shakes his head. “That man ain’t innocent. You’ve seen the trial.”

  “Well, I’m going to listen to his side,” I say. “See what he has to say. Someone has to.”

  “Better you than me, miss. Better you than me.”

  For once, we agree…

  “Is that it?”

  “That’s her alright. Blackgate. Gives me the creeps, this place.”

  A massive black sphere hangs still in space. It seems even darker than the space surrounding it, which feels like it should be impossible, but apparently, it isn’t. I’m staring at the blackest darkness I have ever seen.

  And we’re headed right for it.

  My heart races as we pierce the black clouds, and after several tense moments, the surface appears — though you can barely see it at first.

  Small lights glow upon the planet’s icy, jet-black surface in long lines. I couldn’t imagine a more inhospitable place.

  The ship touches down with a heavy thud, one that I can feel resonate in my very bones. It feels ominous, like we’ve arrived in a special layer of hell. Burt doesn’t know how fast he has to unload me and all my stuff, like this place is cursed or something.

  “Wait, aren’t you going to wait for me?” I ask.

  “Here? Hell no,” he says. “I’m getting out of here as fast as I can.”

  “How do I get back?”

  “I’m sure the boys here can send out a signal. Someone will get you. Eventually.” He tips his cap at me. “Good luck!”

  So much for chivalry. Burt darts back in his ship, and moments later he’s left the dock, and all I can see is a distant blip on the horizon through the glass window.

  I turn around, pulling my bag up over my right shoulder, a box of papers balancing precariously
on my left arm. How am I going to carry my suitcase like this?

  “Let me get that,” a guard says as he takes the box out of my hands.

  “Thank you,” I say. I run my hands down my black dress as I gaze up at the guard. His eyes are locked onto my long legs, and I suddenly feel self-conscious.

  Perhaps I should have worn something a bit more… conservative. A tight black dress, stockings and high heels might fly at the law firm, but on a planet devoid of women?

  Uhm… oops. I’ve been so absorbed with the case I didn’t give my wardrobe a second thought.

  “Follow me,” the guard says. “Mr. Onyx is waiting for you.”

  “The warden?” I say, surprised.

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t have an appointment with him.”

  “He wants to see you all the same. Follow me.”

  I know who the warden is, of course. Anik Onyx. The youngest of the Onyx dynasty, and so, the one who has the most to prove. Technically, being the warden of the biggest prison in the universe could be seen as a prestigious position but… this is a cold, bleak place. I don’t envy him in the slightest.