Falcon

By Ash Armstrong

Kiera, a wild she-falcon on the planet Elterra, is shot down by an army patrol that suspects she was involved in recent violent attacks on rural villages. Imprisoned and collared like the wild animal they believe her to be, she is given one chance for survival: submit to the legendary falconer Jared Stone, whose scarred face and gruff disposition speak of his own mysterious past.

Jared Stone has spent the past five years trying to get himself killed in deep space. He'd left Elterra in disgrace, following the tragic failure of his union with his first falcon, Serena. Now he's been asked to return to his home planet, to try to do what no falconer has done before: to train a wild falcon as his bonded mate.

As the attacks escalate and the government threatens to rip them apart, Jared knows that the only way he can protect his wild falcon is to gain her trust and her submission. Can Kiera give up her dreams of returning to the wild, to belong to the man she can no longer bear to live without?

Note: This is a 33,000-word futuristic erotic romance novel with light BDSM elements. It is recommended for adult readers only.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ash Armstrong
• Release date: Mar 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310140525

Ash Armstrong

For me, a good story transports the reader to fantastical worlds where magic is possible, while reminding us that even there, people are people, with their own hopes and dreams and insecurities. If a (grown-up) fairy tale from an imaginary planet can teach you something new about yourself -- and entertain you in the process -- then it's a good read! In terms of style, I like to get intimate with my characters. I want to know what makes them tick; I want to admire them, fall in love with them and root for their success. I want them to grow, through the challenges they face and through their relationships with each other. And always, always, I want them to find true love:)

Book preview

Falcon

Ash Armstrong

Copyright 2015 by Ash Armstrong

Cover Art by Ravenborn

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition

Thank you for purchasing this e-book. It is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and remains the copyrighted property of the author. It may not be re-distributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoy reading this book, please encourage your friends to purchase their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Prologue

The sun shone on the steep slopes of the mountainside, sparkling on treetops still damp with the morning dew. The breeze was light and warm, rising from the south. Perfect for flying. The young she-falcon soared on the building currents, her majestic wings outspread, relishing her time alone in the cloudless sky.

She would have company soon, she knew, for her clan did not approve of her solitary wanderings. They did not understand her compulsion. She swooped low over a pristine lake, gliding only inches above the mirrored surface. Her destination was nestled in a protected valley, on the far side of the water.

She had been here before, drawn irresistibly by the sights and smells and strangeness of it all. She couldn’t explain her attraction to the village of humans, but she was fascinated by their daily comings and goings. Erik would be angry when he discovered where she had gone and she would probably be punished. Erik’s punishments were invariably unpleasant, but she couldn’t seem to turn herself around.

Despite the early hour, she could see that the men had already left for their work. The women and children were active, cooking food on communal fires and washing their garments in the crystal cold waters of the lake. Erik knew much about humans. He said that the mountain folk lived more primitively than those in the city.

She longed to see the fabled towers and boulevards of the mythical metropolis. For indeed, it was hard to believe Erik’s stories of the riches and abundance of the humans’ city. Not that he told these stories out of admiration; Erik hated the humans. He hated the city dwellers for their decadent, immoral lifestyles and he especially hated the mountain folk, for their encroachment on the lands of the falcons.

The she-falcon resolutely pushed these thoughts aside. She wanted nothing to do with Erik’s hatred. She only wanted a few more peaceful moments to gaze down on the mothers and children, working together in apparent peace and harmony. To her, it was like a fairy tale. Were these people’s lives really as satisfying and joyful as they appeared? Were their smiles real, their mutual affection genuine?

The breeze carried a sudden whisper of unexpected sound and the falcon turned her head sharply. Before she could change course, a stinging pain pierced her side. She dipped her head, looking beneath her wing, trying to maintain a steady glide in her awkward position. Something straight and needle-like protruded from the downy coat of her breast.

She struggled to make sense of it, but already her wings were feeling leaden. She gulped air into her lungs, trying to force her way higher into the sky. If she could only reach the mountain slopes beyond the village, she might find a safe place to land. Instead, she was losing altitude rapidly. She shook her head, confused. Her wings didn’t seem to be working. The world around her was beginning to blur and she dimly realized that she was hurtling downward.

As she crashed into the highest branches, pain exploded in her head, her throat, her wings. Nothing seemed capable of stopping her fall, each new obstacle battering her mercilessly as she plummeted through the underbrush. And as her broken body made contact with the rocky floor of the forest, her last thought was that Erik had been right: Humans were dangerous and not to be trusted.

Chapter 1

She was totally naked, impossibly beautiful and probably dead.

Which would mean that Jared Stone had just dragged his ass halfway across the solar system for nothing. He fought back a wave of nausea, not wanting to puke his guts out onto his shoes. Again. Fucking re-entry sickness.

Thanks for coming, Jared. I know you had to cut out on a lot of stuff to be here, but I didn’t know who else to call. General Richard Gilmartin was a veteran of the Centauri Wars who now held the unenviable position of Chief Administrator of the Joint Armies on Elterra. It was his job to maintain order on his home planet, while ensuring that all transitory forces stationed in the occupied territories played by the rules. Endless hours spent at negotiating tables and behind a desk had led to permanent circles under his eyes and a few extra pounds around the middle. He was several inches shorter than his companion, and at least thirty years older, but he still carried the mantle of authority with ease.

Jared had known the general since childhood, and while he’d never served under him, he regarded the man with the utmost respect. When Gilmartin had summoned him, he had come. He peered into the dark reaches of the massive cage before him. Why isn't she moving?

The general spun around, searching out the small, crumpled figure of a woman, barely visible in the deep shadows. What the hell? He rushed forward, remembering at the last second to avoid touching the electrified bars. He waved at the surveillance camera mounted near the ceiling. Power down!

A muted beep marked the cessation of the electric current pulsing through the frame of the cage. When the flashing red light on the cage door turned to green, the general moved to place his palm on the scanner pad that would trigger the lock.

Wait! Stone moved around the cage to get closer to the still figure. If she really is feral, this could be a trick to lure you in. Every creature in the universe knows how to play dead. The cage was only a few feet from the wall at the back. Not enough room to get in close without putting himself within reach of the woman, should she decide to stretch through the bars.

Choosing discretion over urgency, he stopped at the outer corner of the cage, about twelve feet away from the prone figure. She was on her side, facing him, but the riot of tangled, thick black hair streaming across her face made it hard to know if she was conscious. Slim hips, full breasts and porcelain skin suggested a beautiful, human female curled up for a nap on the cold concrete floor. Stone knew better than to trust appearances. If the reports were accurate, he was looking at a feral she-falcon, captured by a military patrol scouting the borderlands.

He crouched down and contemplated the lone figure. Falcons could change from human to falcon form at will and there was always the danger, if she was in fact alive, that she would change to falcon and try to attack him with her deadly claws and beak. He kept his distance and contemplated his options.

Keeping his voice low, he spoke to the general. Why don’t you leave me here for a while? I’m going to hang around and see what happens.

Gilmartin tried not to show his eagerness to be gone from the cell. The creature made him uncomfortable and he didn’t like being responsible for her. Besides, he had mountains of reports to read before lunchtime. Are you sure?

Definitely, go ahead.

Alright then. I’ll be in my office. If you need me, just have one of the pages come get me.

Stone heard the heavy metal door bang shut behind the departing general, followed by the sound of multiple mechanical locks shifting into place. Settling onto the floor, Jared resisted the urge to stretch out as the she-falcon had and hunker down for a nap.

Damn, she was still. Was she breathing? He thought perhaps he saw just the slightest rise and fall of her chest. It had been a long time since he’d been near a falcon. And certainly he had never been near a wild one like this, but his gut told him she was alive.

He thought, for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past twenty-four hours, You might not be the best person for this job. What did he know about feral falcons? But then again, what did anyone know? He searched his memory, but wasn’t aware of one ever having been successfully brought into captivity. Certainly many had been killed in skirmishes with border patrols, but he had never seen one alive, up close.

Suddenly, a slender hand moved out from beneath the deep mat of hair. The legs lengthened. The haunches lifted and the figure came onto her hands and knees. She faced Jared and when she raised her head to look at him, shaking the hair from her face, he was stunned by the ice cold, pale blue eyes with slitted black pupils, staring back at him.

Against his will, he was taken back in time, to the days when he saw eyes like those on a daily basis. When he was still at home and Serena was still with him. He shook his head, reminding himself that this was not Serena. Serena was gone. And Serena was definitely not a wild animal, as this creature appeared to be.

Slowly, she slunk across the floor as if she were a cat rather than a falcon. As she got closer, her eyes bore into him. She tilted her head and for the first time he realized that there was a collar around her neck. It was about two