Star Princess

By Sophie Stern

DIANA has been helping her father search for the Lost Treasure of Dreagle for nearly ten years. They're closer than they've ever been, but when he's killed and she's taken captive by the men who shot him, she realizes that there's no getting out of this alive. She's been captured, and there's only one thing that happens to girls who are taken on Dreagle. Resigned to her fate, she begins to adjust to her new life as a captive in the darkness.

Then Max comes, and everything changes.

MAX is the leader of an elite security team called EXTRINSIC. His team can find stolen artifacts, lost information, and captured hostages. They can find anything, for a price. When Extrinsic breaks up a group of Dreaglan smugglers, they're surprised to discover the men have been stealing more than just lost museum pieces.

They've stolen a woman.

A beautiful woman.

The most beautiful woman Max has ever seen.

Diana is scared, terrified, and injured, but Max sees beauty where everyone else only sees pain.

Will she be brave enough to let Max love her?

Is he strong enough to stay with her through the darkness?

"You're a shining star, and what do stars do? They float in the darkness."

IN THE DARKNESS is a new series from Sophie Stern featuring familiar planets you might recognize from the Alien Darlings series or The Hidden Planet series. Each story features a couple who is facing the worst and most difficult trials of their lives, only to find love in the darkness. Each story can be enjoyed on its own and has a HEA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sophie Stern
• Release date: Jun 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393630234

Book preview

Star Princess

In the Darkness: Book 1

Sophie Stern

COPYRIGHT © 2017 BY Sophie Stern

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover design by Melody Simmons // www.ebookindiecovers.com

DIANA has been helping her father search for the Lost Treasure of Dreagle for nearly ten years. They're closer than they've ever been, but when he's killed and she's taken captive by the men who shot him, she realizes that there's no getting out of this alive. She's been captured, and there's only one thing that happens to girls who are taken on Dreagle. Resigned to her fate, she begins to adjust to her new life as a captive in the darkness.

Then Max comes, and everything changes.

MAX is the leader of an elite security team called EXTRINSIC. His team can find stolen artifacts, lost information, and captured hostages. They can find anything, for a price. When Extrinsic breaks up a group of Dreaglan smugglers, they're surprised to discover the men have been stealing more than just lost museum pieces.

They've stolen a woman.

A beautiful woman.

The most beautiful woman Max has ever seen.

Diana is scared, terrified, and injured, but Max sees beauty where everyone else only sees pain. 

Will she be brave enough to let Max love her?

Is he strong enough to stay with her through the darkness?

You're a shining star, and what do stars do? They float in the darkness.

IN THE DARKNESS is a new series from Sophie Stern featuring familiar planets you might recognize from the Alien Darlings series or The Hidden Planet series. Each story features a couple who is facing the worst and most difficult trials of their lives, only to find love in the darkness. Each story can be enjoyed on its own and has a HEA.

Contents

Star Princess

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

Star Kissed

About the Author

Alien Dragon

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

The Saucy Devil

Prologue

1

You’re a star, and what do stars do?

Float in the darkness.

Prologue

Five years ago

Max

I NEED TO TALK TO YOU about something, Blake looks at me with more seriousness than any 20-something-year-old should know what to do with. He sits across from me in some run-down space bar, and as I press the button on the wall to get another glass of petal juice, I know I’m going to do whatever he asks of me.

Blake is like a brother to me.

I would do anything for him.

It doesn’t matter what he wants, what he needs. We’ve been through hell and back together, and if he needs me to go there again, I will. I will always be there for him.

I’m listening, I tell him. A robotic server comes by the table and sets a beer down. When it moves away, Blake leans forward. He clasps his hands together and sets them on the table.

Instantly, I’m on alert. This isn’t just an ordinary favor. This isn’t some half-hazard, thrown-together request. No, Blake looks serious, and I have to wonder if it’s about the new team he’s joined.

Extrinsic, it’s called. It’s an elite team of some of the best alien forces in the damn galaxy. People who join live together on some sort of mother ship that floats around in space, and they go to different planets to do things like solve crimes and save hostages.

I’ve heard him talk about it.

Blake wanted to be part of Extrinsic for nearly six months before he joined. First, he trained harder than I could have ever dreamed possible. If you’d told me that my slightly overweight buddy from Orchid was going to turn into some elite fighting machine, I would have laughed.

But now Blake is sitting in front of me, and he’s not fighting now.

I’ve got a mission, he says.

Look at you, off saving the world, I smile, sipping my petal juice. It’s sweet and cold, savory and perfect. It’s exactly what I need after a hellishly long week. Yes, the petal juice is going to relax me to the point where I handle whatever Blake is going to offer me because right now, I know it’s not going to be an easy task.

I’m not doing this to be a hero, he says carefully, like he’s not sure I really understand, but I do. Blake and I might come from different backgrounds, but we’re from the same planet. We understand each other better than most.

I never thought you were.

It’s a rescue mission, he says. On Orchid.

And you need my help? What do you need? Tech assistance? Entrance permits?

He shakes his head, and he smiles at me.

I don’t just want you for this mission, Max. I want you for all of them. I want you to join Extrinsic.

You want me to join Extrinsic?

This is crazy.

I’m not a soldier.

I’m not a fighter.

I’m not a warrior or a hero or a badass.

I’m just some normal guy, hanging out in a normal bar, drinking his normal drink.

You’re more than what you make yourself out to be, Blake says. Give it a chance, Max. You’ll get to see the world, explore the universe, and kick ass on a regular basis. Give it a chance, and you’ll see just how incredible it really can be.

I chug the rest of my petal juice and set the glass on the table. I don’t order another one, but I don’t have to. I already know what my answer is going to be. This is Blake, and I trust him completely. If he wants me to join his super secret spy organization and help him save the world, then I’m damn well going to do it.

When do we get started? I ask him, and Blake’s smile is bright enough to light the darkest night.

Chapter 1

Diana

FOUR HUNDRED METERS, I whisper, looking at the blinking light on my communications unit. I hear my father breathe a sigh of relief from beside me, and I look over at him. Our eyes lock, and I smile.

This is it.

Only four hundred meters, and we’ll find what we’ve been searching for.

We’ll find what it’s taken us a lifetime to locate.

He motions for me to stay quiet, and we continue walking silently through the cave. A lifetime of treasure hunting with my father has taught me a lot. I’ve learned how to locate even the most hidden of items. I’ve learned how to move silently. I’ve learned to become invisible when it matters most.

Today is no exception.

Although it’s daytime, judging by the time on my communications unit display, the cave we’re walking through is dark as night. The light on my father’s necklace shines forward, illuminating the way ahead of us. If someone is hiding in the darkness, they’ll see us, but my father’s light can be turned off with the snap of his fingers. If we’re attacked, he’ll simply snap and the light will go out, plunging us into darkness once more.

I’m a fighter.

To be a treasure hunter with my father, I have to be. We’ve encountered space pirates and mercenaries. We’ve encountered do-gooders and evil-doers and everything in between. My fighting skills have gotten me out of more binds than I care to remember.

My dad and I look out for each other.

We have to.

It’s who we are.

We walk silently through the caves. This is one of the most beautiful I’ve been to, and I’m more than a little surprised. Dreagle is an ugly planet. It’s by far the worst of the worst, so it doesn’t make sense there is this beautiful haven on a planet of darkness.

The Dark Planet is one most people try to avoid going to. I don’t blame them. If my father hadn’t been hunting for the Lost Treasure of Dreagle, I never would have come here. I never would have dared risk it.

Dreagle is known for its shady dealings and don’t ask attitude.

It also, apparently, has a secretly beautiful underground lair.

Two hundred meters, I whisper, and we keep moving forward. We’re close. We can both feel it, and the anticipation is killing me.

After ten years, our hunting has come to this.

Ten years of searching, of seeking, of fighting.

Ten years of misery on this forsaken planet.

Ten years.

We’re so close I can smell it. The damp aroma of the cave mixes with excitement, creating a scent I’ll never forget as long as I live.

One hundred meters.

I step carefully forward,