Slave: Marked For The Alien Prince, #1

By Diana Flame

A human running from the law. How did she end up on a distant planet?

Milena must defend herself against the alien soldiers who see each human female as free for all. But the Alien prince has other ideas. She belongs to him and his mark is there as evidence of that fact.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Yorkside Press
• Release date: Jul 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393842255

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

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The planet Viutera

The turbulence in Dhahn’s brain had increased exponentially since the disappearance of his parents. Everything was jumbled. Voices, hammering, the whisper of the closing hatches, the sound of the ürdonium whip meeting human flesh and their resulting screams, generated one enormous clamor.

The first instance occurred the day his father’s ship disappeared while on a mission to the Galactic Federation. Dhahn’s eyes glossed over for a second as he attempted to assimilate and assemble the clutter inside his head. He knew that his superior intelligence would soon sort and compartmentalize them in order for them to make sense. For now, he absorbed their resonance.

Someone entered the vestibule outside his chambers. He sensed them, smelled them, felt their heartbeat... their heat. Kulzton was his childhood companion and most trusted confidant. No one inside his dominion was more trustworthy and there was no one he considered more reliable.

Lifting his hand, he tested one of his new abilities – one that had unexpectedly materialized upon the departure of his parents. With a wave of the hand, he expected the hatch to slide to the left. That did not happen. Since the last few diurnal cycles he had been unable to reproduce what he’d done before. No matter how much he tried to concentrate, nothing happened.

Pushing his frustration aside he spoke to the electronic system, Open hatch.

The door slid open to reveal his best friend and confident. Kulzton’s paler skin, compared to Dhahn’s deep azure, had an iridescence which was indicative of his highly developed derma-sensors. It was believed that his gift was from the gods. A gift that others feared and Dhahn revered. Kulzton was the only one on Viutera with the ability to absorb another’s emotions, not just sense it. He could feel exactly what the other was feeling and to some extent what they were thinking.

Dhahn particularly was impressed with his friend’s ability to detect the truth through his skin. However, those who feared him wore the masking device that prevented him from knowing their truth. This was troubling to Dhahn as they were able to act against his command to meet their own ruinous needs.

I see you have mastered this new gift, Kulzton remarked, bringing his attention back to the room.

Be quiet, Dhahn replied, dismissing his friend’s sarcasm. The clutter inside distracts me that I am unable to completely focus. What brings you to my chambers at this hour?

While the captain is away, the prince shall play.

Dispel with your Earthly nonsensical rhymes and tell me what brings you here.

The prince shall witness what has become of his kingdom.

Dhahn already knew. The sounds in his head already told him of the atrocities committed by the captain of the guard – the highest ranked soldier in his domain. Quietly, he followed his advisor, leaving the confines of his inner sanctum. When they departed the secret exit at the rear of the palatial building, Kulzton handed him a commoner’s robe and covering for his distinctive silver hair.

Viutera’s day orb had turned its dark side, spreading a blanket of vantablack over the realm. Easily their eyes adjusted, penetrating the darkness like laser beams. The prince hurried after Kulzton, their feet almost silent. The further they tread, the louder the echoes in Dhahn’s head. His ears twitched as the noise intensified.

The ürdonium whip meeting flesh was the most prominent. A subdued scream echoed not far behind. The soft groan of a woman caught his ears and he halted his steps. Closing his eyes, he paused all other thoughts, all internal bodily functions, including his heartbeat. Dhahn stood still as his brain processes took control.

This was the defining moment... a moment he’d awaited for seventeen cycles of the day orb. Like a computer array, the noises separated, sorting themselves. Finally, he could regulate the ones which caught his attention while blocking the others. He zoomed in on a soft whimper, creating a mental simulation of one crouching in a corner. Her body was losing temperature.

A human female is dying, he grated through clenched teeth. I must save her.

There is no human female here, my prince, Kulzton replied. I would have sensed her.

I just heard her, he replied. I felt her depleting life force.

Kulzton beckoned with the head. Come see with your own eyes, there is no human female on Viutera.

They continued on the path away from the palace. The military community was several kilometers from the main palace. They passed the Captain’s dwelling, the central command post where Dhahn spent most of his time, then made a detour into the mining site. Inside the dark rocks of Viutera hid a most precious element needed for the development of the Ysark, a sword with special abilities only meant for the princes of Galaxy NXPR. The Oracles from that galaxy paid handsomely for mining this material, and only they were privy to the formula for producing such a weapon.

No one knew exactly what that element was and how to extract it. Even with their superior intelligence, no species had been able to determine what element the rock contained that was so valuable. Dhahn returned his attention to the situation facing his planet and what his Captain had done.

What about those who Helux wishes to conceal from me?

I have confirmed it, there are no human females as of this day. Perhaps you are sensing the future. I foresee a new batch of Earth beings on its way.

Dhahn did not comprehend. How could he foresee the future? He’d originally believed his new abilities were that of enhanced hearing and psychokinesis only. Now, Kulzton was speaking about him discerning things to come. The images in his mind were clear as though he was now seeing her. Long brown waves, soft hazel eyes and sun kissed skin.

We have arrived, Kulzton said, standing at the entrance of a small structure.

CHAPTER 2

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Meanwhile, on Earth...

Milena panted, her feet dragging along the dusty pavement. Glancing behind her, she distinguished three uniformed officers advancing, their gait sluggish. One officer came to a halt. Bending over, he placed his palms on his knees while gasping for air. The other two wore grimaces, wiping the sweat that drained into their eyes.

With a few gulps of air, she sprinted ahead. A siren echoed in the distance, causing her to hasten her steps. The thought of what she left behind gave her new strength in her feet. After some meters, the distance between her and the police officers expanded enough for her to breathe easily.

Trying to calm her breathing and her racing heart, she closed her eyes while slowing her steps. She continued jogging for about a kilometer when she heard the sirens again and this time the distance between her and the patrol vehicle severely narrowed.

Feet now trembling from exertion, heart rate through the roof, tongue dry and her chest burning, she stumbled ahead. Relief washed over her at the sight of a group of people in the local playground, about a mile from home. This was the ideal opportunity to conceal herself – mingle with the crowd. Chancing a look behind her, Milena observed the patrol car blazing down the street.

As quickly as she could, Milena joined the throng. The police was certain to inspect the gathering for her presence, but they if she took care, she might be able to elude them. This was all the fault of her mother. Had she controlled the situation earlier, none of the events that unfolded in the last hour would have occurred.

I hate you, mother, she muttered, as a bright light blinded her.

Lifting her forearm, she shielded her face. Squinting her eyes, she tried to see through the light. It was futile. Her heart drummed erratically as the hairs on her nape stood erect. Heat washed over her, contradicting the icy feeling in her spine.

Did the police get her? Straining to see, Milena’s hazel eyes slowly adjusted to the glare. They traveled upwards, following the path of the beam. With a gasp, her eyes widened as they settled on a spacecraft hovering about thirty feet off the ground.

In the year 3055, the planet Earth was mostly destroyed. Alien nations now occupied many of the major cities and even complete countries. The United States stood as the most formidable of the nations. And even so, they were unable to feed the few million people who remained.

The