Alien Pirate's Desire

By Zara Starr

She just wanted to get out of the city. She never expected to end up in space!

Needing a break from her busy city life, Eve rents a cabin in the woods. But things don't go exactly as planned. When she's abducted by scary, mantis-like aliens, her world is turned upside down.

Among the strange-looking aliens is Doran, a kind, human-like alien. Could he be her only hope in this crazy situation? He's an alien too, and she's not convinced she can trust him.

So why does she feel drawn to him?

When he accepted a job from the Saithin, he never expected to find her…

Doran's entire life is ruled by logic, but his predictive abilities as a Qai have made life boring. When he signs up to work on a Saithin ship, he looks forward to travel and adventures. What he doesn't expect is to play a role in an abduction mission.

When he lays eyes on a beautiful human who looks just like the Qai, he faces an impossible decision – one that will force him to question everything about his life and what he's been led to believe.

Will he risk everything to save her, or will logic outweigh his emotions?

Alien Pirate's Desire is a scorching hot prequel novella in the Star Gladiators sci-fi romance series, featuring a brave human woman and a strong, sexy alien who falls head over heels for her. It's a standalone romance with no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a HEA!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zara Starr
• Release date: Mar 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393852803

Book preview

Chapter One

Doran

Doran shifted his weight as he stared out across the galaxy. The windows on the Saithin ship were some of the biggest he’d ever seen – not that he’d spent much time on ships, if he was being perfectly honest.

He’d been at his post for the last six hours, watching for anything that could constitute as dangerous debris, ready to push the call button the moment something came up. It was a peaceful job, as far as this kind of work went, and he’d spent the better part of the last two days in transit.

Doran leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the dashboard. The ride here had been perfectly clear of debris, if you didn’t count the occasional burst of space dust. It was a clear path, and he’d had plenty of time to reflect on the travels ahead and what this new contract could mean for him and his future.

He hummed in thought as he watched space whiz by. He was pretty sure that he wasn’t really fulfilling any duty by being at this post. The Saithin had incredibly advanced technology. They had technology that could detect a threat before it was even close by. He had a feeling that his position here was more of a back-up, a fail-safe, just in case something happened to go wrong when it came to the technology.

It wasn’t a difficult job, but it was a boring one, and it made Doran restless. After all, he’d come to space for adventure, to see the galaxy and learn about other planets. He hadn’t really come to watch out for space rocks and stare out of the same window for hours.

Sure, it had been exciting for a while, but eventually the scenery all sort of blended together. He wanted to know more about the planets that were out there, about the races that lived there and the adventures that awaited. He was looking for something more. He was looking for something unpredictable in a predictable world.

He glanced at the time. At least we’ll be landing soon, he muttered out loud, rocking back on the chair and stretching out his legs.

His polished boots gleamed in the low light and he smiled. The Saithin really did know how to furnish their employees with the best gear, which was a definite perk, no matter how you looked at it. These must have cost a fortune and, for a young Qai like himself, that was a welcome bonus.

Sure, he was being paid to work for the Saithin, but it wasn’t exactly going to be able to afford him boots like these. He’d signed up for the adventure anyway, not the pay.

He’d applied for this job so that he could experience everything that the universe had to offer beyond the confines of the galaxy in which he’d grown up. The Qai were a highly intelligent race, who prided themselves on being able to predict almost anything and react accordingly.

It provided a sense of security, a sense of validity, a sense of safety within the ranks of their people. They had a place in the world, and they were comfortable with it, happy with it, and content in the way that they were living their lives. But it also made everything extremely dull.

Doran wanted more of life than predictability. Only a handful of Qai ever seemed to venture beyond this, putting their skills to a use that was anything but practical. He had heard of some Qai gladiators who were fighting in the Saithin gladiator ring, and although it sounded fun, Doran was never one for excessive violence.

And so, he had taken the next best option. He had decided to apply for a job aboard a Saithin ship and travel the Galaxy doing work on the ship and helping wherever he could.

The job hadn’t been too clear on what he’d be doing, but the Saithin were highly influential in the galaxy and he knew that whatever he was doing, it was sanctioned by their government. He wasn’t military, so it wouldn’t be conquering and wars.

As far as Doran was concerned, that was good enough for him. They had also offered acceptable pay and the ability to be aboard a ship within the next week and Doran had jumped at the chance.

Now he was flying through space, heading for a brand-new planet called Earth, and Doran couldn’t be more excited.

A knock on the door broke Doran out of his thoughts. The thick metal muffled the noise, but it was so quiet at his post that Doran heard it regardless.

Before he even said a word, the door slid open quietly and one of the Saithin crew members walked in. He was a large Saithin, with a mantis-like body, weapons clearly tucked into every available belt. Doran stood immediately.

Kalin, Captain, sir! he said quickly, saluting.

He had learned quickly that the Saithin expected a level of respect from their crew and Doran was happy to give it. After all, while the Qai were not slaves, they did believe in respect and hard work, and his captain clearly outranked him on this ship.

The captain nodded. I want you to prepare the ship for landing. We will be arriving within the next hour.

Doran nodded. Sir, yes, sir.

He dropped his hand, wondering for a moment if he should share his curiosity. After all, he didn’t even know exactly what he was going to be doing and they would be landing within the next hour. He felt like it was definitely time to swallow his worries and ask the captain exactly what their mission was.

Sir, could you tell me what we’re going to be doing on Earth? he asked, quiet and hesitant.

The captain let out a sound that Doran knew to be the Saithin people’s laughter. Yes. Of course. Earth has only been discovered very recently. We discovered it, in fact. And we’re taking full advantage of that for the tournaments.

Doran swallowed at the mention. The tournaments. The gladiator games that took place on the Saithin homeworld. Brutal fights, fought mostly by slaves, but also some of the Qai he had just been thinking about. These games were fiercely competitive, and the prizes were highly coveted.

Yes, sir, I understand that, he said quickly. But how will you be taking advantage?

The captain paused and then answered, Well, it’s simple. We’re here to collect prizes.

It was such a