Kave: Warriors of Etlon Book 3 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

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Additional Titles

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Kave: Warlord Brides

  Warriors of Etlon Book 3

  Starr Huntress

  Abigail Myst

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Additional Titles

  About the Author

  Copyright

  The Story So Far

  When aliens arrived on Earth, it happened with an invasion—just like the sci-fi movies taught us to expect.

  The vicious Suhlik meant to enslave Earth and rob her of her resources. Only the Mahdfel warriors were able to stand against them.

  Once the slaves of the Suhlik, the Mahdfel won their freedom. But as a lingering reminder of their oppression at the hands of the Suhlik they are unable to have female children.

  Now, in exchange for the protection of Earth, the hunky alien warriors demand

  only one price: Every childless, single and otherwise healthy woman on Earth is tested for genetic compatibility for marriage with a Mahdfel warrior. If the match is 98.5% or better, the bride is instantly teleported away to her new mate.

  No exceptions.

  Warriors of Etlon

  The Warriors of Etlon are a single species clan of Mahdfel, led by Athen, son of Etlon of Etlon. They live in a tropical paradise on a Noven 90, a planet on the far reaches of Mahdfel space. They were without wives, until a scheming Kave hatched a plan to marry off their leader, Athen.

  Kave is book three in the series, so I recommend that you read Athen first. The second book, Snowed in With the Alien Doctor is stand alone, but I’m sure you’d enjoy reading it as the characters do make an appearance.

  Chapter One

  Noven 90 – Etlonian Mahdfel Outpost on the Edge of Nowhere

  Kave

  It was the same dream that he always had that woke Kave. His mother held him. He couldn’t see her face, couldn’t even remember it. And then the warm stickiness of her blood. The whisper of her last words -I love you- until she had no more breath.

  Kave remembered waking to that dream, night after night as a child, growing up in bunks stacked with other orphans. When it began to fade, he had actually worried that he would forget her. When he got older, Kave easily attained pictures of her and his father, but they were cold, ID photos, nothing more. Had she loved his father? There was no one left to answer his questions. His mother’s family had all been massacred and his father had also been an orphan.

  At least it ran in the family.

  Now the dream just filled him with a longing that had taken him a long time to identify. Now, especially seeing his entire camp paired up with mates, Kave knew the longing was to wrap his arms around a woman of his own, one that he would be willing to die for. One that would be willing to die for his children.

  Kave slid out of the hammock where he’d chosen to sleep under the stars. He stared out at the long stretch of beach before him. There was no denying that Noven 90 was a tropical paradise. The weather was mild and temperate. The rain when it fell was like a warm bath. Food was plentiful in the camp and the forest beyond the camp was an ample source of fresh fruits and vegetables, of game and things to hunt. The biggest drawback or in some cases, the biggest advantage was the isolation. Noven 90 was on the edge of the known universe and after the Suhlik had fallen for their ruse once, it was practically guaranteed that they would never show their face again.

  Kave stared at the moon as it came up over the ocean. The second moon would be up soon. Neither one of them had names. Perhaps that's what he would do, name the moon for his mate. She would like that. A whole heavenly body all to herself. Kave wanted her heavenly body next to his to be able to warm her with his own glow. To take on her own color and to plant his child inside of her. He longed for the nights which would not be long enough. Kave had always been alone.

  He'd never had a father, as Athen had, to come and watch him train. Someone to be proud when he rose through the ranks. His first memories were of the warriors’ school, of the Academy where he trained, where he slept in bunks full of orphans. It had been a sheer coincidence that he was the same age as the young Prince Athen, the fifth son. That on the day Athen's father Etlon of Etlon had come to visit, Kave had managed to make an impression. There had been a scuffle between two boys and as the instructors were wont to do, they let the youths work it out themselves. Athen had tried to step into the middle of it, defending the younger and weaker boy as it became clear that the older warrior far outmatched his younger opponent. Seeing a chance to disgrace the young prince in front of his father, a second warrior joined in to put Athen in his place. Kave had stepped up with Athen and, without much thought, the two of them succeeded in systematically dismantling the attacks of the other two. There was no malice in either one of their attacks and because he had demonstrated the cool head of a warrior over the increasing anger and rage at being shown up, Etlon had requested his name.

  From then on Kave had always been paired with Athen and he knew that Etlon had entrusted him with his son. As Athen’s brothers died, Etlon's interference became much more apparent. He began to irregularly demand reports and gave suggestions of what should be suggested to his son. Finally it was just simpler to send regular updates to his father. It helped manage the meddling. Kave didn't see it as much as spying on his friend and warlord, as much as saving him the aggravation of having someone else do it for him in a more intrusive manner.

  Kave headed toward the edge of the force fence that guarded the camp and kept some of the more vicious jungle critters away from the delicate, fragile Terran women that littered the place. Now, during low tide, he needed only to wade in thigh-deep to round the corner of the fence. He fought down the deep seated wariness of an Etlon in water. The Suhlik, who couldn’t swim themselves, had bred it into them, possibly to keep them under control with something as simple as a moat around an enclosure. But Eltonians were afraid of nothing, if they set their mind to it, and a moment later, he was out of the water and on the jungle side of the fence.

  Kave began a route around the compound that he often took to clear his head. He’d originally started it with the excuse that he was checking the fence and possibly some of his warriors slacking but now, he was starting to wear a regular path into the jungle.

  Athen had bemoaned his lack of
discipline, but Kave simply looked at it as a different leadership style. There was slacking, and there was slacking. As long as the slacking didn’t get anyone killed, Kave presumed it was good for morale. Honestly, Kave hadn’t seen a serious case for a while. His men, especially now, had an interest in camp security. They were all desperate to keep their mates safe.

  Kave reached the edge of the force fence and took a left, up to Athen’s secret still. It wasn’t much of a secret to Kave, especially since he’d discovered Athen’s mate, Odette, caterwauling and fearing for her safety, had jumped in and realized a moment too late that her cries were of pleasure, not pain.

  When Athen had returned to Etlon, he’d left no instructions to care for the kegs of fine spirits, and Kave saw no reason to let them go to waste. He continued to turn them and monitor their progress.

  Athen’s secret backway into the camp also wasn’t so secret. Kave was a better spy than Athen gave him credit for. He slipped back through the blink in the fence and was just about to hide in the command center when a female voice called him back.

  “Kave!”

  He was tempted to pretend he didn’t hear her, but a moment later, a finger poked him in the back. If she’d been a warrior, she’d have a broken finger by now. He turned, trying not to glare. The Terrans seemed to find a frown terrifying. He had to practice in monitoring his facial expressions, so he didn’t scare his own mate in this way. He couldn’t stop the flush of murky green annoyance that fluttered over his skin.

  Kave stared down at Skylar, a rather stocky Terran that belonged to Leif, one of his top warriors. She held up a dead flegan, a jungle squid that was considered a delicacy on Etlon.

  “I need for you to have a chat with Leif.”

  “Warriors do not have chats.”

  “A talk. Look. He keeps bringing me these things.” She wiggled the tentacled mass at him.

  “Delicious.”

  “Yes, I know you think so, but I don’t like calamari.”

  “Then tell him that.”

  “But I already told him that I did.”

  “So you lied.”

  “I was being polite. But he keeps bringing them to me, and if I have to eat another one, I’m gonna barf.”

  “Barf.” He squinted his eyes at her. The translator didn’t seem to know this word.

  “Upchuck. Toss my cookies? Throw up?”

  “Throw what up?”

  “This squid! Vomit! I’m gonna vomit.” She gave the tentacles another shake.

  “Then don’t eat it.”

  “But he thinks I like it.”

  “Because you lied.”

  “Just talk to him and tell him not to bring me any more.”

  She handed the flegan to him, and turned sharply. Kave had no idea why she had inserted him into her problem. If he had a mate, this would not be a problem. She would swoop in with an explanation and solve everything the way that Odette managed so splendidly when Athen was in charge.

  Honestly, not finding him a match was a crime. Perhaps he should widen the search beyond Terran women. But the camp was literally full of them and another species wouldn’t be able to navigate them any easier than Kave. No, a Terran mate was the only solution.

  Kave entered the command module and plopped the flegan down next to the console. It made a squishy noise and slid off the edge onto the floor with an even louder squelch. He couldn’t be bothered to pick it up.

  Kave checked the status of his application, as he had at least twice a day for the past month. Nothing. There was nothing to do but wait, unless… There was an option. Generally reserved for the most elite and advanced Mahdfel. He’d saved the life of a prince. Etlon of Etlon had promised him a mate for his services. Why shouldn’t he exercise the option for himself? He keyed in the code and refreshed his application. He would now jump to the top of all the lists. Surely now, it wouldn’t be much longer.

  Chapter Two

  Humility

  “Where did you get that?” Humility Renault asked her sister as she hoisted the groceries onto the counter.

  The seventeen year old rolled her eyes and shrugged. “From the grocery store?”

  “Wendy,” Humility began.

  “Hue.”

  “I meant the money. Seriously.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. It’s your money. Seriously,” Wendy parroted back at her. Another eye roll ensued when Hue kept up her stare. “I sold some hats, okay?”

  Who knew that in the post-alien apocalypse Earth that crochet and knitting skills would end up being a total cash cow? The American city hipsters with their AI-infested apartments and hover taxis loved a bit of the old crafty style, but had mostly lost the art of it. The supply lines and leisure of acrylic yarns had all but disappeared for a few years, but up here on the northern edge of nowhere, there were plenty of people that still crafted yarn the old fashioned way, and now were in high demand. And since Hue had worked out a deal with their neighbor to graze sheep on the parcel of land her mother had left to her, so getting first pick of the yarn was easy as pie.

  The most disturbing trend to Humility was the Mahdfel dolls that were all the rage. She could hardly keep up with the orders for personalized little aliens. Blue with horns and a tail, or yellow with wings - people were obsessed with them. Some crackpot vid guru had spotlighted them as a way to introduce the idea that their new space cousins weren’t going to have much of a human resemblance. Hue was more inclined to put on her tin-foil hat and believe that it was a strategy employed by the government to normalize the fact that one day, you too, little girl, will produce offspring with an alien husband. But it brought in cash, and therefore there was little Humility would say about her theory in public.

  The DNA Lottery was a constant threat hanging over their heads. Once a year, on their birthday, single women of “breeding age” had to go in and get tested. If she were matched, then poof, alien technology would whisk her away to the other side of the universe to procreate with her new husband.

  Humility’s birthday had been last month, so she was safe for at least another eleven. That was a blessing - her mounting fear dissipated the moment the clerk had flashed her a bright and relaxed smile.

  Wendy turned eighteen in eight months. The thought of her sister being turned into an alien baby maker didn’t sit any better with Humility than being tied to this house for the rest of her natural days.

  "I told you that money was for you, not for buying groceries," Humility said.

  "I was hungry and picking up a snack anyway. We needed stuff."

  Humility sighed. Yes, they needed stuff. But the freezer was full and she had always managed to make ends meet. She wanted her sister to be a child, for a few more months at least. "Well, if you want to help, then set the table."

  Tonight was family dinner night, and it was not something Humility looked forward to. All five kids and their father, Mason, in the same room - that part was fine. But when the meal drew to a close and her father started his wheezy lecture? That part was not going to go down well.

  He had been bugging her for weeks. He often got in these moods where he would sit for an hour, sucking in as much oxygen as he could through his damaged lungs. Then he'd take the mask off and ramble on about some past story, as if trying to get out every last breath of a story before he keeled over.

  The government paid for most of his care, thank goodness, but it was never enough to put him in a home, someplace nice. After all, she was still there and could provide him with most of the necessary care. It was a full time job, taking care of her father. He'd been caught in a Suhlik gas attack that had wiped out a good portion of the town just to the east of them. He was lucky enough to just catch the tail end of it, driving out of town and out of most of the lethal exposure. Her mother hadn't been strong enough, though. She'd let out a horrible last gasping breath, dying before her father had reached the hospital.

  The aliens hadn't been much help. They'd looked him over once, seemed impressed that he lived, and basical
ly said there was no helping him. It was best for him to run himself onto his sword or some such nonsense. However, with five children, he persisted for his family. Even a broken man was better than a dead one, or so he had first thought.

  Mason had been a strong and athletic man, before the aliens attacked Earth. Humility’s memory was full of him teaching her how to hunt, watching him chop logs, and making her recite back the essentials to surviving in the wilderness. She remembered the times when he drank,, when he stumbled home after gambling away his paycheck. She also remembered how her mother grew silent in her anger when he swung wildly in his drunken fits, not really trying to hit anything, but landing a few blows just the same.

  Now, he was shriveled, gasping. She helped him bathe, and brought him his meals, most of them in a glass.

  Tonight, though, was a turkey lasagna that would feed the whole group of them without too much effort. The ground turkey had come out of the freezer. She'd shot and plucked and gutted the thing a few months earlier. Finding game had really reduced the grocery bill, especially when combined with the garden out back. If forced, she was pretty sure they could live off the grid indefinitely. The only problem with that was Dad's oxygen and masks. That would be tough to come by.

  The only reason to go completely off the grid would be for another alien invasion, which Humility doubted, as they had the Mahdfel to protect them. In her heart, she knew that if they did, the oxygen wouldn’t be needed. Mason might have gotten drunk once too often, but he’d rather end his own pain than watch his children suffer and risk their own lives for his.

  Humility doubted that any of her three brothers would make such a sacrifice. Her youngest brother, Jacque, she could excuse. He was only twenty and still hopping from subject to subject (and girl to girl) at the local community college. He was too young to take much of anything seriously. Cyprian, the second oldest, just had a chronic case of bad luck. He was on his third job in two years, and was always pitching some new scheme at family dinner. As for the oldest, Claude? It was a good thing her father had no cash left to give her brothers, because either he’d invest it in some failing business or Claude would steal it. It was sad that one had to keep an eye on the silverware (and everything else not nailed down) during a family dinner. Claude didn’t have a case of the bad luck. He had a case of SparkleZ. It was the newest craze floating through the countryside. Another gift of the alien invasion: all new chemical highs to forget the world.