Justin “JB” Blake has never met a woman he couldn’t bed—or one he wants to keep. That changes the second he lays eyes on Princess Saia Xochis. The beautiful alien makes his body burn and his heart ache. She will be his. All JB has to do is risk life and limb at the hands of her abusive father, her protective brother, and her warmongering intended mate.
The possibilities of death and dismemberment have never stopped him before.
Inside Scoop: This book has a small taste of female/female fun—as well as scenes of abuse that are decidedly not fun.
This was a fast-paced story with a few surprising twists along the way. The characters were likable and easy to relate to. [...] Characters from previous books play a large part in the overall story as well but it's not necessary to have read the other installments to enjoy this book. Ms. Griffin has crafted a series with an alien world and its customs vividly depicted that fully immerses you in the story and her characters keep you engaged in the immensely satisfying outcome. This series is a wonderful addition to the sci-fi genre and I especially recommend it to those who like their stories on the scorching side. - Jody (Goodreads)
After aliens invade and conquer Earth, Eva is transported to a distant slave trading planet. Escape and freedom are her only priority, but none of her martial arts training prepared her for what she faces. She finds herself enslaved to the warrior King Taio. Eva’s drawn to this sexy alien male who ignites her heart and body.
Taio is disgusted with the idea of owning a slave—until now. From the moment he sees her, he knows Eva is his for the taking. Torn between lust and duty, Taio knows nothing will stop him from protecting his little warrior.
Publisher’s Note: This story was previously published elsewhere under the title Taken: Eva and has been revised for Ellora’s Cave.
The steamy standalone sequel to Dangerously Mine.
Kane Epps divides his life into two distinct parts—before the alien invasion and after. Before the invasion, he had a pregnant wife and a high-powered job. After the invasion, he’s left with only himself and his hatred for all things alien. He channels his bitterness by captaining a vessel of renegade humans—space pirates who don’t think twice about taking what they need.
Princess Sa’Mya is on the run. She and a few trusted advisers fled her home planet, only to be captured by the sexy, dangerous Captain Epps. He claims to hate aliens but can’t seem to resist touching her or kissing her…everywhere. As Kane introduces Sa’Mya to ever-increasing, unimaginable realms of pleasure, the princess becomes determined to earn his trust. She’s used to getting what she wants. And this time, what she wants is Kane Epps.
Jess hates aliens. After the invasion that destroyed Earth, the extraterrestrial bastards sold her to a brothel as a sex slave. She may have escaped but the old memories and fears still linger in the dark corners of her mind. Supposedly Sonis is just the place for her—somewhere safe, where she can heal and start fresh. She’s almost hopeful…until she meets Rasha, her new boss.
Rasha, Captain of the Sonis Royal Guard, is a warrior through and through. He’s huge, sinfully sexy and could have any woman on Sonis—but the woman he wants is Jess. He’s very much an alien and Jess knows she should hate him or at least be wary, but whenever he’s around, she loses control. She tells herself it’s only sex—amazing, mind-blowing sex like nothing else she’s ever experienced—but there’s something about Rasha that shakes her soul. The feel of his skin against hers, the look in his eyes as he touches her—they make her want to believe it’s possible to find love and begin again.
EXCERPT
JB looked
toward the door as everyone else did. Taio stood at the entrance, with Eva on
one arm and a taller female who looked just like him on the other. He waited as
everyone rose to their feet.
“That’s
his mother, Queen Fainia Xochis of Drazlan,” Lo’Ren said from the seat next to
him. “It’s customary for you to stand when she enters the room.”
“I’ve
already pissed him off today, no need to do it again if it’s not totally
necessary.” JB stood.
Taio
proceeded through the door, followed by three other females. JB immediately
found himself staring at one in particular.
Her head
was cast down slightly, her face obscured by waves and waves of jet-black hair
that brushed the swell of her round butt. She wore a pale-purple form-fitting
dress. The floor-length gown had designs made of colored crystals. Her skin was
the same color as Taio’s, but different. It seemed to glow. Her build was tall
and slender with a hint of curves where they were needed most.
She turned
her head.
He caught
his breath.
Beautiful.
As her
lavender eyes locked on Lo’Ren, he willed her to look his way. Her features
were sharp and foreign, but beautiful in every way. Her cheekbones were high
and defined. Her lips were full and pink. She had a look of longing in her eyes
and he wanted to know why.
No, he needed to know why.
Was she
upset?
Who had
taken the joy away from such a perfect female?
Look at me. I want to know you.
“Uh,
unless you’re inviting Taio to kill you, I would sit down,” Lo’Ren said,
tugging on his sleeve.
He glanced
around to find he was the only one still standing. JB sat but kept his eyes on
the female across the room. “Why would he kill me? She’s not human.”
“She’s his
younger sister, Princess Saia.” Lo’Ren popped a piece of meat in her mouth and
chewed. “Look the other way, human.”
That
information alone should have been enough to make him turn his head and focus
his attention on something else, but he couldn’t.
Princess Saia.
Rasha
grabbed Saia in a bear hug and lifted her from her feet. JB watched, waiting for
her to turn his way. His heart thumped. He wanted to go to her, meet her.
She was his.
He shook
his head, trying to dislodge the misplaced thought.
Where the hell did that come from?
Then she
turned toward him. Their eyes met.
And there
it was.
His heart
felt as though it was seized in a tight fist then dropped to the pit of his
stomach.
“This is
where you take my advice before you get into trouble.”
“She’s
looking at me,” he whispered.
Every
nerve in his body sprang to life. Her eyes were framed in the heaviest lashes
he’d ever seen. And when she blinked, they looked like wings of butterflies.
He sighed
and felt as if his body had melted into the chair.
Lo’Ren
groaned. “Taio will kill you.”
“I don’t
care.” He couldn’t drag his gaze away. A small smile graced beautiful full
lips. Lips he wanted to claim for his own. From the side, her face had appeared
long, but no, it was round and soft. Her nose was perky and petite. “Princess
Saia,” JB said breathlessly.
Lo’Ren
shook her head. “I shouldn’t have told you her name. I don’t want any part of
this.”
“I would
have found out anyway.” Nothing could have stopped him from knowing her name.
Lo’Ren
blew out a heavy breath. “Did I mention that she’s Taio’s only sister?”
**************************
“Oh
Jesus.”
If it
weren’t for the tone in Jess’ voice, Saia wouldn’t have been pulled from
watching the human male across the room.
Jess
placed a hand across her eyes and shook her head slowly.
“Pardon
me?”
Jess
groaned. “Please, please look at
something else.”
Saia let
her gaze go back to the male. His black hair was cut short. His blue eyes were
framed with an abundance of dark lashes. Light seemed to dance in his eyes as
he smiled in her direction.
Is he smiling at me?
She took a
quick peek left then right
He’s smiling at me!
Her heart
leapt for joy. His graceful smile was only for her. She giggled and placed a
hand over her mouth.
“He won’t
be satisfied until he’s dead,” Jess muttered.
She turned
to Jess. “What are you talking about?”
Jess
watched the male across the room as well. But instead of smiling, she made a
slow motion across her neck with a finger. “I’m referring to the slow death
he’s sure to get if he keeps flirting with you.”
Flirting?
She turned
back to the male. No one had ever flirted with her. She smiled again.
“Good
gracious, don’t encourage him!”
“Do you
know him?”
“Unfortunately,
yes.” Jess rolled her eyes. “Maybe I should start saying that I knew him.”
The lights
turned low, signaling the beginning of the dinner entertainment. The voices in
the dining hall became hushed. Saia strained her eyes to make out the
silhouette of the human.
Slow,
rhythmic drums began to beat. Light shone from the stage door. One torch, then
two, then three, until finally there were six. In the darkness, the torches
zipped through the air, swung in circles, tossed and caught.
Every now
and again, she could catch a glimpse of him and found that he still watched her
as well.
Her heart
seemed to thump in time with the drums. His smile had dropped but his stare was
intent just the same. His gaze seemed to bore through her. Right to her soul.
And she found she enjoyed it.
She leaned
over to whisper, “Tell me his name.”
Jess shook
her head. “Ignore him like I do most days and watch the show.”
Ignore him? She couldn’t. “But I want to know
his name.”
Jess
looked at her. “Listen, Princess Saia, this can’t happen.”
“What
can’t happen?”
“You and
JB. Taio would never allow it. You’re getting married and JB’s going back to
Laconia. I’m trying to keep him alive at least until then.”
Jaybee. She turned to look at him again.
Jaybee. What a wonderful name.
“Argh, can
you at least get that dreamy look off your face?”
“Is he a
slave?”
“No.”
“Is he
bonded?”
“No.”
“Can you
introduce me to him?”
“Absolutely
not.”
“Why?”
Jess
raised a brow. “Have you seen the
size of your brother?”
Jess was
right. Taio was extremely protective of her. That was the very reason why she
could never tell him their father had long been striking her and her mother.
And she couldn’t forget that she was contracted to bond with Ranuit Pi.
And just
like that, an overwhelming sense of dread had ahold of her once again.
There
could be no flirting. No smiles from across the room as she’d heard described
on many occasions from people who had fallen in love. Her fate belonged to
someone else.
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A. M. Griffin is a wife who rarely cooks, mother of three, dog owner (and sometimes dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She’s a hard worker whose two favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys reading everything from mystery novels to historical romances and of course fantasy romance. She is a believer in the unbelievable, open to all possibilities from mermaids in our oceans and seas, angels in the skies and intelligent life forms in distant galaxies.
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