Alien King Crashes the Wedding (Lumerian Knights Book 1) Read online

  Alien King Crashes the Wedding

  Lumerian Knights, Book 1

  Becca Brayden

  Contents

  About Alien King Crashes the Wedding

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  About the Author

  Alien King Crashes the Wedding

  Copyright © 2019 by BAWB Inc.

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electrical, digital or mechanical including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning or by any type of data storage and retrieval system without express, written permission from the author.

  Published by BAWB INC.

  Brayden, Becca

  Alien King Crashes the Wedding

  Cover design copyright 2019 by BAWB Inc.

  About Alien King Crashes the Wedding

  Art dealer Sasha Montgomery is both nervous and thrilled to be invited to the Caldorian Earth Base for her best friend’s wedding to an alien warrior. One, she’s never seen an alien up close, and two, she made a promise to be there, no matter how much the idea of being surrounded by hundreds of huge alien warriors frightened her.

  She thinks she’s got it all under control, until Dagan, the groom’s best friend, crashes the wedding. He’s smoking hot—way too hot to be an alien—and determined to seduce her.

  Sasha gives in to passion with unexpected consequences. Ancient power rises in response to their new-found bond, and the once innocent Sasha discovers that Dagan has been keeping secrets. He’s not just another warrior, he’s a king, and the power rising between them hasn’t been seen in a millennium.

  Sasha must learn to control the force clawing its way through her body…or destroy them all.

  Chapter One

  Sunday 10:00 p.m.

  Dagan walked briskly down the long, cold tunnel, hidden far beneath the banquet hall on the Caldorian Earth base. He looked over his shoulder and saw rivers of fluorescent minerals as far back as the eye could see and twenty of his most elite warriors. Lumerian Knights. They’ll go where others wouldn’t dare, which is why I left all my regular personal guard at home. The other sixty are cloaked and follow behind. Silent. Unseen. Deadly. It’s time we find out what the Council is really doing here. Cam’s binding ceremony couldn’t have come at a better time.

  Dagan’s breath crystallized when he exhaled as the temperature was several degrees lower in the tunnel than the frigid winter air hundreds of meters above. He stayed warm only thanks to his black nanotech uniform; the thin silky metamaterial programmed to regulate his body temperature at all times. He should have been trying to figure out what the Council wanted with Earth, but his mind refused to stay focused, settling instead on the woman he’d seen outside less than a standard Earth hour earlier. Who was she?

  He could’ve taken the shuttle directly from his ship, but his Knights wanted to investigate the tunnels. To be prepared. Alert. Ready. He planned to surprise his best friend and groom, Cam, in a large waiting room connected to the banquet area set aside for Cam’s binding ceremony to a human woman.

  “Falden.” Dagan spoke quietly, knowing the leader of his Knights would hear him through the sensitive communicator.

  “Yes, Your Majesty?” Falden’s disembodied voice came across clearly in Dagan’s earpiece.

  “Will your teams be ready to enter with us when Cam opens the door? I trust he’s still expecting someone else?”

  “Cam thinks your sister is coming in your place because you had to stay on Caldor to settle a dispute between Sectors. My team is still at the port. Something is off here.” Falden’s voice was a low growl in Dagan’s ear. “Vander’s team split and half are already ahead of you, ready to enter the usual way.”

  “Damn. That never gets old.” Dagan squinted, trying to make out the cloaked guards ahead, even though he knew it would be impossible to see them.

  “Half-time check-ins. Understood. Try to enjoy the celebrations. We’ll take care of the rest,” agreed Falden drolly. “It’s why you brought us instead of your other guards, remember?”

  Dagan’s only response was a low grunt of acknowledgement. Noises echoed down the long tunnel, forcing Dagan to refocus on his surroundings. His warriors silently closed ranks around him. They were getting close to the entrance. His best friend should be waiting on the other side, and Dagan would have preferred going alone, leaving his warriors free to do what they did best. Infiltrate. Gather intelligence. Destroy the enemy. Dagan was more than capable of taking care of himself, and was, in fact, nearly unbeatable by Caldorian standards, but his warriors never took chances with his safety.

  They reached the top, took a sharp left, and were soon met by a large titanium security door. One of the warriors behind him raised a hand and waved at the unseen surveillance cameras while another stepped up to the security podium to the side and breathed into the biometric scanner. The locking mechanism in the door gave a loud click and it slid open. Inside, his friend Cam stood waiting, a huge grin lighting his handsome face.

  “Dagan! You ass! I thought I was going to have to spend the week entertaining your sister! She spent an hour lecturing me yesterday about taking Rachel to Caldor to have the baby. She threatened to cut off my jewels.” Cam cringed.

  Dagan grinned, unable to resist prodding his best friend as he stepped through the door, “Couldn’t wait to play with the natives, Cam? I never thought to see the day one would want your ugly ass.”

  Cam chuckled. “I think my bride, Rachel, would disagree with you there. She can’t keep her hands off me. If you ever fall for a human, don’t take any fucking chances. I almost lost her, stumbling over all her Earth rituals and traditions. Turns out she needed the Caldorian way,” he said as he grinned.

  Dagan nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.” A quick brotherly hug turned into a playful shove and wrestling match in the large empty room. They were brothers in every way that counted, if not by blood.

  “Damn,” panted Cam. “I forgot what a fucking brute you are.” Cam welcomed his king and best friend, Dagan Tiranon of Caldor. “I should have known I’d have to get bound to drag your ass out here! I’m glad you made it. Welcome to Earth!”

  With a deep, rumbling laugh and one last jab, Dagan rolled to stand. At nearly seven feet tall, he was huge, even by Caldorian standards, tall and heavily muscled, with short black hair in stark contrast to his lightly tanned skin. “And I forgot how stubborn you are, refusing to give in when you know you’re beaten.”

  Cam snorted good naturedly. “Beaten, my ass. You’re just a huge fucking bastard who doesn’t know when he’s outclassed by superior speed and intellect!” They both laughed, still amused by their childhood insults. “Be careful, or you’ll scare the little Earth women right into their panties.”

  “Very funny,” Dagan growled. “I noticed you’re not lit up yet. Saving the maju paste for after the ceremony?”

  “No. Rachel would be the first human to try it. Without knowing how she would react, we d
on’t want to risk the baby. Besides, lighting our markings is a tradition, not a requirement.” Cam looked regretfully down at his chest where his markings were still a dark amber. “Rachel said she doesn’t need me to broadcast my status as a claimed man. She trusts me.”

  Dagan absently rubbed a hand over the dark blue markings beneath his black uniform shirt. “That’s rough. I don’t think I could forego it. I’d want every man and woman on the planet to know my female was off limits, and vice versa. Rachel must be truly special.” He thought about the woman he’d seen earlier and closed his eyes, pressing his fingers against his closed lids. His low, thoughtful tone was full of regret. “As for me scaring Earth women, I think it might be too late, actually,” he rumbled in his deep, gravelly voice.

  “What? You literally just got here!” Cam said in disbelief, his expression telling Dagan he was relieved to be off the topic of his own unlit markings. “What happened?”

  “We were near the human transport area on our way to the tunnels when we saw a woman off to the side. She was upset, almost in a panic, and I assumed something had happened, so we started running to help.” Dagan paused, not wanting to add the last, but needing to confess to the only person he could. “She screamed and ran.”

  “Why would she run from help?” Cam asked with confusion. His brown eyes bulged and he failed to hold back a strangled laugh at the mental picture he made of his huge friend racing to the rescue, accompanied by some very large, fierce looking warriors. “Don’t answer that. By transport I assume you’re referring to what the human’s call an airport. It’s right next to our docking station. She’s probably long gone by now.” Cam groaned and ran his hands through his short, sandy hair. “Shit. She could have been one of Rachel’s friends. They’re flying in from all over the world. Most of them have never met any non-humans, unless they’ve visited our base. I wonder what was wrong? You were using the translator, right? She knew you were just trying to help?”

  Dagan opened his eyes in sudden realization. “Fuck. Maybe that was it.” He tapped the A.I. translator in his ear and heard a beep notifying him that both the ear piece and the microscopic voice descrambler imbedded in his voice box were now turned on. “A human, then,” Dagan murmured under his breath, a slow twinkle building in his eyes. “And she had no idea I was coming to help.”

  “Sure. Couldn’t have been that ugly mug of yours.” Cam’s grin was slow to return as they walked into the banquet hall. “At least make sure not to scare any more of my bride’s guests. Oh, and she only mentioned about a hundred times that some of her friends have a basic understanding of Caldorian ways, but not all, so never make assumptions. Our mission here is to intimidate potential threats, not romance the natives.”

  “I know. I gave the order, remember? Not that you ever listen.” Dagan snorted. “Right now, all I’m interested in is food. I came here straight off the ship, so give me an hour to acclimate. You may live here now, but this is my first time on the surface.” Dagan took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of exotic, alien vegetation. No wonder Cam had volunteered to stay and rough it without many of their technological comforts.

  Dagan’s thoughts returned to the woman he tried to help earlier. All he’d been able to see was long silvery blonde hair attached to a tiny but very curvy package. Delicious. Before he could dwell on the memory, Cam broke his train of thought.

  “Food. You got it. Grab what you want on the way up. Rachel wants to meet you. If I wasn’t sure she loved me, I’d be a very jealous man!” Cam gave Dagan an affectionate punch on his massive shoulder. “When I told her about that Kuvu bear you saved, she got all dreamy-eyed and said you sounded sweet and perfect, so I spanked her for talking about a warrior like that and making me jealous, then pleasured her until the only name on her lips was mine.” They both laughed, knowing that most Caldorian warriors looked for the smallest of excuses to spank their women. Or touch them. Or fuck them. Or shower them with gifts.

  Cam led Dagan through the empty meeting room, up a flight of stairs and into the crowded hall, only stopping long enough on the first floor for Dagan to grab a plate of food and a cup of yavo juice, similar to Earth’s stoutest beer. His guards dispersed throughout the banquet area, leaving only two to follow close behind. They finally reached the top floor where Cam wasted no time in introducing his best friend and king to his bride Rachel.

  Chapter Two

  Still shivering from the cool evening air, Sasha stood a few feet inside the banquet doors, feeling more and more like bailing on her best friend’s wedding the longer she stood there alone. Binding ceremony, not wedding, she reminded herself for the hundredth time. Stand straight and smile and no one will notice you’re a scared little rabbit on the inside.

  Sasha took a calming breath and squared her shoulders. She’d sent Rachel a message that she had arrived. All she had to do was wait for her to come and get her by the entrance as they’d planned the previous week. What had Rachel said? “Feign confidence and avoid making eye contact with the males until I get there.” Great. She’d already failed both tasks before she’d made it through the doors. Sasha tried not to fidget. She was afraid she looked as scared as she felt.

  Leave it to her best friend, mused Sasha, to hook up with one of the gigantic alien warriors from Caldor. Rachel had always been the type to snag the hottest guys around. Caldorian men were amplified specimens of chiseled perfection. They oozed sex appeal. They were bigger, taller, stronger, and faster than human men. Always confident. Always in control. Sasha shivered again, this time unsure if it was from the cold, or because she couldn’t stop thinking about the big, scalding hot Caldorian she’d seen outside. He was so gorgeous; she hadn’t been able to stop staring. Then he’d seen her in return, and she panicked and ran. Typical, she chided herself. He was upstairs now, but she was pretty sure he hadn’t seen her staring this time. She lowered her head to look at her phone, desperately trying to hide her embarrassment.

  Sasha mentally reviewed what she knew about Caldorians, absently running her fingers through her long hair as she typed in another message for Rachel. She’d been standing there for nearly fifteen minutes. She looked around at the relaxed warriors. They were beyond impressive. She had yet to see an adult male under 6’2”. As if bulging muscles weren’t enough to make a girl drool, they had otherworldly, beautiful markings, with swirls and whorls that covered various parts of their bodies. Sasha tried to unobtrusively study some of the Caldorian men and women near the entrance to take her mind off of her nervousness and the big warrior upstairs. Their markings appeared to have grown into the skin, and were slightly raised. There was a variety of colors, but all had opalescent properties. Some were covered from head to toe, and others had almost none. Every marking was unique. Oh, I wish I had my paints here with me. I wonder if I could get one of them to do a sitting for me before my next gallery showing? When they’re not ripping things apart, their attractiveness goes from a ten to a twenty. I’m totally out of my depth here.

  Sasha had never actually met anyone from the mysterious planet of Caldor. She lived on the other side of the world, and they tended to stay near their Earth base, but she’d seen them fighting plenty of times. All she had to do was turn on a news stream and they’d be front and center, all drool-worthy and gorgeous while they ripped apart the enemy. Literally. Just last week there was an incident involving a creepy reptilian-like man from Vilitos trying to break into Earth security to steal defense plans. One of the Caldorian warriors ripped its creepy crawly head right off and then made a statement about Earth being theirs to protect and not to mess with the humans. No due process. No trial. Just. Ripped. It. Off. Sasha shuddered as she recalled the spurting blood and spinal fluid. The sound of muscles and bones ripping and popping. Good thing they’re on our side. I can even forgive them for claiming Earth if they keep those disgusting, creepy reptilians from Vilitos out.

  With constant news feeds, one would think Caldorian traditions and customs were common knowledge, but they weren
’t. I’m not an idiot, there’s hardly anything in the news feeds about their personal lives, just hours and hours of boring speculation from every political and social group across the globe for the past two years. I even did a search before coming out here. There’s nothing about them socially, other than formal dinners with a bunch of uptight dignitaries. They’re all business. Sasha looked around the room at the Caldorians nearest her and realized her mistake. Everywhere she looked, Caldorians were relaxed, smiling, and talking together. I should have asked Rachel more questions. A lot more questions.

  Rachel had vaguely warned her before coming out to the wedding that not only were Caldorian warriors big, fierce predators, but they were also extremely possessive. In fact, Rachel was already pregnant by one of those giant, fuck with me and I’ll kill you, bad-ass alien warriors, who had informed Rachel in no uncertain terms that they would be bound. As in, married for all eternity. Immediately. Like yesterday. The baby was his, she was his. Not that there was anything wrong with a man who knew what he wanted. Before she could stop herself, Sasha looked around unobtrusively. I bet the big warrior is possessive like that, too. Big. Strong. Dominant. In control. Possessive. Alpha. Sasha felt goosebumps all up and down her arms and shivered, her nipples clearly delineated beneath her form-fitting dress. Sasha shook her head and mentally chastised herself. I’m only here for a week; how much do I really need to know? I’ll stick to the plan. Stay close to Rachel and Ashlyn and avoid making any more eye contact.