Series: Alien Mates: Planet Exile #1
Publication date: March 14th, 2022
Synopsis:
Guerran is no place for pretty human women, but tough-as-nails Kenzie will walk through hell to find her abducted sister.
When her search puts her in Mad's path she isn't sure whether she could kiss him or stab him. He's as handsome as the devil, and practically a giant with a huge... axe. The aliens on Guerran are criminals and she can't trust him. But she needs a guide and Mad is her only hope. She certainly can't fall for him. No matter how much he makes her yearn.
Guerran is the dumping ground for Kru'dari criminals and Mad has been ekeing out a life there for six years. But when Kenzie appears, suddenly he's thinking about the future and one word keeps ringing in his head.
Mate.
He will protect her from the worst Guerran has to offer as she throws herself into its darkest corners in her desperate search for her sister. And he'll fight an Exile King to keep her safe, but can he convince the human woman to take a chance on him once the battle is through?
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Excerpt
He was the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen.
It didn't even matter that he wasn't a man. Those sorts of technicalities faded away the further a human got away from Earth.
He was nearly seven feet tall, with muscles rippling under his leather and furs. He dressed like the exiled warriors who roamed the streets, ready to fight at a moment's notice. There was a scary looking axe strapped to his back.
She wasn't sure she could beat him if he dragged her into the pit.
But his expression was kind.
As he got closer, she caught sight of gray eyes and wanted to lose herself in them. His nose had a hump in it, like it had been broken at least once. And there was a scar through one eyebrow.
He kept his hair cropped short on the sides, but it was longer on the top and swooped to the right, drawing even more attention to that eyebrow scar, pointing like an arrow.
And when he spotted her, his face blossomed into a smile, and Kenzie's heart threatened to explode.
One word, and she'd follow wherever he led. After years of traipsing across the galaxy, it was like looking at her home. One she hadn't known she'd been searching for. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and let go, let him take the load and beg for his help.
Fuck. She was going crazy.
She'd heard of planets where aliens exuded hormones that could make a woman lose her mind. But not here. Not on Guerran.
Clearly it had been too long since she'd taken anyone to bed. Could she take him?
Between her thighs? Certainly. On the battlefield? Not without a lot of planning.
He closed the distance between them and stood close. Too close. She could smell his scent, masculine and leathery, with a hint of soap. This was a warrior who knew how to keep clean. That was always a plus.
She wanted to reach out and touch him. She wanted to grab the leather strap crossing his chest and use it to drag him into a private corner and have her way with him.
God, it would be fun.
She wanted to kiss him almost more than her next breath.
Kenzie didn't know what had come over her, and she couldn't fight it. Not when he was looking at her like she was something precious.
"I saw you fight," he said, voice nice and low, perfect for filthy promises. "Baryn is lucky."
He'd noticed that. Perhaps Kenzie should have been worried. Instead, she smiled. "That's twice today I've kicked his ass." Bragging? Sure. But she'd earned it.
The man laughed. "He'll want payback."
"He knows if he comes at me a third time, I'll end him." That had been her promise while she held her knife to his throat and his life in her hands. Whether he'd keep away from her remained to be seen.
"I'm Mad."
A name, not the emotion. "Kenzie." He had to already know, as it had been announced before the fight.
"Kenzie." He tasted her name and it was sweet on his lips. She wanted him whispering it to her in private.
"I need to get out of here." She wasn't about to look a gift warrior in the mouth. Mad didn't seem eager to drag her to Jadirel, and he could get her past the guards that were bound to be posted at the exit.
As for what she'd do with him after that? Well, she'd figure it out later.
He took her hand and it dwarfed hers, but instead of a threat, it made Kenzie feel safe. She followed him down the hall and watched as he had a private word with the two huge Kru'dari guarding the exit.
Getting past them on her own would have been... difficult.
They let her and Mad pass, and then they were free in the warm night air. They'd walked a bit before Mad came to a stop, the roars from the pit barely audible at this distance. "King Jadirel is going to be searching for you," he warned.
"Not surprising." She'd met petty kings and rulers just like him, and she'd survived every one. She wasn't scared of Jadirel. She'd lost the ability to be scared of anything except failing to find Cerise or learning her sister was dead. "Are you planning to take me to him?"
"The thought of you in his bed enrages me. I'd tear down his palace to stop it."
They'd exchanged a handful of words. Kenzie couldn't trust Mad. It would be beyond irresponsible to do anything except walk away right that moment. Instead, she tugged on his arm until he moved closer.
"Why? Do you want to take me yourself?"
About the Author:
Kate Rudolph is an ex-derby girl who lives in Indiana. She loves writing about kick butt heroines and the steamy heroes who love them. She's been devouring romance novels since she was too young to be reading them and had to hide her books so no one would take them away. She couldn't imagine a better job in this world than writing romances and sharing them with her fellow readers.
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