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
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Albaterra Mates Extended Epilogue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Venan
A Paranormal Sci-Fi Alien Romance
Ashley L. Hunt
Albaterra Series Book 7
Copyright © 2017 by Ashley L. Hunt
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
For My Loyal And New Fans!
Praise For Ashley L Hunt
Your Free Stories!
Introduction
1. Venan
2. Octavia
3. Venan
4. Octavia
5. Venan
6. Octavia
7. Venan
8. Octavia
9. Venan
10. Octavia
11. Venan
12. Octavia
13. Venan
14. Octavia
15. Venan
16. Octavia
17. Venan
18. Octavia
19. Venan
20. Octavia
21. Venan
22. Octavia
23. Venan
24. Octavia
25. Venan
26. Octavia
27. Venan
28. Octavia
29. Venan
30. Octavia
31. Venan
32. Octavia
33. Venan
34. Octavia
35. Venan
36. Octavia
37. Venan
38. Octavia
39. Venan
40. Octavia
41. Venan
42. Octavia
43. Venan
44. Octavia
45. Venan
46. Octavia
47. Venan
48. Octavia
49. Venan
50. Octavia
51. Venan
52. Octavia
Albaterra Mates Extended Epilogue
Badass Luke
Make Your Own Story
NEW EXCLUSIVE STORY
A Secret Sneak Peek
Also By Ashley L. Hunt
About the Author
For My Loyal And New Fans!
First I would like to thank you so much for downloading this book. I am truly honoured by this!
This is the Last Complete story in the “Albaterra Mates” series. This can be read as a standalone but you will enjoy the full experience when you will read the other as well!
1. Rex - SciFi Alien Romance
2. Duke - SciFi Alien Romance
3. Dane - SciFi Alien Romance
4. Lokos - SciFi Alien Romance
5. Khrel - SciFi Alien Romance
6. Zuran - SciFi Alien Romance
7. Venan - SciFi Alien Romance
I have also Included few special Links to Albaterra Mates Extended Epilogue, Dragons of Novai Prequel, and a sneak peek of another book that you will not find anywhere else!
Fasten your seatbelt and let’s travel to a new world!
Praise For Ashley L Hunt
I very much enjoyed the sneak peek of, “Venan, Albaterra Mates.” I have read the other books in this series and each seems, to me, to get better than the last. I anticipate the same with this book. This was a well-written introduction to the new book, “Ventan.” I got an immediate feeling for the personality for each of the characters introduced in this snippet and a brief description of the surroundings and environment gave me a sense of the world on which this story is based. This preview included a brief look at a “local” wedding and I could see some of the traditional aspects and was able to compare them to what we are familiar with. Overall I thought that this preview was very well done. It gave me a quick look at the characters, their personalities, their world, and a preview of some of the happenings which could be central to the storyline. I can hardly wait to read the entire story!
Carolyn O.
Enjoyed ” Venan” sneak peek and can’t wait for book to be release. Reading first two chapters was teaser and if I had the book, I would have spend the day reading.
Gwendolyn D
I loved the sneak peek and can’t wait to read the whole thing. I have read most of the other books in the series and this seems to be a little more in-depth and heavier. Love the excitement and adventure and the sexiness.
Karen
Your Free Stories!
Do you want free stories?
In this book I have included 3 links to 3 FREE Stories!
Find them, Click them and enjoy them!
I am sure you will love them!
- Albaterra Mates Extended Epilogue
- Prequel of Dragons of Novai’s Series
- Luke Alien Mates FREE Story
Enjoy!
Introduction
Octavia’s job as a hairstylist is to make people feel good about themselves, and she embraces the responsibility wholeheartedly. A full-figured woman confident in her own skin, she is happy to be a listening ear and advisory mind to her clients while enhancing their outer beauty. Since leaving Earth to take up residence on Albaterra, she has spent her days in the colony’s salon and her nights in her hut with her books and her memories. When the brooding A’li-uud Elder of Dhal’at asks her to dance, the peaceful life she’s built on the alien planet sharply interrupted
The newest Elder to join the Council, Venan has found himself at the head of the same kingdom he’s spent his life protecting. Thanks to the controversial death of his predecessor, Venan is me
t with criticism and disgust from the very people he is now tasked to lead. The only relief he has from the relentless judgment is when he meets dark-haired and dark-eyed Octavia. He is immediately taken not only by her loveliness but also by her open mind and understanding nature. Finding solace in the sympathetic human sends him on a journey of self-discovery to strip his once-orthodox ideals and learn where his priorities truly lie.
After the unintentional death of Dhal’atian Elder Kharid, Venan has been named as his replacement. For months, he was accused of murdering Kharid, and it seems the Council’s acquittal and the appointment has done little to ease the public’s suspicions. Quickly growing frustrated by the backlash against him, Venan is granted slight reprieve when he meets Octavia. They find kindred spirits within one another, and it should be the beginning of a smooth and amazing romance. When the Novai, an alien race also colonized on Albaterra, descend upon the planet with a life-altering demand, however, Venan is forced to step up in his new role and make the timeless choice between what is easy and what is right. Octavia intends to support him in this, but she finds herself suddenly caught in an A’li-uud family drama she never could have imagined. The next thing she knows, she has to decide if a relationship with the troubled Elder is worth it or if she needs to put herself first.
Is there a happy ending for the mysterious A’li-uud and the dreamy stylist, or will their search for themselves leave them lost and alone…or worse?
Chapter One
Venan
There were too many eyes.
Iridescent orbs as white as the sun, irises reflecting the hues of sea and soil and leafy foliage, even optical reincarnations of violet and amber sunsets past pressed upon me, crushing me beneath their scrutinizing weight. I felt them scraping my flesh away to strip me of my rightful defenses and render me vulnerable and exposed. If I had wondered before about the evolution of trust between the citizens of Dhal’at and myself, the answer was clear to me now: three months after my coronation into the Elderhood, I was still a pariah and possibly a murderer. There was no justice, even for the reprieved.
Despite the discomfort I felt amidst the civilians, the day was one of joyous celebration. I, along with much of Ka-lik’et and a few others who called greener kingdoms home, were gathered outside the city’s towering walls to witness the wedding of my twin brother and his human beloved. It was to be the first marriage between A’li-uud and human in Dhal’at (though, other mixed-race nuptials had taken place in other Albaterran kingdoms), and many were eager to spectate the event. Even the sky above was rejoicing the union. The sun was brilliant and pearly as it smiled rays upon the sentients below; the expanse around its glow was flawless in its turquoise blanket; the fluttering strokes of lavender clouds floated idly toward the horizon as if they were reluctant to miss the joining to come. Yet, though the weather was lovely and the occasion marvelous, I was eager for the din of voices to quiet with the onset of slumber. Perhaps, then, I would be free from the barrage of critical gazes.
“This is quite a showing,” my mother commented, putting her fingertips on my forearm. She was looking around with interest, pausing to incline her head to those she recognized. “I never imagined Zuran had so many friends.”
“Most are not friends, Mother.” I followed her stare to a group of A’li-uud warriors about my age. They appeared to be whispering amongst each other and throwing intermittent glances in my direction. I had, sadly, grown accustomed to such behavior from the civilians of Dhal’at, but I still was unable to reconcile such suspicious treatment from those who pledged to serve their kingdom and its leader. Only three months prior, I was one of their numbers, and I would never have displayed such insolence toward Elder Kharid. Then again, Elder Kharid had not been accused of murdering his predecessor, as I had. “Most are here either to see an A’li-uud wed a human or to see me.”
Mother frowned. She was a sweet, compassionate female and unable of comprehending anyone’s view of me being less than admirable. Perhaps it was the bias of motherhood, or perhaps it was her eternal optimism, but she felt I had well-earned my status as Elder and ought to be treated accordingly. “Well, I do not believe this is the place to demonstrate political displeasure,” she said stoutly. “I think you should send those away who are not here to celebrate Zuran’s good fortune.”
“Come now, Oraaka,” Father interjected, laying a hand on her forearm just as she had on mine. “Sending whisperers away would only draw more attention to Venan and his new authority, not less. Mind you, he is not only your son anymore, but your Elder as well. He is under no obligation to pay your musings any mind.”
She cast a disapproving glance in Father’s direction but yielded to his assertions as she harrumphed, “I am merely saying today is dedicated to something other than the recent bout of disquiet plaguing our city.”
I agreed with her, but I had no time to express such as a petite human bounced up to us. She was brimming with energy, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, a wide smile on her mouth and red rims around her eyes. I knew humans were prone to something called crying when they were emotional, and oftentimes the skin around their eyes grew scarlet and puffy, but there were no tear tracks on this female’s small face. I imagined she was simply on the verge of crying, rather than experiencing the aftermath.
“You’re Zuran’s family, right?” she asked. Her gaze fixed on me. “I mean, you look just like him. It’s kind of creepy, actually, like you’re a clone.”
Father started to respond for me, as Elders were not often addressed so boldly, but I answered before he had a chance. “Zuran is my twin brother,” I clarified. “This is our mother and father.”
Others may have taken offense to her audacious words, particularly the quip about my being a clone, but she could not be blamed. Zuran and I were identical to the last detail, from our long curtains of spectral-white hair to our slanted, alabaster eyes. Our skin was a matching shade of royal blue that darkened to navy in the places most exposed to the sun, and we were each tall enough to tower over this tiny human.
“So, you’re the Elder?” she pressed eagerly, knitting her fingers together before her midsection.
“Yes.” Again, I felt the swell of stares on me and squared my shoulders to buck the allegorical burden.
This lively human and I had actually seen each other before. She had been present when I attempted to rescue Elder Kharid from attack by a rogue Novai. That incident had ended in tragedy when my sword pierced straight through the Novai into my Elder’s chest, and the Wise One perished on that very spot within minutes. It was that day, that moment that had led to the darkest months of my life, and it was why I now faced a tepid backlash from the Dhal’atian people. I still had nightmares about the incident; I could still feel the sword breaking through the Novai’s front and sliding through Kharid’s sternum. The ghost would never stop haunting me.
“Well, it’s awesome to meet you,” the human gushed. “I don’t want to tell you what to do or anything, but the wedding’s about to start, and family is supposed to sit in the front rows. Phoebe doesn’t have family here, obviously, so I’m the next best thing. I’m Edie. Phoebe and I are nurses together in the colony. I’ve kind of been helping her put together this whole thing. You could say I’m the maid of honor, but I guess A’li-uud don’t usually have people standing up with the bride and groom, so I’ll just be sitting across the aisle from you.”
She took a breath after her rambling, and I stared at her. Generally, I was not much for lengthy conversation, but even the most talkative of A’li-uud did not often speak as quickly or extensively as she did. I was grateful when a second human approached and drew her attention from me.
“Edie,” the newcomer said, “they’re starting.”
I found my stare shifting from the perky Edie to her companion. She was taller than the self-deemed “maid of honor,” though she was still notably shorter than me. Her eyes were dark, her wavy hair darker, and her figure was as curvaceous as an ocean s
well. A lilt in her voice suggested sweetness to my ears, but the rise of her chin hinted a measure of dignity in place of the innocence so prevalent amongst the sweetest-voiced. She was captivating.
“Shoot,” Edie expelled, grabbing her skirts to keep the hem from kissing the sand beneath us. She looked back at me, glancing briefly at Mother and Father, and advised, “We should sit.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “It was a pleasure meeting you. I am sure we will speak again.”
“Oh, yeah, there’s the whole reception afterward,” she said brightly. Then, she scurried to the first row of neatly-organized chairs, her friend following gracefully behind. I led Mother and Father to our own seats just in time for the first notes of music to flow across the open desert.
I still felt eyes on me, prodding the back of my head and searing into my temple, but there was one pair burning into me I relished. In my peripheral vision, I saw the pretty dark-haired human watching me from her seat beside Edie and, though the afternoon was relatively warm, I shivered.