{"id":2353,"date":"2020-02-26T08:26:56","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T14:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/katerudolph.net\/?page_id=2353"},"modified":"2020-02-26T08:38:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T14:38:00","slug":"doryan-chapter-preview","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/katerudolph.net\/index.php\/doryan-chapter-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Doryan Chapter Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2324 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/katerudolph.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Doryan400-360x540.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"540\" \/>Title:<\/strong> Doryan<br \/>\n<strong>Contributors:<\/strong> Kate Rudolph &amp; Starr Huntress<br \/>\n<strong>Series:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/katerudolph.net\/index.php\/books\/series\/mated-to-the-alien\/\">Mated to the Alien #9<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Release Date:<\/strong> 3\/11\/20<br \/>\n<strong>Genre:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/katerudolph.net\/index.php\/books\/genre\/science-fiction-romance\/\">Science Fiction Romance<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy from Kate Rudolph<\/strong><br \/>\nUse coupon code <em>direct<\/em> to save 5% at checkout.<br \/>\n<button><a class=\"payhip-buy-button\" href=\"#!\" data-product=\"L2Wn\" data-theme=\"none\"><strong>Buy Now<\/strong><\/a><\/button><br \/>\nFind more books at <a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/katerudolphbooks\">Kate&#8217;s eBook Store.<\/a><br \/>\nCompatible with your <strong>Kindle, Kobo, Nook, or other ereader or phone<\/strong>, delivered by Bookfunnel for easy transfer to your device. If you have any issues, Bookfunnel support will be there to help.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the eBook:<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/doryanamz\">Amazon<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/doryanap\">Apple Books<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/doryan-kate-rudolph\/1135996256?ean=2940163058129\">Barnes &amp; Noble<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/en\/ebook\/doryan\">Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>She\u2019s investigating a murder\u2026 and the main suspect is her fated mate!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Amy is determined to land a private investigating job with the Detyen Legion\u2026 but she didn\u2019t think she\u2019d be solving a murder. All signs point to Doryan, a golden alien who\u2019s hiding a big secret, but Amy is convinced he didn\u2019t do it. Proving that could be deadly.<\/p>\n<p>Doryan has been hiding away from the Legion for months, certain that he\u2019ll be executed if they find him. He\u2019s one of the soulless: a warrior who sacrificed his ability to feel emotion in exchange for a longer life. And once the soulless outlive their use, the Legion must <em>retire<\/em> them. But when he\u2019s around Amy, long dead feelings rise to the surface. It should be impossible, but Amy is his denya, and he\u2019ll do anything to seize his second chance.<\/p>\n<p>But if they can\u2019t find the real killer, their bond will be broken before it ever gets a chance to form, and when bodies begin to pile up Doryan\u2019s life is not the only one in danger.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read <em>Doryan<\/em> for fated mates, a heart-meltingly broken hero, a smart and savvy heroine and adventures that are out of this world!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Doryan<\/em> is the ninth book in the Mated to the Alien series about a race of aliens doomed to die if they don\u2019t meet their fated mates. The series can be read in any order and there are no cliffhangers!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"su-accordion su-u-trim\">\n  <div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-default su-spoiler-icon-plus\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>Chapter One<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\n<h1>Chapter One<\/h1>\n<p>A dim streetlight filtered in through the window as Doryan opened the door to his current lodgings. After six months he should have been thinking of it as home, but there was too much wrapped up in that term for him to get his head around.<\/p>\n<p>Lodgings. Quarters. That he could handle. Anything more had long been out of the question.<\/p>\n<p>He shut the door as quietly as he could to avoid waking anyone up, then slipped his shoes off and stashed them in their place before padding silently across the open living room towards the stairs.<\/p>\n<p>He would have made it, too, if it weren\u2019t for the bag full of something heavy that he stumbled over. No matter how many years of training he had, he didn\u2019t suddenly have perfect night vision. He let out a grunt as pain climbed up from his naked toes and stabbed into the rest of his foot. Two deep breaths and it was gone, but the damage was done.<\/p>\n<p>A figure jumped up from where she\u2019d been sleeping on the couch, the whites of her eyes clear even in the dim light, her expression wild and body tense.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s me, Manda,\u201d Doryan said quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Her ragged breaths were as loud as blaster shots, but they calmed after a few moments. \u201cYou were out late. Again.\u201d It wasn\u2019t exactly an accusation, but it was more than an observation.<\/p>\n<p>And it was another reason Doryan should have changed lodgings months ago. Manda had needed them when they were stranded together, bound into slavery and desperate to survive. But even though they\u2019d been free and on Earth for months, she still clung.<\/p>\n<p>Another man might have offered her comfort. Might have become some sort of adopted older brother to the teenager who so clearly needed family. But Doryan didn\u2019t have the capacity. He\u2019d sacrificed it more than half a decade before to fight a war, only to be abandoned when he was no longer convenient.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was out late,\u201d he confirmed. \u201cYou should be asleep in your room.\u201d But it didn\u2019t take emotions to understand why she wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had another nightmare,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t surprising. After what you experienced, nightmares are common. Have you talked with someone about seeing a counselor?\u201d If she\u2019d been part of the Detyen Legion she wouldn\u2019t have had a choice, but she was a sixteen year old human. There was no superior officer to command it, not even a parent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re impossible to talk to,\u201d she said, but something soft laced her words. \u201cWhy were you out so late?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou should go to sleep,\u201d Doryan insisted. He didn\u2019t have an answer for her and she didn\u2019t need one anyway. And instead of staying to chat he continued on his way towards the stairs.<\/p>\n<p>Walking through the kitchen he saw Dekon sitting at the counter, drumming his fingers against the hard surface. Dekon NaZade was the twin brother of one of the people who had rescued him and Manda six months ago. Though they were identical in looks, Dekon was said to be the more cheerful of the two. That was the rumor, at least; Doryan had never seen the evidence. Then again, he was very bad at reading emotion.<\/p>\n<p>All soulless were.<\/p>\n<p>It was a blessing and a curse. Detyens like Doryan, and like Dekon, were doomed to die at the age of thirty if they didn\u2019t find their mates. Dekon had years yet before he\u2019d be forced to pay the Denya Price. Doryan\u2019s time had come and gone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t dismiss her concerns like that,\u201d Dekon told him. \u201cShe cares about you. We all do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doryan wasn\u2019t sure how to answer. Why did they care? He wasn\u2019t family. Sure he\u2019d helped them in a time of need, but it had been his only way to ensure he got out of a nasty situation. Any debt between them had been repaid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe needs to learn not to rely on me,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re no longer in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dekon\u2019s jaw tensed and he took a deep breath, but he didn\u2019t try and talk sense into Doryan. <em>Sense<\/em>. That was what they called it when they couldn\u2019t understand his points. But all he had was logic now.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs there any news of her family?\u201d he asked. The NaZades and their mates had been searching for information for six months, but Manda\u2019s parents had left Earth sometime after her abduction in an effort to search for her. No one knew where they were.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVita spoke to a friend who might have information. We should know more in a week or so.\u201d There was something Doryan couldn\u2019t identify in Deke\u2019s voice, but that wasn\u2019t unusual and he dismissed the thought almost immediately. \u201cOh,\u201d Deke stopped him before he could continue upstairs. \u201cCaptain NaPyrsee called again. He demanded that you return his call by the end of the day tomorrow or he\u2019ll have officers here to retrieve you by Friday morning. He sounds like an asshole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>He is.<\/em> It was on the tip of his tongue to make the reply, but Doryan snatched it back in time. Soulless didn\u2019t talk like that. And he could be wrong. NaPyrsee had his reasons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll call him in the morning,\u201d he said. It was long overdue. Doryan should have reported back to the Detyen Legion as soon as his wounds healed upon his arrival on Earth. Waiting a week or so for the bruises and stiffness from his brutal treatment to fade was one thing.<\/p>\n<p>Six months was desertion.<\/p>\n<p>But Doryan knew the most likely response to his return to the Legion. Retirement. Death. And though desires were anathema to his kind, he <em>wanted <\/em>to live. Something about the months of his detainment in space had changed him, had ripped open something that was supposed to be gone until nascent tendrils of the impossible seemed to be growing.<\/p>\n<p>He didn\u2019t feel. He couldn\u2019t. It was an even greater death sentence than he\u2019d face if he returned. And it could be a sign of deterioration, a deterioration that could harm the people who\u2019d taken him in and treated him like one of their own.<\/p>\n<p>It could harm Manda.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll call him in the morning,\u201d he repeated before retreating up the stairs.<\/p>\n<p>He didn\u2019t want to die, but perhaps it would be better for the world if he did.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>Amy Dalisay looked at the past due amount on the bill in her hands and then scowled at her accounting software. They\u2019d have enough to pay it\u2026 if the last two clients would pay their damn invoices! She tossed the bill on her desk and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling and letting her dark hair hang down.<\/p>\n<p>Damn clients wouldn\u2019t be so stingy about payments if she waved her blaster in their faces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t shoot our clients,\u201d said Kyla York, her best friend and business partner.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot even a little?\u201d Amy asked, already knowing the answer.<\/p>\n<p>Kyla just rolled her eyes. She sat at her own desk scrolling through news articles on her holo tablet and not paying any mind to Amy\u2019s fidgeting. She was used to it after so many years.<\/p>\n<p>Amy looked back at the accounting software and tried moving around a few numbers. If they put off paying the power company they might be able to eke out a little more time. She glanced up at the overhead light and let the feel of the air conditioning blow over her.<\/p>\n<p>No. That wouldn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n<p>Half a dozen years in business and now they were months away from folding. How had it come to this? Sure, PI work wasn\u2019t necessarily flashy. And, yeah, tracking cheating spouses and other liars didn\u2019t exactly bring in a ton of credits, but it had been <em>enough<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Until now.<\/p>\n<p>Two months away from closing their doors. Two invoices shy of bill payments. Not even Amy\u2019s meager savings would keep them afloat for long. She\u2019d used <em>that<\/em> up two years ago the last time things had gotten tight.<\/p>\n<p>If she couldn\u2019t use her blaster, maybe the damn clients would respond to her <em>fists<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t punch them either,\u201d Kyla muttered.<\/p>\n<p>Amy glared. They knew each other too well. That\u2019s what you got when you went into business with your best friend. \u201cBetween the two of them they owe us <em>thousands!<\/em> That\u2019s rent and bills and your damn paycheck. You sure I can\u2019t rough \u2018em up?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd they\u2019ll pay.\u201d Kyla swiped the holo display to the side so she was looking directly at Amy. \u201cEventually. They always pay\u2026 eventually. Remember who said we should consider firing them as clients?\u201d Her eyebrows drew up, making her eyes comically big.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd these two clients brought us our last six referrals,\u201d Amy countered, though she wasn\u2019t sure how <em>she<\/em> was now defending them. \u201cIf they don\u2019t pay within a week I\u2019m going down to their offices and giving them a piece of my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs long as it\u2019s your mind and not your fists, I don\u2019t care.\u201d Kyla turned back to her news reports and then hummed. \u201cNow <em>here\u2019s<\/em> what we should do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d Amy peered over at the holo but couldn\u2019t figure out what Kyla was looking at from across the room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHumans, on the whole, have been disappointing clients, wouldn\u2019t you agree?\u201d She grinned.<\/p>\n<p>Amy shrugged. \u201cAre you suggesting we work for cats?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kyla laughed. \u201cAliens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAliens?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAliens.\u201d She waved at the display until it expanded enough for Amy to read. <em>Detyen Legion Enters into Treaty with United Sol Forces.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Detyen Legion. Everyone knew about them now. It was hard to ignore when hundreds of aliens showed up on Earth out of nowhere and then helped defend it\u2026 from a threat they\u2019d brought with them. Or not. Reports varied as to whether or not the Detyens had caused the latest threat. Amy had spent an entire week worrying about it, but it had been more than a year, closer to two, since the Detyens arrived and she had bigger problems to deal with.<\/p>\n<p>Like her bills.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy do you think they\u2019d pay?\u201d she asked. The alien population on Earth was relatively small. The Detyen Legion had probably doubled it or more when they arrived. They now represented the largest alien presence on Earth, and even though most of them were based in D.C., same as Amy and Kyla, Amy had never met one.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy do you think they wouldn\u2019t?\u201d Kyla shot back.<\/p>\n<p>Amy just glared at her own screen. \u201cOkay, no reason to think they wouldn\u2019t <em>yet<\/em>. But how do you suggest we pitch ourselves? And what do they even need a pair of PIs for? Lots of cheating spouses in their ranks? Do they even care?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can handle more than cheating spouses.\u201d Kyla crossed her arms and glared. \u201cYou know I\u2019ve been wanting to expand for awhile. Broken relationship cases are making me doubt that love can last beyond the first bloom of lust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKy\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kyla just shook her head. \u201cWhatever. What do you say?\u201d She scrolled further. \u201cLook here.\u201d She flicked her wrist until a picture hovered over them of two Detyen men and two human women standing in front of a heavily wooded area that kind of looked like a summer camp. \u201cThis article says a new Detyen settlement is opening in upstate New York and they\u2019re inviting people to come check it out. Tickets are available for a weekend getaway. And it\u2019s cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs this somehow connected to the Legion?\u201d It was one thing to work for a large organization and quite another to work for two random guys.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUh\u2026\u201d Kyla\u2019s face scrunched up as she scanned the article. \u201cNot\u2026 exactly? But there\u2019s a chance they show up, right? And it couldn\u2019t hurt to get our foot in the door.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Could it? What really were the chances of anyone from the Detyen Legion being there? Amy couldn\u2019t know. Neither could Kyla. \u201cShoot me that article?\u201d she asked. Kyla nodded and a second later it appeared on Amy\u2019s tablet. She scanned through, looking for anything that would give her a hint of the plan\u2019s worthiness.<\/p>\n<p>Aha!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook at the last paragraph. An official from the Legion said they are fully on board with the settlement and officers will be attending the grand opening. This really might be a good idea.\u201d She looked up at Kyla, grinning.<\/p>\n<p>Kyla glared. \u201cI have them from time to time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amy stuck her tongue out. And then she got serious. \u201cBut this is next week and we can\u2019t both leave the office. What if we get walk ins? Can\u2019t exactly turn down any paying gigs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen only one of us goes. I\u2019d be happy to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo would I.\u201d A few days out of the city? Sounded like paradise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFlip for it?\u201d Kyla suggested.<\/p>\n<p>Amy nodded. Kyla got out a big coin and Amy reached into her own pocket, fingers tightening over a slim device. Kyla tossed the coin in the air and Amy pulled out her mini blaster. \u201cHeads,\u201d she yelled as she shot.<\/p>\n<p>Kyla cursed at her and rushed the smoking coin. Both sides had been obliterated. \u201cI win!\u201d Amy smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Kyla rolled her eyes. \u201cThat\u2019s cheating. You suck.\u201d But they both knew Amy was going. Kyla could cheat next time. \u201cI\u2019ll make you a reservation,\u201d Kyla muttered.<\/div><\/div>\n  <div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-default su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>Chapter Two<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\n<h1>Chapter Two<\/h1>\n<p>Doryan put the comm call off until after breakfast. That much stalling was easy enough. Captain NaPyrsee wouldn\u2019t want to be woken by Doryan\u2019s call, after all. But once all the dishes were washed and put away Doryan couldn\u2019t come up with any more excuses.<\/p>\n<p>He made the call in the privacy of his room, not sure what he\u2019d be ordered to do, but certain that his companions didn\u2019t need to hear it. In a matter of minutes he was answered by the captain\u2019s assistant and patched through to his direct line.<\/p>\n<p>NaPyrsee\u2019s age would have surprised people in the human military, but the Denya Price had a way of accelerating things. The captain was a year or two shy of thirty, but the stress of his job had aged him so he looked closer to Doryan\u2019s age, with lines around his eyes and a permanent scowl.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNaVayn,\u201d NaPyrsee greeted, sneering out the word. \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to contact you for weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doryan didn\u2019t respond, and since he hadn\u2019t asked a question NaPyrsee wouldn\u2019t expect him to.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour absence has been noted in your file and you will be evaluated upon your return. I require your presence at the new Detyen settlement. I will forward details of your assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Detyen settlement? He\u2019d seen a report about the place but hadn\u2019t thought much of it. But why would the captain want him to meet <em>there<\/em>? It was hundreds of kilometers from the Detyen Legion offices and there wouldn\u2019t be many, or possibly <em>any, <\/em>officers there. No one would be qualified to evaluate him. And if NaPyrsee wanted to <em>retire <\/em>him quietly, there were better options.<\/p>\n<p>But the soulless didn\u2019t ask questions. They weren\u2019t supposed to do much independent thinking. It was better for everyone that way, or at least that was what the Detyen Legion taught. In the past few months Doryan had gotten used to asking questions. But falling back on old habits was simple enough. And he could not disobey a direct order.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will be there, sir,\u201d he confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSee that you are.\u201d NaPyrsee disconnected the call without another word, leaving Doryan to wonder if something strange was going on or if he was merely incapable of understanding the emotional undercurrents of the command. Maybe he would ask Deke.<\/p>\n<p>He didn\u2019t immediately report his imminent departure to the NaZades. They would be disappointed, he was certain, and by delaying he could, perhaps, spare them some of that pain. It was another sign that his condition might be deteriorating. He shouldn\u2019t be capable of concern, and yet here he was.<\/p>\n<p>When dinner rolled around, Doryan had decided to tell the family. But before he could open his mouth, Deke jumped in to talk, practically vibrating out of his seat. Deke, Manda, Doryan, Shayn, Naomi, Vita, and Brax were all huddled around the dining room table and eating pizza, a dish that had become a family favorite after Manda had requested it one night. They didn\u2019t gather for dinner every night, and even when they did Doryan often made himself scarce, but this could be his last night with them and he would not miss it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re ready for launch!\u201d Deke finally announced, grinning broadly.<\/p>\n<p>Manda was mirroring his enthusiasm while everyone else just looked at him questioningly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d Braxtyn, his twin brother, finally asked around a mouthful of cheese. His denya, Vita, elbowed him, and Doryan thought he heard a muttered <em>manners<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe settlement!\u201d Deke declared. \u201cAnnouncements have gone out and tickets are on sale. It\u2019s taken them years to get it ready, but now we are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Detyen settlement. For some reason Doryan had forgotten that Dekon had been working on the very same place he was due to report to in a few days. Since Doryan and Manda had arrived, Dekon had spent several weeks in New York working on getting the settlement set up, and then he\u2019d spent even more time traveling to spend news of the place. He\u2019d thrown his heart into it, or so Brax said, and from the dawning smiles around the room, his family was happy to see it succeed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re having a preview for a few days before the grand opening next week and you\u2019re all on the guest list. Can you make it?\u201d He looked at his older brother with big eyes. Even Doryan could read the hopeful emotions he was exuding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course,\u201d said Shayn. \u201cWe\u2019d be happy to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been ordered to report to the settlement,\u201d Doryan interrupted. He didn\u2019t know what possessed him to do it, but it seemed like the right moment. They were talking about it, at least. \u201cCaptain NaPyrsee wants to speak with me. I\u2019ll most likely return to the Legion once we\u2019ve met.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOr you\u2019ll be retired,\u201d Vita muttered.<\/p>\n<p>Manda sucked in a breath and looked at him like he\u2019d betrayed her. Doryan didn\u2019t know what to say. It was true. Death was a likely outcome from the upcoming meeting. Soulless Detyens didn\u2019t have long lifespans, and his was already longer than most. He\u2019d once told everyone just what his future might entail, and no one had been happy about it.<\/p>\n<p>But there was nothing he could do about that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is a possibility,\u201d he agreed, \u201cbut I\u2019ll be evaluated before the Legion makes any decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manda pushed up from the table and Deke called after her to stop, but she didn\u2019t listen. No one seemed to know what to do next, so Doryan quietly finished his food before excusing himself. He found Manda sitting in her room, the door cracked open a slice as if she knew he\u2019d find her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re going to die,\u201d she said when he stepped in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything dies,\u201d he replied. What was he supposed to say?<\/p>\n<p>Manda pulled in a deep, shuddering breath and her eyes shined with unshed tears. \u201cHow can you just <em>say <\/em>that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doryan lowered himself onto the little stool beside the door. This wasn\u2019t a conversation to be had standing up. \u201cI\u2019m different than Shayn and Brax and Deke.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDuh.\u201d The eye roll must have hurt.<\/p>\n<p>Whether Manda wanted to hear this or not, Doryan had to get it out. He was determined to make her understand. \u201cI made a choice a long time ago, one that extended my life long beyond what I should have been allowed. And now I might be at the end of my time. If that is the case, you need to prepare yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe end of your time?\u201d Manda narrowed her eyes. \u201cYou\u2019re old, but you\u2019re not <em>old<\/em> old.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you have a minute, ask about the denya price.\u201d He didn\u2019t have the capacity to explain it to her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou <em>are<\/em> coming back,\u201d Manda said, like her determination could make it so. \u201cWe are going to find my parents and then you\u2019re going to meet them and keep being the weirdo who keeps me safe, got it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His heart would have clenched if it could have, and Doryan didn\u2019t know how to respond. So he just nodded and sat silently while Manda told him about the future he couldn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>Her impression that the Detyen settlement was a summer camp continued when Amy stepped out of her rented vehicle and onto the gravel of the parking lot. There were wooden cabins smattered along the tree line and the whole placed smelled <em>green<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>It was nice.<\/p>\n<p>A change of pace. But she was going to be screaming to get back to the city if she was stuck here for too long. She\u2019d never been a country girl.<\/p>\n<p>A door slammed and a man\u2019s voice carried across the handful of spaces separating them. \u201cLet\u2019s get this over with so we can go home. I don\u2019t see why we need to spend the weekend here. I was supposed to be hosting that barbecue.\u201d He seemed to be around Amy\u2019s age with sun-kissed skin and hair starting to go gray at the temples. Human. And another city dweller, given his suit and his aversion to the camp.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter, you\u2019re more than welcome to leave after the photo-op, but <em>I\u2019m<\/em> going to enjoy my weekend.\u201d The woman was a little younger, with long blonde hair falling down in waves and a perfectly made up face.<\/p>\n<p>Politicians. Living in D.C. she could smell them from a mile away.<\/p>\n<p>And when Peter spotted her all of the frustration melted from his face, replaced by a calculated smile. \u201cGood afternoon, lovely day,\u201d he said, projecting happiness.<\/p>\n<p>Not just a politician, a <em>campaigning<\/em> politician.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat it is,\u201d Amy agreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter Marino,\u201d he offered, \u201cand my wife, Linda.\u201d He nodded towards the blonde, who was now all smiles as well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmy,\u201d she offered. She pointed up the path. \u201cI\u2019m meeting someone. Hope you have a good weekend.\u201d She hurried away from her car, forgetting to even grab her overnight bag. Oh well, she\u2019d get it when there wasn\u2019t a risk of being pulled into a conversation about road repairs or whatever Peter might pitch as why he needed her vote.<\/p>\n<p>She didn\u2019t actually have a meeting, but Peter and Linda didn\u2019t know that, and she <em>did<\/em> need to get a feel for the place. She sucked in deep breaths of fresh air until she was practically drunk on it. She never noticed how polluted the city was until she was outside of it. Not that it was bad, but here it was just <em>clean<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Something squelched under her foot and she could feel mud soaking through the cloth of her shoes.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ew.<\/em> Okay, not clean. Just a different kind of dirty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you okay?\u201d a man with greenish-blue skin and dark marks peeking out of his black shirt asked. Some of the skin of his neck was discolored and scars climbed up his face. One of the Detyens she\u2019d heard so much about. \u201cWe had a bit of rain last week and there\u2019s plenty of mud to go around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amy eased her foot out of the mud and was happy that she didn\u2019t leave the shoe behind. \u201cNothing a towel won\u2019t fix.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pulled one seemingly from nowhere and offered it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThanks.\u201d Amy wiped off as best she could and then looked at the mess of the towel and back to the Detyen. \u201cUm\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d he responded and grabbed the dirty cloth. \u201cI\u2019m Reikal. Welcome to the settlement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmy. I was expecting to see more people.\u201d It was beautiful outside, even with the mud, but she didn\u2019t see anyone.<\/p>\n<p>Reikal shrugged and looked around. \u201cWe\u2019ve had workers in and out for the last few weeks trying to get this place ready. I expect by next week we\u2019ll have plenty of visitors. And already I know a few of the homesteads are spoken for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy Detyens?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded. \u201cI think there might be one or two with human denyai.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDenyai?\u201d She\u2019d never heard that word before and her subdermal translator didn\u2019t seem to know it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFated mates,\u201d he corrected. \u201cSorry, what brings you here?\u201d He didn\u2019t seem standoffish, but perhaps Amy was a bit of an oddity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCuriosity,\u201d she admitted. She kept the desire for clients to herself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPenny can answer a lot of your questions. She\u2019s up in the central lodge sorting out some details.\u201d He pointed to a large building at the head of the path. \u201cShould be unlocked, you can\u2019t miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amy thanked him and took off for the lodge. When she got there she expected a Detyen, so she was surprised to find a smiling human who looked right at home. \u201cWelcome! I\u2019m Penny. Can I get you checked in? Nicole\u2019s supposed to be minding the desk but she\u2019s disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A statement like that might have disturbed Amy, but judging by Penny\u2019s attitude, Nicole had a habit of not minding the desk.<\/p>\n<p>Amy gave her the reservation info and Penny pulled it up before handing over a key. \u201cYour cabin is just off the east path. It\u2019s great, I kind of wanted us to take that one for ourselves, but we\u2019ve got the house, so you\u2019re in luck.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUs?\u201d Amy asked.<\/p>\n<p>Penny shook her head. \u201cSorry, my mind is all over the place today. My mate and I. And my sisters. This is our place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mate. Okay, that made sense. Though the idea of a mate was strange and did something weird to Amy\u2019s stomach if she thought about it too long. But it would be kind of nice to have a perfect match, handpicked by fate.<\/p>\n<p>Before Amy and Penny could talk anymore boots tromped against the wood outside and the door flew open. Two Detyen men in uniforms walked in. Both stood straight as statues and one of them scowled hard enough that Amy was concerned his face would freeze that way. He gave her a once over before dismissing her and turning to Penny.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have a reservation under NaPyrsee. Captain. Of the Detyen Legion. This is my lieutenant, NaMasee.\u201d He added the identifiers as if they would gain him perks.<\/p>\n<p><em>This<\/em> was who Amy was supposed to try and work for? He had at least one, if not a dozen, sticks up his ass and she got the idea he wasn\u2019t too keen on humans. Not to mention the fact that he was a bit young to be a captain. She had to have nearly a decade on him. Then again, maybe Detyens aged differently than humans.<\/p>\n<p>Well, nothing ventured. Amy sucked in a breath to speak but the man next to the captain stepped up and blocked her path.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were told Krayter NaMoren was in charge,\u201d said NaPyrsee. His eyes flicked up and down, taking in Penny as if she might magically transform into the Detyen he expected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKrayter is my mate, we run this place together. His brother, Kayleb, is also involved along with his denya, Tessa.\u201d There was no emotion in Penny\u2019s tone, and Amy wished her luck. She\u2019d try her hand with getting Detyen attention later.<\/p>\n<p>Amy left the lodge. Now would be a good time to retrieve her bag and check out her room. She\u2019d just made it back to her vehicle when a large van pulled in and parked on the other side of the lot. Four Detyen men, two human women, and a teenage girl all piled out. Three of the Detyens were teal, though lighter in color than Reikal, but it was the fourth that caught her eye. Burnished gold and practically glowing in the sun, with dark hair that looked soft even from all the way across the lot.<\/p>\n<p>Her mouth watered and she wanted to close the distance between them and introduce herself. Hell, she wanted to climb him like a tree.<\/p>\n<p>She closed her eyes and shook her head. What the hell? All that talk of mates and human\/Detyen pairings had clearly gone to her head. She\u2019d never been an alien groupie, but looking at the gold one she could see the appeal.<\/p>\n<p>He looked across the way and their gazes locked. Amy was frozen in place. Would he walk over to her? Should she go to him? Was his skin as warm as it looked? Could she kiss him without introducing herself? Then he looked away and the spell was broken.<\/p>\n<p>Damn.<\/p>\n<p>Did Detyens have some sort of super power that made humans go all lusty? Her skin tingled and she pressed her legs together, just imaging what it might feel like to be touched by that guy.<\/p>\n<p>Okay, she was going crazy.<\/p>\n<p>She tugged her bag out of the trunk and spared a look over at the gold guy one last time, but he and his group were already making their way up the central path and he didn\u2019t look back.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/div><\/div>\n  <div class=\"su-spoiler su-spoiler-style-default su-spoiler-icon-plus su-spoiler-closed\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\" data-anchor-in-url=\"no\"><div class=\"su-spoiler-title\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"su-spoiler-icon\"><\/span>Chapter Three<\/div><div class=\"su-spoiler-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">\n<h1>Chapter Three<\/h1>\n<p>Doryan looked for Captain NaPyrsee when he and the NaZades arrived at the settlement. Instead he found Lieutenant NaMasee, who informed him that the captain was busy. Doryan didn\u2019t ask anything else and the Lieutenant didn\u2019t give him any orders.<\/p>\n<p>He joined the NaZades and Manda in the cabin they\u2019d been assigned and saw that his things had been placed in one of the rooms. Deke somehow snuck in and flopped down on the bed. \u201cAll done with the captain?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was busy.\u201d Doryan opened his bag and began transferring his clothes to the small closet. He didn\u2019t know how long he\u2019d be staying, but that was no reason to let things get wrinkled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen come join us for lunch,\u201d Deke insisted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI shouldn\u2019t.\u201d He should have never let the NaZades get so close to him in the first place, but now that he was most likely hours away from rejoining the Legion or retirement he needed to pull away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t make me send Vita after you, I\u2019m pretty sure she has a collection of handcuffs and I do <em>not<\/em> want to consider their other purposes.\u201d He shuddered.<\/p>\n<p>Vita had once been a bounty hunter, but she\u2019d spent the last several months on Earth with her newly discovered mate. Doryan didn\u2019t know if she and Brax had plans to return to the stars, it wasn\u2019t his place to ask. But having seen Vita in action he didn\u2019t doubt her prowess.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLead the way,\u201d he said. There was no use fighting when Deke got an idea in his head. And soulless didn\u2019t fight\u2026 not outside of battle.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch, it turned out, was not a simple family affair. Instead, the seven of them made their way to one of the larger cabins which was set up to serve a variety of food. It wasn\u2019t crowded, despite the prime hour, and Doryan made note of his surroundings: two humans sitting together at a table near the corner, a mixed group of aliens and humans with two girls as young as Manda in the center of the room, a handful of Detyens sitting close enough to talk but eating silently, and another table full of humans looking at the Detyens like they might start something.<\/p>\n<p>No immediate threats, and the captain and lieutenant were nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n<p>Food was laid out along a table and they helped themselves. Doryan chose what looked to be the most nutritious with the least amount of flavor. The soulless were discouraged from eating flavorful food lest it trigger latent and dangerous emotions. He could go through the entire of handbook of rules that governed soulless existence: no flavorful food, no strong textures, avoid sexual stimulus, it was all there and all intended to make it so that the soulless didn\u2019t fall into dangerous habits that led to fixation.<\/p>\n<p>Fixation got people killed.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t a secret, not among the Legion. It was the unfortunate destiny that ended most of the soulless. They\u2019d find something and it would latch onto their brains, and before they knew it they were violently clinging to whatever it was at the cost of all others. Innocent people died with the soulless fixated. Doryan would do whatever it took to make sure it didn\u2019t happen to him.<\/p>\n<p>Voices rose from one quarter, a human man and woman fighting. The blonde woman scooped up her plate and stormed out, leaving the man behind. The scarred Detyen he\u2019d noted earlier walked out of the room a moment later; he wasn\u2019t sure if he was following the woman or not.<\/p>\n<p>Lieutenant NaMasee had a sour expression on his face when he walked up to Doryan\u2019s table and noted who he was sitting with.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNaVayn,\u201d Lieutenant NaMasee greeted, \u201cCaptain NaPyrsee requires your presence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He knew he wouldn\u2019t be able to escape for long. Doryan stood and nodded to the NaZades. He didn\u2019t say goodbye, even if this might be the last time any of them saw him.<\/p>\n<p>NaMasee led him out of the dining hall and down the path to another cabin. He opened the door but didn\u2019t follow Doryan inside. NaPyrsee\u2019s cabin was small, with a dining area off the kitchen that had been turned into an office and two closed doors, one, Doryan assumed, leading to a bedroom and another to a bathroom.<\/p>\n<p>Doryan heard something squeak, like a door sliding open, but he didn\u2019t know if the sound came from outside or the other room.<\/p>\n<p>NaPyrsee stood and looked him over, keeping a healthy distance between them. The captain had never been comfortable around the soulless and he didn\u2019t try and hide it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoryan NaVayn, you survived. That\u2019s surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of anyone in the Detyen Legion, NaPyrsee knew Doryan\u2019s circumstances best, but Doryan didn\u2019t respond. There was nothing for him to say.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve been away from your duties for over a year. I could have you automatically retired for that, but I\u2019ve decided that you should be subject to evaluation before such a decision is made.\u201d He paused, as if he expected Doryan to respond.<\/p>\n<p>Doryan remained silent. If he was going to ask anything, it would be why had the captain summoned him so far away from the Legion to have such a mundane discussion. But the soulless didn\u2019t ask such questions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeet me back here at midnight for your evaluation,\u201d NaPyrsee continued. \u201cThen we will see if you are fit to be reintegrated into the Legion. If not, you will be retired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, sir.\u201d If he\u2019d still had emotions, Doryan would have described the deep pit inside of him as dread, but he\u2019d given all that up a long time ago.<\/p>\n<p>Would he pass evaluation? He didn\u2019t know. He\u2019d undergone it before, it was routine for soldiers like him, but there was no telling what evaluators were looking for at any moment.<\/p>\n<p>When NaPyrsee dismissed him, he stepped out, careful to avoid the mud around NaPyrsee\u2019s cabin, distantly noting that someone else hadn\u2019t been so lucky and there were footsteps dragging through the muck.<\/p>\n<p>On the path to his cabin he was alone and almost relieved. Almost, because relief was another thing he couldn\u2019t feel. And one day he might admit that feeling nothing was exhausting.<\/p>\n<p>The not-relief didn\u2019t last for long. Neither did the solitude. Doryan nearly plowed into a woman heading towards another one of the cabins, but they both stopped just in time to avoid a collision. He\u2019d seen her before, right when they arrived, and something about her had embedded in his memory. She\u2019d pulled her long, dark hair back behind her but a strand had fallen out over her face. Her brown eyes narrowed as she took him in and her light brown skin had the strangest flush to it.<\/p>\n<p>Had she been running?<\/p>\n<p>It was none of his business.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s <em>you<\/em>.\u201d She breathed it out and then shook herself, the pink on her cheeks getting darker.<\/p>\n<p>Doryan was frozen in the spot. Who was this woman? Why did his body want to step closer to her? Why did his hands ache to touch her? His stomach flipped and heat flashed through him. And the feeling traveled lower, bringing an impossible twitch to his groin.<\/p>\n<p>He couldn\u2019t be feeling anything. Not when he had an evaluation at midnight, not when a fixation could bring disaster.<\/p>\n<p>But this <em>woman<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re one of the Detyens,\u201d she stated and then her lips curled up into a false smile. \u201cThat was inane. Of course you are. This is a Detyen settlement. Apparently my brain is misfiring.\u201d Her smile turned into something real. \u201cI\u2019m Amy Dalisay. This is a wonderful place. Are you one of the settlers?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d It was more greenery than Doryan could ever remember seeing. He\u2019d grown up in the Detyen Legion and at the time they\u2019d lived on a frozen moon where the seasons never changed. He wondered if he would have liked a place like this settlement when he was younger.<\/p>\n<p>And then he banished the thought. It wasn\u2019t for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot much of a talker, are you?\u201d Amy asked. She was still smiling and leaned in towards him just a hair, as if she, too, couldn\u2019t make herself walk away.<\/p>\n<p>No, he had to be reading that wrong. The soulless were terrible at reading emotions and intentions, it was why they were so dependent on orders. Whatever reason she was here had nothing to do with him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you part of the Detyen Legion?\u201d she pressed on. \u201cI saw you talking with the lieutenant earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How to answer that? \u201cI was raised in the Legion,\u201d he said after a moment. \u201cBut we\u2019ve been separated for some time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInteresting. You seem a bit older than the rest of them. That\u2019s not rude, is it? I was shocked when I met the captain. Then again, you\u2019re aliens, right. And, yeah, now I hear what I\u2019m saying, this is <em>definitely<\/em> rude.\u201d She snapped her lips shut. \u201cSorry, I don\u2019t know why I can\u2019t stop talking.<\/p>\n<p>Explaining the denya price might shut her up, but Doryan saw no reason to. \u201cDifferent cultures,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d Amy asked. Though her cheeks were red from what even Doryan could tell was embarrassment, she wasn\u2019t walking away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoryan NaVayn.\u201d He needed to move on. The riling in his stomach was getting worse and he didn\u2019t know if he was about to vomit or explode. He\u2019d never felt anything like this in his life, and certainly not in his years as a soulless warrior. What was going on?<\/p>\n<p>And why couldn\u2019t he make himself move?<\/p>\n<p>Discipline drove the soulless, it was all they had left. And yet he couldn\u2019t <em>make<\/em> himself do anything but stay and talk to Amy. It was like there was some greater need overriding what he knew was best.<\/p>\n<p>He forced himself to move, but somehow ended up even closer to her and their hands brushed.<\/p>\n<p>Fire raced up Doryan\u2019s arm, scorching a path from his fingertips to his heart and circulating through his blood. He gasped and stumbled, clutching his chest and locking his legs to keep from falling over. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his vision went fuzzy around the edges for a moment.<\/p>\n<p>Then he yanked his hand back and everything cleared.<\/p>\n<p>Amy was right in front of him, close but not touching. \u201cAre you alright? Do you need me to find a doctor? I think I heard there\u2019s one on staff here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Doryan looked at her, and though the memory of the pain was enough to make part of him flinch, the sight of her worry just made his stomach clench again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d he lied. \u201cNo need to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shock rocked through him. The soulless didn\u2019t lie. It was forbidden from the very beginning of their training. And yet the placating words had sprung from him, not to protect himself, but to soothe the worry he saw in Amy\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Who was she?<\/p>\n<p>Was this fixation?<\/p>\n<p>Maybe he understood why it took his brethren so suddenly and completely. But he could <em>never<\/em> hurt her. This had to be something else.<\/p>\n<p>Unless he was lying to himself.<\/p>\n<p>Doryan rocked back and then took two big steps, putting as much space between them as he could. \u201cI need to go,\u201d he said. And then, before she could do anything but look at him strangely, he was off, rushing back to his cabin.<\/p>\n<p>When he got there he was alone, and as his stomach settled and the last remnants of pain faded he knew he should avoid Amy for as long as they were both still at the settlement.<\/p>\n<p>He <em>should<\/em>. But there was no way in any galaxy that was going to happen. Something in her called to him, and he feared he couldn\u2019t resist.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Want to keep reading today? Become a Patron to read chapters before they are posted. You can also get access to early copies of the book!<\/p>\n<p><button><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/posts\/doryan-chapter-33767108\">Check out Patreon<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy from Kate Rudolph<\/strong><br \/>\nUse coupon code <em>direct<\/em> to save 5% at checkout.<br \/>\n<button><a class=\"payhip-buy-button\" href=\"#!\" data-product=\"L2Wn\" data-theme=\"none\"><strong>Buy Now<\/strong><\/a><\/button><br \/>\nFind more books at <a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/katerudolphbooks\">Kate&#8217;s eBook Store.<\/a><br \/>\nCompatible with your <strong>Kindle, Kobo, Nook, or other ereader or phone<\/strong>, delivered by Bookfunnel for easy transfer to your device. If you have any issues, Bookfunnel support will be there to help.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy the eBook:<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/doryanamz\">Amazon<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/doryanap\">Apple Books<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/doryan-kate-rudolph\/1135996256?ean=2940163058129\">Barnes &amp; Noble<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/en\/ebook\/doryan\">Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Title: Doryan Contributors: Kate Rudolph &amp; Starr Huntress Series: Mated to the Alien #9 Release Date: 3\/11\/20 Genre: Science Fiction Romance Buy from Kate Rudolph Use coupon code direct to save 5% at checkout. Buy Now Find more books at Kate&#8217;s eBook Store. 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