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The Warrior Prince [Dragon Lords Book 4] [MultiFormat]
eBook by Michelle M. Pillow
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eBook Category: Erotica/Erotic Science Fiction/Science Fiction
eBook Description:  The four Qurilixian Princes have no problem with commitment. In one night, using the power they were born with, they will meet and choose their life mate in a simplistic ceremony involving the removing of masks and the crushing of crystals. With very few words spoken and the shortest, most bizarre courtship in history, they will bond to their women forever. And once bonded, these men don't let go.... The Survivor... Though no one could ever command her, this warrior would try to conquer her heart... Physically scarred in childhood in an act of betrayal, Pia has never been considered an attractive woman. One horrible mistake and she is on the run. Desperate to hide her identity, she makes a deal with Galaxy Brides--in exchange for a new face, she'll marry anyone they put in front of her. Never did she realize her future husband would be the most handsome warrior of the Draig. The Warrior... Though no man could thwart the brave Draig leader, a woman would be his undoing... Zoran of Draig is a man who knows what he wants. He has to. Being a Prince and the Captain of the Draig Guard, he has to make swift decisions, be ready to battle at a moment's notice, and most of all, he always has to be in control. When his wife, the one person who should obey him refuses to, Zoran discovers the battle for his heart's desire is fiercer than any he has ever waged before. Could the conqueror become the conquered?
eBook Publisher: New Concepts Publishing, Published: 2005
Fictionwise Release Date: June 2005
This eBook is part of the following series:
599 Reader Ratings:
Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: eReader (PDB) [269 KB]
, ePub (EPUB) [259 KB]
, Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [231 KB]
, Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [1.4 MB]
, Palm Doc (PDB) [260 KB]
, Microsoft Reader (LIT) [219 KB]
, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [264 KB]
, hiebook (KML) [638 KB]
, Sony Reader (LRF) [325 KB]
, iSilo (PDB) [213 KB]
, Mobipocket (PRC) [268 KB]
, Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [311 KB]
, OEBFF Format (IMP) [335 KB]
Words: 82263
Reading time: 235-329 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
ISBN: 1586085778
 
Chapter OnePia Korbin gasped, sputtering as she jerked back from the blood spraying across her scarred hands. The knife slipped from her fingers to land on top of the man bleeding to death beneath her. Gradually, her drunken mind sobered. His pants were around his ankles, the evidence of his intent lowering as the artery next to his groin bled out onto the snowy black ground. "You ... ugly ... bitch," the man growled at her, his throat gurgling in pain, his eyes glaring with hatred. Even as she stood above him, she smelled the foulness of his breath. He weakly reached his hand to his bleeding thigh, but then let it fall lifelessly to the side. Those words were the last he ever said. Pia took a deep breath, looking desperately around from behind the industrial dumpster to the end of the alleyway to make sure no one saw her. Swallowing nervously, she reached down to search the man's pockets, not bothering to check him for a pulse. She knew he was dead. Pulling out an ID card, she froze. It was as she feared. He was the mayor's son. Behind her, fire burst from the tops of industrial smokestacks. The city of smog, metal and stone was no place to trifle in. She coughed. Even the snow here was as black as death. Looking down, she knew she'd really done it this time. They wouldn't care that the man had attacked her, thinking to have a bit of morbid sport. On a planet like Rayvic, the mayor's son had every right to take whatever he wanted--including an unwilling woman. They ran their city like the medical mafia ran its mob. One look at her ugly face and they'd kill her--slow and painful like. Grabbing her knife, she wiped the bloody blade on the man's shirt, grabbed a wad of cash from his pockets, and buried the body beneath a pile of refuse. Taking a deep breath and one last look around, she took off down the alleyway. Daylight would be hitting the cold planet soon. Then all the goons in the city would be looking for her. She had to get out of there. Pia sprinted, taking the back streets she'd memorized like the back of her hand. She climbed down to an old, abandoned space dock nestled on the grey shores of the lapping black river. Going to a pile of rubble, she uncovered the personal transport that would take her off the desolate black planet of ice. * * * *Two weeks later... The doctors of Galaxy Brides Corporation eyed the patient before them. The pristine white of their walls matched the white of their jackets and even the white of one doctor's beard. As they searched, they couldn't see the woman's face beneath the heavy fold of her hooded cape, but they'd seen her hand--a wrinkly, scarred mess of variegated flesh. "Miss Korbin," one of the doctors said delicately. "I've brought a specialist to speak to you. Your blood tests have all come out fine. But we need to see your face to see if we're going to be able to correct it." Pia lifted her scarred hands. Her hazel eyes were hard as she pulled back the hood. Instantly, she saw the doctors flinch as they took in her face. She refused to show a reaction. It was the same every time--horror, fascination, repulsion, a rush of unasked questions. One eyelid drooped with a covering of flesh, pulling it down at the corner. The lashes and brow were long since melted away. Her right eye always watered and she dabbed it with a tissue. Part of her hair no longer grew, except in splotchy patches, which she kept cropped short like the rest of her locks. The burns continued down her skull to the left side of her face, burying an ear, over her neck and shoulder, down her arm, to cover over sixty percent of her body. The scars no longer hurt her when she moved and she'd gotten used to their tight feel. The doctor with the white beard cleared his throat. "Yes, well, Miss Korbin, you're in luck. The burns haven't affected the structural ... integrity of your face." "So you can fix it?" she asked with emotional detachment. "Yes," the woman doctor answered. Her eyes strayed to the side, trying not to stare at the patient. "But it will be an expensive procedure. With no Medical Alliance insurance..." "So long as you agree to sign a contact with Galaxy Brides, it will be covered completely," the bearded doctor said when the lady hesitated. "We have a shipment--forgive me, a load of eager young women just like you going to Qurilixen next week for their Breeding Festival. I can give you a brochure on the planet if you like. I'm told royalty might be there." "That won't be necessary." Pia had been over all of her options. The Rayvikians were looking for a scarred woman with her description. Soon every lowlife in the galaxy would be trying to collect the price on her head. No, a scarred woman was too easy to see and remember. It wasn't like she could just change her hair color and blend into oblivion. She had to change her face and, thanks to the Medical Alliance jacking up every medical service in the galaxy, this deal was the only way she could afford to do it. "I'll sign right now." "Wonderful," the doctor said, claiming the company commission for himself. The others looked at him, knowing they were in for a lot of work. "I'll order some uploads brought down for you so you can learn of the Qurilixen while we perform the surgeries. It might take your mind from the procedure." "Miss Korbin," the lady doctor said pensively. The bearded man walked to the intercom to call for the contracts. "We want you to understand that, due to the nature and advanced age of your scars, it will be a painful procedure. We won't be able to put you out all the way for the entire time." "It's fine." Her eyes shone forward. "Let's just do it." "Very good. I'll go set up. If we only have two weeks, we need to get started right away." The bearded doctor smiled. He pushed the intercom again. "Dr. Charles, ready room twelve, please." Pia nodded. She touched the scars she'd grown used to. There was a strange comfort to their familiar pattern. She was almost afraid of what she would look like underneath them. "We also need a waver from you so we can document the procedure," the woman doctor said, going to get an electronic clipboard from the wall. "No," Pia said, stopping her. "I evoke the right of privacy. I don't want anyone knowing I was here. And I don't want any pictures taken of me before, after, or during the procedure." "But, think of all the people who will be inspired by your story, Miss Korbin," she insisted. "Don't worry, Miss Korbin, if you don't want pictures there will be no pictures. Our lawyers will even put a privacy clause into your contract if you like. I'm the best in my field, so you have nothing to worry about." The bearded doctor gave the woman doctor a look of displeasure. The compensation for finding brides was great, as there was a shortage of willing women in the galaxy. He didn't want to scare the prospective bride off. "We'll have all your scars removed in no time. Soon it will all be a bad dream. You'll be very pleased, Miss Korbin, I promise." "All but the gash on my ribcage," Pia said calmly. This doctor knew nothing of bad dreams or the nightmares that could haunt a person even in wake. "Do what you can with the others, but that scar stays."
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