Marcun (Sky Warriors Book 1) Read online

  Marcun

  Sadie Carter

  Contents

  Books by Sadie Carter

  Let’s keep in touch!

  Prologue

  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

  Epilogue

  A note from Sadie

  Sadie Carter

  Marcun

  © 2018, Sadie Carter

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

  Cover Design: Dark City Designs

  Editor: Christie Giraud: EbookEditingPro

  Created with Vellum

  Books by Sadie Carter

  Zerconian Warriors Series

  Alien Warrior

  Alien Lover

  Alien Mate

  Sweet Alien Savage

  Alien Savior

  Alien Morsels

  Alien Mine

  All I Want for Christmas is my Alien

  Alien Sacrifice

  An Alien to Die For

  Alien Commander

  A Christmas Most Alien

  Alien Explosions

  Alien Retribution

  Alien Protector (coming 2018)

  Sky Warriors

  Marcun

  Sacaren (coming 2018)

  Joyadan Mates

  Rye

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  Prologue

  “Where is the jewel?” Marcun slammed the human male up against the side of the building, placing his arm across his chest.

  The human cried out in fear, his legs dangling in the air, his hands clawing uselessly at Marcun’s hold on him. Marcun raised one eyebrow, easily holding the male. The human was soft. He had a pouchy tummy, smooth hands, and no fighting skills.

  “Let me go! Now!” the human cried out, grunting with exertion as he tried to free himself.

  Marcun gave him a disgusted look. “It really is pitiful how weak he is. Small children have more strength than this one.”

  “Do you believe all human males are this pathetic?” Sacaren asked. His pack mate studied the male with a look of revulsion and fascination. “How do they survive? How do they hunt? Protect their mates?”

  “We don’t have to hunt, you idiots. I come from a civilized race. We are not barbaric idiots with more muscle than brains,” the human spat out.

  “I do believe he’s trying to insult us,” Ioin, their leader, said with amusement. “He seems to think he is intellectually superior to us.”

  “Is that so?” Marcun stated, lowering his voice.

  The male’s eyes widened as Marcun moved his arm up, pressing it down across the male’s neck. Yes, that is right, I am not using all of my strength. I could snap you in two and not even exert myself. The male’s face went red then purple.

  “Easy, Marcun,” Ioin stated in a quiet voice. “We still need him.”

  Marcun snarled. “I do not like thieves.” But he eased up, letting the weak male take a deeper breath. “And I do not like humans.”

  “You don’t like anyone,” Brogan commented.

  “I am not certain he even likes us,” Sacaren added.

  The four of them had gathered behind Marcun in the dark alley. Their other pack mates, Nax and Tecan, were keeping watch at either end of the alley. This was not a safe area of Locain. Well, most of this planet wasn’t safe. It was filled with thieves and murderers who would kill their own mothers for a few credits. A fitting place for this thieving male to hide.

  “There is no honor in stealing. Especially from someone who trusted you.”

  The human sneered. He did not seem to realize the peril he was in. “Like all of you have the right to be all high and mighty. You’re mercs. You get to paid to bully and hurt people. You think you’re judge, jury, and executioner. You have no right to hold me like this. You have no proof I even stole the jewel from Lighton.”

  “I am starting to rethink our plan to take a human mate,” Nax commented. “Humans speak too much.”

  “The human females are much more attractive, though,” Sacaren added. “And when you are fucking one, you will not care how much she talks.”

  “Especially if she is screaming your name,” Ioin added.

  “Nax, Nax, Nax,” Brogan said in a high-pitched voice.

  Marcun cracked a smile. People tended to dismiss Brogan because he was quiet and unassuming. But around their pack he opened up, and he had a wicked sense of humor. He was also devious. Their pack mates had all learned not to get on the wrong side of him. He didn’t react immediately, but he always got his revenge.

  Marcun was not sneaky like Brogan. No, insult him or wrong him and he’d just punch you in the face, break your nose and warn you not to do it again.

  Simple. Clean. Done.

  “Perhaps all humans are as dishonest and cowardly as this one,” he said. He was not certain he liked the idea of a human mate. While human females were compatible as mates, their races were nothing alike. Marcun and his pack lived dangerous lives. They traveled constantly, moving from job to job. Their ship was their home. While he agreed that the time had probably come to take a mate, they needed a female who could look after herself, who would not complain, who would know her place.

  Which was to keep them all satisfied. To be there when they needed her. To keep their beds warm at night.

  His pack mates had become enamored of the human female, Saffron, after meeting her when he crash-landed on Zerconia. Unfortunately, she had been mated already to a large Zerconian warrior. They had decided that taking on a bunch of angry Zerconian warriors probably wasn’t wise just for one female. Especially when there was a whole planet filled with potential mates.

  They just needed to go to Earth to find themselves a mate. At least that’s what his pack mates thought they should do.

  He did not.

  Marcun hadn’t spoken of his reservations to the others. What if all humans were like this sniveling individual? Without honor, respect, strength.

  No, he was not certain a human mate was right for his pack, but he had to respect his pack mates’ wishes. They longed for a mate for the pack. A female they would all share. It was the way all Sky Warrior packs worked.

  One female. Six males.

  He wondered how a human female would feel about that.

  “Do your kind ever mate with more than one person?” Marcun asked.

  The human male frowned. “You chased me down, attacked me, to ask me if I’ve had sex with more than one person? What kind of sick freaks are you guys? And for the record, I’m not into men.”

  Not into men? Marcun stared at him in confusion. What was he talking about?

  Sacaren snorted. “He believes you wish to mate with him.”

  “Him?” Marcun looked at the male in disgust. “If I did not have to hold him so he did not run like a roden
t, I would not touch him. Not even if I was as ugly as a mortin, as blind as an otker, and as smelly as an ulgy beast’s breath.”

  “That is no, in case you did not understand,” Ioin explained to the human.

  “Let us get on with this,” Marcun said impatiently. “I have no wish to be in his presence for longer than necessary. Where is the jewel you stole?”

  “I stole nothing!”

  Marcun rolled his eyes. “Stop lying. We know you did.” He let the male drop. He fell to the ground in an undignified heap. So weak. Reaching down, Marcun grasped hold of his shoulders and dragged him up once more, pulling him into the air so they were face to face.

  “Where. Is. The. Jewel.” He emphasized each word by shaking the male.

  “Like I’d just tell you. Do you think me stupid?”

  “Yes,” Sacaren said, “we do. You stole a sacred jewel from a very powerful man. Did you really think that Lighton was going to let you get away with stealing from him? Where is it?”

  “He has hundreds of treasures and jewels, I didn’t think he would miss one,” the human complained. “It was just payment for putting up with demands. He worked me like a dog. I deserved that jewel.”

  Marcun dropped him again. He couldn’t bear to touch the male any longer. He detested people who thought they were owed something, who thought that justified them taking something that did not belong to them.

  “Where is the jewel, human?” Ioin asked. “And I suggest you answer quickly. Marcun is losing patience.”

  “You do not wish to see him lose control,” Sacaren added.

  “The last time he lost control we were still picking pieces of guts and gore from our hair days later,” Ioin exaggerated.

  “You really expect me to believe that?”

  Marcun turned to look menacingly down at the human. He let out a low growl and the human whimpered. Grabbing the metal lid of the trash container next to them, he snapped it off its hinges then slammed it down on the outside rim of the container, causing it to bend in the middle.

  The human let out a cry, raising his hands over his head. Marcun took a step towards him and the male scuttled back.

  “All right, all right. I’ll tell you. Just keep him away from me. Keep him away!”

  “Sacaren, keep Marcun back. He’s about to completely lose control.” Marcun could tell that Ioin was working hard to keep from laughing.

  They all knew Marcun wasn’t even close to losing control. Well, all except the human who stared up at him with wide, frightened eyes. Marcun no longer held regrets about scaring people to get what he needed. The people he intimidated were nearly always guilty of some crime.

  It would be easier just to beat on him, but Ioin preferred they try other methods first. Marcun worried that their leader was growing soft in his old age.

  Not that he would ever say that to Ioin. He enjoyed having his shaft attached to his body.

  “I sent it to my wife!” the thief cried out.

  To his wife? Why would he send it to her? And why was she not with him if she was his mate? He knew that the human male had worked for Lighton for half a year and Lighton had never mentioned a mate. Perhaps his mate could not bear to be near him and that was why they lived separately. Marcun could certainly understand that. Or was she in on this scheme as well? If he had sent the jewel to her then he guessed that was probably the case.

  Great. Now he would have to deal with another human.

  “I sent it via a courier service. He has orders to hand it directly to her.”

  “And where does your mate live?” Ioin asked with a scowl. He didn’t like this any better than Marcun.

  The male briefly glanced up at Marcun then over at the bent metal lid. He shuddered and licked his lips.

  “Earth. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. I can write down the address.”

  “Good,” Ioin said with satisfaction. “Sacaren, Brogan, take him back to the ship. Get all the information we need from him, including exactly where his mate resides, then lock him up. I’m sure Lighton will wish to speak to him.”

  “What? No, please, you can’t send me back to that bastard. He’ll kill me!” the male screamed. Sacaren grabbed hold of him. Nax came up behind him with a strip of material, which he wrapped around his mouth, quieting him. Sacaren threw the male over his shoulder, ignoring the way the male slammed his fists down on his back.

  “Thank the stars,” Nax said. “Now we might actually get some peace. I could not hear myself think.”

  Sacaren started down the alley; Nax strode behind him.

  “You mean you actually have thoughts?” Sacaren asked. “I thought there was just a blank silence in your head.”

  “Oh, I have plenty of thoughts. Right now, my main thought is about getting you to shut up. With my fist.”

  “Why don’t you?” Sacaren challenged.

  “Because then I would have to carry the human. And you.”

  Marcun rolled his eyes at their good-natured arguing.

  He waited until they had left before turning to Ioin. “We are going to Earth, aren’t we?”

  Ioin grinned then slapped him on the back. The male might be over two hundred years old, but he still punched like an eighty-year-old.

  “We are going to Earth. And if we can find this female and the jewel quickly, we might just have time to pick out a mate.”

  Ioin strode off. Marcun frowned.

  A mate.

  The last thing he desired. All a mate would do was get in his way and take up his time with her demands. Although he supposed that he would not have to spend much time with her considering they would share her among the six of them.

  He sighed. He just hoped that his pack mates were grateful for the sacrifices he made for their benefit. Giving up his freedom to commit to one female…

  It was nearly enough to make a warrior cry.

  1

  Her next-door neighbor was a sex maniac.

  She was kept awake half the night with all the banging and moaning coming from his apartment. Usually his stamina ended about one in the morning, meaning she got around two hours sleep if she was lucky.

  Oh God, the moans…they were like nothing she’d heard before. The affect they had on her was kind of embarrassing. Last night she’d actually had to get up and splash some cold water on her face to help her calm down. Why she was getting so turned on listening to someone else have sex? Did that make her some sort of voyeur? It wasn’t as though she could see them. She never even heard them speak. But those sighs of pleasure, the way the bed banged against the wall in a rhythmic beat that went on and on…she hadn’t realized that sex could last that long.

  It certainly hadn’t with Barry. The jerk.

  That saying, ‘wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am,’ could have been about him. Without the thank you part. He’d certainly never thanked her for having sex with him. He should have. He should have been grateful she let him put his cold, clammy, clumsy hands on her. She shuddered.

  Marrying Barry had been her first major life mistake.

  Going into business with him was the second.

  She’d thought that life without Barry meant she’d be able to do whatever she desired. She could make her bakery a success. Live life the way she wanted. Make her own decisions without having to run everything past her husband. They’d never agreed on anything, especially when it came to the bakery. She’d often wondered whether he’d enjoyed pulling all of her ideas apart. She’d soon learned not to bother making new suggestions.

  Then one day he just up and left. All he’d left was a note telling her he’d had enough. That had made two of them. After her initial shock and anger, she’d been happy, thrilled to be on her own. Despite what her mother believed, Eden didn’t need a man to make her feel fulfilled, to live a happy life.

  What she did need was money.

  Because before he left, Barry cleared out their business and joint accounts leaving her with no way to pay the bills or rent or buy groceries. Her hands formed in
to fists of rage as she thought about that selfish bastard. She hadn’t even had enough money to pay wages that week. Not that Barry probably gave their employees one thought.

  Nope the only person Barry ever thought about was Barry.

  Finding herself in a financial crisis, Eden had pawned off everything she owned that had any worth, including the jewelry she’d been given by her grandmother. Thank God she’d kept that at her mother’s house or no doubt Barry would’ve taken that too. She’d found someone else to take up the lease on the nice apartment she and Barry had lived in and moved into this dive.

  She’d managed to pull herself out of bankruptcy—just. The bakery was starting to come around with the changes she’d implemented. She might have been okay…if it wasn’t for the IRS breathing down her neck. She rubbed her stomach. Not only had dear old Barry robbed her blind, it turned out that he’d also been doing some rather dodgy tax returns.

  This is what she got for being a naïve idiot when it came to money. And men. And people in general, really. All she really wanted to do was bake. Her cakes never nagged her about her watching her weight, or exercising, or about getting a man. Her pastries never stole from her. Her brownie never demanded uninspiring, boring sex from her.

  Okay, Eden, things are getting weird now.

  Eating one of her raspberry and walnut double chocolate brownies was the closest she’d ever gotten to an orgasm. Decidedly more enjoyable than anything she and Barry had done together.

  Maybe he’d been right. Maybe it was her fault. She just didn’t have the same urges that other women had. At least, that’s what she’d thought.