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    Exile's Hunter: Alien Mates: Planet Exile, #1
    Exile's Hunter: Alien Mates: Planet Exile, #1
    Exile's Hunter: Alien Mates: Planet Exile, #1
    Ebook190 pages3 hours

    Exile's Hunter: Alien Mates: Planet Exile, #1

    By Kate Rudolph

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    About this ebook

    Kenzie will do anything to save her sister... even if it means teaming up with a dangerous alien who makes her heart pound.

    Kenzie has crossed the galaxy in search of her abducted sister and she's finally landed on Guerran. It's a planet full of criminals and she can trust no one, especially not the terrifyingly hot alien named Mad.

    He's as much a criminal as anyone on Guerran. And he's her only hope. But she isn't sure whether she should kiss him or stab him when his presence makes her heat up with desire.

    Mad can't leave the exile planet. Once Kenzie finds Carise, the sisters will be long gone. There's no future between her and the hunky alien, no matter how quickly he steals her heart.

    How can Kenzie walk away when fate has put her in the path of her mate?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKate Rudolph
    Release dateMar 14, 2022
    ISBN9798201546045
    Exile's Hunter: Alien Mates: Planet Exile, #1
    Author

    Kate Rudolph

    Kate Rudolph never knows when to stop. Whether it’s riding her bike down the busy streets of Austin, Texas, fixing computers, or shooting off answers to trivia quizzes, she is doing something. She began writing at a young age and now has a stack of projects as tall as her. When she was a child, she visited a wolf sanctuary and became fascinated by the animals. She is concerned with animal conservation and protection. Kate has published one complete series, Stealing the Alpha, and several stand alones. Want to know when she releases a new book? Sign up to her mailing list to receive notifications of new releases and deals. The link can be found here: http://katerudolph.net/index.php/subscribe You can also find her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katerudolphauthor Her website is www.KateRudolph.net

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      Book preview

      Exile's Hunter - Kate Rudolph

      PROLOGUE

      Six Years Ago

      The cell around him was pure cement and the bars were unbreakable. Madn Damari knew the stories of the jails of Krudare. Everyone did. No one escaped. Ever. The king’s justice was swift for anyone who tried.

      At first he’d paced in the small space allotted to him. He was fortunate enough to have his own cell. On his way into the facility, he’d passed by cells filled to the brim with the dregs of society, and the stench nearly overwhelmed him.

      He was one of those dregs now.

      He couldn’t regret it. He knew his duty as a soldier and as Kru’dari. His honor was worth more than his freedom. He only hoped he would be strong enough to keep believing that once the judge passed down his final sentence.

      Boots pounded down the hallway, nearly drowning out the tippy-tap of daintier shoes. But Mad heard the footsteps, and he recognized them. He shot up from the bench and crossed the two steps to the bars. It only took a moment for his sister to appear.

      You have ten minutes, the guard grunted at her before stepping back.

      They wouldn’t have true privacy, but he stood far enough away that they could speak quietly enough to not be overheard.

      Oh, Mad. Taiana reached her hand into the cell and clutched at him. She was everything a Kru’dari lady should be—regal, poised, and nearly as tall as him, but wearing a flowy dress that hid her bulk. Her skin was pale and her hands uncalloused. She spent her days working with the upper echelon of the king’s government.

      He’d been a lowly soldier.

      No need for tears, he said, putting as much confidence into his voice as he could muster. We’ve hours yet before the judgement is passed.

      She sucked in a shaky breath and pulled her hand away.

      Mad’s heart sank. Taiana couldn’t hide her emotions from him. She’d never learned the trick. And the fear and anguish he saw on her made his heart crack in two. The guilt, though—that emotion stole away his hope and drowned it in the sea.

      Taiana straightened her shoulders and fixed her expression. He’d seen soldiers look softer before charging into battle. Arbyn spoke with the judge.

      Mad growled. He didn’t want his sister’s slimy fiancé anywhere near his case.

      She glared at him for a minute before steeling her resolve once more. "He pulled as many strings as he could. Execution was strongly considered. But you’re not to be killed."

      Exile? His heart sank, and he pulled at the energy that ran through Krudare. Called the Fount, it was the source of his people’s prosperity. Energy ran through the planet, and all Kru’dari could access it. It made them stronger, faster, and sharper than anyone else.

      And being separated from that power was supposed to be a fate worse than death.

      Taiana nodded.

      How long? He gripped the bar tight and wished he had the strength to bend it. But he could drink the Fount dry and the bars wouldn’t move an inch.

      Indefinite. Arbyn can’t work miracles. She looked away.

      It was for the best. She didn’t see the way he snarled. It sounded to him as if Arbyn had done nothing. Yes, execution had been on the table. But the king didn’t like the spectacle. He far preferred to send his problems away. Indefinite exile had always been the most likely outcome.

      Have Mother and Father been to see you? she asked once she’d collected herself.

      Not since the trial. The look of utter disgust on his parents’ faces should have hurt him, but there was no way to please them. They’d always had a favorite child, and she was standing on the right side of the bars.

      I’ll speak with them, Taiana promised.

      Don’t waste your breath. She might need them one day now that he wouldn’t be there to protect her. Listen, about Arb—

      Time’s up, the guard announced, stepping close. Say your goodbyes.

      His sister didn’t cry and he was glad. If tears fell from her eyes, he wouldn’t have been able to keep his composure. She reached into the cell one more time and clasped his hand. Stay strong. I’ll work every day to get you a pardon. I’ll bring you home.

      The guard led her away but sent a scowl Mad’s way, reminding him that his sister might believe in him, but no one else did.

      He didn’t expect to sleep that night, but there was a funny taste to his evening meal, and he succumbed to darkness not long after.

      He woke with a gasp and sucked in heavy breaths. His lungs were on fire and his guts felt like they’d been torn out. He writhed on the ground and tried to figure out what was going on.

      Was he being executed? Had the judge changed his mind?

      But there was dirt under his fingers rather than hard cement, and when he finally pried his eyes open, he saw a dark night sky studded with stars.

      Guerran.

      He was on Guerran, Krudare’s planet of exiles.

      And he’d been ripped from the Fount.

      Mad had heard the stories of what it felt like to lose a connection to the Fount, but he’d never let himself believe it could happen to him. The Kru’dari had evolved to need the excess energy the Fount provided. Without it, their bodies eventually starved.

      Or they found other ways to feed.

      A boot kicked him in the stomach, and Mad realized he wasn’t alone. Then a hand clamped on his neck and dragged him to his feet. His attacker was another Kru’dari, and his eyes seemed to glow red in the pale light.

      But that must have been a trick of the light.

      Fresh meat. The exile grinned.

      Mad risked a look around and saw he and his attacker were alone. He didn’t know why he’d been abandoned like this. He was almost certain there was supposed to be some sort of orientation for life on Guerran.

      Instead he had a trial by fire.

      And he wasn’t about to lose.

      The Kru’dari who had him was strong, but Mad was skilled. He kicked him where it hurt and jerked back when his attacker loosened his grip. Mad was groggy, weak, and unarmed, but he wasn’t going to die in his first hours on Guerran. He refused.

      He charged his attacker and took him to the ground, letting out all of his frustration with each angry punch. And as his fists unleashed their fury, something happened.

      His gut-wrenching pain faded. Energy seeped into his bones. And he almost felt whole.

      He pulled back before he killed the man. He was an exile, but he wasn’t a murderer.

      He heard rowdy men getting closer and clenched his fists. The energy within him was weak, but it was there. It wasn’t the Fount, but it meant Guerran wasn’t a death sentence.

      It would be if the rowdy crowd found him, though.

      New guy, over here. A Kru’dari in dark clothes with his hair tied back beckoned him to the shadows.

      Mad didn’t move. Show yourself.

      The man stepped into the light. He had a scar on his cheek and blond hair. He was tall, even for a Kru’dari. My name is Jaek. I mean you no harm. Now grab your bag before we’re discovered.

      Mad looked toward the ground where Jaek had nodded, and, sure enough, there was a cloth sack lying there. Mad looked inside and saw some clothes, a wallet full of credits, and a leather pouch brimming with power. He pulled it out in confusion.

      Jaek hissed. Hide that if you know what’s good for you. A Pitcher is worth more than both our lives in this territory.

      A Pitcher. A fragment of the Fount’s power preserved for long travel. It was the only way Kru’dari could leave their home planet. And even then, the Pitchers couldn’t preserve power for long.

      Mad stuffed it back in the bag and slung a strap over his shoulder. He followed Jaek away from the scene of his attack. He hoped the exile didn’t kill him.

      But given his welcome on Guerran, Mad wasn’t sure how long he’d want to survive.

      1

      Present Day

      Some days Mad dreamed he was back on Krudare. He’d have dinner with his family to celebrate his newest military promotion. He’d play with his young nephew and show him how to slip into the kitchen and steal cookies when the servants weren’t looking.

      And he’d punch the living shit out of his sister’s husband.

      There was no dreaming today. His fist sank into the hard flesh of his opponent’s abdomen and the man doubled over with a grunt. This wasn’t a fight for energy. This was payback.

      "Do it again and Jadirel won’t send me next time," Mad warned, shoving the man away and taking a step back. They were in the middle of the market in Jadirel’s territory.

      Orion, the biggest city on Guerran, was split up into hundreds of territories ruled by exile kings. There were no laws except for what the kings decreed, and surviving one day to another wasn’t guaranteed.

      Oron scuttled back, blue eyes wide and mouth hanging open. I didn’t do anything! he protested. It came out in a wheeze.

      Mad shrugged. He left Oron where he was. The exile was new to Guerran. He’d arrived with the last batch of criminals and served in a different territory. Oron was little more than a boy. A few years ago, Mad might have pitied him or tried help, but he wasn’t a fool anymore.

      He had the scars from more than one lesson learned.

      His energy was low, and he wanted to crawl back to his quarters and sleep for a week. He’d fought in the pit the night before, desperate for the energy winning a fight would give him. He hated the fights, but there was no way to get a Pitcher from Krudare. If he didn’t fight, he’d have to fuck, and he didn’t trust a Kru’dari not to stab him while he slept.

      Kru’dari energy was scare on Guerran. They generated an excess when emotions ran high, which made the fights popular. When Mad entered the pit, he usually won.

      But everyone had an off night. And to make matters worse, he had to report back to Jadirel.

      The streets of the market were dusty, making his eyes water. Jadirel’s territory was falling into disrepair. The exile king didn’t want to waste labor on rebuilding crumbling roads or constructing new buildings, so the people in the territory had done what they could for three years. The roof of Mad’s own quarters threatened to collapse any day, and he knew of more than one family that lived in a house without all of its walls.

      There was no love for Jadirel in his territory. But he was a jealous king and he didn’t let his people leave.

      Especially not his soldiers.

      Mad passed a market stall and paused when he saw the flyer posted on the flaking wood. There was a picture of a young man with dark hair and a cheerful smile.

      FUGITIVE

      WANTED BY THE KING

      IF DISCOVERED DELIVER TO THE GREEN ZONE

      REWARD CONSIDERED

      He’d seen dozens of flyers like that in his six years on the planet and ignored most of them. Guerran was a land of exiles, and no honest Kru’dari would choose to land there.

      But Kru’dari weren’t the only people on the planet. The city was made up of beings from all across space.

      And more than a few fugitives.

      Outside the Green Zone, which was controlled by the Kru’dari king, Guerran was a lawless place. And fugitives from nearby systems, and the especially desperate from Krudare, tested their luck in its narrow alleys.

      Reward considered.

      Those two words echoed in Mad’s head, and he tore the flyer from the post and folded it up before stuffing it in his pocket. Every year, the king pardoned some exiles on Guerran. There was no specific number or reason.

      But perhaps returning a fugitive might earn Mad the favor he needed to return home.

      His nephew was nearly two years old now. He’d missed his birth. Not to mention his sister’s wedding to Arbyn. His family survived without him, but he wanted back in.

      A ship zoomed overhead, its engines loud enough to make Mad wince and remind him that a pardon wasn’t his only way off of Guerran. The guards did little to stop exiles from leaving for other planets.

      But those who chose to leave could never be pardoned. They were as good as dead to everyone back home.

      Mad had to put thoughts of a pardon and home out of his mind as he approached Jadirel’s palace. This building wasn’t in disrepair. The walls outside gleamed, and colored glass covered the narrow windows in swirls of red, purple, and blue. The entry was a stone archway with door made of solid metal, as thick and tall as two men. It was wide enough to let four Kru’dari warriors brimming with armor and weapons walk in side by side.

      And inside, the palace was even grander.

      Mad walked through a narrow hall, the walls carved in white stone, the carvings depicting Kru’dari myths and legend. The hall was easily defensible. No army could storm Jadirel’s fortress without being picked off in this passageway.

      Mad nodded to the two guards standing at their posts. More could be

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