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Sophie Stern writes paranormal romance about dragons, bears, wolves, and princesses. Her work ranges from adult fairytales to cowboy adventures to dragon shifters who live on their own private island. Visit her at www.sexysophiestern.com to learn more.
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Alien Dragon
I'm on the last ship out.
I don't think I'm going to make it, but I do. Earth is dying and there's only one way I can possibly survive: fight for a spot on the dragon planet of Taneyemm.
They don't want humans there.
They don't like us.
They don't know us.
But when I step foot on the ship bound for Taneyemm, I know it's my last hope. I'll do anything I have to survive.
I'll do whatever it takes.
When I finally reach my destination and I see the alien dragons for the first time, I realize I'm in way over my head.
And I don't know if my heart is ready for this.
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Chapter 1
What’s that old Earth saying?
Karma’s a bitch?
Well, I must have done something super fucked up in a former life because right now sucks.
The worst part is that there’s nothing I can do about it.
As I make my way slowly through the crowds of people to the herbalist’s shop, I search my brain for one more idea, one more method I could employ to make my life just a little bit better. I just need one more way to try to make my dad more comfortable. I just need one more way to give him a little bit of hope before everything vanishes.
My home planet is dying. The grass is gone and the air is thick. It’s always hard to breathe. Always. When I was a child, we had green, rich grass. That was before the wars. That was long ago. Now things are damaged and it’s all I can do to get through the day.
I just need to make it through each day.
My world has always been broken. There are legends of times past when humans were happy, but to me, those stories are just myths. They’re happy bedtime stories to help children fall asleep, but they don’t fix the reality I live in.
Tonight I have to hurry home to my father, but my mind is focused on the pain, the exhaustion. No matter how hard I fight, the world keeps closing in on me, on all of us. Will there ever come a day when the grass turns green again? Will there ever be a time when the air is clean?
A woman bumps me and I glare at her, tired and angry. I’m frustrated. I’m worn out. I have to fight through a crowd of sick and dying people to get herbs for my father who is also sick and dying. We all just want to survive another day, but the
grim reality is that it probably won’t happen. We’re all running on borrowed time and it’s only a matter of when it runs out.
My father is very sick. He’s in constant pain, but when he finally passes, I don’t know what I’m going to do. He’s the only one I have. He’s the only one who cares about me.
The herbalist gives me the jar and I throw my coins at him before leaving. It’s a long walk home and it’s already dark. We’re not supposed to be outside at night, but I don’t have much of a choice. It’s a three mile walk back to our hut and if I don’t make it, my father’s pain will be so strong he’ll pass out.
Things weren’t always so bad. Despite the world dying, falling apart, resting in ruins, my father and I were happy once, at least a little. He wasn’t always sick. When I was a girl, he would tell me stories of times when Earth was full and lively and fun. He used to make me laugh. We’d make plans for the future that always included escaping Earth, but we never had the money.
And then he got sick.
It’s not that there weren’t options. There were. For nearly 10 years, there were ships bringing people to other planets. Oh, you had to see your soul and maybe a few body parts to afford passage, but there were ways to escape.
