Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Other Titles
Alien Selection
An Alien Invasion Story
Honey Phillips
Copyright © 2019 by Honey Phillips
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author.
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Edited by Nikki Groom @ Indie Hub Editing Services
Chapter One
T’saran brought his cloaked flyer in low over the Earth city, neither surprised nor concerned when his presence remained undetected. He shook his head, his horns almost brushing the top of the small vessel. These humans deserved their fate with their careless approach to security. Even in his short flight, he had detected multiple weak points and opportunities for the fleet. But that was not why he was here.
He shook his head again, still disturbed by his assignment. Commander T’ngorzul’s order violated every established precedent for an exploratory mission. While it was true that the Yehrin always took blood and genetic samples from the dominant species on each planet that they conquered, they were not in the habit of removing any members of that species. Until today, T’saran had thought it was a forbidden act, but he was not about to risk his new commission by objecting when the commander gave him his orders.
It had taken him three years after that first incident on Ihana to work his way back to Junior Officer, and another three before he had regained enough honor to be chosen by Commander T’ngorzul for this mission. Admittedly, despite his wealth and prestigious family name, T’ngorzul was not held in the highest esteem by many members of the Yehrin fleet, but he had raised T’saran to the rank of Officer. Hopefully, by the time the invasion was ready, he would have achieved enough status to transfer to another command.
He landed the vessel on the roof of a row of commercial businesses. As he stepped out of the flyer, his nose wrinkled with distaste. The smell of fossil fuels laid heavily in the air, along with the odors of grease and garbage and unwashed bodies. These humans desperately needed Yehrin intervention before they destroyed their planet and drowned in their own filth. He used his wrist device to cloak himself, then leaned over the edge of the roof to survey his surroundings.
The rain beat down steadily, obscuring his vision, but he could see two human males gathered in the back corner of the alley below. For a moment, he couldn’t see what they were doing, but then one of them moved slightly and he could see that they were looming over a slight figure—a slight female figure. Just as he processed that realization, he saw a knife flash and a muffled scream reached his sensitive ears. They were abusing the female? With a roar, he sprang into action.
With a weary sigh, Lauren stuffed her apron in her battered tote bag and punched the time clock.
“I’m leaving, Manny,” she called to the cook. He didn’t even bother to grunt a response and she wondered yet again why she bothered. Because my daddy always insisted that I treat my elders with respect, she thought bitterly—whether they deserved it or not.
A cold rain misted the alley as she stepped out of the rear door. She shivered and pulled her threadbare jacket tighter around her neck with a wistful regret for the warm coat she’d had last winter. Of course, the coat had come with a high price tag—her self-respect. As a cold trickle ran down her neck, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would still be willing to pay that price. If Adam called tomorrow and told her to come back, would she go? Between her father and her ex-husband, she’d never had much practice in saying no.
Still lost in her self-pity, she didn’t notice the shadows at the entrance to the alley until it was too late. Two men were standing there, one on each side. She recognized the one on the right, leaning back against the wall in a seemingly casual pose, a cigarette dangling from his lip. He’d been in the diner earlier, watching her way too closely.
She clutched her tote—all it contained besides her apron were her meager tips and the small wallet that contained her license, but she needed those few dollars to buy groceries. She debated running back to the diner, but the lock always stuck, and she didn’t think she’d have time to get the door open. Maybe they were just taking shelter under the overhang, out of the rain that was steadily increasing, she thought optimistically, even though the tremor in her hands and the sick feeling in her stomach argued otherwise.
Ducking her head to avoid looking at them, she scurried forward. She almost made it past them, when a hand clamped down on her arm.
“What’s your hurry, sugar?” Even though she didn’t look up, she knew it was the one from earlier.
“I… I have to get home. To my husband,” she added in a rush. “He’s waiting for me.”
“Nah. You ain’t got no ring on those skinny fingers.”
“I can’t wear it at work.” Her voice was trembling so hard she could barely understand herself. She tried to slip away from his grasp, but his hand immediately tightened, forcing a weak cry from her mouth before she bit her lip. Crying out had always encouraged Adam.
“Don’t you be lying to me, sugar. You’re not gonna like me when I’m angry.”
The image of the Hulk flashed through her head, and she
