Copyright © 2020 Jade Waltz
Develop is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
All rights reserved.
Published by: Jade Waltz
First Edition: July 2020
E-Book ISBN: 978-1-952420-92-4
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-952420-05-4
Cover Artist:
Kim Cunningham
PreMade Book Covers by Atlantis Book Design
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Formatting services provided by Purple Fall Publishing
Husband,
Thank you for supporting me with this crazy adventure.
You understood I needed a channel to express myself and to put the stories in my head into words.
I love you.
Jason,
Thank you for everything.
If it weren't for you, I would be some lost girl still looking for some help.
Readers,
To all the alien lovers who would wear a "Take Me!" shirt when aliens come to abduct us - this is for you.
This book is the beginning of an expansive universe.
I hope you all will take this incredible journey along with me.
~Jade Waltz
Contents
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
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter One Selena
The thick jungle leaves failed to block the heat radiating from the tropical sun as it beamed through the hatchery’s glass dome. Sweat poured down my face, taunting me to wipe it away, threatening to make me reveal myself.
Slow and controlled breaths.
No sudden movements.
Any noise could alert the predators of their prey—me.
I perched on a high branch overlooking the crosswalk below, hidden by the canopy’s shade.
I refused to be the first one discovered.
The Aldawi could easily lurk in the shadows, and the Wudox could blend into the foliage. Judging by the direction my golden bond threads were pointing, my Ulax nestmates were cheating by hiding below the pool’s surface.
“We aren’t cheating,” Odelm chuckled.
“We are being resourceful,” V’dim added.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t see how hiding deep underwater is fair. You know they can’t swim!”
“Please don’t be upset when you are caught before us,” Odelm pleaded.
“Selena, it’s understandable if you are incapable of surviving,” Z’fir teased. “This is a warriors’ game.”
“And we were designed to blend in with nature,” Xylo shared.
“Designed?”
Instantly, I shielded myself, shutting down my connections to my bragging males. If they were going to abuse the nature of the game to win, then I would use my own resources to become victorious.
I bit my bottom lip and gently grabbed all four golden threads, envisioning myself pulling them together in a tight hold, then yanked. Hard.
Grunts came from the direction of my Wudox mates, as splashes followed by gasps sounded from the water’s surface. I sucked in a breath and held it as the brush across the paved walkway rustled. Shadows jerked and dashed away from my location, toward their noisy prey.
Growls and yelps filled the dome.
I sighed with a sense of relief.
As their nestqueen, I was designed to alert them whenever I had a need. By tugging on our connections, I startled them from their hiding places and blew their cover.
My tree’s limb bowed as furry arms wrapped around me and broke my hold on the trunk.
“What do I get for catching you first?” Zirene purred, his deep voice almost too low to hear.
Closing my eyes, I leaned back into his embrace. “Some stolen moments alone in quiet as our cubs hunt for us,” I whispered, not wanting to be found just yet.
“It pleases me that you agreed to take part in these hunter-and-prey games.” He lifted me onto his lap, snuggling me closer to him.
“I want to do what I can to help.” I jerked my head in the direction of my gathered nestmates, their threads bonded together. “Something this simple matters to them.”
“You are a magnificent female. Remember that.”
We sat in silence as I ignored the warmth that surrounded me, not caring about the sweat that continued to soak my clothes as it dripped down my body.
Once, I had not dared to fantasize about moments like this: Alone with my dreamscape male—my Shadow—as we played with our cubs, alongside the other males in my life.
Each member of my clan overcame a different past, and all came together for one reason—to build a better future with me.
I glanced up at Lunkai hanging in the sky, the sun's brightness blocking the forces responsible for my good fortune. I thanked the Stars and the Fates for what I had, like I did every day.
“How did you find me?”
“You think I don’t know my Nova’s scent?” His soft chuckle rolled through me.
“Then why didn’t they find me?" I silently gestured where I’d last seen my cubs. "They were near.”
“They may know their mother’s scent, but that doesn’t mean they can easily find it. This terrarium air is humid and flooded with foreign odors. Besides, their noses aren’t fully developed.” He dragged his nose along the nape of my neck. “Unlike mine.”
I could sense my nestmates’ threads slowly gathering together near the pool’s shore. Zirene and I were now the only remaining clan members to be found.
“Looks like we are the last ones standing.”
“And I don’t smell our cubs nearby yet.”
“How confident are you in your ability to sense them?”
He pulled his face away from my neck and placed a paw on my cheek, tilting my head to face his. “Completely.” His amethyst eyes searched mine. “Why? What ails you?”
Sighing, I glanced away, embarrassed by my lingering insecurities at a time like this. “I’m worried about tomorrow.” Zirene’s tail flicked against my leg, tickling me. I grabbed it, feeling it twitch within my grasp as I met his gaze once again. “What if they don’t like me? Or I can’t answer all their questions? I don’t want to seem like an unfit leader. I still can’t believe this
