The purveli aldebarian a.., p.1
The Purveli (Aldebarian Alliance: Book 3), page 1
THE PURVELI
Aldebarian Alliance Book 3
by
New York Times Bestselling Author
DIANNE DUVALL
www.DianneDuvall.com
THE PURVELI
Copyright © 2021 by Dianne Duvall
Published by Dianne Duvall, 2021
www.DianneDuvall.com
E-book ISBN: 978-1-957006-00-0
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-957006-01-7
Hardback ISBN: 978-1-957006-02-4
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
No part of this copyrighted work may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Contents
TITLES BY DIANNE DUVALL
THE PURVELI
PROLOGUE
1. CHAPTER ONE
2. CHAPTER TWO
3. CHAPTER THREE
4. CHAPTER FOUR
5. CHAPTER FIVE
6. CHAPTER SIX
7. CHAPTER SEVEN
8. CHAPTER EIGHT
9. CHAPTER NINE
10. CHAPTER TEN
11. CHAPTER ELEVEN
12. CHAPTER TWELVE
13. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
15. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
16. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
17. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
18. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
FROM THE AUTHOR
SNEAK PEEK—THE AKSELI
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TITLES BY DIANNE DUVALL
ALDEBARIAN ALLIANCE
THE LASARAN
“Full of adventure, sizzling passion, romance, and yes kick-ass fighting. This book is simply captivating.”
— Book Dragon
THE SEGONIAN
One of the Best Audiobooks of 2021
AudioFile Earphones Award for Exceptional Audio
—Audiofile Magazine
IMMORTAL GUARDIANS
DARKNESS DAWNS
“A strong start in what looks to be a thrilling and chilling new paranormal series. Fantastic!”
— RT Book Reviews
NIGHT REIGNS
“Crackles with energy, originality, and a memorable take-no-prisoners heroine.”
— Publishers Weekly
PHANTOM SHADOWS
“Done so well that I truly want to live in her world regardless of the threat of vampires!"
— Smexy Books
IN STILL DARKNESS
“Readers will appreciate the rich characterizations and the kick-butt action … as Richart d'Alençon, a 200-year-old Guardian, woos charming Jenna McBride with warmth and passion.”
— Publishers Weekly
DARKNESS RISES
“A thrilling, action-packed, suspenseful, funny, steamy paranormal romance readers won't be able to put down.”
— Affaire de Coeur Magazine
NIGHT UNBOUND
“Hello epic kick-ass forbidden love story! Night Unbound is simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!”
— Saints and Sinners Books
PHANTOM EMBRACE
“Duvall's hauntingly beautiful novella, set in the world of the Immortal Guardians, portrays the deep love between two people who can never touch, with a wonderfully unexpected ending.”
— Publishers Weekly
SHADOWS STRIKE
“Full of awesome characters, snappy dialogue, exciting action, steamy sex, sneaky shudder-worthy villains and delightful humor.”
— A Voracious Reader
BLADE OF DARKNESS
“Between the banter, the steamy scenes, and all the twists and turns, I was engrossed from start to finish.”
— Little Shop of Readers
AWAKEN THE DARKNESS
“Heart-stopping, intense, humorous and powerfully romantic.”
— Reading Between the Wines Book Club
DEATH OF DARKNESS
“Teeming with passion, humor, action and suspense.”
— Reading Between the Wines Book Club
BROKEN DAWN
“I loved the chemistry and banter between these two. I swooned and laughed… I loved it all.”
— Caffeinated Reviewer
CLIFF’S DESCENT
“Sweet, sexy, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and so dang beautiful.”
— Caffeinated Reviewer
AN IMMORTAL GUARDIANS COMPANION
“If you are an Immortal Guardians fan, pick it up as you will smile and enjoy this fun, fast read.”
— Seeing Spots
THE GIFTED ONES
A SORCERESS OF HIS OWN
“Full of danger, intrigue and passion… an addicting and exciting new series. I'm hooked!”
— Reading in Pajamas
RENDEZVOUS WITH YESTERDAY
"Medieval times, a kick-ass heroine, a protective hero, magic, and a dash of mayhem."
— The Romance Reviews
THE PURVELI
ALDEBARIAN ALLIANCE: BOOK 3
New York Times bestselling author Dianne Duvall brings readers the third stand-alone novel in a thrilling new sci-fi romance series full of action, humor, and happily-ever-afters.
Ava has always been different. Born with strong telepathic abilities, she lives a very isolated life until she is offered a job with an obscure network that aids powerful Immortal Guardians in their quest to protect humanity from the psychotic vampires who prey upon them. Suddenly, she doesn’t feel so different. For the first time in her life, Ava has found a place where she belongs. She’s happy. Life is good. And when her employers invite her to join a group of other gifted ones and a handful of Immortal Guardians on a journey to another planet, it becomes absolutely fantastic.
In no time at all, she is speeding across the galaxy aboard a Lasaran warship crewed by two amazing alien races. It’s the dream of a lifetime… until a vicious attack by a mutual enemy of Lasara and Earth lands her alone in an escape pod with no habitable planet in sight and only one ship within range: one that carries the enemy who wants to know why the bioengineered virus they released on Earth long ago didn’t exterminate humanity and leave the planet ripe for their claiming.
Jak’ri doesn’t know how long he has been a prisoner aboard the Cebaun, but he fears the enemy’s twisted experiments will soon lead them to a virus that will eradicate the Purveli people. Despair grips him until a female from Earth is taken captive and reaches out to him telepathically. The gift that Ava said caused her such misery in the past soon becomes his salvation as the two of them form a fast friendship. Determined to distract each other from the horrors of their existence, they immerse themselves in telepathic communion during the day, then seek solace and adventure together in shared dreams. As their friendship deepens into love, the two hatch a daring plot to escape their captors. But the enemy will not let them go without a fight.
Can Ava and Jak’ri stand against so many and emerge victorious?
PROLOGUE
A leg swept Ava’s feet out from under her a split second before a hand shoved her shoulder. Her back hit a mat that was cushy enough to keep her from getting a concussion when her head struck it but not cushy enough to keep the breath from being knocked out of her. In the next instant, a figure knelt over her, raised an arm, and drove a knife toward her chest.
Fortunately, that blade had dulled edges and halted before making contact.
Eliana grinned down at her. “Gotcha. Your attention strayed.”
Ava grimaced. “Yes, it did.”
When her friend held a hand out to her, Ava accepted it gratefully and laughed when Eliana yanked her up with enough force to make Ava feel as if she’d just bounced off a trampoline. “Thanks. I shouldn’t have let my mind wander. Sorry about that.”
Eliana gave her a friendly pat on the back. “Don’t worry about it. I doubt that would’ve happened in a real battle.” Her smile turned wry. “You tend to stay focused when someone’s trying to kill you.” No doubt she spoke from experience, having spent centuries battling insane vampires and—more recently—mercenaries.
“I would hope so.”
“And you did well up until then.”
“Really?” Ava didn’t think Eliana was the type to offer empty compliments.
She smiled. “Absolutely.”
“Thanks.” Sheathing her practice dagger, Ava grabbed a towel off a nearby bench and wiped her damp face and neck.
Though they’d been training for the better part of an hour, Eliana hadn’t even broken a sweat. “So what distracted you?” she asked curiously.
Ava motioned to the other activity that was taking place in the spacious training room. “This did.”
For the thousandth time since she’d boarded the Kandovar, awe filled her as she glanced around. She still couldn’t believe this was her new reality. Five months ago, she’d been working in North Carolina for a company that bore no name and simply referred to itself as the network. Consisting of tens of thousands of humans and gifted ones
Ava hadn’t known they existed either until the network had invited her to apply for a position. Born with telepathic abilities, she’d been astonished to learn that she and her mother weren’t the only ones out there who were different.
Astonished and relieved and excited.
When she’d gone to work at the network, she’d finally met other gifted ones like herself, worked for powerful immortal beings who were even more different than she was, and had then been offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to be one of fifteen gifted ones and immortals to board the alien battleship Kandovar and travel to Lasara, a technologically advanced planet on the opposite side of the galaxy and homeworld of the Immortal Guardian leader’s adopted daughter, Ami.
Now they were four months into a trip that would take them thirteen. Ava trained daily with an Immortal Guardian and was friend to four others. To her right, Lasarans—a very long-lived alien species with special gifts of their own and amazing regenerative capabilities—trained as vigorously as Eliana and Ava did. On Ava’s left, members of the Yona species trained and looked for all the world as if they were stoically trying to kill each other.
Stoically being the operative word. Their grayish skin wasn’t the only thing that clued one in that they weren’t from Earth. Yona warriors never exhibited any emotion. At all. Ava had thought the huge males were some kind of advanced robots when she’d first encountered them.
“It’s trippy, isn’t it?”
Lured from her reverie, Ava glanced at Eliana. “What is?”
Her friend nodded toward the other occupants of the gym-like training room. “This. Being on an alien ship, heading for an alien planet, surrounded by not one but two alien species.”
Ava smiled. “It really is.”
“Just think how much trippier it must be for Lisa.”
She laughed. “I know, right?” Lisa’s history was one of the most unusual Ava had ever heard. And she had heard a lot of unusual stories since joining the network.
A gifted one like Ava, Lisa had met Lasara’s Prince Taelon under terrifying and bizarre circumstances on Earth. Now the two were lifemates (the Lasaran equivalent of married), Lisa was an honest-to-goodness princess, and the two had a beautiful infant daughter who had proven that gifted ones and Lasarans were reproductively compatible.
Ava couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to go from being a cash-strapped woman in her mid-twenties who was virtually alone in the world and painstakingly working her way through college to being a prominent member of an alien royal family to whom crew members frequently genuflected.
When Eliana’s gaze strayed to the open doorway, she straightened. “Speaking of aliens, there’s Ganix.”
“Who’s Ganix?”
“Chief Engineer of the Kandovar. Do you mind if we cut our training short today? I want to see if he’ll help me talk a pilot into teaching me how to fly one of those sleek black fighter craft. Either that or help me talk Ari’k into sparring with me.”
Ari’k was the first Yona Ava had met. He was also a member of the royal guard who protected Lisa, Prince Taelon, and their baby daughter. So Ava and her friends from Earth encountered him a lot.
“You want to spar with Ari’k?” she asked, surprised.
“Hell yes. I’m not a hundred percent convinced he can’t feel emotion and I want to see if kicking his ass will spark a response and piss him off.”
Ava laughed. “You’re so bad.”
Eliana grinned unrepentantly. “I know.”
“Go ahead. I’m about ready to call it a day anyway.”
“Yes! Thanks, Ava.” She hurried away.
“Let me know what happens,” Ava called after her.
“Will do!” Eliana disappeared through the doorway.
Shaking her head, Ava grabbed a bottle of water and headed for the quarters she and her friends from Earth had been allocated.
Lasaran crew members smiled and nodded to her, offering friendly greetings as she strode down one long corridor, then turned up another. It was nice. Evidently every Lasaran was born with strong telepathic abilities and was taught at an early age to erect mental barriers that would keep others out, so Ava wasn’t besieged by their thoughts. Her mind had never been this quiet while she was surrounded by other people on Earth. It was wonderful. And liberating. Because for the first time in her life, it made her feel normal.
Members of the Earthling Contingent were given lodgings that were clustered together in one area and reminded her of efficiency apartments. Each room boasted a narrow bed, a small table and chair, a cramped bathroom they called a lav, and a kitchen that was more of a nook.
As commander of the Kandovar, Prince Taelon had apologized for the meager accommodations. They hadn’t exactly been expecting guests. But Ava and the others didn’t mind. The Kandovar was a warship, not a cruise ship.
Through the open door to Mia’s quarters, Ava saw Mia, Natalie, and Michelle chatting as they sipped what she suspected was a very tasty tea Lasarans loved.
All three looked up as she passed.
“Hi, Ava,” Natalie called with a smile.
She waved. “Hi.”
“Want to join us?” Mia asked.
Ava shook her head and wrinkled her nose. “I’m all sweaty from training with Eliana and need a shower. Maybe afterward?”
“Sure.”
The bathroom in her quarters was small enough to make her wonder how Taelon and the other guys on the ship managed to avoid bonking their elbows whenever they showered. The men out here in space tended to be quite tall… and broadly built since most were soldiers packed with muscle. Yet even Ava, who stood at a mere five foot three, felt cramped in the sanishower.
Once clean, she donned a comfortable pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.
Lasaran culture required men and women to wear clothing that covered everything except for their heads and hands. Ava didn’t have a problem with abiding by that rule. Or the one that forbade men and women of childbearing age from touching if they weren’t lifemates. She thought it an acceptable sacrifice to make in exchange for a new home on a Utopian planet. Lasara was free from war and strife. It bore no famine. No hunger. No hate. So no one on Lasara would dislike, distrust, or seek to harm Ava or her friends because of their differences. No one would try to kill them or capture them to harness their abilities for their own gain, as had happened so often in the past on Earth.
On Lasara, Ava and her friends would find only peace.
No sooner had the thought struck than alarms began to blare.
She jumped, startled by the loud sound. What the hell?
“All crew members to battle stations,” a male voice called over the ship-wide speakers. “Repeat—all crew members to battle stations. We are under attack.”
Oh shit!
Ava hurried over to her door and opened it.
Her friends filled the open doorways of the other Earth quarters, their eyes wide.
The ship rocked beneath their feet as a muffled explosion carried to their ears.
Ava grabbed the doorframe and held on as more explosions followed.
A blurred form streaked toward them from farther up the corridor, then Eliana skidded to a halt in front of them.
“What’s happening?” Ava blurted.
Eliana shook her head. “Grab your go bags. Quickly.”
Panic flared on every face, including her own, Ava guessed as she ducked back into her room and grabbed the backpack Eliana and the other Immortal Guardians had encouraged them each to pack in case of emergency.
Eliana was waiting impatiently in the hallway when Ava returned. “The ship is under attack,” she announced, face grim.
Attack? Attack from whom?
“I’m going to get you all to the escape pods as a precaution.”
