His Highness the Duke Read online

  His Highness the Duke

  Dragon Lords: A Qurilixen World Novel

  Michelle M. Pillow®

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  His Highness The Duke (Dragon Lords) © copyright 2012 - 2015 by Michelle M. Pillow

  First Electronic Printing January 2012 The Raven Books

  Cover art by Ravven, © Copyright 2015

  ISBN 9781452417639

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  All books copyrighted to the author and may not be resold or given away without written permission from the author, Michelle M. Pillow.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence. Novel intended for adults only. Must be 18 years or older to read.

  Michelle M. Pillow® is a registered trademark of The Raven Books LLC

  Contents

  About His Highness the Duke

  New to Dragon Lords?

  About Dragon Lords Series

  Michelle’s Bestselling Series

  Author Updates

  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

  The Stubborn Lord

  The series continues…

  Join the Exclusive Club!

  About Michelle M. Pillow

  Free Reading Guides

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  About His Highness the Duke

  Dragon Lords 5

  The would-be heroine...

  Aeron wants nothing more than to live out her very long, solitary life in a small metal room listening to communications for the Federation Military. It's not glamorous. It's not even charming. But it's safe and there's no chance of getting hurt.

  When she intercepts a communication about an impending attack on the Qurilixian people, she has no choice but to act. No one at the Federation seems inclined to do anything and it's up to her to save them. Desperate, she enlists the help of her degenerate sister, whose only solution is to trick Aeron into signing up as a prospective bride to the very alpha male aliens she's trying to rescue.

  * * *

  The man who did not need saved...

  Dragon-shifter nobleman Lord Bron, is not looking forward to his seventh failed attempt at a marriage ceremony. But when he sees the lovely Aeron he knows his years of waiting have finally paid off. Fate has blessed him with a life mate...

  Or have they?

  His new bride is insistent she's not there for marriage, but for a mission. Dragon shifters mate for life and it's up to Bron to convince her they are fated mates, or he'll risk spending the rest of his days alone.

  New to Dragon Lords?

  Dragon Lords books 1-8 follow a concurrent time line. The fun of this is that the events you read in one book might be examined from a different point of view, sometimes with overlapping or expanded scenes, sometimes with events you might have wondered about in another book. You might even discover secrets as characters interact with each other. I recommend reading them in order to get the full effect. However if you bought the books out of order, no worries, each book is technically a standalone story for the hero and heroine.

  About Dragon Lords Series

  Dragon Lords Books 1 - 4

  The dragon-shifting princes have no problem with commitment. In one night, they will meet and choose their life mate in a simplistic ceremony involving the removing of masks and the crushing of crystals. With very few words spoken and the shortest, most bizarre courtship in history, they will bond to their women forever. And once bonded, these men don’t let go...

  Too bad nobody explained this to their brides.

  * * *

  Dragon Lords Books 5-8

  The noblemen brothers aren’t new to the sacred Qurilixian bridal ceremony. After several failed attempts at finding a bride, it’s hard to get excited about yet another festival. No matter how honorable they try to live, it would seem fate thinks them unworthy of such happiness—that is until now.

  With very few words spoken and the shortest, most bizarre courtship in history, they will bond to their women forever. And once bonded, these men don’t let go...

  Too bad nobody explained this to their brides.

  * * *

  Dragon Lords Book 9

  Before four princes and four noblemen found their brides, before the death of the Var King Attor and the threat of the Tyoe miners, there was a time of peace on the planet of Qurilixen. It was not a strong peace, but it had lasted for quite some time between the cat-shifting Var kingdom and their northern neighbors the dragon-shifting Draig. It lasted because both sides had very little to do with each other.

  This was the time before the great war came to rift the planet apart—dragon against cat. The only battles were skirmishes along the borderlands over territory and drunken brawls that erupted to prove which shifter side was of superior strength. It is here the dragons found their queen.

  * * *

  Spin-off Series

  Dragon Lords is the first installment in the multiple bestselling romance series. As of this publication, there are nine Dragon Lords books.

  The series continues with the Lords of the Var® series, Space Lords series, Dynasty Lords Series, Captured by a Dragon-Shifter series, Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides series, and Qurilixen Lords series.

  There will be more books and more series to come. They can be read alone, but the author recommends reading books in order of release.

  For details please visit www.michellepillow.com

  Michelle’s Bestselling Series

  Qurilixen World Novels

  Dragon Lords Series

  Barbarian Prince

  Perfect Prince

  Dark Prince

  Warrior Prince

  His Highness The Duke

  The Stubborn Lord

  The Reluctant Lord

  The Impatient Lord

  The Dragon’s Queen

  Lords of the Var® Series

  The Savage King

  The Playful Prince

  The Bound Prince

  The Rogue Prince

  The Pirate Prince

  Qurilixen Lords

  Dragon Prince

  More Coming Soon!

  Captured by a Dragon-Shifter Series

  Determined Prince

  Rebellious Prince

  Stranded with the Cajun

  Hunted by the Dragon

  Mischievous Prince

  Headstrong Prince

  Space Lords Series

  His Frost Maiden

  His Fire Maiden

  His Metal Maiden

  His Earth Maiden

  His Woodland Maiden

  Dynasty Lords Series

  Seduction of the Phoenix

  Temptation of the Butterfly

  Having trouble finding the books?

  Updated Buy Links Here

  * * *

  To learn more about the Qurilixen World series of books and to stay up to date on the latest book list visit www.MichellePillow.com

  Author Updates

  Join the Reader Club Mailing List to stay informed about new books, sales, contests and preorders!

  http://michellepillow.com/author-updates/

  To Lilifus the Vampire Kitty. We love you always.

  We’ll miss you, Lily.

  1

  Inter
galactic Gambling Championship, Torgan Black Market

  City of Madaga, Planet of Torgan

  Aeron Grey tucked the full length of her long black hair beneath the black headcap, even the short bangs. The Federation Military uniform wasn’t necessarily the most inconspicuous attire, but she did her best to blend in with the crowd. It was the usual ruffian mix of humanoids and other beastly creatures one would expect to see on a black market planet. Some looked like human males with only minor differences, like strange protrusions or ripples of flesh on their faces and bodies. Others were hairy, with long arms and massive chests. There were those with the skin of reptiles, large black horns, or flesh of many colors. Some had wings. Some had webbed fingers. Every disreputable lowlife creature imaginable came to Madaga—pirates, crooked businessmen, slave traders, bounty hunters, guns for hire, and now apparently absconding Federation Military analysts looking to hitch a ride from a degenerate gambler for a long distance space trip.

  “Nice costume,” a humanoid man drawled as she passed nearby. He wore a feather dress and shiny red boots. “Where do I enlist?”

  “I love a girl in uniform,” his friend added with a high-pitched laugh. She couldn’t tell if the sparkling blue skin was painted on or part of his natural alien complexion.

  Aeron flinched, giving him a nervous smile as she quickly moved past. Perhaps the uniform blended more than she thought. Seconds later a swaying battalion of soldiers sauntered past in mock formation. It would appear someone hijacked a Federation Military uniform shipment and sold it at the market—which was actually pretty lucky for her.

  “Come on!” One shouted excitedly, seeing her attire. “Join us!”

  “Into formation, soldier!” Their leader yelled, laughing.

  Aeron shook her head, backing away. She bumped into a gurgling creature with red horns and instantly changed directions. “Excuse me.”

  The creature gurgled louder. Since she didn’t speak Gorga, she didn’t understand what he-she said.

  She looked up through the glass ceiling toward the night stars. A slash of three rings split the sky into sections. They encircled the entire brown-gray planet. Aeron had flown past them while landing. From the sky, the Torganian city of Madaga was a dusty spec of hell in the shape of a desert sand dune. Up close it was a dusty gathering of adobe-style businesses built out of the brown-gray earth, shoved up against the larger complexes of metal and glass. Oh, and not only did it look like hell, it was the temperature of hell as well—at least outside on the docking platform. Inside the metal structure, the air was much cooler.

  She continued navigating the crowd in the main compound, trying to focus more on the surroundings than the people. Large banners declared the much anticipated end of a year long Galactic Scavenger Hunt in a few months’ time. Others flashed seductive pictures that advertised the Galaxy Playmate dancers were coming to the planet. Several of the guys in her assigned spaceport had those exact pictures stuck on their walls.

  The main compound had the appearance of a legitimate trading center, but everyone knew it was a virtual black market of fenced goods and tawdry services. If it was illegal and sought after, chances were it could be found here.

  Aeron neared the round bar in the center of the room and navigated her way around the tables. This was the last place she wanted to be. The loud music, smoky atmosphere, and drunken patrons were a far cry from her well-disciplined life. She never had time for dancing and music. She rarely drank, except on leave—which, ironically, was spent alone in her room on Federation property. As she neared the far side of the bar, she hesitated. Long, metal tables stretched out before her, most of them occupied.

  She didn’t want to be here, but she had to be. Other people might not understand. The military wouldn’t understand, or care, but she had to do this. For five months, ever since she’d heard that damned transmission about a possible genocide attack over some ore mines in the Y quadrant, she could think of little else. The planet was called Qurilixen. The Federation has no authority there, and quite frankly little interest in it but for their mining operations. The people kept to themselves and by all reports lived quite primitively. She’d reported the incident and then made a nuisance of herself until she got an answer. Unfortunately, she was told the Federation refused to get involved. So long as they got the ore mined on the planet one way or another, they were keeping their hands free of the whole situation. But, Aeron couldn’t let it go. She couldn’t stand by and do nothing. She didn’t know the Qurilixen people, aside from a few facts she’d managed to dig up in the Federation archives. Regardless, to her thinking, there was only one decision to be made. She had knowledge that could save a race of people, so she was morally obligated to try.

  As a civilian contracted as a Federation analyst, she was supposed to listen, translate and analyze the threat according to certain protocols. To her, genocide was the ultimate threat. A primitive people might not have the technology to get advance warning of an attack or take over. Genocide. Enslavement. Whatever the Tyoe eventually planned for the Qurilixen people, it wasn’t good.

  Following several sets of eyes upward, she frowned. A woman’s larger than life face shone in oversized holographic contemplation. Auburn hair was slicked back to reveal a slender face.

  Under her breath, Aeron muttered, “Riona. There you are. Figures you would be at the center of this crowd.”

  “You want a good seat, darling? Come over here and I’ll let you bounce on my lap. It’ll only hurt for a second. Then it’ll feel real nice.” The man was so hairy she could barely make out features. Large flying insects buzzed around his greasy head. He reached for her hips to make good his threat. She jumped out of his way and hurried toward Riona.

  Aeron heard a woman’s boisterous laughter before she found Riona at a center table in the spotlight. Metal discs floated before her in a large game grid. Tiny snaps of electricity shot between them. Fingernails tapped an inert disc as the woman contemplated her next move.

  Not wanting to waste time, Aeron reached for Riona’s arm and said, “Ri.”

  At that same moment, Riona chose to toss her disc. Her smile fell and she blinked heavily at the sudden distraction. It was too late. Her finger slipped and the disc slid off its original course, right into a strip of electricity. The unit blinked once and then fizzled as it was destroyed. Metal particles fell to the table. Chaos erupted in a series of cheers and pounding fists of protest.

  Slowly, Riona stood, her returning smile strained but there. Lights flashed around them and Aeron ducked her head down to avoid the photographs. She knew the military could trace her, but hopefully one missing low-level analyst wouldn’t cause too many problems or red alerts. When this self-given mission was over, she would explain her actions and throw herself on the mercy of her Federation superiors.

  Eyeing Aeron, Riona said through tight lips, “Greetings, sister. I didn’t know the Federation was sending security guards to the event. You should have sent a transmission warning me. I would have told you this wasn’t your scene.”

  Aeron stiffened at the familiar way her sister spoke to her. It was an automatic reaction. She spent most of the time denying she had any family to speak of. There was a reason for it. Her sister was a degenerate gambler who didn’t take a thing seriously. If not for the big glaring hint in the form of a gambling tournament, Aeron wouldn’t have been able to track her down so fast. There were hundreds of planets Riona frequented. “I need to talk to you.”

  “So serious. Careful, it will wrinkle your face.” Riona glanced at her lost game. “Your timing is as impeccable as always.”

  Aeron followed her sister’s unconcerned gaze to the game, not caring for the typical Riona sarcasm. “This is bigger than playtime. It’s serious.”

  Riona glanced around the room before again looking to the game, and sighed, “I can see that.”

  “Would you forget about that stupid game? I need you to come with me. This is important,” Aeron insisted. Why couldn’t her sister j
ust listen to her for once? She needed help, the kind of help only a degenerate star-traveling gambler like Riona could give. Riona knew the underbelly of the universes. She knew how to get things done. Aeron worked on a spaceport in a small metal office. Desperately, she reasoned, “When was the last time I actually came to you for help? You know I wouldn’t be here if I had any other choice.”

  “Where are the other militants?” Riona’s expression gave nothing away. She glanced around the room.

  “I’m alone.”

  Riona studied her, surprised. “You’re here on leave? You left the floating base to actually take a trip?”

  “Yes, or I was on leave until… Well, no, not exactly, but once I explain you’ll realize I didn’t have a choice. This is about—”

  Riona lifted her hand and nodded, turning serious. “Is this favor off planet?”

  “Yes, but it—”

  “Do you have a ship?” Riona broke in.

  “Yes.”

  With a last glance around the crowded room, Riona said, “Then lead the way. You are family after all. Who am I to disappoint family?”