Asmodel (Alien Legacy Brotherhood #2)

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

T he Akurn science/mining operation in South Africa, circa 5000 BCE

An earth-shattering boom erupted, causing the very ground beneath Asmodel’s feet to convulse violently. He pinwheeled his arms, then put his back against the wall to hang on. Even with his knees bent, the turbulence made it hard to stand upright. Debris from the adobe room rained down from the ceiling onto him as the stench of seared metal mixed with smoky ozone that burned his nose. Wide-eyed, he glanced at his three brothers, who were also scrambling to stay upright in the violent earthquake.

Arakiba was flung face-first onto the dirt floor, his blond hair flying loose from its tight queue.

Azazel floated above the ground from the cross-legged position he’d been in on the floor.

As for Abalim, their dark-skinned brother stood tall with his arms crossed, glaring out the tiny prison window as he rode out the next wave of blasts with his knees bent and a frown creasing his full lips.

“What the fruk is that?” Arakiba pushed up from the floor.

An earsplitting whine pierced the air, followed by a blast of heat as the ground viciously rumbled.

Asmodel raised an arm to protect his eyes from the dust and chunks of the roof that continued to fall around them.

Cracks in the dusty ground ripped apart, creating a vast chasm in the middle of the room.

“Goddessdamn it! That zihui Prince Murduk must be attacking!” Abalim’s voice rose against the noise. “We’ve got to get to the Zikia right now!”

“But that ship isn’t ready…” Asmodel didn’t finish his sentence. Caught and yanked into a teleportation stream, he hurtled until he landed outside the lab compound where he and his brothers had lived as prisoners.

The ground outside wasn’t any better than the inside. A massive earthquake ramped up between laser blasts from the Akurn ship swooping through the air and aiming its massive weapons at the surrounding buildings, disintegrating them into a cloud of silt and fine dust.

Under Asmodel’s feet, the ground tore apart, and he leaped to the other side. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his older brother, Adapa, running to the ship's hangar with a tight grip on his lover, Inanna’s, hand. The man sprinted so fast, the poor woman had to run double-time.

“There!” Asmodel raised a finger at their retreating brother on the far side of the compound as he and Inanna entered the open hangar door where the spaceship Zikia waited for them.

“We’ll never make it in time!” Arakiba shouted.

“We’ve got to try.” Abalim turned to run, but Azazel grabbed his brother’s forearm before he moved.

“Wait.” Azazel spoke in his normal soft tone, regardless of the mayhem surrounding them. “Adapa must’ve already started the ship by now.”

A massive, thunderous noise rumbled and shook the ground harder.

Asmodel and his three brothers fell to the ground as a savage earthquake shook them. A mind-numbing roar became louder and more chaotic, like a continuous thundercloud touching Earth.

“By Tiamat’s titties, what was that?” Arakiba wobbled as he swayed when the ground beneath his feet rumbled.

“We’re out of time,” Azazel’s voice quivered. His normally calm demeanor was long gone. “Quick, everyone in a circle now.”

No one said a word as they formed a small circle. In unison, they tilted their heads back and closed their eyes, with their hands at their sides, palms facing forward.

Asmodel sensed the psychic heat gathering in the middle of the circle as their psionic energy merged in power. Even without Adapa’s commanding presence, their combined forces should be enough.

“Envision the interior cargo bay of the Zikia and I’ll teleport us there. Hurry, my brothers, our future depends on it.” Azazel's soft tone rose in inflection as the background noise boomed closer.

Asmodel took a sharp breath as the teleportation started by Azazel tore him apart. His consciousness remained intact while the rest of him splintered into an infinite number of molecules before getting slammed into his cohesive form once again. He opened his eyes, his head still tilted back so all he saw was the metal roof of the Zikia’s cargo hold. He released the breath he held.

“Thank the goddess we made it.” Arakiba whooshed out a breath, planting his palms on his upper thighs.

“See, Adapa? I told you to stop nagging. We were just outside.” Abalim crossed his arms and widened his stance as he glared at their elder brother.

Adapa sat on the floor in the middle of their circle next to Princess Inanna.

“Abalim?”

Adapa’s wide-eyed expression made Asmodel frown. It was then he noticed what his brother was wearing. It was the strangest thing he’d ever seen. Instead of the normal light linen pants and shirt the Akurns made them wear, he had on some type of heavy black material with pockets down the legs. His simple dark-blue shirt was short-sleeved but made of something Asmodel’d never seen before. Like it contained unnatural materials.

“Why in the hell are you lying on the floor?” Abalim asked him. He reached down and pulled Adapa up to stand. Beside him, Princess Inanna moaned. “Highness! Are you all right?” He squatted next to her and took her hand and elbow to help her sit up.

“Abalim?” Adapa squinted as he repeated the question. He looked at Abalim as if he hadn’t seen him before.

“By Gilgamesh’s balls, what’s wrong with you?” Arakiba fisted his hands on his hips as he glared at Adapa.

“Arakiba?”

It was then Asmodel noticed they weren’t alone. A strange group of people were in a circle behind them. “Adapa, who are all these people?” Now he became the focus of Adapa’s unusual behavior. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear his brother was drunk. Being surrounded by a group of strange people made him nervous. He doubted any of them were Akurn scientists. None had their pale coloring except Princess Inanna. “Are they part of Rummeh’s group?”

Rummeh was the Akurn captain of the ship Inanna took when she came to Earth to escape her sadistic father and brother.

“Asmodel?”

Asmodel’s eyebrows rose when he watched tears gather in Adapa’s eyes. Oh, for the love of a motherless goat. What was going on?

“Brothers.” Azazel’s soft voice made Asmodel frown. He stilled as the world tilted. His brother never used that tone unless something bad was about to happen. It felt like everything was about to change in a way he’d never could have imagined.

Azazel stood with his hands clasped behind his back. “I’m afraid it is us who are confused, not Adapa. I believe we are not where we think we are.”

Asmodel sucked in a breath as fat tears rolled down Adapa’s flushed cheeks. He’d never seen his stoic older brother cry before. “Azazel?”

Azazel slowly approached Adapa and covered his heart with his hand. “My brother, how you have suffered.” He clasped Adapa’s hands in his. “Now that we are together, you no longer have to endure the deterioration I sense within you. You will enjoy full rejuvenation.” He let their brothers' hands go and scratched his chin, giving Adapa a sheepish grin. “I must have overshot teleporting us to the ship.”

Asmodel’s vision narrowed and he became light-headed. Overshot? What did that mean?

Adapa grabbed Azazel in a tight hug. They stood that way for a few moments until they stepped apart. Azazel, their empathic brother, wiped Adapa’s tears away with his thumbs and murmured comforting words in a low voice.

Asmodel glanced at the strangers in the room surrounding them. While he sensed nothing but awe and confusion between them, he stood ready to protect himself and his brothers if necessary.

New York Public Library, Early Evening, Present Day

In the labyrinth of towering shelves, the musty aroma of ancient tomes mingled with the hushed reverie of a room filled with knowledge seekers.

Here, Izzy went about her day with quiet contentment. Each book she placed with care on the cart whispered of adventures in other worlds and exciting lifetimes. At her fingertips was the wide universe of words and unbelievable wonders. As she navigated through the cozy aisles of the library, she glimpsed the tattered spine bearing the title of “Cosmology’s Century” upside down. She chuckled at the absurdity of such a serious book put in that comical position. After pulling it out to straighten it, she turned to the cover page and rubbed her hands over its canvas feel, worn by the touch of many curious hands.

As her eyes unfocused, the weight of the novel stirred a dormant yearning inside her, one she thought she’d long forgotten. But the dream of a life spent unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos as a revered scientist was now far beyond her grasp. As she stood immersed in her memories, everything around her faded away as her gaze lingered on the faded gold lettering. Her mouth curved into a soft, wistful smile.

“Ack, look at that. She’s off in the clouds again.”

Izzy jerked at the nasal tone of her middle-aged co-worker, Evelyn. The woman’s lilting Irish accent was still thick, even after living in New York for the last thirty years.

“Well, what do you expect? After tonight, she’s quitting and running away.”

This from her other co-worker.

Young African-American Marcus stood there with his casual chinos paired with a button-down shirt covered with a dark blazer, his lips furrowed into an indulgent smirk. Today he matched his expensive smart-watch band with a stunning set of multi-colored socks. The modest diamond stud in his left earlobe twinkled.

Izzy flashed them a wide smile. “Oh, you guys. I’m really going to miss you.” She glanced around the comforting atmosphere of the library that had been her home for the last fifteen years. Leaving was hard, but her decision to do so excited her beyond belief.

“I can’t believe you’ve landed a scholarship in India to study cosmology, of all things.” Evelyn sniffed. “I’d wager you won’t feel like you belong there.” She shuddered.

“What?” Marcus glared at the other woman. He scratched the side of the well-groomed cropped beard he’d started a couple of months ago, claiming it gave him an air of maturity. “You have a problem with people from India?”

Evelyn snorted. “Ach, don’ be such an eejit! I weren’t talking about their race. I meant it’d be easy to get lost in a country with over a billion people.” She bumped her shoulder against him. “You know I’m green with envy of anyone who doesn’t have to go about looking like a translucent blob like meself.”

Izzy bit her bottom lip to stop from blurting the truth. She wasn’t going anywhere near India, or anywhere on Earth, for that matter. Her face flushed as she squirmed. It didn’t sit well with her to lie to anyone, especially her two friends.

“Izzy?”

Thank God the croaky voice of ancient Herbert from Queens interrupted. He was a regular who spent a good amount of his time in the library and was always respectful to the workers. She was grateful for him now more than ever. His interruption stopped her from blurting out her confession to Marcus and Evelyn. Even if she had, they’d never have believed her, anyway.

“Yes, Mr. Herbert. How can I help you?” Izzy leaned closer to the short, shrunken man.

Although bent with age, his sharp gaze remained intense. “I hear’s it’s yer last day, an’ I wanta gives you dis.” He held up a single, perfect stem of magenta-colored, funnel-shaped gladiolus flowers.

Izzy gasped and reached for the sweet and slightly spicy blossoms. “Oh, Mr. Herbert.” Her eyes filled with tears. “You didn’t have to.” The old man was on a strict financial budget, and the money he spent on the precious gift made her throat squeeze.

“I’s had ta,” he replied. “You’s need dis just like them Roman gladiators running into battle, as a symbol of courage and strength.” His shrunken cheeks turned a soft pink as he blushed. His dark eyes lowered. “No ones has ever been as nice to an old man like me as you’s is.”

Izzy didn’t think twice. She grasped the old man in a warm hug. “I will miss you, Mr. Herbert.” She stepped back and wiped a tear from her eye. She held on to his upper arms and gave him a narrow-eyed warning. “You take care of yourself. Be sure to eat more and take those walks like you’re supposed to.” She nodded to Evelyn, who stood with her arms crossed and an exasperated expression. Really, the woman needed to learn patience. “Or you’ll have to answer to Ms. Harper. Okay?”

Mr. Herbert returned Evelyn’s glare. “She don’ scare me none.” He turned back to Izzy. “But’s fer you, I’ll do it.”

“Good man.” Izzy patted his thin shoulder. “Now, I’ve saved the newest Joanna Penn thriller for you. Go sit in your favorite chair, and I’ll bring it over.” With an indulgent smile, she watched Mr. Herbert amble with his cane to an old leather recliner that had to be as old as he was.

“I swear, Izzy, I don’t know where you find yer patience.” Evelyn huffed. “If it was up to you, you’d mind every miscreant in New York.”

Marcus’s eyebrows rose, almost taking over his hairline. “Miscreant? Damn, what century are you living in?” He shook his head and waggled his forefinger at her. “Don’t tell me you’ve put in a claim for social security already.” He snapped his fingers. “But, wait! If both of you leave, I’ll have the best chance of becoming head librarian!”

“In your dreams, zygote.” Evelyn huffed. “Get a move on, then. Them stack o’ books over yonder won’t shelve themselves.”

“Yeah, okay.” Marcus gave Izzy a brief hug. He moved away and thumbed over his shoulder at Evelyn. “The old party pooper and I are having lunch brought in. It’s our small way of saying we’ll miss you. Okay?”

Again, Izzy’s throat tightened. She’d sure miss them. They were the only bright spot in her mundane, lonely life.

“Miss Izzy, ma’am?” A small child’s voice matched the tugging on her linen pants. “Can you reads us this story?”

Izzy squatted, bringing her eye level to the small four-year-old, Anna. She glanced at the popular children’s book the small girl wanted read to her every time she came into the library.

“You bet, Anna.” Izzy nodded to the section of the room dedicated for book readings to a small audience. “I’ll meet you there.” She stood and smiled at the girl’s mother, who gave her a grateful grin.

The woman took the child’s hand and whispered to her as they walked away.

Yeah, no doubt about it. There were a lot of things she’d miss.

Izzy turned the key in the lock to let herself out. The familiar click of the library’s grand doors echoed a poignant farewell through the cavernous halls of knowledge she had tended for years. Glancing over her shoulder, she took one last look. The dimming lights cast long shadows across the rows of books, each a silent witness to the dreams and aspirations she’d nurtured within these walls. She breathed in the comforting scent of old pages and unspoken adventures, a tangible reminder of the life she was leaving behind.

She clutched her coat a little closer, shivering as the weight of her decision settled in her heart. For once, she was on the brink of the unknown, about to embark on a journey beyond the confines of Earth. Added to that was the opportunity to explore the possibility of true love, as mysterious as the cosmos itself. This was no ordinary night for her. She was on the threshold of a new beginning, ready to take a chance she never dreamed would come her way.

The grand clock at the end of the room chimed, signaling the end of not only her day but an era. Time to go. Everything was ready. Throwing her head back, she walked through the entryway and locked it behind her. This was a strange symbol of her closing one chapter of her life and stepping into a new one. Shoulders back, she focused on the New York skyline, a mesmerizing sight of millions of shimmering lights twinkling merrily. What a satisfying backdrop for her future.

Her small one-room apartment was just a block away. The compact overnight bag she’d packed yesterday waited for her on her neat bed. The memory of how she’d gotten to this point in her life made her smile.

Was it only a few days ago that her life had changed so much? And it all started when she woke in a cramped room no bigger than her abuela’s bathroom back in the day. The starkness was an afterthought, the suffocating white prison having no windows or doors.

She gasped when the wall unfolded and expanded into a colorful geometric square, swirling in high definition. It was enough to make a girl dizzy. At least it was pretty. Terrifying, but pretty.

“Welcome, Isabella.” The voice sounded male, but it had a definite computerized twang to it. “Please do not be alarmed. You are in no danger.” As it spoke, the geometric pattern expanded and spiked with each word.

“Um, hello.” Izzy put a hand over her chest, as if that’d calm her racing heart. “You know who I am?” Amazingly, she wasn’t the least bit scared, just excited. Despite not being a hardened woman after living alone in New York, she rarely jumped to conclusions. If whoever brought her here had intended to hurt her, they surely would have done so by now.

“Yes, we are quite aware of who you are.” The voice continued. “You grew up as an only child after your parents passed when you were young. Your maternal grandmother, your abuela , raised you, instilling within you a love for books and literature. While you excelled in the public school system, you did not have the funds available for college. To pursue your higher education in library sciences, you worked within the system. After several years, because of your dedication, organizational skills, and innovative ideas for community engagement, at thirty-two, you are now one of the youngest head librarians in the New York system.”

Izzy was about to make a comment when the voice continued.

“You have a small but close-knit group of friends with whom you share your interest in literature, arts, and cultural events around the city. You’ve secretly yearned to be a part of the space program, but have never found the courage to pursue it. Would you agree we have a realistic grasp on who Isabella Pilar Ramirez Torres is?”

Izzy’s mouth opened and closed, then opened and closed again. The hand over her thundering heart turned into a fist. Well, wasn’t that humiliating? Her whole life summed up in two small paragraphs. Hard to say if that was scary or impressive. She let the silence linger until she found the answer. “Yes?”

“Excellent. We have a proposition for you. Are you amiable to discuss your future?”

Izzy glanced around the small room. “I guess so?” Always eager for information, she saw this as a perfect opportunity to gather as much as possible.

“Excellent. However, if you wish to be returned to your domicile, we will send you back right away.”

Izzy sucked on the side of her bottom lip.

“For now, we would like to present to you a proposition in order for you to make an informed decision.”

The geometric pattern shifted until a blank screen took its place. Various covers of the sci-fi romances she’d downloaded and read on her electronic reader floated on the screen. “Do you not have these in your possession and read them?”

She cleared her throat and nodded.

“Excellent.”

Guess she didn’t have to speak to answer their questions.

“Tell us, how would you feel if you found yourself in a position to have one of these alien males fall in love with you? Would you be interested in exploring the possibility?”

She frowned. “What? I don’t understand.” Of all the things these unseen people could say, this was the last thing she expected.

“In addition, we can make your dreams of exploring space come true.”

The voice seemed to become warmer, more human than mechanical.

“Isn’t that one of your desires? To go into the space program? What if you had the chance to not only live the life you’ve craved but also have a handsome soul mate join you?”

The random pictures changed. Now the scene showed the heavenly male models from the book covers she’d read, seductively flaunting their buff bodies in various poses, exposing the hills and valleys of their impressive naked chests.

Izzy gasped as the pictures of some of her favorite models lingered.

“Well, Isabela Pilar Ramírez Torres, shall we continue with our proposal?”

She dropped her hands to her sides and wrinkled her nose. “Okay?” It wouldn’t hurt to hear them out, right?

“Excellent!” The warmth in the voice continued. “We propose to you a reality you assumed was a fantasy.”

The video shifted, and the images transformed into 3-D holograms, displaying various alien males in what she assumed were their natural habitats. It was easy enough to recognize the different species and planets from the novels she consumed.

Now the holographic images walked around her as if they were in the same room as her. Large, primal, sexy males she’d always dreamed about.

“The various cultures and their circumstances described in every story you’ve read on your electronic reading device are based on reality. There are thousands of humanoid cultures looking for respective mates. And the females of Earth are more than compatible with most of these species who face extinction.”

Her face heated as the males walked around her, eying her as if they were there in the room. One of them, a hunky male with deep-purple skin and black, curling horns like a ram’s on the sides of his head, caught her eye. His deep-magenta eyes with the horizontal pupils were both scary and sexy.

“Thus, the galactic government called the Federation Consortium created an exchange program. Its goal is to aid those worlds that desperately need females. And there are millions of human women on Earth who are willing to join this exchange program to find a true mate of their own.”

“How’s that possible?” Izzy whispered. “Aren’t we all different species?” She bit back a moan when the images disappeared.

The colorful geometric symbol was back, accompanied by a metallic sigh that sounded sincere. “Human women are unique since your DNA adapts to a good portion of the humanoid males within the galaxy. Once you mate, your human genome usually gives way to allow the nonhuman species to survive.” A warm chuckle. “That is why various races across the Milky Way have sought human females.”

Izzy rubbed her forefinger along her jawline. “I’m not sure I understand. You’re asking me if I’m willing to leave Earth, attend this exchange program to find an alien husband, then live on his planet and have his children?”

“Yes! That is correct. We are giving you the opportunity to find the family you have always yearned for among the deserving males of the known galaxy. And you will do so in a safe environment. Imagine, one male just for you. One who will cherish you as the valuable female you are. One who would never forsake you for another. Say yes, and you will never have to worry about being alone again. All your dreams will come true.” The last word came out in a solemn whisper.

Oh, phooey. Now the silly voice just had to spout, “All your dreams will come true.”. Even a dingbat knew if something sounded too good to be true, it usually was.

“We know how unbelievable this seems. But would you be amenable to let us prove our sincerity?”

It only took a moment to decide. “Yes, I would. If you can prove to me what you say is true, I’ll consider joining this exchange.”

After all, what did she have to lose except everything?

“Come then, Isabella.”

The metallic voice continued with a warm and gentle inflection. There had to be a person behind that voice and not some kind of computer simulation.

“If you are amiable, we will show you a small portion of our ship, the StarChance, to convince you of our sincerity. Please do not be alarmed when one of our liaisons greets you and shows you around.”

Izzy’s heart raced. Was this really real? Was she about to meet an honest-to-goodness alien on a spaceship? With fresh eyes, she glanced around. She took a deep breath, and it dawned on her the faint stench of the New York’s atmosphere was missing.

The wall to her right disappeared. There, in the doorway, stood one of the most stunning women she’d ever seen in her life. Oh, wait. That wasn’t a woman, that was some kind of alien female. One way taller than her. Over six feet, at least. With long, dark, wine-red hair bound in several braided dreadlocks that reached the back of her thighs. Izzy couldn’t imagine how long it took to wrestle her hair into those creative braids.

With the female’s hair pulled back so tight, her pointed elf ears were on prominent display. Multicolored crystal earrings dangled in a single rope that started at the tips and ended an inch from each lobe. But it was her eyes that were most captivating. They were almond-shaped, the irises a darker shade of yellowish green surrounded by a light shade of khaki. Her long lashes matched her brows, the same deep burgundy of her hair.

The alien woman’s outfit was something she’d expect from a typical science-fiction movie. Formfitting in a lustrous cream color that offset the slight iridescent sheen of her skin. Oh, goose feathers . Izzy shivered. What she wouldn’t give to have a figure like that.

“Welcome to the StarChance , Ms. Isabella Pilar Ramirez Torres.”

Izzy froze.

As the female spoke, a hint of tiny fangs peeked out.

But it was the sharp bite in the woman’s tone that warred with the slight smile that gave Izzy pause. The alien said one thing, but her body language was the complete opposite. Izzy mentally slapped herself upside her head. Now, Izzy, you’ve got to remember you’re dealing with an alien. It was ridiculous to compare her to how a human would react.

“You may call me Aja.” The woman extended her hand. “If you decide to join us for the exchange, I will serve as your liaison.”

Izzy hesitated before clasping Aja’s hand. The alien’s skin was warmer than hers. “Please call me Izzy.” She released the other female’s hand and waved hers between them. “Is this one of your traditions when you meet someone? A handshake?”

“No. However, I am trained in several Earth customs to make your transition as easy as possible for you.” Aja cocked her head, indicating the corridor behind her. “Follow me, and I will show you a small portion of our ship.” She turned and walked away.

Izzy expected to hear the hard metallic footsteps, but the shiny golden floor mysteriously muffled the female’s movements. Shrugging, she followed.

“I am only bringing you this far in order to show you this.” Aja stood in front of an expansive window and waved her left hand.

For the first time, Izzy noticed that the woman had one thumb and three fingers of equal length. “Oh wow,” she murmured. Not wanting to offend by pointing out the differences in their hands, she turned to where Aja indicated.

Her breath caught and her eyes widened. In all its glory, there was Earth, floating like a vibrant jewel against the velvet backdrop of space. The blues of the oceans were deeper than any she’d seen before, even in simulated vids. Swirling clouds of white and gray floated gracefully across the surface in stark contrast. Continents lay sprawled below, their outlines familiar yet surreal from this vantage point. As the ship orbited, day transformed into night in a mesmerizing display. The glittering lights of the cities pierced the darkness, creeping across the globe, like countless stars mirrored on the planet’s surface.

From this high vantage point in the vastness of space, Izzy felt the quiet hum of the alien vessel more than she heard it. Time stood still as she experienced a profound connection to the tiny, fragile world below—her home, seen as never before. It reminded her of the famous astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, describing Earth as a “brilliant jewel in the black velvet sky.”

The word awe was a lousy way to describe her feelings at this moment.

But, to be honest, it was what lay beyond Earth that called to her. The vastness of space, dotted with distant stars and the occasional passing satellite, seemed to urge her to join them. To become a part of something bigger than she could ever imagine.

Such a simple decision. With a wide smile, she turned to Aja.

“Where do I sign up?”