Free Gemini - Taken by the Alien Kings (Lords of Astria) by Juno Wells Page A

for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.
    Kindle Edition

Prologue
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    W ar had been brewing for over 1000 years, but never had it been so close…
    If humans knew the danger lurking in the shadows of Outer Space above them, not one would be able to sleep at night. The monsters of childish nightmares and ancient folklore were, in truth, only too real. Fortunately for the slumbering humans below, the guardians of the ancient peace— The Lords of Astria— protected the space not far from the little planet that spun blithely in its orbit, unaware of the danger so close at hand.
    These Lords of the Great Houses of Astria were convening to ensure the continued fate of humanity.
    The United Federation of Astria had ensured peace and tranquility for the 187 planets in their corners of the universe for hundreds of thousands of years. But now a new threat was emerging.
    It was an old, ancient evil— one which had been defeated in the shadows that existed before time— and this evil was emerging from the Dark Nebula, threatening the little spiral galaxy that had been neutral space since the Treaty of Elyria over 2000 years ago had ended the Great War of Succession.
    Two thousand years ago humans had been building the pyramids, and now, while modern humans were still bickering over whether or not the existence of life outside of Earth was even a possibility, aliens far more advanced than humanity could have imagined possible, were bickering over just what to do with the third rock from the sun.
    It was inconvenient that the little planet, situated as it was directly in the middle of the neutral galaxy, was inhabited. The empty spiral galaxy was supposed to have been the buffer between the dark nebula and the citizens of Astria, but in the years since the treaty had been signed, the small blue dot had been discovered to be teeming with life— though some on the council argued whether or not such life could be deemed intelligent or not.
    Word had reached the High Council, the elite ruling body of Astria whose membership was made up of the Lords of the ruling families of the planets in the Federation, of atrocities being committed at the border of the Milky Way, the neutral territory between Astria and the Dark Nebula.
    Not without precedent, the leaders of the 187 planets found themselves divided as to how to proceed. The Lord High Commander, His Excellence Apollodorus of Titianos, was insistent that the little blue planet be protected and seized preemptively by the Federation of Astria.
    Lady Charisa of House Projota, his archival on the Council, felt that such an act would give the army of the Dark Nebula all the excuse they needed in order to declare all out war on the Federation of Astria.
    Just when things seemed at an impasse, a clever solution was proposed by Lord Beckaet of Staephania. He reminded the Council of the ancient rights granted by Privilege of Consanguinity.
    These rights had been the foundation upon which the alliances governing the Federation of Astria had been built hundreds of thousands of years ago. So far in the mists of history had the privilege of consanguinity receded to, that it had become part of the origin legends of the planets, almost forgotten to time itself.
    These rights, which not even the aliens of the Dark Nebula could contest, stated that once two peoples were united by blood and marriage, they became, in effect, one people— and any treaties which bound one people, bound all of them.
    This understanding had cemented the alliances of the planets made up the United Federation of Astria. It would now be the way in which the Astrians could bring Earth under the protection of the Federation without breaking the treaty which had set aside Earth beyond their territory of guardianship.
    It was decided that a member of the ruling house of each planet would take an earthling as a spouse, and so bring Earth under the protection of its house and planet. The High