Free Alien Guard's Mate (SciFi Paranormal Alien Romance) (Vistran Love Book 3) by April Osirus Page A

head.
    “No, daughter,” he said finally. “You won’t know who has the most stocks in the mines or who has the best prospects off colony. No, it’s best to let your father find the best match.”
    Amara knew her father had always valued profit above all else. But this was her future he was playing with here. He was auctioning off her heart and she knew she couldn’t just stand by silently. There was no one who would fight for her happiness but herself. So if it was a choice of marrying unhappily for money or to be a forever spinster with some independence, Amara knew exactly what she wanted.
    From then on, Amara became the rudest, most ill-mannered girl any respectable family had ever met. She put her feet up on tables, glared at her potential suitors, and made as many rude comments as she could. She had never seen her father’s face turn so red before.
    And this was only during the times her father could find her. Amara would also devil her father by hiding or running away right before they were to leave to meet a family. Hiding on the edges of the Phillips’ vast lands on Traxil, Amara could hear her father roar with frustration as he tore through his huge mansion trying to find his stubborn daughter.
    It wasn’t long before her father had brought her around to nearly all the eligible families on Traxil. And any families left had heard about Amara’s terrible antics and were not interested in marrying off their son and their fortune to such a girl.
    When her father got the message from the remaining elite family on Traxil declining a meeting, it was the only time Lord Phillips had struck his daughter. Amara had fallen to the floor, her cheek burning from the hard blow. She had looked up at her father, unable to comprehend the violence that had just occurred.
    “Selfish girl!” he had cried. “Here I am trying to secure your future and you are being as ungrateful as possible!”
    Secure her future? Amara would’ve scoffed if her jaw hadn’t been so bruised. He was only interested in how much more his own fortunes would increase by marrying her off. It was then Amara knew that not only would she never marry but she would also leave her father as soon as possible. She could care less about a title or money. She just wanted her independence.
    Almost immediately after Amara had come to this conclusion, her father received a message from the Lincolns, an incredibly wealthy family on the colony off Soong, a distant planet. The Lincolns had visited Traxil many months ago and had just heard that Lord Phillips was searching for a husband for his daughter. They wrote their interest in meeting Amara again for their son.
    Lord Phillips nearly hooted in triumph after reading the message. He had found his daughter and glared at her. “You will marry their son, Amara,” he had threatened. “This is the last chance at a good alliance and luckily this family lives so far away they haven’t heard of your horrible antics. And as fate has it, this family is wealthier than any of these small colony bumpkins here!” Lord Phillips eyes gleamed with the image of all the new wealth he would soon be coming into. “I will make sure this marriage happens.”
    Amara couldn’t imagine a worse family to marry into. She remembered the Lincolns vividly. Their son Milo had been the most vicious man she had ever met. Although quite tall, he was thin with a very long face. He had had a constant expression of boredom during the ball he had attended on Traxil. It was only once he had been introduced to Amara that his expression had flickered any hint of interest.
    For the rest of the night, Milo had kept Amara by his side. She had watched him harangue the servants for the merest infractions. He had even had some of the servants fired that very evening. Several of the maids had run off crying. Amara had never been so disgusted with a man.
    Milo had refrained from dancing the whole evening. Then towards the end of the ball, he turned to Amara