Free Found: BBW Alien Lottery Romance (Warriors of Karal Book 2) by Harmony Raines

stories of make-believe?” she asked.
    “No,” he replied but then hesitated. Was that a lie? Didn’t he recall sitting on the beach with the ocean in front of them and his father telling him about a man who lived in the ocean? A man who protected the small fish from the big fish so they didn’t all get eaten. He had told Rikka that the warriors were the same as that old man, that their job was to protect the smallest of people from the big giants of the solar system.
    His father had been right in his story. There were things out in the universe that were bigger even than the Karal, and certainly bigger than the humans. Was it not the Karal’s job to take care of these smaller people?
    Yet that was not what his training as a warrior had led him to. No, instead they were always told that they were to do everything for the Karal alone. Any technology that they might need was theirs to take, if it meant their species grew stronger.
    At no point were they taught to be altruistic, and so the Hier Council’s ruling about helping humans made less sense to him. Had the whole of the Karalian race experienced this shift since the first human had walked amongst them? Or at least those who had females?
    Did the coming of the females from Earth symbolise a small avalanche of pebbles, which would turn into a landslide capable of washing away all that the Karal had stood for?
     

Chapter Fifteen – Gaia
     
    It was late morning by the time all the equipment had been stowed on the cruiser and they were ready to depart. For the most part, Gaia had stood in the sidelines and watched, feeling useless. As she went over Rikka’s words from yesterday, she realised this was probably how she was going to feel for most of the trip. If she couldn’t use any of the controls, what exactly was her role on this mission?
    To lie in his bed and let him make love to her whenever he wanted . That was her suspicion: she was here to breed with, to be a distraction from the day-to-day boredom of life aboard a space cruiser.
    “Are you excited?” Okil said. He had turned up at the breeding house about an hour ago and had taken Rikka aside to talk to. She hadn’t been able to hear what was being said, and for a while wondered if the mission was about to be cancelled; the discussion had become heated at times. From a Karalian point of view, anyway.
    There had been no raised voices, but both of them had trouble controlling their colours. Bright flashes intermingled with muted clouds of blue. She closed her eyes and recalled the touch of him last night. The way his skin seemed to vibrate as she ran her fingers over his flesh, the way he moved inside of her, so patient and so tender.
    Then, afterwards, they had lain in each other’s arms. Before she had said something to upset him. She still couldn’t put her finger on it, but she was sure it was to do with his upbringing. Once on board the space cruiser, he might open up to her, talk about his childhood. There would be enough hours in the day to fill, of that she was sure.
    “Excited?” she said, in answer to Okil’s question. “I’m not sure.”
    “Rikka is a good man,” Okil said. “He is a brave warrior; he will look after you.”
    “That’s not what worries me.” Gaia decided to be frank with Okil. She had nothing to lose. Unless he made her stay behind, which was doubtful so late in preparations.
    “Then what does worry you, Gaia? I know this has all been placed on your shoulders suddenly.”
    “It’s not that. It’s knowing that you are a pawn in someone else’s game. A game you have no knowledge of, not just the rules, but the aim. What is at stake here, Okil? Rikka hasn’t really said anything, but hints here and there, tell me this is bigger than me. Bigger than you.”
    “It is. And I wish I could be honest with you, Gaia. I have a part to play, as have you. My part is often hard; I have to be forceful when I would rather be nice.”
    She smiled at him. “I never expected a