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by Alison Aimes
An odd frisson of uncertainty snaked through 673. He wanted those weapons, wanted what was in those packs. But he’d come for a different reason entirely, and with the seven soldiers out of the way, the few left would be easy pickings.
It was a curious thing: choice. For so long, there had been only the option to survive. He didn’t like having alternatives. It almost made him feel human again.
“West, please,” a dark-haired female in a similar gray uniform limped over to where the other woman stood, the quality of her boots marking her as Council even without his ability to see the CC designation on her skin, “go with them. You’ve done so much for us already. Why should you die, too?”
He’d already noted this second female and the wounded Council officer on the ground and dismissed them as any kind of threat. Fact was, like fighter girl, they were dead folks walking— because, in this case, soldier bastard was right. The strong barely survived out here. The injured didn’t have a chance in hell.
His fighter girl didn’t seem to care, though. His? No, she wasn’t his. She wasn’t anything but Dragath25 dirt in the making.
He’d learned long ago not to stick his neck out for anyone else. Keeping himself alive was hard enough.
Just beyond, the wind picked up, brushing against 673’s skin, signaling the start of another dust storm. Within the half-hour, this place would be choked in dirt and debris, everything within suffocated under an indifferent cloak of dirt and rock.
“I’m not leaving you.” Fighter girl stumbled forward, her wavy, soot-colored hair brushing her ass . . . so easy to grab and wrap around his wrist. “Let’s find something I can drag Dr. Winthrop in.”
She turned in his direction, giving him his first full view of wide green eyes, a lush pink mouth, and firm, high tits full enough to fill his hands.
His body rioted to attention, the man he’d once been waking with a silent roar as white-hot lust flooded his veins. He jerked to standing, all subterfuge, all caution, forgotten. The absence of touch for eight long years, a sudden agonizing stab of need across his skin.
“Look!” She pointed near to where he stood, and for a heart- stopping moment, he was sure he’d been sighted. But then she turned back to her friend. “There’s something that looks like a cave only a little way up. If we can make it there, we can hide.”
“But—”
“No but. We are making it there.” She dropped to her knees beside the wounded officer’s body. “No one else is dying. Head- quarters will send search and rescue to investigate the crash. We only have to stay alive until then.”
The shrieking cry of 223’s pack sounded again. Closing in fast.
The reminder cooled 673’s lust enough to get him thinking again.
His gaze flickered between the woman, now frantically working with her friend to wrap the man in some kind of fabric, and the strewn, burning wreckage that littered the ground. His hands clenched and unclenched.
Choices.
His dick was telling him one thing. His mind another. Shit. He really hated choices.
He started forward.
To read more, click TRAPPED and settle in for another wild ride!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS for RUTHLESS KING
This book would not be possible without the kindness, support, and creativity of so many people and I am so grateful to each and every one of you. I hope my readers know how much I appreciate you taking the time to read my work.
I want to say a special thank you to several readers I’ve gotten to know through the Alison Aimes Red Hot Romance Facebook page and my ARC team sign ups. Holly Greys, Tricia Len, Persephone Black, Janey Dyson, Jean Stillman, Holly Hill Mangin, Rose Files, Raymona Hendricks, Christen Roxo, EJ Frost, Carol Hanlon, Lori Rattay, Katrin Ähmsry, Janet Seavey, Anthony Abignale, Kelly Grice-Bargman, Rita Valkenborg, and Ema Cristina—you were a HUGE help in inspiring this particular story so thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I hope you see Ruthless King as a worthy tribute to your creative energies, love of romance, and brilliant dirty minds, which are thankfully a match to my own.
Thanks too to my entire incredible ARC team. You are a critical part of each book’s success. I am so grateful for your time and energy, and I hope you know how much your reviews mean to me. I’m looking forward to giving each of you a big, tackle hug someday soon.
I’d also like to thank Natasha Snow, cover designer extraordinaire. I am so crazy in love with the Ruthless King cover, and all the rest for this series. Your design skills are amazing, and they are only outdone by your kindness as a person. I’m such a fan!
Thanks too to Amanda Gawthorpe of Blue Ink Press for her wonderful developmental editing. I didn’t make it easy for you with a rougher first draft that I usually provide, but you were a trooper and your insights helped so much.
A special thank you is owed to Monique Moreau. Not just your terrific beta read, but also for being such a great all-around friend. I love riding the highs and lows of the author rollercoaster with you, and I can’t wait until we can restart our writing get-togethers.
I want to give a HUGE thank you to the brilliant Lynn Winchester, who was an amazing support and whose keen eye for detail helped make Ruthless King so much stronger. You pushed me to do better world-building and cheered me on, and I am so grateful to count you as a friend.
I also want to thank Holly Hill Mangin from Fresh as a Daisy Editing for her terrific insights as both a beta reader and proofreader guru. You saved me time and again, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your responsiveness, reliability, and kindness. Every time I work with you, I can’t wait to do it again.
A big thank you too to Veronica Adams at Elle Woods PR for helping me with every launch and every question in between. I am so thankful for your mad publicity skills and ad knowledge as well as your endless patience and kindness, and I appreciate all you did to make the launch of Ruthless King a success.
A million thank you must be given too to my amazing PA, Danielle Rairigh, of Danielle Leigh Author Services. You are, of course, a brilliant assistant, graphics guru, FB and IG whiz, editor, beta reader, genius NL crafter, and all-around stupendous wealth of information about anything book related, but you are also a terrific friend and a lovely person, and I feel so lucky to have you in my life.
I also want to thank some very close friends whose support makes all the difference. Karen and Phyllis, Priscilla, Jay and Louise, you guys are the BEST. Thank you so much for cheering me on.
I want to make sure to thank my dad as well. No matter what I do, you are always right there offering encouragement. So many of the great traits I give my heroes—honor, generosity of spirit, protectiveness for those they love—can be found in you.
I say it every time, but there are not enough thank yous in the world for my amazing mother. Part cheerleader, therapist, editor, and full-time friend, you are always in my corner. In my view, these books are a product of our shared hard work and I will treasure them always as something we’ve done together.
Finally, a huge thank you to my husband. I hope you know each book is a love letter to you. There’s no better hero inspiration out there. Thank you for bringing such joy and beauty to my life.
About Alison Aimes
Alison Aimes is the award-winning author of the sizzling, action-packed sci-fi romance Ruthless Warrior series, Condemned series, and Alien Warlord series, as well as the sexy contemporary romance Billionaire Bad Boys collection. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two kids, and her dog. When not in front of the computer, she can be found hanging with family and friends, hiking, trying to turn herself into a pretzel through yoga, or, last but not least, sitting on the couch imagining her characters’ next great adventures.
Alison can be found online at www.alisonaimes.com.
Books By Alison Aimes
IN THE RUTHLESS WARRIOR SERIES:
RUTHLESS KING: A DARK MAFIA OMEGAVERSE FATED-MATES ROMANCE
SAVAGE PRINCE: A DARK MAFIA OMEGAVERSE FATED-MATES ROMAN
CE (COMING SOON)
BEAUTIFUL BRUTE: A DARK MAFIA OMEGAVERSE FATED-MATES ROMANCE (COMING SOON)
DIRTY KILLER: A DARK MAFIA OMEGAVERSE FATED-MATES ROMANCE (COMING SOON)
ENEMY PRINCESS: A DARK MAFIA OMEGAVERSE FATED-MATES ROMANCE (COMING SOON)
IN THE CONDEMNED SERIES:
TRAPPED
TAKEN
TORMENTED
TAMED
IN THE SCI-FI ALIEN WARLORD SERIES:
STOLEN
IN THE BILLIONAIRE BAD BOY SERIES:
BILLIONAIRE BLACKMAIL
BESTING THE BILLIONAIRE
To learn about her latest releases and receive a copy of STOLEN for FREE, sign up for her newsletter at www.alisonaimes.com
Ruthless King: A Dark Mafia Omegaverse Fated-Mates Romance
Book One in the Ruthless Warriors Series
Bookmark: Copyright
Published by Orchid Publishing
Copyright 2021 Orchid, Inc.
Cover by Natasha Snow, Natasha Snow Designs
EPub Edition ISBN: 978-1-7354566-1-4
Print Edition ISBN: 978-1-7354566-2-1
Excerpt from TRAPPED copyright © 2016 by Alison Aimes Excerpt from STOLEN copyright © 2021 by Alison Aimes
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Created with Vellum
THANK YOU
Thank you for reading Ruthless King: A Dark Mafia Omegaverse Fated-Mates Romance. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please help other readers find this book by writing a review.