Oak Read online

  Phoenix in Flames series

  Book 7

  Oak

  By Catty Diva

  Edited by Eagle Editing

  Cover by Deniz_Creationz

  2018 Copyright by Catty Diva

  This book is a work of fiction. All contents, including names, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to persons, living or deceased, businesses, locations or events are completely coincidental.

  None of this work may be used, reproduced, exchanged or transmitted by anyone but the person the book was purchased for. Any reproductions of this book in any part or any form must be done with the express written permission of the author or not at all.

  Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

  This series is a spinoff from the 10 book series The Mating Games.

  The Mating Games series

  Book 1

  Razar

  Razar needs a mate, but on his planet, there are nine males to one female. Humans look like they are compatible, but if they find out the secrets of his kind they will refuse to send them mates.

  Lista needs money for her mother's operation or she will die. Her sister has volunteered her to be a bride for an alien. If she wins the mating game, she will be free to keep the money and return home.

  Can she outwit him or will he claim her heart before it's game over?

  Phoenix in Flames series

  Book 1

  Roar

  He’d volunteered for this mission, but why? He’d felt the need to go after the abducted female. It was almost like an obsession which made it scary. Roar was afraid to even guess what he’d do once he found her.

  Treva was hurting all over and scared. She didn’t even hold out hope anyone would come to save her. It was time to save herself. Once she got herself free, she would get to Oison somehow. There simply wasn’t a choice.

  Book 2

  Blaze

  He’d always considered Roar his best friend and they’d hung out together a lot. That was now in the past because Roar had fallen in love and it hit him hard. He was mated and it was hard to tear him from his mate’s side. Only the new priority of aiding in the lab raids had managed it, but his mate came with him. Blaze hoped he never lost himself that completely even while he was a little jealous of their obvious happiness.

  Lab born and raised, Felicity never expected to be freed. She would live and die in misery just as her mother had. When these people came and whispered they would soon be free, she didn’t believe them. When the man came and told her he planned to free her, she wanted to believe everything he said.

  Could fate finally be working in their favor to give two jaded people the chance of a lifetime?

  Book 3

  Tar

  He’d found the facility that was supplying all the labs. This would be the chance to shut it all down. His biggest problem getting the children out. That and the labs special project, Patty. He wasn’t even sure exactly what she was, but he was undeniably drawn to her.

  She was a science project that wasn’t even thought of as a person, much less a woman. Now for the first time ever, a male had made her feel like a female. Could she help him safely bring the lab down so they could leave here together? If they did, would they even be able to have a future?

  Book 4

  Pyre

  All he was doing was escorting a lady to the outskirts of the galaxy to check on a station because of some unexpected activity. He didn’t have to get involved with her and fall in love.

  Ladonna thought this new guy, Pyre, was hot. If it wasn’t for all the trouble she was expecting at the station she and Patty had just bought, she’d pursue a relationship and keep him. After all, he’d been her first. But business had to come first.

  Pyre tried to avoid Ladonna, but he was too drawn to her. Now what the hell did he do?

  Can two lovers settle a whole bunch of trouble and work things out? Only time will tell.

  Phoenix in Flames

  Book 5

  Glint

  Who is George anyway? He’s drawn to the shy female who sinks into the background so most don’t even notice her.

  George agrees to accompany Glint on a mission to assure her place on the ship permanently. Now she finds she likes him a little too much and males usually don’t even know she’s there.

  Can two people looking for love find it with each other?

  Book 6

  Flicker

  Teresa was a human caught up with aliens. She’d escaped a world on the edge of Mazlan space with critical information that earned her a place on Oison. Flicker had been assigned to her and he was handsome and courteous. That wasn’t good enough when he made her panties melt.

  Flicker was a tad irritated that he’d been out in charge of a human spy. Sure, she was beautiful and intelligent. He even felt a strong pull toward her but he wanted to get back on his ship where he could prove his worth.

  Two confused people drawn together in an unusual situation. Will love grow or get stomped to death?

  Book 7

  Oak

  It wasn’t what he’d expected, this mating thing. Still, he wasn’t going to stop until he’d claimed his mate. She wouldn’t be easy to claim and she’d been through a lot, but he didn’t know how to give up.

  Angel had been through hell and back. The big guy, Oak was sweet, but she was damaged goods and he needed to let her go. It didn’t seem anything she said made a difference and everyone she had around her seemed to be on his side.

  Mr. Perfect and Miss hot mess, how could they ever manage to work things out?

  Prologue

  He and his brother were named after the trees brought from Earth hundreds of years ago. Oak, Elm, and Ash. Their sister was too, her name was Maple. Their mother loved the variety of trees that surrounded their house and wished she’d had more children to name after other varieties.

  Odd? Yes, but their mother was as loving and lovable as anyone could be. She’d passed that ability to care about others on to her children. Sometimes it hurt, that was true. But to not be able to love, that would be far worse. Right now he was in a situation where he loved someone who didn’t want to love him.

  Being assigned to the ship of Teresa and her mate Flicker had been a mixed blessing. He loved the couple, they were great to work with, but Angel, one of the new crewmembers who they had rescued, was breaking his heart.

  For now he would just watch her but keep his distance if he could. Maybe they could be friends first. Yes, that was it. They would be friends and then see what might develop. He’d talk to Teresa who gave good advice. Things would work out, they just had to.

  Chapter 1

  A New Life

  She looked at Oak, a grimace on her face. They were too alike, they both had a redheaded temperament. He hid his better, but it was there too. His hair was clearly a red chestnut, hers was a tad browner. Her temperament had never done her any favors. Trouble had dogged her all her life until it had finally brought her to the lowest level a person could get.

  Now that she’d met Teresa, she was committed to rising above all that. It wasn’t like she could just forget it, but they said time healed all wounds. This was a big ugly one, but even those could heal with time and help.

  Oak was a sweetheart, but he didn’t need to hang around her and bring poison into his life. She wasn’t any good for a male like him. It would take her years to recover from all that had happened to her on that space station. It was lucky for her Teresa had asked for her to be part of her crew. Now she needed to do her best so Teresa didn’t regret it.

  As a young girl, she’d hung around with her dad who had been a communications officer on a freighter. The job didn’t pay well, but the captain allowed him to keep his dau
ghter with him. Few jobs allowed for that. A single dad had few choices if he didn’t want to marry just for the sake of his child.

  Her dad had got her raised before he died. Then she was all alone. She’d lived in Daos, a small moon where those who had no one and nowhere to go often ended up. That was where she’d been when slavers had grabbed her and many others. Some had been sold as sex slaves while some, the strong especially males, had gone to the fights.

  Teresa’s mom, Sandy, had already been on the ship when they’d tossed her in the cell with her. The trip had not been pleasant, but the crew had only been allowed to mess with those who hadn’t already been sold. She and Sandy had been left along since they were headed to a space station that held a pleasure house.

  Sandy, being an older female would not be a working girl, but she would not escape that fate. At least she’d heard the females at the house were fed and taken care of. The clients were rich and expected clean and properly taken care of females. They’d already been taken to the doctor and were being fed well. The best she’d eaten since her dad had died.

  “My daughter will come for me. Just keep your hope alive. She’s smart and tough, I know she will find us.” Sandy whispered.

  “Why would she save me? She can just buy your freedom.”

  “You’ll understand when she comes for us. It’s the way she is. I know it will take time, she won’t even know I’m gone for a while, but once she does she will come.”

  Hopes and dreams wouldn’t help her. Or so she thought. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the slave auctions. Those not sold were dragged off the ship and sold to the dregs of society. Low class criminals and the pleasure houses with lower quality females bought their merchandise here. One of the guards had told her she was lucky she was cute. Otherwise he and his buddies would have banged her until she was sold at the auction.

  The guard had gone into great detail. “They strip them all naked. Then they hose them off with cold water whether they need it or not. Some of the guards make extra money by letting the young local males touch the females, or males if they prefer. Not that I would pay just to touch. I’d expect it all.”

  “Chip, get your ass over here.” The boss of the guards yelled.

  “See you later, Sweetheart.” He winked and took off.

  “What a nasty man.” Sandy declared.

  “We were lucky we aren’t on the list of those he can do.” She observed. She was lucky now, but that wasn’t going to last.

  “Why would anyone want someone that doesn’t want them?” Sandy questioned.

  “I don’t know, but I’ve seen a lot of it where I was living.” She admitted.

  “I guess I’ve heard about a lot of it. I stayed in safe places with my little girl, but even those aren’t safe anymore. Earth is going to hell and fast.” Sandy agreed.

  “So are the space stations and the colonies. I heard some stations are controlled by the Mazlans and those are safe. The others areas bad or worse than Earth. Theft, rape, and murder occur constantly. No one is safe anymore.” She informed.

  That was then, but now even though she had a dangerous career, she was usually safe either onboard with Flicker and Teresa, or on Oison with the Mazlans policing the planet. They didn’t bother anyone unless there was danger or a trouble maker. It was the kind of life she’d dreamed of as a young girl. Her home was nice, comfortable, and she had everything she needed and even a lot of things she wanted.

  Teresa and Sandy were her friends and they went out once a month or so with other females both human and other. It was comfortable and no one judged her. Several of the other females had been through as much as she had or more. Those harsh stories weren’t mentioned and no one ever asked.

  The things they talked about was males, kids, houses, and clothes. What did they like to where or where did they want to go. If someone was getting mated, that was the subject of the night. If a baby was coming, that took over. It was much like it had been on Earth or on the ship her dad had worked on. That was so normal, it made her feel content.

  Now that they were on the ship, it wasn’t all that different except there were males and females. They worked together everyone doing their job to the best of their ability. They were cordial and no one was unfriendly. Teresa wouldn’t put up with that. They were headed to P3, it was a strange place in a group of planets Razar had recently started to control.

  She’d heard that there were humans there being used as slaves. There were also rebels that needed taking out. Once they arrived in that quadrant, she would be listening to them and discovering all their secrets. Once they knew all, those that went in would take out the headquarters of the rebels and free all the humans and any other slaves. While she looked forward to doing that, she was also terrified that she would make a mistake that would cost someone their life.

  “That’s why I know you will do a good job. Anyone as worried about it as you are is bound to be anal about the facts. Besides, you have an assistant who is supposed to listen to everything and draw their own conclusions. Once I read both reports, if anything disagrees, I’ll take a look myself.” Teresa said. “Don’t worry so much. Everything is double checked.”

  That had made her feel a little better, but still, so much could go wrong. She looked up and saw Nila going over her equipment. It was a good thing her assistant was as concerned as she was. Already, she’d done some long distance scans and picked up a few conversations. The more the merrier as far as she was concerned. She wanted to piece together a picture before they arrived. Then once they were there she would either disprove or approve that picture.

  Chapter 2

  Headed to P3

  He preferred being on the ground team with his brother Elm. Even though they faced the biggest danger, they made the most money and had the most excitement. He planned to make enough money to eventually buy a business and a place that would hold a large family. It was more important than ever now that he had his eyes on a mate. A vacation home on Oison would be nice too.

  They were just starting out on their voyage with three weeks ahead of them before they made it to P3. Their ship was sleek and fast. It had camouflage capabilities that if used correctly, could help the ship be nearly invisible. The rebels weren’t expecting them feeling safe and secure on their home planet. The last attack was considered a fluke that had nothing to do with the rebels. After this raid, things might get harder.

  Teresa was right though, when she had said that doing attacks with no plan or schedule would make it impossible for them to keep up their guard. They would attack when they were least expecting it. Time was on their side and they could monitor them until they had a lapse. That was the time to attack.

  “Hey, Brother. What are you doing?” Elm asked.

  “I was checking on communications and other ship areas. Everything is looking good.”

  “I bet it is. See Angel?”

  “You know I made sure I did.”

  “I wish you luck. I’m glad you found your female. Maybe I’ll get lucky next.”

  “All my hopes go with you.” Nothing was so important for a Phoenix as to find his fated mate. Goddess bless them that he and his siblings would all find their one.

  “We’d best get our rest. Flicker plans to train with us come morning. He’s one tough bastard.” Elm observed.

  “I heard some of the females are training with us. Maybe that will make things better.”

  “You truly believe that? He’ll be harder on all of us than ever. Is Angel coming too?”

  “I believe so since she can’t do as much since until we arrive. She and her assistant will take turns training. It will be good for them in case we are ever boarded they will be able to protect themselves.” Oak explained.

  They walked toward the room they shared. Several of the rooms had bunk beds and were set to be shared while a few had large beds for couples like Teresa and Flicker. No one had to share since they had a small crew and more rooms than they needed. A few of the females sh
ared with females they knew. Maybe they wanted the company. He wasn’t sure.

  Elm and he shared because they were together most of the time. They even thought alike most of the time. If he mated Angel, it would change everything, but Elm would mate someday too. It was the way life went for most of their kind. Now that they were exposed to more females, it was even more likely that they would find their one.

  Morning was an odd thing aboard ship. It was the same as night. Time looked the same without the changes planet side and some had a hard time adjusting to that. In the room at night, it was dark so they could sleep. Everywhere else, it looked bright to give the illusion of daylight. The exceptions were the greenhouse where plants needed the cycle of day and night, the 3 D rooms where illusion gave those using it the ability to have fun and even adventures. The other exceptions were the top viewing room where anyone could see the stars and planets they passed and the room with the aquariums were the light was adjusted to the kinds in the aquarium. On this ship, they were not full, at least not now. They were available in case they had to transport any water based kinds.

  Now that they were up, they showered, dressed, and headed to the cafeteria to fuel their bodies for the training coming up. Flicker was not an easy trainer, but he would be beside them doing the same work they did. New team members would be present, those like Angel who had joined them after being freed. Some would be experienced, others were in training.

  Teresa had made a point of offering positions to those rescued if they had any skills she could use. Most had accepted not wanting to be dependent on the Mazlans for support or possibly feeling thankful that her team had saved them. Why Angel had accepted, he wasn’t sure but he was glad she had. The female was gorgeous and the only one that could make him happy. Now if only she would realize that was the case.