A M Griffin [Griffin - The Game Warden’s Mate

Copyright 2019 A.M. Griffin

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to my family; Ryan, Jori, Myles and Mia. The loves of my life.

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to Michelle Howard for her time, eyes and direction.

The Game Wardens Mate

The Hunter . As the new Game Warden, Xrez Ymihla brings patrons from across the galaxy to track prey in a game built to enslave the weak and mate the strong. The business is a long running family legacy and Xrez is determined to succeed as his father had before him. He hadnt meant to let one human occupy his thoughts, mind, and body.

His lies may come back to haunt him, but if he reveals the truth, hell ruin his chance to capture the heart of the one he wants.

The Prey . Esme Valdez had her entire life planned from an early age. As a chemist, her life was average and mundane, just the way she liked it. Until the impossible happened. Never did she imagine being abducted by aliens and forced to participate in a survival of the fittest game called The Hunt. If she survives and makes it to the end, shell be freed. If not, shell be forced to mate the one who captures her.

Esme is determined to win at all costs, even if it means putting her trust in a sexy alien who taunts her in the most delectable way.

Their love was built on betrayal. Can she trust him with her heart and life?

Chapter One

A bird chirped.

The annoying sound tugged at Esme Valdezs consciousness. Shed always been a hard sleeper, but she couldnt block out the birdswhat was it, a mating call?

She mentally shook her head.

Whatever it was usually wouldnt have bothered her at all. After working overtime, yet again, shed made a promise to herself. She would spend Saturday morning in bed and wouldnt let her feet touch the floor until she could no longer ignore the demands of her bladder. But the high-pitched sound was irritating enough to weasel into her dream. It had been a good one too.

Esme called it her instant heiress to a fortune dream. She had it at least once a month. It always started with Esme calmly walking into the biochemical laboratory where she worked and gave the handsy lead chemist her resignation letter. For the past year, shed spent fifty hours a week working under a man whose eyes lingered too long on her chest and whod whispered things into her ear that no peer should say to another. To top it off, her boss did nothing with the complaints shed lodged.

Whenever she had a particularly hard day at work, she could bet on spending several blissful hours dreaming of kneeing him in the groin followed by frivolous spending and expensive vacations. That dream occurred like clockwork.

How many maids would I need for an eight-bedroom mansion?

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

Eight-bedrooms? No. Ill need at least ten to fit everyone comfortably.

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

She clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth together. The awful noise grated on her nerves. How was she supposed to pick out gaudy furniture under these circumstances?

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

And just like that, her dream faded.

Of course, there would be a noisy bird right outside her bedroom window. After working overtime and looking forward to sleeping in, this bird appeared set on ruining her night. Or was it the morning already?

Ugh. Esme groaned.

Shed been looking forward to waking up and not having to squint into a microscope or deal with her leering co-worker. But thats what she got for buying a house out in the middle of nowhere. The abundance of wildlife was one of the many reasons shed bought the small two-bedroom bungalow at the end of the dirt road. Shed been drawn to the seclusion the wooded areas on both sides of her home provided. The twenty-four-acre lake that had come with the property had been a bonus. If it werent for her job in the city, Esme would never leave her place.

Another bird joined the first.

Ugh.

Esme didnt know how she was ever getting back to sleep now.

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

Their chorus seemeddifferent. Odd even. And much louder than it should have.

If she didnt know any better, she would think the birds were directly over her head instead of behind concrete walls and sturdy windows. They shouldve sounded muffled, not crisp and clear.

Oh, well. No matter how loud the birds were, it was still better than being stuck in rush hour dealing with traffic jams, honking horns, pollution and all the high-stress irritation that came with driving into the city. Shed much rather stay in her little-wooded hideaway anyway. Esme could either let the noise ruin her morning or she could get over it.

Get over it. Esme quickly decided.

Another bird joined the two throwing a concert above her head.

Note to self. Hire someone to cut down the tree outside my bedroom window.

Esme rolled to her back and flung her arm across her face. It was a last ditch effort to reclaim the dream that had slipped away. It seemed that shed quickly forgotten about one problem, only to have to deal with another.

The sweltering heat.

When had it gotten this darn hot?

Yes, La Loma, Tlalnepantla, Mexico was hot in June, but her air conditioner shouldve kept her room at a crisp sixty-eight degrees and at twenty-five she was too young to be having hot flashes. That left one alternative. Her air conditioner had broken.

Damn.

Esme stretched and splayed her limbs. It was so hot that sweat had made her usually comfortable bed prickly and wet. The air in her room was thick and humid, almost smothering. Even spread-eagle she couldnt find relief. Heat clung to her skin, reminding her why she preferred the air conditioner cranked on high. The summer nights were brutal, even for someone born and raised in central Mexico.

Please dont let it be broke. Please dont let it be broke.

A soft wind blew across her skin, leaving a cool undercurrent in its wake.

Esme let out a grateful sigh. Ah, that feels a little better.

All she needed was a few more gusts of cooling wind, the birds to stop making noises over her head and the snoring to her right to end then she could easily fall back to sleep.

Wait.

None of that sounded remotely right.

Esme opened her eyes with a start. Thanks to the shadowy outline of a tree with low hanging leafy branches directly over her head, one thing became immediately apparent. She wasnt in her bedroom.

What the hell? How had she gotten outside?

Her mind raced. Confusion and panic swelled in her chest. What happened the night before?

She couldnt fight through her alarm to hold onto a clear thought. Air rushed in and out of her lungs, making them burn. Each hard breath threatened to crack her ribs.