He asked for a ride. He didn’t expect it from the aliens
When General Jones tells Ryan Wilcox he’s been chosen to negotiate humanity’s first alliance with an alien race, Ryan’s response is immediate: there must be someone better suited.
He’s only twenty-six. In Paris, he was one of many. Nobody takes him seriously. He steps out of the limo in the middle of the New Mexico desert and walks until the problem feels smaller.
It doesn’t get smaller. It gets mauve and speaks perfect English.
Here’s the moment everything changes for Ryan — straight from Chapter Two of Negotiations:
Ryan was walking back when the landscape shimmered, and he swayed, a little dizzy. The desert around them continued to blur — like a mirage.
Another step forward, and suddenly they were somewhere else. His head throbbed, blood rushed through his ears, and his stomach felt like it had decided to take a vacation down to his left ankle.
A bald man, mauve in color, stood right in front of him, wearing a funny foil robe. Another man, this one bright blue, sat at a floating desk, staring out at the desert through a window. Donna gasped, so at least Ryan knew he wasn’t the only one going crazy.
“Oh”, he thought. “These must be the aliens.”
The mauve alien stepped forward. Everything about him was mauve — his skin, his lips, his eyes. “You asked for a ride?”
Ryan had walked into the middle of the desert to avoid exactly this. He’d taken one more step — and boarded an invisible ship.
That’s the Earth’s Secret Alliance series. Nobody signs up for this willingly. They just keep taking one more step.
Most readers are done in an hour.
Grab Negotiations here → books2read.com/Negotiations
Until next week,
Tony
Free Books & Great Reads
Here are some collections I’m part of this month — filled with fantastic authors and free reads. Take a look and find your next favourite book!
📚 E Pluribus Unum — Anthologies, Box Sets & Collections
A speculative fiction collection for readers who love getting more story in one volume.
February 28 – April 2 👉 Browse the collection
🏡 Cozy Family Reads
Wholesome chapter books, middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction — clean, cozy, and free.
Through March 31 👉 Find a cozy read
🚀 Inside the Pages!
A curated collection of fiction from talented authors across genres. Browse, discover, and grab a free read.
March 1 – 15 👉 Browse the collection
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