Always fun to return to Paranormal Romantics to talk about
books! Thanks for having me over!
Today I’m highlighting Kierce:
A Badari Warriors SciFi Romance Novel, which is the seventh book in the
Badari timeline. I’m having fun writing an actual scifi romance series
(although each book is written to be read standing on its own – you don’t have
to read the other books first) and challenging myself to come up with new
wrinkles for each successive novel. And
to keep advancing the overall series arc in each book as well.
For readers who might not have read any of my Badari
Warriors books, here’s the background:
Genetically engineered
soldiers of the far future, the Badari were created by alien enemies to fight
humans. But then the scientists kidnapped an entire human colony from the
Sectors to use as subjects in twisted experiments…the Badari and the humans
made common cause, rebelled and escaped the labs. Now they live side by side in
a sanctuary valley protected by a powerful Artificial Intelligence, and wage
unceasing war on the aliens.
I started this series in part because I love Laurann
Dohner’s New Species and Lora Leigh’s Breeds, both of which have entirely
different takes on genetically engineered soldiers, and I wanted to write my
own stories using the trope, set in my future universe, the Sectors.
The blurb:
Elianna McNamee, spaceship engineer, is far from her home in the human Sectors,
kidnapped along with all her shipmates to be used for horrifying experiments
conducted on a remote planet by alien scientists.
Her captors decide to toss her in a cell with a ferocious
predator, expecting him to kill her…but Kierce, the Badari warrior in question,
has too much honor to mistreat a human woman. The trouble is, he’s trapped in a
form drastically different from his own as a result of twisted genetic meddling
and hiding dark secrets to save other Badari lives.
Able to become a man again briefly with Elianna‘s help, he
and Elianna bond over their mutual hatred for the enemy but when rescuers
finally arrive, the pair are separated by well-meaning Badari authorities.
Kierce struggles to overcome flashbacks from the torture and
drugs the alien scientists inflicted on him. He and Elianna despair over
whether he’ll ever be able to regain his rightful place as a man and a soldier
in the pack, much less be ready to claim a mate.
Elianna accepts a risky but essential assignment far away
from where Kierce is being held, working with another man who’s more than
professionally interested in her. Her heart belongs to Kierce and she can’t
forget their two nights of shared passion but will that be enough to lead them
to a happy reunion?
The excerpt:
The beast paced from side to side of the cell, roaring when
he turned, and eyeing them with alarming intensity. Elianna was so terrified
she could barely stand. She imagined the cat tearing into her with its huge
claws, and the massive fangs rending her flesh.
Praying to the Lords of Space to die now, before the agony
of being eaten alive, she nonetheless tried to study the cell and the cat, to
identify any kind of weapon or space where she might be able to hide from it.
She’d heard wild animals had sensitive noses. Should she punch at its snout?
Maybe try to gouge at the eyes? Pulling his tail would have as much effect.
Play dead? But the cat knew she was alive, and the Khagrish weren’t going to
rescue her if they were after a big payday for a gory vid. An old piece of
advice came to her mind, to stand tall and act bigger than she really was.
Right, because this creature is as tall as I am and probably outweighs me by
seven hundred pounds.
As she twisted in the guards’ hold, she wept, unable to
handle the terror of what she was about to endure.
The man who’d gone to start the vidcams came running as if
he couldn’t wait to watch her die. “All set. I made sure the feed won’t go
anywhere other than our private loop. Don’t want to give away the show for free
or get ourselves in trouble.”
He and one of the other guards pulled skinny black wands
from holsters on their belts and stood ready as the officer went to the control
panel for the force barrier. “I’m only going to deactivate a small area, so be
prepared to throw her in there fast.”
“I’ll be ready.” Her captor got a better grip on Elianna,
picking her up despite her flailing and striking at him.
A portion of the barrier sparked and winked out. The guards
with the odd weapons aimed them at the cat, which snarled and retreated,
hissing, tail lashing from side to side. Desperate to avoid her grisly fate,
Elianna gripped the guard’s uniform and hung on. He attempted to throw her into
the cell, but she tugged him off balance, and the Khagrish fell across the
threshold in a heap with her.
In the blink of an eye the cat was on the guard, ignoring
Elianna. Her first instinct was to crawl from the cell, but the beast and the
screaming guard blocked the way. She retreated to the rear of the space, where
there was a toilet, a sink, and a shower stall. Evidently, the cell had
originally been meant for humanoids. Frantically, she scanned the fixtures,
seeing no loose parts to grab for weapons, as the hellish sounds from behind
her continued. She flicked a glance at the cat and even in her panic she
realized the animal wouldn’t be coming for her yet. Think, do something or
you’re going to be next.
Hinges were set into the wall about two feet away from her.
A door of some kind had been installed a few feet above the floor. Falling to
her knees, she pushed at the panel with all her power. The wood swung open
easily, causing her to tumble through.
Stunned, she gaped at her new location in an outdoor
enclosure. The yard was fairly large, bounded by sparkling force barriers
rising high into the sky, and a spindly tree grew in one corner. Desperate,
Elianna ran to the tree and scrambled up the trunk using low hanging branches
as handholds. She crouched in the fork of the trunk, about twenty feet from the
ground, and tried to control her breathing so she wouldn’t pass out. The
barrier walls rose high above her head, leaving no possibility of leaping from
the tree to escape.
The beast could probably climb better than she could, being
a feline, but in her panic she sought out any chance of prolonging her life
even for a few more minutes. She wondered what was happening inside the cell
but she wasn’t planning to go find out.
A few minutes later, the flap of the opening lifted, and the
cat flowed through the space to stand in the yard. Immediately, he fixed his
golden-eyed stare on her, and he padded over to the tree to sit on his haunches
and contemplate her.
Like a bird in a tree.
Author Bio and Links:
USA Today Best Selling Author
Veronica Scott grew
up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved
ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in
everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own
stories.
Seven time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well as a
National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud
recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job,
not her romances!
She read the part of
Star Trek Crew Member in the official audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s
“The City On the Edge of Forever.”
4 comments:
Welcome back, Veronica. I've read all of your Badari warrior series. This one is the most unusual. Such emotion.Wishing you much success.
Best wishes for your new release. If the excerpt is any indication, it should do very well.
Congrats and best wishes on your release!
Thanks for the good wishes and thanks for having me as a returning guest! Always fun to visit this blog :)
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