Chain of Three by Willa Okati #scifi #gayromance @willaokati

Posted on April 10, 2020 by JessicaS

Cover Art by Angela Knight

Mix two alien Marines, a human BDSM Master, and a shapeshifting Empress with a mind of her own, and what do you get? A whole lot of trouble.

Dane and Julian, ex-war heroes now in the Empress’ service, hate each other. Hate, hate, hate. Problem? Julian wants Dane almost as much as he hates him.

The Empress needs her ex-Marines, but they’re no good to her if they’re at each other’s throats. She thinks she has a way to tame the two by putting them together with Master Anubis, a refugee from Earth.

It’s a three-way battle for dominance, and the Empress knows something she’s not telling…

Note: Chain of Three follows the standalone title Chain of Thorns, but can be read by itself. This title contains elements that may be disturbing to some readers.

Get it Today at Changeling Press

EXCERPT

“So, you’re pretending to be a human again today, are you?”

Dane grunted in response. In his opinion, a stupid question didn’t deserve any kind of answer. Anyone with two, three, four or more eyes in their head or what they called a head ought to know better. Of course he’d shifted into human shape. He wasn’t stupid.

The Empress hadn’t exactly ordered Her subjects to assume the images of the humans She adored and fell passionately in love with. However, anyone who wasn’t too dumb to come in out of the rain knew they’d better wear the right “uniform” unless they had an itch to annoy Her.

You really, really didn’t want to annoy the Supreme Commander of a thousand-plus starships and a million trained warriors.

Besides, he’d decided to lounge by the pond in the garden of his new quarters that morning and tentacles had a nasty tendency to develop vicious sunburn. “Getting a tan” the earthfolk they’d rescued from their doomed planet called this practice. They’d said it was relaxing and made them look more attractive to those they wanted to mate with.

No, those they wanted to fuck.

If Dane was going to play human, then he’d damn well get the details right. Mating and fucking were completely different concepts. One of the new traditions most of his countrymen and women liked best when it came to playing human was the idea of fucking without having to tangle themselves up in mating.

“Fuck.” An interesting word you could use in almost any sentence.

Dane paused for a second to appreciate the amazing range of human obscenities, otherwise called “swearing,” “cursing,” or “cussin’.” They worked great when a guy didn’t really know what else to say.

Speaking of which, Dane decided getting a suntan was probably a piss-poor waste of time. He couldn’t figure out why anyone would enjoy damaging the pigmentation of their skin by sitting in the sun all day, but as the earthfolk also said, what the hell? He didn’t have anything better to do. Not since he’d been “honorably” discharged from the military, sent back to their home planet for recuperation, and then…

Dane shuddered.

“Aww. He shivered. Izza baby boy cold?” Julian taunted in American English.

Raising the middle finger of his human-shaped hand, Dane pointed it where he figured Julian would be standing. Another handy earthfolk trick, cussing with hand signals.

Julian hooted. “Up yours too!” He made the suggestion in cheerful good humor. Probably purely for the sake of annoying Dane. He never took offense at anything Dane did. He treated every barb and sting like some big game. Prick. “You’re cranky today, old man. What flew up your ass?”

Dane grunted again as his only answer, deciding if that wasn’t good enough for Julian he could go screw himself.

Mmm. He really, really loved human profanity. So rich, depending on culture, and so satisfying. He and Julian both studied the underground lists of new phrases together to figure out what they meant, bitching at each other over who got to read first if they didn’t both have a copy. The time when Julian insisted “son of a bitch” meant the same thing as “son of a motherless goat” had resulted in a fight of amazing violence and duration.

In the end, the Empress Herself gave them a tongue-lashing of Her own and sent them to their rooms to stand with their noses in the corner until they learned to behave like men, not children.

Julian’s fault, in Dane’s opinion. Dumbass.

About Willa Okati

Willa Okati is made of many things: imagination, coffee, stray cat hairs, daydreams, more coffee, kitchen experimentation, a passion for winter weather, a little more coffee, and a lifelong love of storytelling. She is definitely one of the quiet ones you have to watch out for.

Willa at Changeling Press | Willa’s Facebook Group | Twitter

Lionsblood by Marteeka Karland #paranormalromance #futuristic @marteekakarland

Posted on March 27, 2020 by JessicaS

Cover Art by Marteeka Karland

In Earth’s brutal, future frozen, humans are no longer at the top of food chain. Paranormals roam the frozen wastes, laying claim to whatever they can defend. Humans are tolerated by some, but not all of the new species.

The most vicious of the new races are the Lionsblood. No one dares defy a Lionsblood. These predators take what they want and never look back. These men are as protective as they are dangerous — especially when it comes to their chosen mates.

Lionsblood (Box Set) contains the previously released novellas Lionsblood, Lionsmate, Lionsbane, and Lionsheart.

Get it Today at Changeling Press

Use code TGIF03-27-2020 for 15% off your entire order!

Also available in Paperback

EXCERPT

“What?” The familiar masculine growl of her long time friend Klark almost made Marie sob with relief when he answered on the third chime.

“Klark, I’m so sorry to call this late.” She had probably awakened him from his nightly hibernation. Most lionsblood were already deeply asleep by two hours past nightfall. It protected them from the bitter cold that blanketed the northern hemisphere of Earth at night. Not that the temperature was much better during the day. Given the fact that he’d answered at all, he probably hadn’t settled down yet for the night.

“Don’t worry about it. What’s wrong?” He knew her too well. Unless she missed her guess, Klark wouldn’t let her gloss anything over. He’d make her tell him everything before the night was out.

“Nothing’s wrong, I just need a ride home.”

There was a long pause.

“Where are you?”

She took a deep breath. This was the hard part. “Shiffley’s Bar.”

Again, there was silence.

“Do you have the gem I gave you?”

Marie blinked several times, the question catching her off guard. “Yes.” She didn’t dare tell him she’d made it into a necklace she never took off.

“Go to Shiff. Show him the stone. He’ll put you in a safe room. Do not leave that room.”

The link went dead, and Marie cringed. They’d been friends too long for her to hope he’d let this drop. He might not question her tonight, but there would be a grilling, and Klark never stopped until he had all the information he wanted. Not only that, but given Klark’s temper, things didn’t bode well for her tonight.

She did as he instructed and was shown to a tiny room. She sat down on the bed. The one window was laser-proof and tinted, but she could still see the perpetual drifts of snow that blanketed the landscape outside. Shiff, the vampire lionsblood hybrid, kept the room as a haven for humans caught out in the violent night. Not only were the preternaturals and immortals deadly to humans, but the night turned the Earth into a frozen wasteland in excess of 100 degrees below zero in the summer, and 150 below in the winter. The only things keeping humans alive were the underground farms and the few above ground “safe rooms” the hybrids built for their “pets.” This safe room was impenetrable, and impossible to leave unless Shiff allowed it.

When the heavy titanium door burst open, only to slam shut so hard her insides shook, naturally she nearly jumped out of her skin. What a time for him to choose to remind her of the strength of a lionsblood. In this world, the lionsblood were at the top of the food chain.

“Jesus Holy God!” She was at once relieved to see Klark standing there, but her relief was short lived. He looked livid.

About Marteeka Karland

Erotic romance author by night, emergency room tech/clerk by day, Marteeka Karland works really hard to drive everyone in her life completely and totally nuts. She has been creating stories from her warped imagination since she was in the third grade. Her love of writing blossomed throughout her teenage years until it developed into the totally unorthodox and irreverent style her English teachers tried so hard to rid her of.

Marteeka at Changeling Press | Website

The Supernova Affair (Spaceport) by Mikala Ash #scifiromance

Posted on February 28, 2020 by JessicaS

Cover Artist: Marteeka Karland

Breaking News! The star Hygens will go supernova in less than three days and the population of Jones’s World anxiously await rescue.

Rescue ships are scarce and Peri Barberossa and Fyche, her faithful AI, are the first to make the mercy dash through the cosmos. Fyche is left planet-bound chasing an unexpected lead to Peri’s mother while the award-winning sex reporter unwittingly takes onboard a pair of ruthless terrorists.

Hijacked and taken to Spaceport Adana, Peri, against her better judgment, helps her lover Silas Archimedes stay undercover and find out exactly what the terrorists are up to. The question is can she make it back to Jones’s World in time to save Fyche before the star explodes and vaporizes the planet?

Get it TODAY at Changeling Press

Use Discount Code TGIF02-28-2020 for 15% off your entire order!

Be sure to check out at the book at Changeling Press to read the super sexy excerpt!

About Mikala Ash

Aussie Mikala Ash lives a hectic double life, mild-mannered training & development consultant by day… wild sci-fi and paranormal adventure writer by night. “For me, burning the candle at both ends is not such a terrible problem; I’m having too much fun!”

Mikala at Changeling Press

Dangerous Obsession (Spaceport) by Marteeka Karland & Shelby Morgen #scifiromance @marteekakarland @shelbymorgen

Posted on February 28, 2020 by JessicaS

Cover Artist: Marteeka Karland

When famed negotiator Mikhail Dreslin and his crew head to ‘Port Adana for a little R & R, the last thing he expects is to have an exotic runaway drop into his arms.

Joiandra is neither as harmless nor as innocent as she appears, though she plays the role well. Who and what she is is a mystery Mikhail will have to solve if he wants to keep her, and the longer he holds her the less he wants to ever let her go, but who’s playing whom in this dangerous game?

Get it TODAY at Changeling Press

Use Discount Code TGIF02-28-2020 for 15% off your entire order!

EXCERPT

Looking for the perfect vacation paradise?
Be sure to visit Xanadu,
Trilion’s premier Pleasure Dome,
Where your every fantasy comes true.
Xanadu.
Everything you’ve ever wanted… and more.

Beyond the sheltering glass of the Haze’s port windows, the nebula glowed with an eerie quality that made a frisson of fear flutter down Joiandra’s spine. There was something out there… something evil. The constant, quiet din of the everyday workings of the space station did nothing to soothe her frazzled nerves. She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was hunting her.

Someone. Or something. In fact, she felt a bit like dinner. She should have expected this. No one left Xanadu. No one. Ever. At least, not if you were born into the life. Others would kill to get what she was running from.

Turning back to the bar, Joiandra ordered a Red Rooibos, an old Earth drink. Exotic, but non-alcoholic. She needed to keep her wits. She didn’t want to run. Not again. She’d built something here. Something that was her own. But run she would before she’d go back.

Most people who knew the place wouldn’t have described the Haze as safe, but tonight it was her best refuge. Plenty of witnesses about, in case this was more than just paranoia. Plenty of men. Big, strong men. One of them would surely be willing to defend a helpless woman.

She didn’t like the role, but it was one she knew how to play.

Waiting wasn’t one of her strong suits, but then again, neither was hunting. If push came to shove, she could defend herself, but she’d much rather ply her other trades than kill. The end result was much more pleasant. And profitable. Men with money would pay well for the company of a Trilion pleasure slave. Ironically, now that she’d run she was forced to resort to the very line of work she’d tried so hard to escape.

Joiandra really wanted to believe the small voice telling her to run was overreacting. She was used to men watching her, after all. But the feathers on the back of her neck stood up in a flutter like they’d been hit by a warning breeze.

She scanned the Haze anxiously, trying to be discreet, but needing to identify the source of the threat.

“Can I buy you a drink?” Something with a little more kick than that, his gruff, husky voice implied.

Joiandra turned and looked up — and up. She wasn’t exactly tiny, but this man towered over her. Tall, dark, and handsome was such a cliché. Except when it came bundled in black body armor, with a laser rifle and a belt full of shock grenades. What the fuck was he? Obviously military, but she didn’t see any insignia. Not AP Security, then. Merc, maybe? Everything about him screamed dangerous motherfucker. He could probably break her in half with his bare hands.

That really shouldn’t have turned her on. But at the moment, dangerous might be just what she needed. Because he wasn’t the warning bell she’d been receiving. Which really worried her. If there was something else out there more dangerous than this man, she really didn’t want to meet him. It. At least not tonight. Tonight, she wanted safe, and tall, dark, and dangerous might be exactly what she needed.

She started to ask his name, then thought better of it. She didn’t want to know. She wasn’t looking for commitments. Just a night she could call her own. “I hear the Haze offers real Jamaican Rum if you know who to ask.”

His handsome face split into a slow grin, and her pussy clenched a little. The man really was handsome. If you overlooked all that deadly weaponry.

“I think I can manage that.” He nodded at the bartender, who set down the glass he was polishing and went beneath the bar for her request.

“Just leave the bottle.”

Small talk wasn’t necessary. Not when rum was involved. Her merc seemed to convey everything he wanted with the smoldering look in his eyes. Sex. And plenty of it.

“Make it to go,” she told the bartender, her gaze never leaving Mr. Dangerous. “Do you have a room?”

About Marteeka Karland

Website | Marteeka at Changeling Press | Facebook

About Shelby Morgen

Shelby Morgen loves writing offbeat tales that defy as many rules as possible.

She likes chocolate with her peanut butter, suspense with her romance, and kink with her sex, and she’s always had a hard time keeping science fiction, fantasy and paranormal from mixing with her kink.

Shelby shares her belief in electronic publishing with her longtime friend and partner, Bill, her husband of nearly four decades.

Shelby at Changeling Press |Twitter

Kayla’s Hunter (Spaceport) by Anne Kane #scifiromance

Posted on February 21, 2020 by JessicaS

Cover Art by Renee George

Hunter is a cyborg working for the military wing of the Interplanetary Alliance, with an obsession he just can’t shake. Four years ago, he met a woman on Rigerion IV and spent the night with her. The sex was incredible. When he woke the next morning she was gone and no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find her.

When he discovers that she is the captain of one of the most brazen pirate ships in this quadrant, he makes it his personal goal to track her down and punish her. Problem is, despite her status as one of the most notorious pirates in the galaxy, she was bred to be a submissive sex slave, so punishment just makes her hot! What’s a cyborg to do?

Get it TODAY at Changeling Press

or pre-order for February 28th at retailers

EXCERPT

“Deploy the aft lazar array! Now!” Kayla jerked her body hard to the right, her neural implants signaling the ship to mimic her actions. She felt a grudging respect for the captain of the Intrepid as they narrowly avoided another volley from its photon cannons. This wasn’t the first battle the two ships had engaged in, but if she didn’t catch a lucky break soon, it might be the last.

“The primary engines are overheating! We need to shut them down before they blow.” Aygar, her second-in-command threw her a panicked look as he diverted more coolant to the engines. “They’ve been at redline too long.”

“If we drop to secondary engines, we might as well surrender now.” Kayla tossed her head back to clear the unruly red tresses from her eyes. “We’ll make a run for the asteroid field. If we can slip between the orbiting rubble, the Intrepid will have to break off. They can’t maneuver that big mother of a ship in such close quarters.”

Aygar nodded, his expression grim. He’d never let her down, and Kayla knew he’d do his best to hold the ship together until they reached safety.

For a while, it looked like they might just pull it off. Kayla dared to hope. The asteroid field loomed close. The Intrepid kept up a steady barrage of fire, but with her enhanced reactions, she managed to dodge the more lethal shots.

“There!” She maneuvered the ship between two chunks of space debris, a triumphant grin dying on her lips at the sudden silence. Shit! “Bring the secondary engines online. Now, damn it!”

“Aye, Captain.”

Too late. The Intrepid’s bulk swooped in to block their only escape route.

“Damn. Damn. Damn!” Kayla slammed her fist down on the weapons’ console in front of her, gritting her teeth in frustration. Escape had been so close!

“Sorry, Captain. Those engines should have been replaced, or at least overhauled two standard years ago. I told you they were in rough shape.” Aygar stared glumly at the massive warship on the forward display screen. “Now what are we going to do?”

Kayla closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. It wasn’t his fault. She’d gambled on those engines and lost. “Now we hope Hunter’s in a good mood.”

Anne Kane lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley with a bouncy little rescue dog whose breed defies description, a cantankerous Himalayan cat, and too many fish to count. She spent many years trying to fit in and act normal, but finally gave up the effort. She started writing romance in 2008, and her fate was sealed when she won a publishing contract with Red Sage Publishing and just a month later Changeling Press accepted her first submission. Since then she has published more than thirty stories in a variety of sub-genres, all with a happily ever after.

She has two handsome sons and six adorable grandchildren and enjoys spending time with them whenever she can. Her hobbies, when she’s not playing with the characters in her head, include kayaking, hiking, swimming, playing guitar, singing and of course, reading.

Backup Plan (Spaceport) by Shelby Morgen #scifiromance

Posted on February 21, 2020 by JessicaS

Cover Art by Renee George

When Dr. Ruth Balise ran out of funding for her research, she had no idea the twisted path her work would take. Her psychiatric profile adjustment was supposed to be more humane — a way to render violent sociopaths and the criminally insane harmless to themselves and others.

But in a black-market society where medical miracles are for sale to the highest bidder, a death sentence is far too wasteful. Why settle for just one replacement body part, when you can own the whole thing? Prisoners are maintained in semi-stasis, their memories wiped, the cost of their physical care sponsored by aging aristocrats, hosts for future replacement organs.

After all, they’re just bodies — empty shells. Pod fuck-bunnies, their monitors call them, living in an endless loop of sex, drugged with their own endorphins into a constant state of euphoria, their bodies maintained in prime health. They’re not supposed to wake up — ever — and they’re certainly not supposed to escape.

Now Ruth is one of them, and only Panama Red, the space pirate turned bodyguard who’s out to rescue Ruth, can save her. But will he still be willing to trust her with his heart, once he knows she engineered this hell?

Get it TODAY at Changeling Press

or pre-order for February 28th at retailers

EXCERPT

I’m coming! I wanted to scream. Those were the right words, that much I was sure of, but I knew better. No one screamed here. I held it all inside. Even as the orgasm ripped through me I wondered — somewhat cynically, I’ll admit — was it possible to get bored with sex?

I’d never had thoughts like these. Not until… hell, I realized I’d had no concept of time. That is, I did now, but before…

Something was happening to me. Something was changing.

No, not something. Me. I was changing. My mind was… waking up. The faceless body before me writhed, screaming soundlessly, and the final release tore through me, bathing me in the flood of pleasure that had always before brought these churning thoughts to a tumultuous end.

Release. Blissful sleep. The fulfillment of a promise…

Ha. Make that hard work. Hot, sweaty sex. A partner well pleasured. Then sleep. Then on to the next rotation.

The harder, heavier body of the other… whatever it was… groaned, wrapping itself around me, almost smothering with its weight and heat. I’d never minded before. That was the reward for a job well done. Release. Euphoria. Malaised contentment.

So why was I awake? Why was I fighting the urge to push the other off me?

I opened my… my eyes, yes. I opened my eyes and fought to focus, rapidly learning how to adjust for the closeness of the body before me. Saw the mouth. The mouth I had kissed. The lips I had bitten, now bruised and swollen from our passion. The contented smile. The…

Blankness.

Revulsion swept through me, stronger than any orgasm. The thing might as well have been an inflatable doll. No sign of intelligence. No sign of anything at all. It was — he was — just a mouth. And a cock.

Or maybe I’d had it right the first time. It.

And what made me any different? Other than my lack of a cock? Until two rotations ago, I’d been little more. A mouth and a cunt.

Cunt. Somehow I knew the word was coarse, crude. Beneath me. And I liked the sound of it. Forbidden fruit. I smiled, placed my hands on the cock’s shoulders, and pushed. Hard.

Arms tightened around me, clamping down like steel bands. “You’re awake!”

“Let go of me.”

“Keep your voice down. Don’t move. Shut your eyes. And smile!”

All right. He. A lunatic, but gods, he had gorgeous eyes. The color of precious minerals, deep cobalt, flecked with gold. Still. “Get the blyat off me.”

“Hush! You just had the best sex of your life. Smile!”

“Arrogant prick!”

“Do you want to get us killed? We’re not supposed to be awake, damn it.” He smothered my reply with his mouth, giving my rapidly emerging vocabulary time to catch up.

Killed. Past tense of kill.

Death.

Dead.

I understood the concept well enough to quit fighting. I tore his words apart like my guide to the mystery they were. We’re not supposed… Soooo. Wherever we were, whoever we were — both concepts seemed new, yet familiar — there were rules. We’d — I’d — been asleep, at least on some level. Now I was awake.

Awake was bad.

Shelby Morgen loves writing offbeat tales that defy as many rules as possible.

Shelby shares her belief in electronic publishing with her longtime friend and partner, Bill, her husband of nearly four decades.

The Adana Affair (Spaceport) by Mikala Ash #scifiromance #BDSM #AlienEncounters

Posted on February 14, 2020 by JessicaS

Cover Artist: Renee George

Breaking News — Who killed Nova Meridian?

The savage murder of a pleasure worker rocks the corridors of Spaceport Adana. Peri Barberossa and Fyche, her faithful AI, answer a call from her sister Holly to get to Adana posthaste. When they arrive, they find Holly gone and a case of mistaken identity allows Peri to make a big impression on the enigmatic private eye, Silas Archimedes, who finds that Holly’s sister is even more trouble than the ace reporter herself.

While Fyche discovers the joy of human sex, Holly’s old nemesis, Mischa, reaches out with her long and vicious right arm.

Stay tuned for further carnal developments in The Adana Affair, a Peri Barberossa Spaceport adventure.

Praise for The Adana Affair (Spaceport)

“The author writes well-described very hot sex scenes which also work to break up the suspense.”

— Snowdrop, Whipped Cream Reviews

Get it TODAY at Changeling Press

Use Discount Code TGIF02-14-2020 for 15% off your entire order!

or Pre-Order for February 21st at online retailers

Get more from Mikala Ash at Changeling Press …

Bite (Spaceport) by Marteeka Karland #scifiromance #futuristic @marteekakarland

Posted on February 14, 2020 by JessicaS

Cover Artist: Renee George

The last thing Dryson expects when he takes his latest shipment of smuggled goods to Spaceport Adana is to end up with a Rajian sex slave, Sasha. Sure, he planned a little R & R, but the impulsive buy is proving to be more than he bargained for. Sasha is a force to be reckoned with, and her bite is definitely worse than her bark.

Something else Dryson doesn’t expect is to find himself face to face with an assassin sent to kill him. Belin, the large and very experienced killer, has other plans. Instead of killing Dryson, Belin wants to recruit him to smuggle much-needed goods to his home planet. Unfortunately, the Interplanetary Alliance Council has strong objections to letting Dryson live.

When Dryson is taken hostage, Belin and Sasha must keep their cool and use all their cunning if they’re going to rescue him. Keeping a level head is not something a Rajian is capable of when her mate is in danger.

Either of them.

Get it TODAY at Changeling Press
Use Discount Code TGIF02-14-2020 for 15% off your entire order!

Pre-order for February 21st at online retailers

WHAT ARE REVIEWERS SAYING?

“Spaceport: Bite was a deliciously wicked tale… Great characters, action packed sequences and hot romances made the story a very quick read. I love Ms. Karland and cannot wait for her next creation.”

4 1/2 Stars!– Suni Farrar, JERR

“Spaceport: Bite is a wonderful story. The characters are realistic, the sex is phenomenal and the action is riveting. The humor shared amongst the three lovers made me laugh out loud a time or two.”

5 Nymphs! — Scandalous Minx, Literary Nymphs

Intergalactic Loyalties (box set) by Jessica Coulter Smith #SciFiRomance #aliens

Posted on February 7, 2020 by JessicaS

Published by Changeling Press
Cover Artist: Karen Fox

Entwined: When tragedy claims his brother, Bane steps forward to claim the Earth woman Ariana as his own, but Keshpan law states a slave can never be a bonded mate. A political storm is brewing that may rip Ariana from his arms. Bane may be forced to walk away from everything he knows to keep the woman he loves by his side.

Cherished: Lucie and Drexyl are drawn to each other from the very first, but the Tarnans aren’t going to give her up without a fight. Will it come to an all out war between the races, or will the two lovers find another way to be together?

Surrender: All Meghan wants is to return to Earth. But before her kidnappers can sell her, she is rescued by more pirates and taken to the alien world of Tarnan, where she is told she must choose a warrior mate. Zayne isn’t sure what to make of the Earth female. The road to their union is a bumpy one, and both are left wondering if they will ever be allowed to be together as more than friends.

Fated: There is but one thing a Tourmalane prince wants above all else — his mate. When Lyros finds Roux on a floating brothel, he knows he must rescue the small human. Lyros finds he wants to shelter her, protect her, and make her his in every way. But what if all he’s feeling is lust and not the true mating pull? Just when Lyros thinks he has everything figured out, Roux gives him yet another surprise.

Happily-Ever-After has never felt so good.

Publisher’s Note: The individual stories in this anthology have been previously released in E-Book format.

Get it TODAY at Changeling Press

or pre-order at online retailers for February 14th

Also available in Paperback!

EXCERPT

“All right. I’ll have someone at the auction house draft the transfer papers. You don’t have to pay me for her since you’re my brother, but I’ll take you up on your offer to cover the hospital bill. I’ll make sure all that’s in there.”

Bane grinned. “I’ll be ready to sign them first thing in the morning. You can bring them here.”

Arko frowned. “Why don’t I bring them by your house?”

“Because I’ll be here.”

Tyre folded his arms over his chest. “Your brother hasn’t left Ariana’s side since I brought him up to this room three days ago. It may injure your pride, but maybe knowing she doesn’t have to go home with you will snap her out of this… well, whatever it is. I don’t have a diagnosis for what’s going on with her other than depression. I think it killed part of her to lose that baby.”

“I’ll go now and get it taken care of,” Arko said. “I’ll return at first light.”

Bane nodded. “Tell Cael that I’ll be back to work once I have Ariana settled.”

“I still can’t believe you’re working with our baby brother.”

Bane shrugged. “I come up with the ideas, he helps put the logistics to it. We make a good team.”

“Until tomorrow, then.”

Tyre checked the IV fluids, walked over to a panel on the wall and punched in a bunch of numbers. When a syringe with orange goo popped out, Bane frowned.

“What’s that for?”

“To wake her. I think you need to tell her the good news. It might be just what she needs right now.”

Bane settled on the edge of the bed and held her hand as Tyre administered the injection. Almost immediately, her eyes began to flutter.

“Ariana? Can you hear me?” he asked softly. “Come back to me, sweetheart. I have something to tell you.”

“I’m not dead?” she croaked.

“No, you aren’t dead, and I hope you won’t be anytime soon. I have good news.”

“This was all a nightmare?”

He ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “I wish that were so. I can’t take away what happened, but Arko did agree to sell you to me. You never have to see him again after I sign the papers tomorrow if you don’t want to. I can arrange it so you’re never in the same room. Once you’re able to leave the hospital, you get to go home with me.”

“You’ll need time to procure quarters for me.”

“No, you don’t understand. You’re coming home, to my home. I want you to live with me, Ariana.”

Her eyes widened. “In your house?”

“Your life is going to be very different from this point forward. No more slave apartments, no more slave dresses. When you’re back on your feet, I’m bringing a clothing designer into the house, and you can have new clothes made. I know the Keshpan dresses won’t fit you because our women are stick thin, and you have such a lush delectable figure, but there’s no reason they can’t be tailored to fit your needs. I want you to be comfortable.”

“Why are you doing this, Bane?”

“I told you why,” he said. “It’s time you were able to enjoy the beauty of my world. Let me share it with you.”

She nodded. “I’ll try to get better.”

“Does that mean you’ll eat now?” Tyre asked.

Her gaze flicked to his a moment before returning to Bane. “Yes, I’ll eat something.”

Bane smiled. “Wonderful. Tyre will get you anything you want. Their food simulator can produce meals from your home planet, if you’d like something familiar. I had one installed in my home, as well, so you can enjoy pizza or spaghetti. I’ve tried both meals and found them fascinating. I think, perhaps, my favorite was pancakes and scrambled eggs.”

She smiled. “Eggs and bacon sounds good. Maybe a biscuit on the side?”

“Whatever you want.” He kissed her hand. “I’d give you the moons from the sky if I thought it would make you better.”

She made a face.

“What is it? Are you hurting?”

“No, it’s just… you’re a little hard to get used to after being with Arko for so long. He’s always been considerate, until now, but he’s never been very enthusiastic about my wellbeing. It’s going to take me some time to adjust to the differences between the two of you.”

Bane squeezed her fingers. “You take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

No, he wouldn’t leave her side. He hadn’t told her the complete truth. The honest to gods truth was that he’d fallen in love with her the moment he’d laid eyes on her. With her fiery hair and pale complexion, those vibrant green eyes, she’d been breathtaking. Then she’d spoken, a soft sweet voice that had made him smile the instant he heard her. And she’d been his brother’s. It was the only time he’d truly hated his brother, had ever wanted anything that Arko had.

But now she was his. Even if it took him the rest of his life, he was going to show her what it meant to be loved and cherished by a Keshpan male…

Praise for Surrender (Intergalactic Loyalties 3)

“I liked how this story progressed. I really felt the changes in the characters and felt invested in them and their journey. I would love to know more about this planet and the universe it is in. I would say this is a well thought out series with lots of action and adventure.”

— 5 Shooting Stars from Redz, Redz World Reviews

ABOUT JESSICA COULTER SMITH

Award-winning author Jessica Coulter Smith has been in love with the written word since she was a child writing her first stories in crayon. Today she’s a multi-published author of over seventy-five novellas and novels. Romance is an integral part of her world and she firmly believes that love will find you at the right time, even if Mr. Right is literally out of this world.

Find Jessica on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / jessicacoultersmith.com.

Books + Coffee = Happiness

Book Blog & Reviews

Tag Archives: science fiction romance

Chain of Three by Willa Okati #scifi #gayromance @willaokati

Lionsblood by Marteeka Karland #paranormalromance #futuristic @marteekakarland

The Supernova Affair (Spaceport) by Mikala Ash #scifiromance

Dangerous Obsession (Spaceport) by Marteeka Karland & Shelby Morgen #scifiromance @marteekakarland @shelbymorgen

Kayla’s Hunter (Spaceport) by Anne Kane #scifiromance

Backup Plan (Spaceport) by Shelby Morgen #scifiromance

The Adana Affair (Spaceport) by Mikala Ash #scifiromance #BDSM #AlienEncounters

Bite (Spaceport) by Marteeka Karland #scifiromance #futuristic @marteekakarland

Intergalactic Loyalties (box set) by Jessica Coulter Smith #SciFiRomance #aliens