Tuesday Teaser - Bound by War

 

~Except from Bound by War. I don't have a release date as of yet, but I'm very close to being finished.

Several unit hours flew  by as they talked. Torin carefully shared what information he deemed appropriate with Laken. Once he became a mercenary, there were some things Laken did not need to know.

Laken didn’t have quite the same restraint. He freely spoke about Malk and Kia, his younghood home on Aploi, his apartment at the royal palace on Tah’Nar, and his job. It shocked Torin how free Laken was with personal information. Surely someone had told him that wasn’t wise.

“So you design custom clothing? Even though reduplicators can make anything?” Torin asked, They were still sitting at the table where they’d eaten. There wasn’t much room in the medical suite.

“Reduplicators can only reproduce what has been programed into them and only when patent permission has been granted. They can’t replicate my designs. I own the design patent on my clothing and haven’t given any government permission to reproduce my designs. If anyone wants a Fihk original, they have to come to my shop.”

“Fihk?”

“My last name, remember? My shop is on Tah’Nar, not far from the palace, and—” Laken’s comm beeped, and he glanced down at his wrist. Blood drained from his face as he read the message on his comm. “Shit.” Laken jumped to his feet. “Oh shit.”

Tension invaded Torin’s body, and he stood also. “What? What’s wrong?”

“The jig is up!”

“What?” Torin had a universal translator, pretty much every species who traveled in space did, but what it translated made absolutely no sense. “I don’t—where’s the threat? There is a threat, yes? Do you have weapons?” Torin spun toward the door. Only one way in and one way out. “Does this reduplicator have the ability to make weapons?”

Laken shook his head, his bells chiming erratically. “Wait, wait, okay, yeah, no. There is no threat, per se.”

Torin frowned. That first sentence made absolutely no sense.

“Really, there isn’t, and no, this reduplicator has restrictions, so can’t make weapons. There is no need for weapons. I just—Neo sent a message that word has gotten out about you. And apparently Kia and my dabba have found out that, um, that I’ve been staying in your room, and that, um—” Laken’s jaw clenched. “That I threatened Raiden over you because he was being an ass… and that I called you my mate.”

Warmth spread through Torin at Laken actually saying that word. “And?”

“And Kia and Malk are on their way here, and my dabba isn’t happy.”

“Not trying to discount the seriousness of that, but you are of age, yes?” Stars above, Torin did not involve himself with the underaged.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Laken snapped. “Of course I am, but that doesn’t change the fact they’re upset, which is my fault because Neo did warn me to tell them before they heard it through the grapevine, and I didn’t listen, and—”

Torin moved closer and rubbed his hand up and down Laken’s back. “Breathe.”

A slightly hysterical giggle escaped Laken. “Breathe, he says. Well, guess what? Queen Dossi is also on her way here according to Neo. She apparently wants to speak to you. Grand Lady Impur is with her.”

“What?” Okay, the upset parental units he expected. The Ne Reynian queen wanting to see him? That he hadn’t expected. Why in the stars would she want to see him? “But, but… why?”

“Breathe.” Laken smirked.

Tuesday Teaser - Bound by War

 

“Are you not eating?”

“I ate earlier,” Laken said, settling deeper in his chair.

Torin was willing to bet that whatever Laken had for final meal had not been soup.  Once he ate the broth, he opened the next container. It too was some sort liquidy offering, so he grudgingly tasted it. At least it was hot and had more spices.

He finished that and drank the glass of water. There was one more receptacle he didn’t open. It galled him to admit he was already full.

So instead he decided to ask the question that had been buzzing around in his head since he first woke up. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Neo the king consort?”

Laken curled his legs under him. “Pretty sure you know he is.”

“And he’s the one who performed my operation?”

“Neo is a doctor.”

Torin knew who and what Neo was. That was his point. “But Neo isn’t the physician who’s attached to the Unity. He can’t possibly be. So why did he operate on me?”

Eyes down, Laken fiddled with the fringe of his sarong. “There aren’t that many doctors on a starship. Surely you know this. They were needed to help with both the Tah’Narian and Ne Reynian wounded.”

Which sounded perfectly reasonable but didn’t answer his question. “No one else would operate, would they?”

Heaving a sigh, Laken grimaced and met Torin’s gaze.  

Tuesday Teaser - Bound by War

 

~from Bound by War (Laken and Torin's book) 

"I’m Laken. I guess you know everyone behind me.”

“I do. Some better than others. I’m sure they’d say that was most unfortunate.”

Raiden muttered under his breath again, and the slap of a palm against an arm echoed through the room. Raiden’s sigh was so put-upon and dramatic Laken’s lips almost twitched. 

“So, are you planning to leave these out indefinitely?” Torin asked gently, raising Laken’s hand where the spines still were extended.

“Well, that depends on how much of an idiot Raiden plans on being.”

There was more muttering, another slap, and a yowled that was so pathetic Laken snorted.

“Fine! I won’t kill him while he’s injured,” Raiden snarled.

Torin glanced around Laken. “You assume you could kill me even if I wasn’t injured.”

Laken cringed. And they were doing so well. Kind of.

“Oh, you—”

“You’re not going to kill him at all, Raiden,” Dayo snapped.

“Not making any promises that I can’t—ow! Dammit, Dayo, stop that.”

“Then quit being an idiot,” Dayo suggested. “And on that happy note, come on. We need to return to our stations. Move that sexy ass before we both get written up.” 

Tuesday Teaser - Bound by War

 

~from Bound by War

The pull had come from somewhere toward the back of Medical. Almost as if his feet had a mind of their own, they’d carried him back there… to the Blishue.

Pictures truly didn’t do them justice. They were reputed to be humanoid and over six and a half feet in height. Most were closer to seven foot. Height didn’t bother Laken. He’d spent his entire life surrounded by not only his dabba, but also hybrids, who all towered over him. He’d learned that the bigger they were, the harder they fell.

The sagittal crest that began on the forehead and continued over the skull was different than what he was used to, but he found it fascinating. Same with the horizontal ridges across the bridge of the nose.

He was pretty sure the long and kinky hair was a deep amethyst in color, but it was badly in need of a cleaning. It bothered him how dirty it was. He wanted to see it in all its glory.

Even knocked out and beat up, the male had radiated danger and menace, but there had been sex appeal interwoven with the other traits. Unable to help himself, Laken had edged closer to the medibed where the Blishue was being monitored, and the scent had been even stronger.

Excitement had torn through his body. His heart rate had spiked as one thought screamed through his mind: Mate! After all this time, he’d found the one for him.

Neo had told him of about a scent that would call to him and the need to protect. Fated mates were chosen by destiny or whatever one wanted to call it. All his friends had been paired even before birth.

Except him.

Tuesday Teaser - Bound by War

 

~More from Bound by War (Laken's book)

LAKEN HELD his hands out from his body, the long deadly spines that exploded from his knuckles ready to defend what was his. Blood pounded through his veins. His head thumped with the chant of mate, mate, mate. 

His instincts screamed that danger, in the form of a tall, white-headed Tah’Narian, was coming for his mate. His body tensed, and his anger notched upward. He wouldn’t allow Raiden near the male in the medibed. Fear and anger battled equally inside him, but the one clear thought he had was that he must protect what was his.

Physically speaking, Laken was no match for Raiden. He simply didn’t have the height or the bulk. In a bare-knuckled fistfight, he was going to lose. But he did have the same damn training as Raiden, and he most definitely had a weapon—but he didn’t want to use those against Raiden. 

He just wanted his friend to get his head out of his ass and back off.

“Everybody calmed down!” Hamza snapped. “Raiden? Back the hell away from the medibed before Laken comes after you with those  spiny things of his.”

“But it’s that damn Blishue! Why is he on this ship? We should’ve left him on-planet.” 

“They weren’t capable of treating his injuries. At least, not right now. Not with how badly the war affected them. It’s why half the Unity’s medical staff is in a cargo bay here on the ship,” Neo said. “He might have died from blood loss if we hadn’t beamed him up.”

Raiden backed away from the medibed but crossed his arms over his chest. “And?”

Tuesday Teaser - Bound by War

 

“Dammit, Raiden, stop!” Neo yelled.

Torin’s eyes popped open.

“You will come no closer!”

Surprised by the possessiveness in the voice, Torin jerked his gaze to the male standing nearest his bed. This was the one with the arousing scent. He had swung around, chimes sounding softly as he put his back to Torin’s medibed—and between Raiden and Torin.

That was the sound he’d heard earlier. After all the time he’d spent with the Ne Reyn, he should’ve recognized it. Torin’s gaze traveled over the male. Interesting. He didn’t have the light gray skin like a Ne Reynian. Instead, it was the deep tan of the Tah’Narians.

Long cerulean blue hair fell halfway down a naked back. Torin wanted to touch it. Maybe grab a handful and tug. His body warmed at the thought. The male wore a silky, cobalt blue sarong tied at the waist—typical Ne Reynian dress.

But the pointed ears that sat upon his head was pure Tah’Narian. As was the tail that skittered on the floor. His build was delicate and slender, which was a distinctive Ne Reynian males’ trait, even though he was taller than most.

The male’s fists clenched, and sharp spines erupted from his knuckles. Torin’s eyes widened. Someone was feeling threatened. This male was a hybrid. So, who’s young was this?

Raiden staggered to a halt. “Laken?”