Antonello Brothers Archives - Page 10 of 12

How could a killer with soulless, nightmare eyes ever care for a child? #Excerpt from A Stolen Heart #SpaceOpera #MFRWauthor

Kayelle Allen 01/15/2020 MM Romance 12 Comments

While they are in Luc's hoversine, he realizes this child has better vision than most, because he's commented on something far in the distance.

"I can't believe you can see that far."

"I see better than humans." Senthys folded his hands. "Can you see that far?"

"You mean because I have 'weird' eyes?" Nightmare eyes, more like it.

"Uh huh."

"I have better vision than most people." How odd to have a discussion with a child. Usually, none stayed in his presence long enough to say hello.

"Do they hurt?"

"My eyes?" His real eyes would send the boy screaming in the other direction, but it was sweet of him to show concern. "They don't hurt. I cover them for protection."

The boy squinted. "Do my eyes need 'tection?"

"Pro-tection." He patted the boy's hand. "Yours are fine. Mine are sensitive to light." It was an old lie but kept people from asking him to show them his real eyes. He fished out dark glasses he wore in the event of a lens failure, and put them on. "I wear these if I'm in the sun all day."

"Can I try?"

Luc considered it. "Why not?" He pulled them off and helped the boy adjust them over his ears and nose.

The wraparound glasses dwarfed the young face. When they slid down his nose, the child tilted back his head and pushed them up.

"Don't move." After pulling out his mobile, Luc captured an image. Without proof, his friends would never believe he'd been this close to a child without it fleeing in terror.

"Do us!" Senthys patted the seat beside him. "Take our picture."

Luc set his device to hover an arm's length away, then put his head closer to the boy's. "Portrait. Capture." The mobile made a soft click signaling completion.

When he showed the image to the boy, Senthys squealed. "That's me! And that's you."

"Yes, it is." The glasses had the name Draap on the earpiece. No kid this age could afford those and it was Luc's preferred brand. Proof he hadn't faked the entire thing. His friends would lose substantial bet money with this.

---
Be sure to scroll down and visit other authors in this hop!

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“Look what I bought,” women said of him #SciFi #Romance

Kayelle Allen 01/10/2020 Character Insights

From For Women Only

In this scene from For Women Only, Khyff awakens beside Mehfawni, the feline-humanoid Kin ambassador to the Tarthian Empire. He'd been ordered to seduce her, part of a complicated ploy by the Empress, who wants to remove Mehfawni from the Kin line of succession.
The seduction took no time on Khyff's part. The moment Mehfawni saw the gorgeous blond and blue-eyed human, she pursued him.

Khyff has always been a plaything for women to enjoy, never a person to get to know. Until he meets Fawni.

Khyff drifted off to sleep, more comfortable than he could remember being in years and woke sometime later to the feel of a hand sliding down his abs and across his belly. He opened his eyes.

When she noticed he was watching her, mild surprise widened Mehfawni's big golden eyes with their jade green flecks. "Oh, you're awake."
"Mmm."
"I hope I didn't wake you. You looked..." She sighed. "I wanted to touch you. You're so smooth."
"It's okay. You can touch me any time you like." He stretched. It felt good to be rested. No light showed at the windows. "What time is it?"
She shrugged. "I pay no attention to such things. Local time. Tradestandard time. Time zones. Time to hold council. Time to sleep." She hooked her claws into the air, a picture of frustration. "My staff open doors and pour wine and feed me. They lay out my clothes and draw my bath. All the rest of my life is work." She dragged the tips of her claws down his body.
Khyff's skin jumped, still hypersensitive after their riotous lovemaking.
"This--" she stroked his belly "--is outside time. This is my time. I will not look at clocks while I'm with you."
Warmth swept over him that had nothing to do with sex. He turned the feeling over in his mind, unsure what to make of it, and held out his arms.
She moved into his embrace, body flush against his at leg and groin, skin pressed against his. She lay half atop him, leaning a bit to one side, propped on one elbow.
"Are you hungry, Khyff?"
He hadn't noticed until she asked. "Starving. I have plenty of food in the kitchen. What would you like?"

"Besides you?"
"You can have me, too."
She tapped his nose and sat up. "I want to take you out to dinner. In Tarth City, surely there is always food ready somewhere."
"I know plenty of places." They had told him to prepare to be spoiled. Kin females were accustomed to being in charge. Khyff hadn't mentioned he was used to women paying his way. They liked to flaunt him to their friends and display him like a new charm on their wrist bracelets. Look what I bought.
"Somewhere quiet." Mehfawni folded her legs, elbows on her knees. "I don't wish women to gawk at you when you're with me."

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Weird Eyes: a toddler’s view of Luc #SciFi #MFRWhooks #MFRWauthor

Kayelle Allen 12/11/2019 Science Fiction Books 10 Comments

Weird Eyes: a scene from A Stolen Heart

(Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see all the authors taking part in today's blog hop.)

In this scene, Luc has been comforting a crying three-year-old boy whom he rescued. The child has cornflower blue eyes with the slashed pupils of a Kin, a feline-humanoid species. But his aren't the weird eyes...

Luc handed the boy a handkerchief.

Senthys dragged it across his wet nose and eyes, smearing the mess across his entire face. He offered the handkerchief back.

Gingerly, Luc accepted it, folded the wet side in and used the other to wipe the child's face. How did parents and caretakers manage such unsanitary duties on a daily basis?

He dangled the damp cloth by a corner. "I think you should keep this."

"Thank you." The boy stuffed it into a pocket. Winding his curls around a finger, he leaned against Luc's chest, looking up at him. "You have hair like me." Senthys pulled out a long strand. "See?"

"Hmm." Indeed, the boy had loose curls like his, but there, the resemblance stopped. "I think your hair is lighter." By dozens of shades compared to his ebony. "And longer."

Pietas would never believe any of this. Neither would his friends. Nor anyone who knew Luc by any name in any empire.

The boy twisted around. Assuming he wanted down, Luc moved back, but the child knelt between Luc's thighs.

Jerking back, Luc took the boy's hands to steady him. "What are you doing?"

Senthys planted one foot on the seat between Luc's thighs.

"Careful!" Scooting even further back, he shifted his grip to the boy's waist.

"I wanna see your eyes." Senthys stood and leaned in closer, staring at first one eye, then the other. "Wow! They're weird."

"Are they?" His true eyes were the stuff of childhood nightmares. Since Luc had no trouble seeing, his lenses hadn't slipped or been damaged. The weirdness likely referred to their blackness. "I'm sure you think so. Do you know colors?"

"Uh huh."

"What color are my eyes?"

With a clawless, human fingertip, he poked Luc's cheek. "Same as this."

"You mean my skin?"

"Skin," he repeated, patting Luc's cheeks and then his own. "Real Kin have furskin. I don't. I'm not a real Kin. I'm HalfKin."

"I see." He reseated the boy on his lap. "Can you tell me what color they are?"

"Uh huh." Senthys swung one foot, making Luc think of Pietas. "Pink."

Chuckling, Luc tidied the boy's shirt. "Black."

"I get pink mixed up." He gave a huge yawn. "When are you taking me home?"

"Home?" The child likely thought he was being adopted. "I'm here to talk to the headmistress. I'm sure you'll find a home soon."

Senthys sniffed, blinking up at him. "But..." He rubbed his nose. "I wanna go with you. I'll be good. I don't bite." He held up his fingers. "I don't have claws."

Those words wrenched his heart. This innocent had no idea how dangerous Luc was. The poor child would be trading one monster for another.

"Senthys." Careful not to pull the boy's curls, Luc brushed them back from the lad's face. "Saving you from a big bad monster doesn't mean I'm not one."

[bctt tweet="He rescued a toddler from a big bad monster. But now, who is rescuing whom? A scene from A Stolen Heart #scifi #spaceopera" username="KayelleAllen"]

Luc's "weird eyes" are solid black due to full-eye contacts. But what about the real eyes he's hiding? Why does he hide them? Tune in for a new excerpt from A Stolen Heart next week.

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Life speaks louder than beads #Excerpt from A Stolen Heart #SpaceOpera #MFRWauthor

Kayelle Allen 10/23/2019 MM Romance 4 Comments

Beads: an excerpt from A Stolen Heart

"This is Shohn, sir. As of a few days ago, your permanent liaison."

"Permanent." Luc scoffed. "That remains to be seen."

"Oh, you won't fire me."

His attention jerked from the changing scenery outside. "What did you say?"

"That you won't fire me."

What audacity. "Indeed? Put yourself on holophone. I want to see the person cocky enough to say that."

When she appeared, the substantial holopresence smiled. She had dark hair, golden-hued skin. Athletic, she dressed in the green and black uniform of an idBot Guard. Catlike ears perched atop her head and she had the slit pupils of a cat in a very human face.

A Kin. He should have known, judging by the level of sass.

"How are you, Mr. Saint-Cyr?" She wore a blue bead of a Lexius clan warrior in her hair. It hung in a single braid on her left, designating the highest privilege among her people. The long string of ornate beads beneath it meant she'd earned the right to wear it many times over.

What was that Kin insult? You don't have the beads to fight me. Apparently, this one thought she did.

"So, you're a Kin."

"I'm a Kin?" She reached up, felt one pointed ear. "I think you're right." She gave the ear a swipe, looking for all the worlds like a cat grooming itself. "And you're human."

"According to my DNA." He steepled his fingers. "Whoever assigned you to me either wants to get rid of you, or they think the fact I speak Felis will make a difference."

"Dok cho," she said, in the slow, breathy tone of the language. "Sten til du?"

Any schoolchild knew Hello, how are you?

"Seeyoo, skah," he responded. "Yl tu?" Fine, thanks, and you?

"Not much accent. Well done." With one claw extended, she toyed with that single braid. "I've been told you're a warrior among your people and hold great honor despite a lamentable lack of beads to prove it." She angled one ear out at the side. "Although your curls are long enough to hold two or three, if you had beading skill."

"Skah." He inclined his head. "Nahtay shah cohahkka nokk."

"You're welcome. And you're right. Life speaks louder than beads." She tossed back her braid. "My people say that to face an enemy, you must sharpen three things; your wits, your blade, and your fangs. I hear you fired the last ten people who worked for you. You'll keep me."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Threaten the man half the empire calls the Harbinger and the other half is owned by? I have no death wish."

"I own no slaves." Luc sat straighter.

"Forgive my poor choice of words. I'll restate. You are the power half the empire bows to."

He would not argue that. It had taken multiple lifetimes to set it up.

"Sir, you'll keep me because the others didn't get results. They were trofee. Beadless. Useless. Results are my specialty."

"That remains to be seen. Say your first name again, Ms. Lexius."

"Shohn. Like the stars at night. And may I say, I'm impressed you know my clan. By my beads, I assume." She tugged on the long dangle of braid. "Good eyesight, even wearing those solid black contacts."

"You might be worth keeping purely for your sense of humor." And sass, though he'd never admit that to her.

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Share a sweet but awkward father and son moment with Senth (from Bro) #MFRWhooks #YA #SpaceOpera

Kayelle Allen 10/16/2019 MM Romance 6 Comments

Father and Son

"Is that the info?" Senthys nudged his chin toward the reader. "What else does it say?"

"In good time," Luc responded. "I adopted you but didn't change your last name to Saint-Cyr so if your family looked for you, they'd find you, and that's how it happened. A worker at the Guild mentioned to this person that he knew another Antonello. One thing led to another."

"That's why you kept my name?"

"Of course." Luc frowned. "Why else?"

"I thought--" Senthys eased back into his chair. "Never mind."

"Say what you're thinking."

His son didn't react at first, but finally lifted his head. "I figured... you were--you know." He gave a small shrug. "Ashamed of me."

"What? No! I am inordinately proud of you." Why did his son not see that? "Why would you think I wasn't?"

The youth traced a pattern in the wood. "I figured if you were proud, you'd have wanted to tell people about me." He peeked up under his lashes. "Instead of making me hide."

His son could not have cut out Luc's heart any better with a knife.

"No! That was never why. Son." He reached for Senthys but placed his hand flat on the table. "I promise you." He held his son's gaze, willing him to understand. "I am indeed proud of you. I hide you to protect you."

"You're my father. It's public record. You own the house where I live. You sponsored me into the Guild. I don't see how that's hiding."

Luc sagged in his chair. "Do you have any idea how much it costs to buy off the media? There are almost two dozen planets in this empire. The media exacts a heavy toll on silence when--" He stopped himself. Lowered his voice. "You don't need to know the deals I make and you don't need to make it more difficult--or expensive--for me to protect you from the fame that dogs my every step. A thief can't work in a spotlight." He drew back. "Most of the time, neither can I."

"What you're saying is--you've been protecting me?"

How many times had he said that exact thing? Did this child never listen? With yet another reminder to pick his battles, Luc tamped down his frustration. "Yes."

The adorable blue eyes and shy smile that had charmed Luc when Senthys was a toddler flashed across his son's face and then was gone.

No sweet little kitten remained a kitten forever. No matter how much you wished they could.

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Luc’s house is lit up. Everyone is home. Uh oh! #SpaceOpera #YA #MFRWhooks #MFRWorg

Kayelle Allen 10/09/2019 MM Romance 12 Comments

Luc's House

Luc arrives home and knows the status of his house will be chaos. Luc's house is orderly. Unless the boys are back.

By the time they drove into the neighborhood where Luc lived, sleet pelted the hoversine. The splash-slide sound of it freezing and then slipping off the vehicle's shields set up an irregular rhythm, a heartbeat out of sync.

Of all the domiciles he owned on multiple planets, this house felt most like home. Dark brown marble trimmed a lighter brown stone and the windows showed lights behind the white curtains.

Which meant his Deshai were back.

Which, in turn, meant his usually immaculate house was no longer so.

What was it about boys? They walked into a house and it was like unsealing an inflatable boat. All available space immediately disappeared. Items fell off them and landed everywhere, scattering across furniture, onto tables, and into every room. Within an hour of anyone's arrival the house looked like it hadn't been picked up in a month.

Surprising how much he'd missed that.

After this, no one was graduating. No one would come back. If they did, it wouldn't be to see him. After all, their new homes would be wherever they decided to work and Luc could think of no reason he'd be invited. They'd want to see each other.

Family. Not him.

A dull ache bloomed in his chest.

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Meet the bad guys from For Women Only by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #Romance #MFRWhooks #MFRWorg

Kayelle Allen 09/11/2019 Cosplay 2 Comments

For Women Only Excerpt

"Why the drama, Pietas?"

"Your assistant wouldn't let me see you without an appointment."

"You insufferable..." She palmed the weapon fastened beneath her desk, then withdrew it and aimed at his head.

Pietas laughed, but he raised his hands. "I should've known you'd be armed."

With her other hand, she picked up his gun and aimed it at him. "Ambidextrous, remember?"

He started to put his hands down and she thumbed his weapon to full. His hands went back up. "Fine, Dessy. But I had to see you, and he wouldn't let me in. You know how I hate waiting."

"For that, you made my favorite your hostage and instigated a riot among my Praetorian?"

He shrugged.

She sighed and clicked the safety into place on both weapons. "What do you want?"

"I haven't seen you in twenty years, and that's all you have to say to me?"

"It's been eleven years, and according to the rules of Peril, I shouldn't have seen you for at least ten more. And you had no right to interfere with anyone I claim as mine. Don't you ever touch Alitus again. If you do, I'll kill you in every way you hate." She tapped the desk. "And I know them all, my dear brother. Is that clear?"

He twisted his mouth. "Fine. I won't touch your pet."

"Or allow anyone within your control or influence to do so. So help me, Pietas, promise me or I'll--"

"Yes, yes. I promise. Don't be tedious. I get the point." He dropped his huge frame into a wingback chair and hung one leg over an arm of it. "Besides, you're impossibly nasty when anyone touches your pets."

She snorted and slid his gun toward him. "Fine. Now tell me what you want."

---
Pietas model: Nik Nitsvetov

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Advanced abilities – just what a thief needs #SciFi #MFRWhooks #Excerpt Bro by Kayelle Allen

Kayelle Allen 09/04/2019 Thieves' Guild Academy 8 Comments

Advanced Privilege

Senth pounded up the stairs, feeling the judgmental stares of hundreds of pairs of eyes on his back. He stepped up to the desk. "Morning. Here for my cloak."

The worker looked up, raked a glance down him. "Listen, kid, this is Advanced only. There's a line. Wait your turn."

"Yeah. I get it." Letting his fangs show, Senth gestured to himself. "I have a 'baby face.' I hear that every day, but I'm no kid. I'm old enough to join the Armada and vote."

A mocking smile painted itself across the worker's face. "If you were human."

Could he not get one day without being reminded he didn't belong?

"Plus," the worker continued, "in case you're new here, you should know you have to be a Level Fifteen or higher to get a cloak."

Oh, he was one of those? Judge the face and not the person. Time to pull out the big guns. Not his favorite way to deal, but if you had a tool that worked, you yanked it out of the bag and used it. Wasn't that the point of having a tool?

Senth leaned one hand on the desk and bent closer as if sharing a secret. "Speaking of being new here... When did you arrive?"

The guy drew back. "Transferred in from Tarth to help with the cloak distribution."

"Shh." Senth made a show of glancing around. "Quiet like, what level are you?"

The man gave him a smug smile. "My Guild ranking is Thirteen."

"Wow. Impressive. And how old are you?"

The worker frowned. "Not that it's your business, but I'm thirty."

"Yeah? You know when I hit Level Thirteen?" Senth picked lint off the man's jacket, dropped it onto the floor. "When I was nine."

The man scoffed. "Nobody's ever done that."

"Look it up. I hold the record for youngest ever reaching it." He stood straight, squaring his shoulders. "I'm a Level Nineteen now. You'll find me under Antonello, Senth, Advanced Interior Security. Or you can try Harbinger." He flashed his father's hand sign, showing the back of two fingers together straight across his waist. "Son of."

"The Harbin--" The man pushed back from the desk and tripped getting to his feet. "Oh, you're the-- You're the--" He muttered an oath. "I'll be right back with your cloak, sir. One moment." He hustled toward the storeroom.

Yep. Daddy had clout.

While Senth waited, a few other thieves in Advanced nodded to him. One of his professors, in full Guild robes and regalia, passed by. When Senth bowed, the man bowed in return. Respect. Mutual. What was so hard about showing it?

A couple females picking up their cloaks shot looks his way.

Had the women overheard his relationship to the Man?

Not that he could take up anyone's offer anyway. His father made sure of that.

Saint-Cyr didn't trust a male Kin, halfbreed or not, to wander around unShackled. Females could, sure. Females could control themselves. The drug his father injected him with kept Senth's feral side at bay, but that didn't mean he was kitten material.

He might not be able to--um--extend his claws, so to speak, but he had other...abilities. Too bad as a HalfKin he hadn't been blessed with his race's real claws. He had to make do with fingers. No advantage over humans.

Unless you knew how to use them. A thief had to be good with his hands.

He sent a slow smile back toward the women.

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Note? What note? #SciFi by Kayelle Allen #MFRWhooks #MFRWorg

Kayelle Allen 08/14/2019 Science Fiction Romance 3 Comments

Royal District, Royal Arms Hotel Suite 1221

NarrAy tipped the hotel android and tucked the note he'd delivered into the pocket of her robe. "Senth?" She walked back into the bedroom, heard water running, and poked her head inside the bathroom. Steam frosted the glass-enclosed shower. "Senth, honey, there's a--Whoa!"

Senth was pressed against the glass from his firm behind all the way up to his shoulders.

NarrAy gulped against a rush of pheromones. "Uh, there's a...a note."

"What?" Senth stepped away from the glass and came to the opening, both hands in his soapy hair. Shampoo bubbles trickled down his upraised arms, onto his shoulders, and down across his chest. Senth's nose wriggled. He'd done that several times during the night, inhaling her scent. It shot a tinge of warmth down her body. "I couldn't hear you, sweetie. There's a what?"

"Nothing." NarrAy cast off her robe and stepped into the shower, right into Senth's slippery, soapy, slick, sexy, and open arms.

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Khyff is ready to bolt #SciFi #SpaceOpera #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 07/03/2019 Science Fiction Romance 5 Comments

Ready to bolt

As usual, Khyff's master hadn't allowed him to eat until he'd met his quota. First up: shower, clean clothes, food. Not necessarily in that order. He kept a few stale crackers hidden in his room for emergencies. He'd satisfied his last client, and was unscheduled the rest of the day. Or at least the next six hours. Khyff made a bolt for freedom.

"So you're an Antonello."

The way the client said it drew Khyff's attention. This particular client was one of the less odious. He didn't grab or cling, he was--thankfully--clean, and he tipped well. Still, the guy was paying for sex and Khyff had no choice. Being a pleasure slave meant you serviced the clients sent to you, or you suffered for it. In Khyff's case, refusing meant risking prison.

He would never go back there, no matter what they made him do here.

Khyff clenched his teeth and pasted on a smile. "Pardon?"

"Your last name." The guy continued getting dressed, seemingly in no hurry. "It's Antonello, right?"

"Why?"

"I never noticed before. It's right here on my receipt." He picked up his mobile and turned the screen toward Khyff. "I mean I've been here what... five times now?" He poked at the screen. "Whoa! Seven. Huh. I should have a free visit after three more."

Khyff choked back a retort. His master was giving away free visits with him? It would take hundreds of client visits to earn enough in his Freedom Savings Account so Khyff could buy himself. If his master was giving him away, it would take forever.

Khyff jerked open the door, determined once more to bolt and run.

"You don't look like the other one."

Half a step into the hall, Khyff's heart stuttered. He made a slow pivot. "Other one?"

"The other Antonello. You look different."

The world went silent. Khyff came inside, shut the door and leaned against it. "So I'm sure I heard right. You know another Antonello."

"Yeah. I saw the name, and figured you had to be related. Antonello's not common. Not on Kelthia. I'm guessing you don't have much family here."

Good guess. More than three quarters of the world's population was black-skinned. Khyff had blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin.

Could this be a link to his missing mother? Did the client know her? Khyff fought the hope that rose within him. It had been how many years? No, he would not allow himself to hope. When you hoped, people could hurt you more.

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Tag: Antonello Brothers

How could a killer with soulless, nightmare eyes ever care for a child? #Excerpt from A Stolen Heart #SpaceOpera #MFRWauthor

Nightmare Eyes: a scene from A Stolen Heart

The Antonello Brothers Series

“Look what I bought,” women said of him #SciFi #Romance

From For Women Only

The Antonello Brothers Series

Weird Eyes: a toddler’s view of Luc #SciFi #MFRWhooks #MFRWauthor

Weird Eyes: a scene from A Stolen Heart

The Antonello Brothers Series

Life speaks louder than beads #Excerpt from A Stolen Heart #SpaceOpera #MFRWauthor

Beads: an excerpt from A Stolen Heart

The Antonello Brothers Series

Share a sweet but awkward father and son moment with Senth (from Bro) #MFRWhooks #YA #SpaceOpera

Father and Son

The Antonello Brothers Series

Luc’s house is lit up. Everyone is home. Uh oh! #SpaceOpera #YA #MFRWhooks #MFRWorg

Luc's House

The Antonello Brothers Series

Meet the bad guys from For Women Only by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #Romance #MFRWhooks #MFRWorg

Advanced abilities – just what a thief needs #SciFi #MFRWhooks #Excerpt Bro by Kayelle Allen

Note? What note? #SciFi by Kayelle Allen #MFRWhooks #MFRWorg

Khyff is ready to bolt #SciFi #SpaceOpera #MFRWhooks

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