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Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
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What did I do to ensure I got all the hits and bumps right? You can read about it in this post. In Lights Out, Tornahdo (as Six was known then) was one of eight special ops soldiers. They had all been in fights with immortals before this, but none of them had faced Pietas, the immortal king. Here's the scene from Lights Out, Tornahdo's POV.
Tornahdo has entered a closed section of a space station. It's been several minutes since all the air has been removed. Pietas is on the ground, but he's where cameras can't get a good look at him. While Tornahdo and the soldiers can hold their breaths a long time, no one is sure just how long the king can accomplish this feat. Immortals can manipulate human emotions, so to protect the ghosts, they've been fitted with a chip to suppress emotion.
Inside, as instructed, Tornahdo stayed near the back. Two of the eight ghosts closed in on the pod.
Pietas lay on the floor behind it. His body showed, not his face.
Tornahdo tingled with a fighter's high. The mix of anxiety and excitement kept his instincts on maximum alert.
Beside Pietas, a ghost stooped. The change in lighting angle showed the Ultra, limp on the floor. When turned, the body flopped. The ghost pressed two fingers against the throat.
With a jerk, Pietas yanked the man down while thrusting a hand up.
A pierce of mindless fear stabbed Tornahdo. He'd faced that snap of terror before. It meant two things. First, the Ultra was controlling their emotions. Second, the chip was worthless.
Pietas tripped the next ghost, jabbed an elbow into his neck.
Another spurt of fear and confusion.
All that training. Days of suffering, learning control. For nothing.
Pietas flashed into speed mode.
Tornahdo's world moved in slow motion.
A blur showed where the Ultra had been. Pietas halted, braced both hands on a pod and kicked a pair of ghosts behind him.
They flew backward. Slow.
Momentum carried the Ultra straight toward Tornahdo.
Stumbling out of the way, Tornahdo went down in a tumble, taking out the ghost beside him, who knocked down the last two.
Pietas's point of view, same scene. No air means no sound.
Crowded as the space was between his life-pod and the wall, two ghosts crept into it. Six spots of light showed on the other side. Eight ghosts then. That would be a much better fight. One nudged him with a foot.
Suppressing a smile, Pietas continued to play dead.
Ghost One bent down, turned him onto his back.
Pietas let his body flop.
The guy came in closer, checked for a pulse.
Pietas opened his eyes.
The ghost's alarm fed Pietas energy.
He yanked him down, hard, while jamming the heel of his hand up. The ghost's head snapped back, and Pietas felt his bones crack. He shoved him aside and went after Ghost Two.
Pietas gripped his leg and tripped him. He jammed an elbow down onto the man's neck. Bones broke. The ghost's stab of dying fear spiked the energy from the first, and Pietas mixed it with his gift of chaos. He flung the vortex of emotions outward, broadcasting confusion and terror.
He activated his ability called zip. The pseudo speed meant he could move at a regular pace, but humans perceived him as a blur. They could not focus on him long enough to get close. To him, everyone moved in slow motion.
He flipped onto his feet, braced both hands on his pod, and kicked Three and Four square in the chest.
He pushed off the pod, and the momentum carried him straight into the arms of Five and Six. They stumbled backward, tumbling Seven and Eight onto the floor.
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
Welcome to the Romance Veterans hop! All the authors in this hop write romance and are themselves veterans. We’re excited to have you!
To enter the hop, like this post and comment below. You’ll be eligible to win a $50 GiftCard as a gift from all of us.
PLUS, join my reader group today and you will get four bonus books plus be in the running to win an additional $20 GiftCard from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Starbucks from me. Winner’s choice.
Here’s a quick excerpt from At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, my sweet science fiction romance, book one of the Antonello Brothers series.
In this scene from At the Mercy of Her Pleasure by Kayelle Allen, Captain NarrAy Jorlan has just met professional thief Senth Antonello for the first time. She’s taking it slow, sizing him up for the job at hand. Usually, men are distracted by her pheromones, but on this occasion, she finds herself on the distracted side.
—
NarrAy crossed her legs, exposing a good portion of her skin under the short dress. If she’d been sitting opposite Senth, the length might have been welcome. But his father lounged in that chair and Senth sat beside her on the couch. Her position put her a little closer to him.
“Empress Destoiya murdered my parents,” NarrAy continued her story, “as surely as if she’d been the one who shot them in the back. They were scientists working on secret technology. When rumors got o
ut that they were planning to give their findings to the rebellion, the Conqueror had them killed and then confiscated everything, including their personal belongings. There was a locket my mother inherited from my grandmother, which my grandmother inherited from her grandmother. It’s mine and I want it back.”
She met Senth’s penetrating gaze and held it. She heard rather than saw Encie enter the room and take up a place near the door. Broxus moved to stand beside her. NarrAy couldn’t take her gaze off Senth. How did I ever see him as a boy?
He had a man’s hands, well-groomed nails and sinewy forearms that revealed power and strength. His biceps bulged. Angular jaw, a firm mouth with lips made for kissing. A hot flutter rose within her and she tamped it down at once, refusing to let her pheromones get the upper hand.
Senth watched her, gaze narrowed, head tilted. He gave a sniff and then eased into a smile. His proximity heightened her desire. He smelled clean, fresh and ruggedly male. A tingle signaled the imminent letdown of her pheromones and she clenched her hands into fists, fighting to calm the spike of lust flickering through her like a torch about to combust.
Senth’s faint smile revealed nothing, but he lifted his head, sniffing the air. Kin could smell emotion and desire. Could HalfKin?
He asked me something. Pay attention to business and not your body. She sat up straighter. “I’m sorry. Would you repeat that, please?”
“What I said was no one hires a level-nineteen thief, transports him to another world to break into a government building and then wants him to steal back a locket with sentimental value. Especially one in the custody of the Conqueror. What’s it really worth?”
“It’s a priceless heirloom.” She set a hand against her bosom.
Senth didn’t follow her hand’s movement. Instead he tilted his head as he leaned back against the couch. “I’m more skilled at this job than you are beautiful, NarrAy and that’s saying something. Tell me the truth.”
Her cheeks warmed. When had she ever blushed over such an offhand compliment?
——— Read more about this book ———
#Entertowin a $50 Amazon #giftcard from #Romance #Veterans Visit each author for a chance to win more prizes Click To TweetRemember: To enter the hop, like this post and comment below. You’ll be eligible to win a $50 GiftCard as a gift from all of us. PLUS, join one of my reader groups today and you will get four bonus books plus be in the running to win an additional $20 GiftCard from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Starbucks from me. Winner’s choice.
NEXT STOP HERE: TARINA DEATON
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.