Could her diplomatic immunity save his brother? Excerpt: For Women Only #SciFi #Romance #MFRWhooks #MFRWorg

Updated on 09/25/2023 by Kayelle Allen

The chill in the room had nothing to do with air temperature. Now that Mehfawni knew about her brother's death, Khyff felt the collective gaze of her all-female staff stab into him. He didn't need telepathy to read their thoughts. Their body language shouted at him.

Be gone, alien. Get out. You don't belong here.

Fawni's eyes filled with tears as she looked up at him.

Khyff melted. No matter how much the others hated him and wanted him gone, he couldn't leave her alone with this kind of news. What if it had been Senth who'd died? That possibility was all too real.

Khyff wrapped both arms around her and held her tightly against him, his cheek against her hair. "Oh, Fawni, I'm so sorry."

She clutched his leather jacket and clung to him as if all the strength had seeped out of her. He stroked her hair and kissed her brow.

"This can't be true." Her voice was muffled against his jacket. She turned and faced Kata. "There's been a mistake. It has to be wrong."

Kata didn't lift her gaze. "I'm sorry, Eetzesar. The news came directly from Tzesar Ehldani."

Khyff expected Mehfawni to crumble. He could feel her shaking. But she drew herself up to her full height and took two steps away from him. With one hand on Kata's arm, she looked around the room at her staff. Ten Kin gazed back at her, their expressions full of pride and sorrow.

She cleared her throat. "Thank you. All of you. Kata, when do we return home?"

The young assistant looked up, revealing the tracks of tears on her face. "At dawn, Eetzesar."

He wanted to hold Mehfawni, bring her back into his arms, but she kept her back rigid, her head high.

"Good, Kata. I'll need you to help me with a few things." She told the others, "Get some rest. We'll all need our strength when we get home."

Her staff dispersed quietly, and Mehfawni reached back and held Khyff's hand while she talked softly to Kata in her breathy native language.

What am I going to do now? Images rose in Khyff's mind. Senth swathed in bandages, lying in the hospital. NarrAy trapped in a glass cage. Both depending on him for their freedom. For their lives. And all he could do was stand here and hold Mehfawni's hand while the hope he had for saving them made arrangements to leave.

"Senth Antonello."

Khyff's attention riveted to Mehfawni's words. "What?"

She looked up at him. "You're such a male, Khyffy. Here I am making arrangements for your brother and his fiancée, and you're not even paying attention."

"Arrangements? What kind of arrangements?"

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"Well, you were speaking Felis, so I couldn't understand you."

"Oh." She touched her chin. "That was rude of me. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You're upset. It's natural. What arrangements?"

"I can't leave you, Khyffy. I want you to come home with me."

His stomach went all hollow and his head light. His chest ached. He couldn't catch his breath, couldn't speak.

Felidae? Kin. Enemies. And...Mehfawni. He breathed. "I... Mehfawni, my brother... I--"

"Khyff, I know you can't leave when you're worried about your family. I couldn't do that either. So Kata's going to make sure my diplomatic immunity is extended to Senth and his fiancée. NarrAy's a Better, isn't she?"

"Yes, but--"

"Then your brother is addicted to her. He'll need her pheromones if he's going to heal properly. We need to get her out of prison so they can be together."

"Mehfawni, I don't understand." His heart pounded so hard, he was afraid he wouldn't hear her answer. Is this what hope feels like? Is there some way to keep Sen and NarrAy safe and escape the Conqueror's choke hold?

Mehfawni gave him a look that said he should try to pay attention, and then she grasped his hands. "I read their story in the news, remember? It wasn't fair of the police to imprison her for defending her mate. At the time, I thought there wasn't anything I could do, but now that I know it's your brother, I can do something. If you come home with me as part of my entourage, you'll have diplomatic immunity, which extends to your family as well, if I wish it." She squeezed his hands. "And I do wish it."

Not if Mehfawni found out what he'd been sent to do to her, she wouldn't.

Khyff floundered, awash in a sea of emotion. His hope dashed on the rocky shore of reality, but he drew her hand to his mouth and kissed it. Maybe, if he could buy some time, he could think of a permanent solution.

Posted in Character Insights | Tagged Antonello Brothers, Blog Hop, For Women Only, Khyff Antonello, Mehfawni Ruh, MFRW, NarrAy Jorlan, Sci-Fi Romance, Senth Antonello, Strong Female Characters |

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

Updated on 09/25/2023 by Kayelle Allen

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."

Posted in Character Insights | Tagged Antonello Brothers, For Women Only, Khyff Antonello, Mehfawni Ruh, Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels, Tarthian Empire |

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

Updated on 09/25/2023 by Kayelle Allen

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.

Posted in Blog Hop | Tagged Antonello Brothers, At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, Bro, For Women Only, Kayelle Allen, Khyff Antonello, Luc Saint-Cyr, MFRW, Senth Antonello |

Can’t Pay Me Enough #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Updated on 09/25/2023 by Kayelle Allen

As Senth approached The Ghost, the club's beefy Kin bouncer put out a hand. "Hold up, kid. You--" She motioned toward Khyff -- "Wait over there. You..." She motioned Senth aside. "You got ID?"

Senth opened his cloak, revealing the lining with its unmistakable Thieves' Guild insignia, a skeleton key inside a slashed circle. He gave his Sen'dai's hand sign.

"Ffffftt!" The bouncer made an apologetic shrug. "Sorry. Why didn't you say you were the Man's right up front?"

"His shouldn't have to." Senth brushed a hand down the front of the cloak. "And I'm no kid."

"Sorry, sir." She opened the door for both of them and bowed.

Once inside, Khyff held out one palm, and Senth slid his down it, hooked his fingers as Khyff did, and with hands clasped, gave one downward shake.

"C'mon, Bro." Khyff led the way past the darkened foyer.

Inside, music pulsed like a living entity. Throbbing bass tickled Senth's chest, and he coughed. Drums pounded. Colored lights swept the cavernous room. Strobes flashed across the congested dance floor, highlighting bobbing heads and upflung arms. Light glinted off human bodies slick with sweat, while bared and damp Kin furskin stuck out in points, laden with glitter.

"Stay close," Khyff shouted over the pulsating music, standing next to Senth. He headed for the rear and left no chance to argue. They skirted around the crammed dance area. Senth liberated a few loose credit stubs clipped to belts and stuffed them into the pockets of his cloak.

He tried not to stare at the slakes along the wall, but their clothing and attitude declared their availability. A pair of male and female slakes bent over a low railing, their pants around their ankles. Androgs handled their bodies like merchandise.

Khyff nudged him. "Comparison shoppers."

"Not funny."

"Try being the one hanging over the railing." Khyff jerked his head. "Come on."

Females ruled on the Kin planet Felidae, and the majority who visited The Ghost had more than one male in their company. A single Kin female at the bar turned and looked Senth over from head to foot. Tall and slender, she wore brown leather the same color as her hair. She slid her tongue across her upper teeth, back and forth between her fangs, and wiggled her cute feline nose. Then she twitched her pointed ears toward Senth. A tap on his arm drew Senth's attention.

"Stay away from her, Sen." Khyff glared at the Kin. "She'll take you to bed and then eat you for breakfast. That's not a figure of speech. HalfKin who leave with her aren't seen again. She's working this floor for someone. Watch this." Khyff slid a hand down his body, giving the Kin a slow smile.

The female crooked a finger at Khyff and smiled back.

When Khyff rubbed his fingers and thumb together in a sign for money, she turned away. "Yeah, I thought so."

"You wanted her?"

His brother snorted. "You couldn't pay me enough to screw a Kin."

Posted in Blog Hop | Tagged Antonello Brothers, Blog Hop, Bro, For Women Only, Kayelle Allen, Khyff Antonello, MFRW, NarrAy Jorlan, Senth Antonello |

Luc has a Secret Life #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Updated on 09/25/2023 by Kayelle Allen

The moment Senthys left the room, Luc stood and pulled on his own cloak and gloves. After raising the hood, he settled into an out of the way corner. How long had it been since he'd played hide and seek with his son?

Seemed centuries ago.

Back then, it had been behind curtains and furniture. Nothing so high tech as this.

Senthys had been four. Five? Older, perhaps. The boy had thrown himself into the game with all the gusto of a ruckball player completing a pass. When he'd find Luc, he'd squeal with delight and start hissing, dancing from one foot to the other. And then Luc would throw his arms wide and his son would run to him...

A shimmer of light revealed that Senthys had entered the room and passed before a lamp. As Luc grew accustomed to the effect, his son's outline showed. Rather like the aura Luc could see around his own people, but a hundred times dimmer.

The immortal needed every gift in his arsenal to stay ahead of Senthys.

With each visit Luc made to this world, the young mortal grew closer to discovering Luc's secret life. Once his son learned the truth, there could be no going back.

Such knowledge posed a threat to himself, his people hidden around the Empire, and more importantly, to his all-too-mortal son.

A son whose mentors all coached him in uncovering corporate secrets and lies.

When Senthys had passed the lamp the third time, Luc tapped him on the shoulder.

With a hiss that morphed into a screech, the boy knocked back his hood, which turned off the invisibility.

Laughing, Luc pushed back the hood of his own to reveal himself. "Tag. You're it."

"Not funny!" Senthys brushed hair out of his eyes. "You scared the life out of me!"

Saint-Cyr bared his teeth. "Good."
---

Get Behind the Brothers, an inside look at the characters and story behind Bro. Sign up for one of Kayelle's reader groups and get this booklet before the book releases, advanced notice when the book is out, and much more. https://kayelleallen.com/readergroups/

Posted in Blog Hop | Tagged Antonello Brothers, At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, Blog Hop, Bro, For Women Only, Kayelle Allen, Khyff Antonello, Luc Saint-Cyr, MFRW, Senth Antonello, Tarthian Empire |

How odd that idBot never sees Luc #SciFi by Kayelle Allen #MFRWhooks

Updated on 09/25/2023 by Kayelle Allen

The façade fooled anyone who lacked entry codes.

Senth pressed his palm against the lock plate and the idBot security system scanned him. Locks clicked open.

Not a sound in the house, and when Senth checked the security panel, it showed the staff had gone for the day. No one home.

"Riiight." That reading meant the Man was here, because idBot never saw him no matter where he went. How he managed that was beyond Senth, but hey--the guy owned the company, right? Must be nice. Whatever this was about, Saint-Cyr wanted privacy for it, which couldn't be good for Senth.

He swept off his cloak and hung it on a peg. "Hi, Daddy, I'm home!"

Luc Saint-Cyr rounded the corner. Built like a towering god of war, his father filled the small entry.

Senth took a step back.

Saint-Cyr's impressive height forced Senth to look up in order to meet his gaze. Solid-black eyes made the black-skinned man resemble a giant bird of prey, and he had all the warmth of one.

"I am not Daddy, Senthys. We've discussed this." Saint-Cyr adjusted a white cuff on his dark business suit. "If you must use a familial term, use Father."

"Been thinking about changing it to Pops." Senth rocked on the balls of his feet.

His father about choked. Those black eyes narrowed. "You most certainly will not. I have asked you to--"

"Yeah," Senth interrupted. "And I've asked you to call me Senth. Not Senthys."

"Nicknames lack dignity."

"Father sounds like a priest. Which you aren't."

Saint-Cyr took one step closer.

It took all Senth's considerable will not to back up, look away or otherwise submit. How many people wilted before that black-eyed gaze? He swallowed, focusing on the reflections of light in the man's glassy stare.

If he held on for a few more seconds...