posts with insights about characters
Unbelievable
but this is a picture
of the same person.
Left: Nik Nitsvetov with a panda bear
Right: Nik as Lord Pietas
Click the picture to open a larger image
That cutie with the adorable smile on the left is Nik Nitsvetov holding a stuffed panda bear. He picked it up in China when he was there to judge cosplay at an international convention in January of this year.
On the right is Nik in September of 2018, cosplaying my immortal king Pietas, who is also known as the Bringer of Chaos.
Yes, that really is the same person.
Unbelievable, isn't it?
That, my friends, is what talent looks like. Panda bear and all.
In 2018, he cosplayed Pietas as the king, performing the Ritual of Strength. This year, he'll be cosplaying him as the soldier. Nik is creating the uniform and weapons he'll carry, designed by concept artist and digital weaponsmith Nano-Core.
If you click the links in the names above, you'll be taken to the tribute page for each person, right here on my site. No more panda bear pictures, but I'll see what I can do in the future.
Take a minute and watch the video below of Nik performing the Ritual. The voice actor is Zack Black, who sounds exactly -- exactly -- like I hear Pietas when I write him.
Want to see Nik cosplay as Pietas, live on Instagram? Pop your email into the box on the right and I'll let you know when the date is set. This email won't be used for other purposes.
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To save his people, a genetically enhanced warrior must do the one thing he detests... trust a human.
Origin of Pietas
https://books2read.com/u/4DovO7
An exiled, immortal king and his not-quite human friend join a ginormous panther "kitty" and the most dysfunctional family since forever.
Forged in Fire
https://books2read.com/u/bpW7Kg
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.
In this scene, Pietas performs a ritual with the help of his friend, Six.
A member of Ghost Corps, Six is a fearsome fighter with the strength to kill immortals like Pietas.
Ironically, the two have become intimate friends.
But that doesn't mean Six puts up with arguments, especially when he knows he's right.
"We should have cut your hair before we set out." Six rummaged through his kit, which held all his belongings when he'd been abandoned on this world. Little more than survival gear.
Pietas tossed back his hair. "I never cut it except in ritual."
"I know." Six withdrew a boning knife used for it. Before every battle, Pietas performed the solemn rite to affirm superior strength and prowess. Six had been the first human to see it carried out, albeit the first half from a distance while hiding. He stood. "Maybe you could perform it now."
"How like you to see the easy solution. But there are a few elements missing. No fire. No water. No mask." He gestured toward the oncoming storm. "No time."
"Haven't you ever heard of pretending?"
"One cannot 'pretend' a ritual."
"What a boring childhood you must've had. Why not?"
Pietas opened his mouth to answer. Shut it again.
Six lifted one eyebrow. "Do you want to go into that dark hole and meet up with your people without performing it?"
"No, but there's no time."
"Rain's coming." Six jerked a thumb toward the forest. "Like I said, you have to go in there or you won't reunite with your people. Are you going to stand out here making excuses, or do this?"
"Ghost, this ritual is important. It deserves respect."
"Blah, blah, blah. That storm is bearing down on us." A few drops of rain splattered them both. "See? Or maybe you'd rather have your sister help you with your hair every morning."
"Fine!" With a resigned sigh, Pietas capitulated. "How do you propose we 'pretend' my ritual?"
Six tucked the knife into his belt and held out his cupped hands. "This is fire."
Pietas hesitated.
"Come on, Pi." Six wagged his cupped hands. "This stuff is hot."
"Of course it is." A smile slipped onto his face and refused to leave. "It's pretend fire. That's the hottest kind."
(performer: Nik Nitsvetov, voice actor: Zack Black)
To save his people, a genetically enhanced warrior must do the one thing he detests... trust a human.
Origin of Pietas
https://books2read.com/u/4DovO7
An exiled, immortal king and his not-quite human friend join a ginormous panther "kitty" and the most dysfunctional family since forever.
Forged in Fire
https://books2read.com/u/bpW7Kg
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.
With his sister's help, Pietas uses his dragon dagger to perform the Ritual of Strength. The ritual affirms his own prowess, and is far from religious in nature, but he never declares war without undergoing it.
Dessy picked up the dragon dagger and twirled it. "You should let our people know you still do this ceremony. They'd be impressed by your devotion."
"I don't do it to impress anyone. I do it to ready myself for-- Stop!" His sister had been sliding one fingertip along the edge of the blade. He removed the dagger from her grasp, and examined the edge.
"Honestly, Pietas! I was just testing the sharpness."
"I didn't want you to cut yourself."
"I'm as adept with blades as you. More so, if you ask me."
So like Dessy to miss the point. "If you'd cut yourself, I'd have to consecrate it again. It can only have my blood or my enemy's."
"You think I'm witless? As if I haven't performed this ceremony with you a hundred times. And here I thought you were concerned for my well-being."
"Stop playing, Dess. I told you, I'm busy."
She let out a harsh sigh. "Fine. Let's complete the ritual."
Dagger in hand, Pietas unfastened the clip in his hair, and let it fall. The wet tail slapped the middle of his back. He tossed the clip aside, placed the dagger on his palms, and offered it.
She poised her hand above it. "Who offers this weapon?"
"First Conqueror, War Leader of the Ultras."
She took it from him. "For whom are you willing to suffer?"
"I suffer for my people." Pietas turned his cheek.
Dessy slid the dagger tip along his face, from cheekbone to chin, drawing a thin trail of blood. "For whom do you bleed?"
"I bleed for my people." By the time the first drop of blood had risen, the cut had healed, leaving no scar.
To save his people, a genetically enhanced warrior must do the one thing he detests... trust a human.
Origin of Pietas
https://books2read.com/u/4DovO7
An exiled, immortal king and his not-quite human friend join a ginormous panther "kitty" and the most dysfunctional family since forever.
Forged in Fire
https://books2read.com/u/bpW7Kg
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.
In this scene from Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas, the hero is trapped in darkness within a lifepod without one spark of light.
Rather than being put into stasis, his captors have left him to rot.
But there's one small problem: Pietas is immortal...
The infernal, cheerful whistling began again. Pietas tried in vain to escape the sound. Shackled at the ankles, hands bound behind him, he remained flat on his back. There were no comfort choices inside his pod.
No. Not his pod. He would never claim such a place.
The prison pod. The nightmare pod. A casket for the living.
Would that whistling never end?
Whoever guarded him whistled, night and day. He must have lips made of steel. How a human kept that up day after day was beyond him. Or perhaps... Did an Ultra guard him? Had one of his people come to free him?
Pietas opened his mouth to call out, and clamped it shut.
If it were one of his people, he needed to wait for them to act. They would do so when the time was right. For now, he suffered bouts of agony as feeling returned to his hands and then left in repeating cycles. His metabolism healed him, but brought pain. He focused on that, accepted the pain, welcomed it, and examined every step of its journey through his body. What one understood, one could bear.
An Ultra does not seek to escape pain. If one inflicts pain, one must bear it. Pain must be borne. Pain is a warrior's ally.
He hovered in a nightmare-filled, windowless, endless monotony of thirst and hunger.
Punctuated with unending lilts of bouncy, alert, happy, chipper whistling.
At first, he'd welcomed the sound. The rising and falling notes broke the tedium of everlasting darkness. It stopped for brief periods, but began again soon after.
He'd considered calling out and asking them to stop. He had gone so far as to open his mouth. But asking implied weakness. He acknowledged no tool of torture.
Beg mercy from humans? Never.
This was not stasis. Stasis meant cessation of thought. Of emotion. A dreamless kind of sleep. The end of awareness. A not-time.
They'd frozen his people in these pods, but they'd imprisoned him.
Or perhaps his blood ran so hot, no human force could freeze him.
The tune changed.
For the love of all that's holy, will you shut up!
Blessed silence fell. But then light blared in his face like a blast of horns.
What fresh perdition was this? They'd tortured him with darkness. Now they'd torture him with light?
Pietas tried to force his eyes open, to face the torture, but after so long in darkness, the light stabbed his eyes. He twisted his head to avoid it.
"You-- you're awake?" The startled voice hovered close, muffled by the pod. "Security! Security! Prisoner Six-Six-Six is out of stasis! I say again, Prisoner Six-Six-Six is out of stasis!"
The alarm in the male voice gave Pietas a measure of pride. Even imprisoned, he engendered fear. They had taken away his name, and given him a number that among humans meant a demonic beast.
Let the legend of Pietas--by name or by number--bring fear straight into the heart of man. No... let it bring terror.
The alarmed voice led him to another thought. Had they not known he was awake? No. These vile creatures had readouts of every type. How could one mistake his beating heart and steady breath for anything other than wakefulness and life? They meant to keep him aware and suffering. They knew.
But whoever was guarding him hadn't. Pietas might hate humans, but he knew the difference between genuine alarm and fake fear. He'd been instigating the real thing for centuries.
Interesting. He could use that.
His eyes adjusted to the light, and he focused on the face hovering over the small window above him.
Was that...Ghost Six?
The light cut off, taking with it the familiar comfort of sight. Pietas bit the inside of his cheek to keep silent.
First Conqueror, War Leader of the Ultras, did not beg.
He did not. He did not.
---
A captive of the people he loathes, the immortal Pietas is left for dead on the planet Sempervia. Six, a human soldier who is abandoned with him, offers food and water. A human, offering friendship? This must be another trap,
Pietas must do the one thing he detests. Trust a human...
Bringer of Chaos series
Amazon and Kindle Unlimited https://books2read.com/u/4DovO7
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.
In this scene NarrAy gets a note from an android and Senth sees what a real thief looks like.
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 buttocks 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. "I couldn't hear you, sweetie." 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. NarrAy cast off her robe and stepped into the shower, right into Senth's slippery, soapy, slick, sexy, and open arms.
* * *
Senth initiated a prescheduled holophone link to Saint-Cyr from a conference room on the third floor of the hotel, far from NarrAy's presence. When a chime announced his Sen'dai was at last online, Senth stood.
Saint-Cyr's image sparkled into being before him.
Senth made a deep bow. "Good morning, Sen'dai."
"You're late." The Harbinger motioned with one hand. "Turn around, slowly. I want to look at you."
Senth obeyed.
"So this is what a thief looks like who thinks he's independent of his Sen'dai."
"Sir?"
"Don't play coy with me, Senthys." Saint-Cyr seated himself. The background of the room did not appear, nor the chair he used. His image floated. "Sit down. We need to talk."
"Yes, sir." He pulled a chair away from the table and plunked himself in it.
"And sit up straight."
Senth bristled, but he straightened in the chair.
"Now what is this about Ms. Jorlan not being satisfied?"
She had seemed satisfied when he'd left the room. Senth coughed to mask a grin. "We discovered that the item we recovered indicated there's a related item with more significance."
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.
In this scene, NarrAy shows Senth the room they will be sharing.
All People's Liberation Army Ship Vandal Officers' Quarters
Though still carrying the marks of an Imperial Armada cruiser, the Vandal and its crew had switched sides. Senth followed NarrAy down a corridor painted dull gray. Far from the luxury of the sleepliner, this ship had been stripped to basic military starkness.
"Why is everything lit up with red?"
"It's on night ops. Red makes it easier for the eyes to adjust to darkness, and you can still distinguish everything." NarrAy opened a hatch, and stepped through into another corridor.
"We use red for night work in the Guild, too." Senth waited while NarrAy closed the hatch behind him, and then followed her again.
"Let's see, cabin number... Ah, here we are." She unlocked a door, and he followed her inside.
Encie and Broxus had brought Senth's and NarrAy's bagbots with them, and both bots waited in the room, inactive. The tiny cabin sported a chair, a drop-down desk, and a garment rack with a few cubbyholes under it. A mirror covered the back of the door. One bed--a double.
Senth's cheeks burned in remembrance of the last time he and NarrAy were alone near a bed.
NarrAy gestured around herself. "Like it? This is our room."
"We're...um...both in here?"
"Mmm hmm." NarrAy backed him against the door and set a hand on either side of his waist. "This cabin is for accompanied officers."
"A-accompanied?" Unsure where to put his hands, Senth put them behind him.
"Accompanied." She traced a finger across his chin. "Meaning with someone."
"Oh." His mind churned, fighting for intelligent words, but failed. All he could see was the bed. And NarrAy. Right there, up close, next to him, breathing the same air.
NarrAy put one of her feet between his and leaned against him. Body to body. All the way from his calves up to his waist. Even through his clothes, her warmth soaked into him. Her scent bloomed like warm sugar cookies coming fresh from the oven. Vanilla. Butter. Sugar.
Senth breathed her in, and the scent took him back to his childhood, but the touch of her, the warmth of her, rocked him down to the core as a man.
NarrAy pressed her fingers against his lips.
Senth held his breath as NarrAy watched the progress of her fingers. She drew them from his mouth to his chin, down the front of his throat, and stopped where his cloak fastened.
Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.
Series page https://kayelleallen.com/antonello-brothers
#SciFi #Romance
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~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
On the verge of freeing his brother from a cruel master, Senth, an all party-fun-and-games thief, must take on the hardest assignment of his life: stealing from the Empress.
To make matters worse, he has no choice about working with a by-the-book rebel captain, a genetically advanced woman whose addictive pheromones could enhance his mission or crumble it into dust with a single siren kiss.
When the unthinkable happens and the Empress kidnaps his brother, Senth must put aside his love of play and buckle down or his brother will end up with a far worse master, Senth will be guilty of treason, and he'll lose the love of his life -- forever.
When a playful half-cat thief meets an enhanced-human by-the-book captain, do opposites attract? Oh, mercy!
Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.
Series page https://kayelleallen.com/antonello-brothers
#SciFi #Romance
Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter
Immortal Reviews Rock & Rule - Join the Review Team
~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
It's Pi Day.
A day to eat pie and celebrate the irrational number that has delighted mathletes forever.
Here's a quick peek at how Pietas
got the nickname "Pi."
Days passed into weeks.
While Pietas healed, Six spent time hunting, fishing, gathering wood for the fire, hauling water. The man gave no indication of impatience, ever. Six was at his side, offering, assisting, without Pietas having to ask.
One evening after dinner, they stretched out side by side near the fire, staring up at the stars.
"Thank you, Six."
"For what?"
"You've been good to me. I appreciate it. I don't say that enough."
He folded his hands over his waist. "No problem. Glad to do it, Three Point One Four."
"Three point..." Pietas grappled with what the number might indicate. "Pardon?"
"I've decided that's your name. Now that we're friends."
"What are you talking about?"
"Your name." Six sat up. "Since you call me Six, I'm going to call you Three Point One Four."
"I fail to see the significance of the number."
"Really?" A big grin crossed Six's face. "And here I thought you were good at math. It's pi."
"No!" Pietas sat bolt upright. "I forbid you to call me that. I am Pietas. Pee-ah-toss."
"I dunno. I'm partial to Pi. I think I'll keep it."
"No. You may not call me Pi. My name is Pietas."
"Why not?"
"It is not my name!"
"Oh, you mean like Six isn't my name. It's a number."
"Simple remedy. Tell me your name."
The quiet lengthened, but then Six stretched both arms over his head, and gave a wide yawn. "Nah. I don't think so."
"Fine, then." Pietas settled himself on the ground once more. "Six it is."
"Guess I'm stuck with it." He grinned at Pietas as he stood. "Pi."
Pietas sent an empathic icicle Six's way. Infuriating person!
"Back at you, Ultra." He wandered off to prepare for sleep.
A captive of the people he loathes, the immortal Pietas is left for dead on the planet Sempervia. Six, a human soldier who is abandoned with him, offers food and water. A human, offering friendship? Surely, this is another trap, but to survive, Pietas must do that which he most detests. Trust a human...
Bringer of Chaos series Book 1
Amazon and Kindle Unlimited https://books2read.com/u/4DovO7
In At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, Captain NarrAy Jorlan meets with Luc Saint-Cyr and Senth at a coffee shop adjacent to the Thieves' Guild. But in this deleted version, they were to meet at the starport. She is about to discover whether Senth's expertise is
worth paying for...
Kelthia, Miraj City, Starhaven Leojnimaj
Coffee Shop, Concourse D
"Anything yet?" NarrAy held a cup of coffee in front of her mouth to hide her words. She wore a plain black dress with long sleeves and a lace collar, hidden beneath a black hooded cape.
"Nothing yet," Broxus answered from the south terminal.
"No sign." Encie made ticking sounds in the transmitter. "He's late."
"We'll give him two more minutes."
"You're too easy, boss." More ticking.
What was that noise? She scanned the area. "Encie, I thought you quit chewing your nails."
"I'm not chew-- Hey. How'd you know I was doing that?"
"You may be on the north side of the concourse, but I can see you slouching between the lockers." NarrAy blew on the coffee.
Her assistant straightened. "Forgot about those enhanced eyes of yours."
"It was my enhanced ears that heard you nibbling."
"Nibbling what?" Senth said behind her.
Twisting around to see him, NarrAy set down her coffee so fast it spilled. "Where did you come from?"
"Thief, remember?" He dropped into a chair and used one of her napkins to sop up the coffee. He leaned back with a smooth slide of masculine confidence, folding his hands across his waist. "If those cohorts of yours could spot me, would I be worth paying the Guild's price?"
A fast-paced sci fi romance with an adorable, fun-loving hero who's half-human and half-cat and a by-the-book army captain heroine. Hired to steal back a prototype taken by the imperial armada, Senth retrieves it, but his brother is kidnapped to force Senth to surrender the device. Now he has to rescue his brother, outsmart the armada, and keep the item out of imperial hands. All doable, except for one small problem. He must do it in the company of NarrAy, a genetically altered woman whose pheromones could enhance the mission or crumble it into dust with a single siren kiss.
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure by Kayelle Allen
https://amzn.to/1f7FQ2h
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.
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 others 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 others to gawk at you when you're with me."
Khyff's secret truth could devastate her family and make her an outcast. She should shun this human, return to her own people and forget him. Yet how can she let him suffer in the darkness that binds his heart?
His secret truth is her people's darkest lie...
Universal book link https://books2read.com/ab-for-her-only
