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Tag: Luc Saint-Cyr

Luc Saint-Cyr, character in books by Kayelle Allen.

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

 

 

In this scene, Luc and his son share a typical father and son moment. Awkward, sweet, and filled with memory.

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.

 

The Antonello Brothers Series

You'll find Luc mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


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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. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.

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

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

 

This is a sneak peek at A Stolen Heart,
on target for a January 2020 release.

In this scene, Luc is bringing home his new foster child. The other five he has fostered over the years are home, which means Luc's house will be in chaos...

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.

The Antonello Brothers Series

You'll find Pietas and Luc mentioned in nearly every book in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


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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. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.

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

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

 

In this scene from For Women Only,
Empress Rheyn Destoiya is planning
a pleasant evening when her twin brother,
Pietas, instigates a riot among her
Praetorian Guard and takes her assistant
hostage.

After the Empress settles everyone down and is alone with her brother, she lets Pietas know she is not the least bit pleased. There's a reason a reviewer said this book had "complex, scary and slightly disturbing bad guy sidekicks." This scene takes place in her palace office.

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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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.

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

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

 

In this scene, the Thieves' Guild is releasing an upgraded cloak to members. The item allows its wearer to be virtually invisible.

The previous day, all Arcane, Master, and Premium level members had picked up their cloaks.

Today, Advanced members have front-of-line privilege, and that's where our hero comes in.

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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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.

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

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

 

In this scene NarrAy gets a very un-memorable note from an android.

 

 

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. 

 


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.

Hacking the storeroom #SciFi #SpaceOpera Bro by Kayelle Allen #Excerpt

A Broken Heart - Thieves' Guild Academy #SciFi #SpaceOpera

In this scene, Senth has just gotten a password-protected message from his father and is looking for a private place to hear it.

Folks in this town never referred to Luc Saint-Cyr by name. You heard the capital letters when they called him the Man, or they referred to him as the Harbinger. Senth's father was the daddy crime lord all the baby crime lords wanted to be.

"Ooh, big scary Man." He thumbed off the device. "Please let this be a job and not him finding out I hacked Planet Fun."

Senth crossed the street and entered the Miraj City Bakery Café. No crowd this early, though a group of professors shared drinks at one of the tables in the back. There were no undergraduate classes this week. Cloak distribution had overturned the beehive.

A clean smell of freshly brewed coffee pulled him deeper into the room.

The android on duty rolled up to him. "Welcome, Blue Shadow. How may I serve you today?"

"Like to use your storeroom a minute." He flashed his father's hand sign. "Private business."

"Of course, sir." The droid offered a keycard.

"Oh, please. I've broken into that room so many times, I prolly owe you guys rent."

On the droid's nametag, a bar of yellow lights indicated confusion. "Pardon, sir?"

"It was a joke. Owing rent for--" Senth held up both hands. "Never mind. No key needed."

He followed the maze of corridors to the back. At the door, he pulled out his lockpick and adjusted the settings. When he pointed it at the lock, the device signaled a lockout error and the tiny screen flashed nonsense letters at him.

What in the worlds did PROBATA mean?

He twisted the tip of the pick and floated the stats as a holovid. Probata Corporation. Wasn't that the system his prof in Premium Fingersmithing ranted about? Something about useless upgrades and pointless codes. What did she say about a bypass trick?

"Think, Senth. You sat there listening to the woman fume for two solid wasted hours."

Oh, no he hadn't.

No, that was the day Senth had flaked out of classes and spent a full day at Planet Fun with his mates. He'd recorded it instead. But had he transcribed it to his code book?

Of course not. And didn't that make this encounter so much more fun? He pinched the bridge of his nose, but his father always did that so Senth stopped it at once.

Why was a lock on a coffee shop's storeroom door harder than a security system at the planet's busiest amusement park? What were they storing in there? The Empress's private coffee stash?

Curiosity over the message from his far-from-patient father burned through his mental pockets. Wait. His father. Surely, he'd have the new codes.

Yes, and then he'd want to know why Senth didn't and no way was he explaining to dear old Dad how he hacked into Planet Fun for "a planetful of fun" instead of going to class.

That fortune Dad paid for Senth to attend classes at the guild academy? Yeah, wasted a full day of it to impress a few girls, which was why he was calling needing a bail out.

And no way was he going back to the droid, stand right in front of a table full of professors, and do the Hey can I borrow your key thing.

Riiight.

Thieves' Guild Academy

Thieves' Guild Academy #SciFi #MMRomance #WriteLGBTQ

#SciFi #WriteLGBTQ #MMRomance

A Stolen Heart: When your king is immortal—and your ex—how do you guard your heart?

A Broken Heart: He's invisible, but he can't hide from the truth...

A Divided Heart: In a school filled with hackers and thieves, how do you trust your heart?

Thieves' Guild Academy Bundle 1 Honor above profit. Skill above chance. Family above all. #SciFi #MMRomance #WriteLGBTQ

Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter

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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.


Khyff is ready to bolt #SciFi #SpaceOpera #MFRWhooks

 

In this scene from Bro, Khyff is about to bolt for freedom when his client says one word that stops him cold.

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.


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.

What a real thief looks like #SciFi by Kayelle Allen #MFRWhooks

What a real thief looks like #SciFi by Kayelle Allen #MFRWhooks

 

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."


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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. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.

Body to body closeness #SciFi by Kayelle Allen #MFRWhooks

Body to body closeness #SciFi by Kayelle Allen #Romance

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.

Antonello Brothers

Antonello Brothers Sci-Fi Romance Series by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #Romance

Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.

Series page https://kayelleallen.com/antonello-brothers

#SciFi #Romance

Complete Set Antonello Brothers Series

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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.


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


Senth arrives home after a call from his adoptive father, Luc Saint-Cyr.

---

The three-story house resembled others in the neighborhood.

Constructed with brown stone and trimmed with beige marble, nothing about it stood out. Curtains fluttered in an open window on the bottom floor. A white picket fence led to a path lined with pink flowers. A pink wreath made the place look homey and sweet.

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...

 

The Antonello Brothers Series

On sale throughout April


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.