I’m taking snippets from my most recently released scifi romance KIERCE: A Badari Warriors SciFi Romance Novel, the next book in the award winning series.
(I just got CAMRON back from the Editor so he’s on track for a late May release!)
Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)
Punctuation may be wonky to comply with our guidelines here. May be edited a bit from published version.
If you haven’t read any of my Badari Warriors books, here’s the background:
Genetically engineered soldiers of the far future, the Badari were created by alien enemies to fight humans. But then the scientists kidnapped an entire human colony from the Sectors to use as subjects in twisted experiments…the Badari and the humans made common cause, rebelled and escaped the labs. Now they live side by side in a sanctuary valley protected by a powerful Artificial Intelligence, and wage unceasing war on the aliens.
The excerpt – the alien predator has Elianna trapped in a tree. (She refers to him as a tiger but of course he’s completely alien…)
In a leisurely fashion, the cat strolled to the tree, sharpened its claws on the wood for a minute, which made the entire trunk shake, eliciting curses from Elianna as she clutched the tree, and then stood on its hind feet, leaning its forepaws on the trunk. The display made it abundantly clear her adversary could pluck her from safety at any second. The cat flicked its pink tongue at her and licked her ankle before going to all fours and pacing away from the tree. It lay on the grass, again facing the building.
As if he’s guarding me.
Could she be so lucky? Was the cat trying to save her for its next meal or was it smart enough to realize the two of them could be allies? The uncertainty tormented her, leaving her in a state of complete indecision about what her next move should be.
She sat in the tree all afternoon, growing tired, hungry, and thirsty. Eventually, one Khagrish guard appeared, staring from the cat to her then running inside, presumably to report.
Eventually, the tiger rose as if response to a signal and went inside the cell.
The blurb:
Elianna McNamee, spaceship engineer, is far from her home in the human Sectors, kidnapped along with all her shipmates to be used for horrifying experiments conducted on a remote planet by alien scientists.
Her captors decide to toss her in a cell with a ferocious predator, expecting him to kill her…but Kierce, the Badari warrior in question, has too much honor to mistreat a human woman. The trouble is, he’s trapped in a form drastically different from his own as a result of twisted genetic meddling and hiding dark secrets to save other Badari lives.
Able to become a man again briefly with Elianna‘s help, he and Elianna bond over their mutual hatred for the enemy but when rescuers finally arrive, the pair are separated by well-meaning Badari authorities.
Kierce struggles to overcome flashbacks from the torture and drugs the alien scientists inflicted on him. He and Elianna despair over whether he’ll ever be able to regain his rightful place as a man and a soldier in the pack, much less be ready to claim a mate.
Elianna accepts a risky but essential assignment far away from where Kierce is being held, working with another man who’s more than professionally interested in her. Her heart belongs to Kierce and she can’t forget their two nights of shared passion but will that be enough to lead them to a happy reunion?
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BADARI WARRIORS: SECTORS NEW ALLIES BOOKS 1-3 by Veronica Scott
Ta Da! There’s no new material included, other than a brief recap of why I wrote each book (which appeared in previous blog posts) But I thought it was time to put the books together!
This Badari Warriors box set gathers the first three science fiction romance novels from this award winning series into one collection.
I’m intrigued on why he returned to the cell. The rest sounds a bit like good ol’ cat behavior, hehe.
Oh wow, this snippet is very tense and left me on the edge of my seat! Fabulous!!
So, she thinks she’s either safer or dinner. That’s quite the choice.
Glad she’s not immediate big kitty food. Now is there something in the cell that can help her escape?
There is no end to your stories, my friend. This one has me shivering. Big Hugs today.
Oh! Excited about the May release and loving the snippets from this one. A little kitty lick, huh? To calm her or sample dinner? I’m hoping the first.
Great descriptions of the “tiger”
Intriguing! Hope he is guarding her and can keep her safe.
Cats are notorious for playing with their prey, so I don’t blame her for sticking to the tree. Great snippet!
I’d have parked my butt safely in the tree, too! Great description in this excerpt. Very exciting news about your May release!
Intriguing snippet … why would the animal lick her and then just lay in the grass, eventually leaving.
I like that she’s questioning the cat’s motives. But will she trust him? I love how you make the reader wonder.
I’m curious to why the cat didn’t attack and even more curious as to why it suddenly went back inside its cell. Great snippet.
The alien cat is very interesting.
Props to her for not freaking out when the cat licked her ankle! I would have screamed in a moment like that. I’m really rooting for this cat to be on her side. If it is, I don’t like the idea of it returning to its cell for the guards to come back after her.