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!)
May be edited a bit from published version.
Sharing excerpts from my new release, JAMOKAN: A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL. I’ve jumped ahead in time from last week. Jamokan received permission from the Supreme Alpha to take his pack on a hunting expedition in the far northern mountains. Once there, during the night of the three full moons, he and the pack celebrated. Now it’s the next morning and Jamokan falls asleep, only to have a vision of the Badari goddess. She shows him a woman who could be his mate and says she’s near death.
“Tell me where she is and I’ll go to her immediately, wherever the Khagrish have her held prisoner.” He was on his feet without conscious thought, heart pounding in his chest at the ominous news.
The Great Mother seemed unimpressed, not sharing his urgency. “But do you deserve her? Are you Alpha enough to claim and be claimed, to truly love? To set an example for your pack? Are you what they need now?”
Confused, he was finding it hard to breathe under the merciless assault of her questions. “I—I don’t understand, my lady. I have been open to mating, tried to identify the right woman—”
The goddess leaned forward and shook a finger at him, although he was unable to bring her face into focus no matter how he blinked and strained his eyes. “Not for the right reasons! A mate isn’t a tool to elevate yourself in the dominance hierarchy. I give my Badari the blessing of potential mates to have partners to work toward the future together, to build something lasting and true. To be a foundation for the new life. Aydarr has the vision. Daegan has the vision. You want to take your pack out and run. To enjoy the moment and carouse, when you aren’t fighting the enemy.”
Since he couldn’t deny her accusation about why he’d decided to search for a woman to mate, Jamokan focused on the last comment she made in her scornful tone. “It’s an Alpha’s task to look out for his pack, to make sure the men are healthy and well trained, ready for combat or anything else which may arise. I’m doing my duty as best I know how, my lady, and we—all of us—needed to feed the predator in our souls, to allow our beasts to run, especially under the three moons. We feel our connection to the beast differently than the cats do.”
“Where do you see yourself and your pack in ten years?” she asked after a brief, charged silence. “What will have changed for you?”
VS Note: I’ll keep going with this scene next week…
JAMOKAN: A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL (SECTORS NEW ALLIES SERIES BOOK 13)
Badari Alpha Jamokan and his pack are growing discontented in the sanctuary valley, tired of coming in second place to the pushy new South Seas pack when it comes to assignments and everything else. On top of the discord within his pack, Jamokan is distracted by the search for the right woman to be a proper Alpha’s mate to partner with him in combat and in everyday life. Even the Badari goddess is warning him in visions that he and his pack are on the wrong path for a happy future. In desperation, he receives permission to take his entire pack north to the mountains for a two week hunting expedition, where he hopes to use the time and rugged surroundings to settle the soldiers down and restore order and discipline.
And figure out his own future.
When his men unexpectedly locate a hidden Khagrish lab, he goes to investigate and see if there are humans to be rescued. Little does he suspect he’ll be called upon to break one of the highest commandments of the Badari packs and bring a new disaster to those who look to him for leadership.
Before she became a Khagrish prisoner, Rosemari Parcher was a hydroponics technician on a gritty colony world, who unexpectedly won a planetwide contest. Tapped to receive her heart’s desire and move to a totally different life in the luxurious Inner Sectors, her life had become a happy dream. Kidnapped in space by enemy aliens and given to the Khagrish, she and other humans are the unwilling subjects of a bizarre medical experiment where a quick death seems to be her only hope. Rescued by Jamokan and his pack, she finds herself deeply attracted to the Alpha but the devious Khagrish aren’t through with Rosemari or the experiment.
One of the things I like about this series is the concept of a Great Mother. Considering the warriors were engineered in labs, the goddess fulfills their deep seated desire for a mother.
It’ll be interesting to see how you redeem Jamokan. At the moment, he doesn’t seem to have his head on straight.
Right, he doesn’t. The book is his journey from the way he lived and thought when they were prisoners, to the way life can be now they’re free and have a future.
To go from captivity to freedom without true knowledge of what freedom entails, no wonder he’s not sure how to navigate the world let alone how to council his pack in how to act. Hard times.
To go from being a captive to having to be able to navigate the world, without understanding the rules of “freedom”. Hard time.
I love that this Badari goddess is putting him in his place! She’s definitely giving him a lot to think about. A great snippet!
Nice touch–the Badari Goddess. I’m glad you;re continuing this next week. I wonder how he’ll respond to this scolding. Good snippet!
Well, he’s definitely being taken to task. Love it!
It’s the goddess’ job to think about the future. But does he really need the reminder? Directions to his endangered mate would be useful!
The goddess is really putting the pressure on, making him look deeper. Well done.
When the goddess tells you to grow up, you better listen. I’m sure he’ll have plenty of growing opportunities in the near future!
I think we must answer the question, “Do you deserve her” with a no, at the moment. However, if he is to eventually claim her, he really should be allowed to go save her.
I want to know how he’ll respond to her scolding. I’m so glad you are going to continue next week.
I guess he didn’t deserve her, but hopefully the goddess will give him another chance.
I hate when you’re asked a question to which there is no answer.. Do you deserve her? You’re hooped no matter what. Yes – you’re arrogant. No – then why bother. *sigh*
I love how she’s putting him on the spot and he has no choice but to respond because what else do you do with a goddess?
The Great Mother has a point, but there’s nothing wrong with ambition, either. Maybe his mate has the same mindset and sees mating as a business opportunity as well as possibly something more? If she isn’t rescued, they might never know. Can’t wait to see what happens!
You know, I really hate that “Where do you see yourself in X# of years” question, but I love that She hit him with it.
Oh, she’s asking all the right questions! I wonder how he’s going to take it and what he’s going to do about it.