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!)

I’m now taking snippets from my third scifi romance gladiator novel TALINN, which recently released in the CLAIMED AMONG THE STARS  charity anthology. This will be the last snippet from TALINN because I’m going to switch to my NEW release REEDE’S MISSION TO THE SECTORS.

The excerpt: Talinn and Bailey meet – I’ve jumped ahead so you can have a glimpse of their first meeting. Slightly edited from published version:

Mouth open in astonishment and terror, Bailey watched in disbelief as her would-be rescuer stepped closer to her and slashed right through the sturdy leather bonds with the same talons he’d used to such good effect on his last opponent.

“You’ll be all right, I give you my word in the name of the goddess,” he said to her in crisp Basic, taking her in his arms.

Unable to stop trembling as he lifted her into the air, away from the pole, Bailey looped one arm around his neck. “I don’t—I can’t—please—”

“Ssh,” he said in a strangely sympathetic tone. “I have to acknowledge my gratitude to the kalishka for his gift—that would be you—and then I’ll get you out of this arena and tend to your needs. You’ve been amazingly brave. Can you try to hang on a few minutes longer?”

Afraid to even attempt speech, she blinked and dipped her head like a bird. Words were beyond her in her current state.

With her in his arms, the fighter leapt from the dais without a sign of impairment from either the wounds he bore or the ordeal he’d gone through to reach her. He strode easily to a position in front of the dignitaries’ box and bowed low to the most elaborately dressed Ganamilian, speaking in rapid syllables that made no sense to Bailey.

Then the fighter strutted across the arena to an open gate, nodding occasionally to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd. She guessed he was easily seven feet tall and well over three hundred pounds of pure, hard muscle. Being in his arms felt safe to Bailey. “Thank you,” she said as he crossed the threshold and left the arena. “Whatever comes next, I’m grateful to you for rescuing me from the others.”

VS: I’ve skipped a lot and yes, they have many adventures and difficulties ahead, but I need to showcase my newest book starting next week. Thanks for reading these snippets and for all the terrific comments!

The blurb for TALINN: Talinn was a genetically engineered senior soldier in his Badari Warrior pack until unscrupulous laboratory guards faked his death and sold him into slavery in the galaxy’s hinterlands. Purchased by a nomadic warlord and forced to fight in games for the amusement of the crowds, Talinn has endured through sheer strength of will. He sees no possibility of escape but a Badari never gives up until the goddess calls him to the afterlife.

Bailey Kingsmere was a talented and ambitious entertainer on an interstellar cruise liner when her ship was destroyed in an accident. She escaped in a defective cryonic lifepod, which eventually drifted out of the Sectors entirely and crashed on a primitive planet. Superstitious locals decide to place her in the arena as a prize for a lucky gladiator.

Talinn needs only one look to know Bailey is his fated mate. He’ll do whatever it takes to rescue her from the other fighters and claim her as his prize but how can he ensure her safety thereafter? Since he’s not human and has alien reptilian predator DNA which gives him extra capabilities, will Bailey accept him as a mate? And can they ever escape their desperate situation and find a way to freedom?

The blurb for the CLAIMED AMONG THE STARS anthology:  Make contact with the hottest alien anthology in the universe! Claimed Among the Stars will rocket you to reading bliss with more action, adventure, and pleasure than one planet can contain. Curl up with this collection of wild and wonderful heavenly bodies and venture to the unknown worlds that only your favorite sci-fi romance authors could create. Hearts in zero gravity are free to fall, and destiny awaits unsuspecting heroines far across the galaxy. Whether you love a trip that’s nice and easy or dark and intense, this collaboration of more than fifty bestselling authors is guaranteed to please. Embrace the heat, the sweet, the dark, and the depraved, and grab your copy of Claimed Among the Stars today! A word of warning: this anthology is only available for a limited time, so grab your copies now before they blast off forever. The proceeds of Claimed Among the Stars will benefit The National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation, which serves women and children in the United States and abroad.

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