Cover by Fiona Jayde

When I was trying to decide what the next Badari Warriors book should be, I thought the supporting character of Cinnthea from TRATUS was an interesting person I should follow to see what next for this woman. I couldn’t imagine her simply fading into the general population of Sanctuary Valley and never hearing from her again. What would it be like to live among the humans and Badari in the valley after being the unwilling consort of a probably-insane rogue Alpha? Not all sunshine and roses. And who would be a proper fated mate for her? Wonderful as all the Badari are, not everyone would be ready to engage with a person in her position.

I had wanted to focus on Rokhan, the second enforcer of the South Seas pack for a while so he became my choice for the goddess to pair off with Cinnthea, but then what? Where was the story that would last more than a few pages?

My approach to writing my books is almost completely intuitive. I start knowing who the main characters are, how the book begins and how it ends, and have a vague idea of what comes in between. Sometimes I have a few key scenes in my head but that’s it. I sit at the keyboard and the story tells itself to me. (I’m really superstitious about my muse, let me tell you.)  Not to give spoilers, but considering who Cinnthea was, the choices she made didn’t really surprise me. I thoroughly enjoyed writing her character arc and taking her through her adventures.

I didn’t see the two most surprising things which happen over the course of the book when I first began writing but once I asked myself where Cinnthea’s initial journey would end and what she’d find there, the ideas were fast and furious and the scenes with Vallair came naturally. (Not really a spoiler – he’s not a love interest!) I always love glimpses into the past in any series and he provided me the opportunity to write something I’d been avoiding – more details about how Badari were actually created.

Wow, this is hard to write without doing spoilers!

When it comes to Rokhan and his own personal journey, I try really hard to avoid repeating myself when it comes to events in the plots, so I hope readers won’t object to what he undergoes at a critical moment. I think I’ve laid the groundwork for it in previous books (see KIERCE and IVOKK) and I don’t have any intention of sending every Badari from here on out through a similar arc. Although the South Seas pack IS quite large…no, I’m kidding. Maybe after the main series ends someday… I keep saying I have five books left in the series and then I add another book – sorry, not sorry.

I also liked being able to tell a story where even the Badari himself is quite slow to realize he’s met his prospective fated mate and has no idea they’re more than friends.

And finally, I’m a NASA Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and I’ve had more process improvement training than you can shake a stick at, so I thoroughly enjoyed making Cinnthea a natural talent at seeing how to re-engineer any situation or process and make it work better in her opinion, although often the recipients of her insights, like Kelli at Stores, don’t appreciate the suggestions at all! But there’s someone important in the book who does…

And yes, I found a way to have Yonn make an appearance!

ROKHAN: A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL (SECTORS NEW ALLIES SERIES BOOK 18) by Veronica Scott

Cinnthea Damone was kidnapped by alien scientists who assigned her to a rogue Badari Alpha as his unwilling consort. Rescued by the other Badari packs, she’s now living in Sanctuary Valley and doing her best to fit in. She makes the Badari uncomfortable and the humans gossip about her. The improvements she suggests in various areas like the Stores are rejected and cause more animosity. Only one Badari Warrior becomes her friend but the abuse she suffered under the late rogue Alpha makes her wary of allowing any closer ties. The situation becomes intolerable and she flees the valley.

Rokhan, enforcer of the South Seas pack, realizes too late how much Cinnthea means to him and that she’s not merely a friend but his fated mate. When she leaves the valley he insists he be allowed to go on a solo hunt to retrieve her.

Aided by the Badari goddess, Cinnthea has gone much further than anyone would have dreamed possible and found a surprising haven far to the west. She learns a secret which the enemy will go to any lengths to uncover. When Rokhan arrives to take her back to the valley and proclaims her to be his mate, she’s torn between what her heart wants and her fears fueled by her past experiences. Can she overcome her trauma and find a future with Rokhan? Can they survive what the enemy plans?

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The rest of the series to date (21 books in all):