Crash And Burn, the third standalone cyborg story will be releasing on February 23rd. I’m sharing the first chapter over the next few weeks.
Read the first excerpt here: http://tasteofcyn.com/2016/01/19/crash-and-burn-first-excerpt/
A prick on her arm diverted her attention. Tifara stood beside her with an injector gun.
“What did you do?” Safyre demanded.
“We’ve known each other almost all of our lifespans. I can tell when you’re hurting.” Tifara clucked her tongue. “That’s a pain suppressor for your headache. If it gets worse, we’ll have to remove the implant.”
It had already gotten a lot worse. “Fuck, Tifara.” Safyre pushed herself to her booted feet, feeling light-headed. “Crash is able to talk with me at any time. I need a functioning brain when I deal with him.”
She stumbled out of the chamber.
“You’re welcome.” The doors closed on Tifara’s cheery voice.
Another reason Safyre needed a functioning brain was because she was flying this planet rotation. She leaned against the wall for a moment, fighting the urge to vomit.
Beings passed her, gazing at her questioningly. None of them stopped because none of them truly cared.
About her. They had their causes, many of them seeking to rescue beings from the evil clutches of the Humanoid Alliance.
She’d rescued her fair share, flying into areas no pilot should ever fly into.
But Tau Ceti would be the worst she’d seen.
The planet was the site of a cyborg manufacturing facility. The Humanoid Alliance, concerned that the facility would fall into the wrong hands, was extending major resources to defend it. They’d locked down all of the Tau Cetian airspace, allowing only authorized ships to enter, destroying all others.
There was one docking facility still standing. They controlled that, too.
For now. The fighting was fierce, the battle having raged for over a solar cycle. Rumors said the rebels were winning, their forces helped by off-planet allies. Many of the locals had hid in tunnels during the initial purifying. They had warriors, weapons, missiles, and were downing a remarkable number of ships.
They could down the freighter. If she made it onto the planet, it would be a miracle. She was unlikely to make it off. Two beings leaving the planet’s surface was an impossibility.
She knew she was going to die during this mission. She’d accepted that.
Safyre glanced at the closed doors. She wouldn’t see her friend again, wouldn’t be patched up by her healing hands, view her smiling face, feel the warmth of her hugs, hear her bubbling laughter. Her heart ached. “Good-bye, Tifara.”
She swiped her dripping nose with the cleaning cloth and strode toward the docking bay, not looking behind her.
Her pack and the supplies had been loaded. She entered the space. Her ship was ready to go.
Some beings would debate that statement. The exterior was a patchwork of different-colored panels, all salvaged from wrecks. The interior wasn’t much better.
But it was hers. Safyre patted the side, savoring the smack of palm against unrelenting metal. She’d scrimped and saved credits to buy the vessel, taking the merc jobs no one else wanted, spending endless planet rotations in open space.
Unfortunately, Mesh, her ship, didn’t have clearance to land on Tau Ceti.
Three human males glanced in her direction. She knew them, had helped the largest male with a route issue. They didn’t approach her, didn’t ask her where she was going, what she was doing.
She told herself that was because information about many missions was restricted. The reality was…they didn’t care.
Safyre strode up the ramp, closing the doors behind her.
She breathed deeply and the weight bearing down on her shoulders lightened. This was her home, the only home that had ever truly belonged to her.
She drifted her fingers over the lopsided container Nymphia had made for her birthing day five solar cycles ago. Her gaze fell on the white scarf wrapped around a pillar. That had belonged to Tifara. It had been payment for medicine she’d sourced for one of her friend’s patients. That had been an adventure, one she barely survived.
Her ship was small but it was filled with memories.
It was also deathly silent.
Safyre was used to that. She’d spent much of her lifespan alone. The supply runs and the rescue missions she undertook for the Beings For Peace were risky. If she were caught, the Humanoid Alliance would interrogate, torture, and kill every being on board her ship. It was better she didn’t have a copilot.
Her lucrative private sector deliveries were even more dangerous. She was paid very well to fly into regions no sane pilot would. Flying solo meant no splitting of those credits and no guilt if she made a mistake.
Sex sessions with random males gave her a moment of comfort but left her feeling lonelier. She couldn’t talk to them, couldn’t tell them anything about who she was and what she did. They met as strangers and left as the same.
Safyre was tired, so fuckin’ tired of the isolation. A mission ending in certain death didn’t scare her. A future filled with meaningless encounters did.
She strapped herself into the captain’s seat and underwent the usual take-off verifications, deriving comfort from the routine.
“It’s you and me for one more run, Mesh.” She started the engines. The ship rumbled like a great discontented beast, unhappy to be awakened. “Come on, baby. You can do this.”
The engines leveled as though responding to her words. Safyre navigated the ship through the battle station’s docking bay.
“That’s it,” she continued to talk to her vessel, needing to hear the sound of some being’s voice, even if it were her own. “Once we clear the battle station, I’ll put you on autopilot and you can do your thing. You’ll like that.”
The pain suppressors had kicked in. Her headache was gone, her nosebleed had slowed to a trickle, and she felt drowsy, not having had a solid sleep since the implant was inserted.
Safyre accelerated. The force of the takeoff drove her back in her seat. She gritted her teeth and grinned, loving this part of the flight. There was no experience like being propelled into space.
Read the next excerpt (available February 9th) here: http://tasteofcyn.com/2016/02/09/crash-and-burn-fourth-excerpt/
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Crash And Burn
Crash was manufactured to be one of the best warriors in the universe. The cyborg has spent many human lifespans fighting the enemy. But, unlike his battle-loving brethren, he doesn’t enjoy killing. When he escapes the Humanoid Alliance, he vows to never end another life.
Then he meets Safyre, an infuriating human female, and he considers breaking his vow.
Safyre will do anything to save her friend, the being she loves like a sister. She’ll ravish a huge hunky cyborg, kiss his best friend, and invoke scorching hot desires the male never realized he could feel. Dark soulful eyes, a quick wit, and a tempestuous passion won’t divert her from her mission.
Love, and a planet-destroying weapon, however, might stop her permanently.
Pre-order Now:
On Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B019EBKIF2
On Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook-x/dp/B019EBKIF2/
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-crashandburn-1950244-147.html
On B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crash-and-burn-cynthia-sax/1123141101
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/crash-and-burn-13
