While we wait for Dark Fire (Releasing on June 12th! Woot!), I’m sharing the first chapter with you.
Read the first scene here: http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=6383
Today, I’m sharing the third scene.
“You and your gerel have a decision to make.” Kralj’s voice was flat.
What decision did Hulagu have to make? Dare pressed his lips together.
The kid’s assignment on the planet had ended. He had to return to Chamele 2. When Dare found his mate, he would also have to leave Carinae E, return to his home planet.
If his female survived the bonding process.
Tension crept across his shoulders. He would control his beast. He would.
“I don’t give assignments to warriors lacking control.” The Ruler kept his attention on the kid while addressing Dare’s thoughts. “And the expected decision is not always the right decision.”
It wasn’t expected. It was law. If he didn’t leave Carinae E less than ten planet rotations after mating, he and his female would be permanently exiled from Dracheon. They would be cut off, not have any support from his home planet.
“Hulagu, you have two planet rotations to determine what you will do next.” Kralj ignored Dare’s unvoiced response. “Speak with your gerel.”
“I will, sir.” The kid’s head bobbed. “Your mission has to be more enjoyable than mine.” He looked at Dare, envy reflecting in his eyes. “You’ll probably get to decapitate someone and I am stuck—”
“Speak with your gerel now.” The Ruler boomed. A wave of air swept across the space, blowing the kid’s long hair back.
“Yes, sir.” The Warlord-in-training snapped to attention. “Right away, sir.” He hurried out of the chamber. The doors closed behind him.
Dare was left alone with Kralj and Dita. The couple leaned into each other, their connection palpable, accentuating his loneliness.
He squared his shoulders. The emotional isolation was tolerable if it meant his female lived.
“The Rebels are sending another agent to retrieve the World-Ender plans.” Kralj relayed that unsurprising piece of information.
“They’ve already tried three times to retrieve it.” Each of those agents had been stopped and killed by the Humanoid Alliance. The enemy surrounded the Refuge. “What makes them think this attempt will be successful?”
“It won’t be successful…if they aren’t assisted.” Kralj pushed coordinates into Dare’s mind. They were the location of a small settlement called Mirage, a play place for high-credit beings. “The Rebels have varied their approach. Instead of traveling here directly, the agent is stopping at the settlement first, picking up some of their locally stationed informants.”
That strategy made no sense to Dare. “The Humanoid Alliance will merely kill the agent there.”
“Which is why you’ll meet their agent in Mirage.”
Why did Kralj care about the Rebel’s retrieval of the plans? Dare stared down at the floor tiles, perplexed. What happened outside the Refuge was none of his concern. That was the Ruler’s stance.
“If it concerns one of my warriors, it concerns me.” Kralj answered his unspoken query. “You’ll meet her there.”
“Her?” Dare lifted his head. Was the agent his mate?
An image of a human female filled his thoughts. She was beautiful, had red curly hair, pale skin, green eyes, was the type of mate a Dracheon would dream of deserving.
His beast yawned. His body didn’t respond.
He relaxed. She wasn’t his female.
“Interesting,” Kralj murmured.
You had better be there or I’ll kick your ass. The words floated through Dare’s brain, the voice female.
His Drache didn’t pay it any attention.
“If she is the reason you’ve chosen me for this mission, sir, you’ve made a mistake.” The female held no appeal for him.
“I rarely make mistakes.” The Ruler smacked him with a blast of air, punishing him for his insolence.
Dare, undaunted, widened his stance. “The Rebel agent isn’t my mate, sir.”
“The Rebel agent isn’t the only female in Mirage.” Darkness swirled around Kralj’s countenance.
The male liked to know everything and, in this particular case, his knowledge appeared to have gaps in it. That must irk him.
“There are other warriors, more discreet warriors I could assign to this mission.” The Ruler’s tone was dry.
Dita, Kralj’s mate, gazed pointedly at Dare’s silver scales.
His face heated. Enemies could spot him from half a settlement away. His beast wasn’t designed for subterfuge.
That wouldn’t have been an issue with another of his kind, a warrior with restraint. Normal Dracheons could change their appearances, could seem almost human.
But he was far from normal, his beast uncontrollable.
“I didn’t choose those other warriors for this assignment.” Kralj continued. “I chose you. There’s a connection between you and this mission. That I know.”
Dare didn’t question him further. Dracheons had instincts. His beast had led him to Carinae E. The Ruler’s instincts were more refined. Kralj often sensed events before they occurred.
If the male believed it was important that Dare lead this mission, he’d accept that role.
Read the next installment (Available June 4th): http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=6396
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Dark Fire
What the Beast wants, the Beast gets.
Dare’s savage nature has made him an outcast among his kind. The silver-scaled Dracheon warrior can’t control his inner beast. It’s too strong. When his primitive instincts told him his destined mate was on Carinae E, he had no choice. He had to travel to the outlaw planet. There, he hoped to meet a female powerful enough to survive his Drache.
He finds Faylee, a delicate little human.
Faylee is the best thief on the planet. Everyone she encounters mistakes her for a young boy…except for a tall, shiny warrior from off-planet. When she gazes into Dare’s flame-filled eyes, he makes her feel, for the first time, like a desirable female. The fire-breathing male has her yearning for hot kisses, fierce embraces, and a future filled with love. She doesn’t realize mating with him might be the last thing she ever does.
Dare’s beast isn’t the only danger on the planet. An enemy from the past has returned and he’s determined to stop Dare and Faylee…permanently. They’ll need luck and the assistance of every warrior in the Refuge to stay alive.
Dark Fire is a STANDALONE SciFi Romance set in a gritty, dark world.
Pre-order Today:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Fire-Refuge-Book-4-ebook/dp/B07CW2Y8B7/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Fire-Refuge-Book-4-ebook/dp/B07CW2Y8B7/
Apple/iTunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-fire/id1381353384
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-fire-cynthia-sax/1128614574
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-fire-22
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/824382
