In Defying Death, we’re first introduced to Retrievers, a group of individuals working for the Humanoid Alliance.
Here is a snippet…
“It’s a Retriever ship.” She realized. “My friend Safyre told me about Retrievers.” Her mood sobered as it always did when she thought about the friend she’d lost. “They work for the Humanoid Alliance, capturing rebels and other beings, returning them to be sentenced and reprimanded.”
Death’s body stiffened.
“She has a full ship.” Tifara hastened to reassure her trigger-happy male. “Every chamber is filled. She won’t be interested in us.” She hoped. “And she can’t see us, remember? She doesn’t know we’re here.”
He didn’t reply.
“We’ll wait and watch and take action only if she does.” She concentrated on the image of the Retriever’s ship, willing the female not to notice them.
Safyre, her friend, hated Retrievers with a burning passion, thought them the lowest of the low, but Tifara merely saw precious lifeforms, beings she could save.
She held her breath as the ship soundlessly drifted by theirs. It was frighteningly close yet there was no indication that they were detected. The Retriever’s ship didn’t slow or react in any way.
It passed without incident and she exhaled heavily. “That was—”
“The ship is turning.” Death changed the angle on the main viewscreen, allowing them to look behind their vessel.
The Retriever ship was turning. The speed of that turn accelerated, the ship moving faster and faster. Then it dropped, corrected, held for a moment, tilted to the right and to the left.
“What is happening?” Was that normal for an attack? Tifara’s expertise was healing. She knew very little about battle or flying.
Another lifeform scan appeared on the main viewscreen. This time, all of the lifeforms were out of their chambers. “What is that?” She pointed at the huge yellow and red blob at the end of a hallway.
“Fire.”
Tifara did know fire on a ship was a bad thing. “We have to help her. They’ll all die if we don’t.”
“They’ll all die if we help, every being except for her.” Death’s eyes shone with suppressed rage. “She’s hunting rebels. You could have been one of her captives.”
“But—”
“The rebels she captured won’t be reprimanded, my female.” He steered their ship farther away from the Retriever’s vessel. The image in the main viewscreen grew smaller. “They’ll be sent to a cyborg manufacturing compound.” His voice was flat. “Newly manufactured warriors will be forced to fight them, to kill them. I could have been one of those warriors. I could have been forced to fight you, my own female, in the ring. I would have had to kill you because if I didn’t, some other warrior would and he might not end your life as quickly, as painlessly as I could.”
“Oh, Death.” Tifara crawled into his lap and petted his chest, trying to comfort him.
Retrievers are very similar to bounty hunters except bounty hunters work for anyone with the credits to pay them. Retrievers only work for the Humanoid Alliance.
As Mayhem, the wildest of the cyborgs, has been captured by his Retriever female, we’ll learn much more about Retrievers in the next story (Chasing Mayhem, releasing in August). They have a very good (or rather, bad) reason for taking on this terrible job.
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Defying Death
He’ll risk it all for one moment of happiness.
Cyborgs don’t show emotion. Death learned that lesson early in his long lifespan. To survive, he hides his fierce passions behind a stoic wall. He calls no warrior friend. He never admits to caring for any being.
Even the human female he’s destined to love.
Tifara is Death’s obsession, his sole opportunity for happiness, to express the all-consuming passion burning brightly inside him. He’ll do anything to obtain the curvaceous medic: defy a direct order, abduct Tifara from her battle station, and wage war on his fellow cyborgs.
To earn her love, he’ll have to risk much, much more.
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Defying-Death-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01D6OUQS2/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Defying-Death-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01D6OUQS2/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-defyingdeath-2001671-147.html
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