It’s a Tuesday! Want a teaser? ‘Course you do! This time, we’re looking at the long-awaited sequel to Subject 5691:Petri, Draxton’s Destiny. This book fought me every step of the way. At times I hated it, and once the rewrite was completed, I hated it even more. Then I let it sit, did another editing pass, and discovered it wasn’t as crappy as I’d feared. Here’s a hint of the final manuscript.
This snippet is from Chapter Eight. Draxton’s bands have been removed, the Ravyn is on the way, and treachery is on the horizon. All in a day’s work for a former member of the Alliance’s Legion. I’ve also included the first look at Draxton’s cover. I’m incredibly pleased with it, so I hope you like it! The blurb will be up soon(ish).
Kasseus entered the briefing room and nodded a greeting. “Good, we’re all here.”
A slender woman cleared her throat and raised her hand. “Um, excuse me, Minshaari? May I ask why, exactly, I’m here?”
Fieryl rumbled something growly, and the woman’s tentative demeanor vanished in an instant. She turned slowly, deliberately towards jag’haar, the light dancing off the blue highlights in her silvery-blonde curls. Her eyes narrowed. Fieryl grumbled something again. She pushed a glass of water toward him.
“You should drink this, Commander. I’m told it’s great for hairballs.”
Zyrta took great interest in the comm device on the table, shoulders shaking. Bertaan stared up the ceiling, lines forming at the corners of his eyes and pursed lips. The human sergeant… Kasseus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Draxton Larimore whooped with laughter. This meeting was going well already.
“Woman—” Fieryl began.
“I have a name.” Ta’Naii smiled sweetly. “Say it with me, Commander. ‘Ta’ like your swishy tail, and ‘Naii’ like how nice you’re not being right now.”
Zyrta, who’d risked a sip of her own water, now dissolved into a coughing fit that almost disguised her laughter. Bertaan covered his face with his hand, his stoic master of the guard losing the battle with amusement. And then there was Draxton. That gorgeous fool had his head on the table, one fist pounding as he wheezed. Things were getting out of hand.
“Fieryl, stop baiting Ms. Levegaer.” He took his seat at the table. “Zyrta, you aren’t a child of the māryd. You can’t breathe and drink at the same time. Sergeant, you’re not helping.”
Zyrta shot him a thumb’s-up, unable to talk and clear her lungs at the same time. The human male sat back in his chair and grinned. It was a little crooked, full of mischief, and so gorgeous Kasseus had to stifle a groan. A stoic and serious Draxton had been tempting, a fun and playful one was irresistible.
“You are here, Ms. Levegaer, because you have a unique perspective on our communications network. You may have seen something you didn’t realize was important on one of your forays.”
She darted a glance at the jag’haar and sat up straighter. “I’ll do my best, sir.”
Draxton\’s Destiny, Summer, 2022