Tracy St. John's Blog, page 188

WIP Wednesday – Clan Beginnings: Clan and Conviction

It’s with the proofreader!  We have cover art!  The tentative release date is May 3.  Let’s celebrate with a fight for dominance:
            Just like the old days, Gelan’s mind was running along the same lines.  Even as Wynhod sprang for him, the Dramok was coming at him too.  Their bodies crashed against each other with a heavy thud.  The next instant they were grappling, each trying to gain control of the other man’s body.  The air came alive with grunts, growls, and the sound of tearing fabric.            Feeling that magnificent body straining against his brought vicious lust to the fore.  Wynhod’s cocks swelled in excitement, demanding he defeat Gelan, bring him down, hold him still, and mount him.  He knocked his opponent back, sending Gelan to fall hard on a table top that groaned under the impact but did not break.  Wynhod jumped on him, eager to make the other man submit.  But Gelan was ready for him, bringing up a knee to slam into the Nobek’s gut and drive all the wind out of him.  Wynhod caught himself at the last second, lessening the impact but feeling enough of it to grunt painfully.  Gelan slammed a fist into Wynhod’s jaw and rolled out from under him.            Wynhod was back on his feet in less time than it took to bat an eye, only barely noting the ache from Gelan’s blow.  Gelan was also up, and they circled one another, watching for an opening.  Wynhod noted how fast Gelan was breathing, his respiration much quicker than it should be so early in the fight.  Someone wasn’t keeping up with his endurance training like he should be, he thought.  Gelan was definitely going down fast, not that the Dramok would probably mind so much.  Wynhod’s opponent’s fangs were down, his crotch livid with erection.              Oh yeah.  Just like the old days.            Wynhod feinted to the left, and Gelan fell for it, exposing his right flank for only a moment.  He realized his mistake almost immediately, but it was too late.  Wynhod capitalized on it and bore the other man down to the rug-strewn floor.            They rolled around, punching and kicking, their fangs snapping close enough to furrow skin but neither getting hold to send the intoxicating venom into each other.  At last, Wynhod was able to use his greater weight to advantage, twisting his body so he was on top of and slightly behind Gelan.  He wrapped his arm around his partner’s neck and squeezed, slowly choking the Dramok out.            Gelan wheezed desperately, his eyes wide as they met Wynhod’s triumphant gaze.  The Nobek chuckled between gasping to catch his breath, rubbing his throbbing crotch against Gelan’s ass.  “I look forward to my reward, Dramok,” he whispered in Gelan’s ear.            Gelan’s eyes were rolling a little now, his struggles already fading.  He had definitely neglected his training.  Wynhod hooked a leg to still its kicking, his calf finding that though the Dramok was going out, his cocks were raging hard.              Wynhod had forgotten that little oddity about his former lover.  Most Dramoks hated to be dominated.  Of all the breeds, theirs was the most alpha.  Some found no pleasure at all in surrendering, at least not without the intoxicating bite.  Gelan, however, had always been agreeable to being topped, as long as it was by someone who had earned the right in a fight.  He was much like a Nobek in that respect.            Wynhod grinned, his head full of evil intentions.  He loosened his hold, certain of victory.  Now that he could look forward to the tight warmth of the other man’s ass—            He never got to finish his thought.  Gelan, who had nearly fallen limp in his grip, suddenly turned his head sharply to one side, so that his face pressed against Wynhod’s bicep.  An instant later, Wynhod felt the twin stings of Gelan’s fangs stabbing into his flesh.

Shalia's Diary Monday Post

Nang's Imdiko shows up.  However, he's not the reason Shalia is so nervous.  http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

Sunday’s Serving – To Protect and Service: Ravenous Virtue (WIP)

Kimi, being the gregarious creature she was, moved on to other dance partners after fifteen minutes.  Raven didn’t want to dance with anyone else, and fortunately, Douglas seemed loathe to give her up.  He kept touching her, as if to make sure she and everyone else knew she was with him.  The contact was innocent, just cupping her shoulder or elbow, sliding his hand down her upper arm, or brushing her waist.  Yet every touch made Raven feel warm inside.  The seductive way he swayed rather than jerking enthusiastically like many others were, also had her nerves jumping.  The man was pure sex in jeans, and Raven found herself assaulted once again with visions of what he could do to her.
And those deep, dangerous eyes, with their mesmerizing gold color, seemed to hypnotize her.  She just couldn’t look away from Douglas, not even when the floor grew more crowded than ever and she was constantly bumped into.  It was almost as if they existed on a separate plane from everyone else, like ghosts among the living.
He had some kind of hold on her, Raven realized.  It should have warned her away.  Instead, she wanted to remain in his thrall, to see what danger the man truly represented.  She moved close to him, so close that she could smell his exotic cologne.  Close enough to feel the warm of his body against hers.  Dancing with Douglas Bringer was like dancing with a cobra, a beautiful, deadly creature that bided its time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Releasing Fall 2013

Police Work is Boring. Just Ask Gelan and Wynhod.

Honestly, investigations into crime are tedious tasks.  Television and movies would have us believe otherwise.  All these shows like CSI, Criminal Minds, Law and Order ... everything gets wrapped up nice and pretty in the span of an hour.  And it’s exciting, with the bad guys shooting at the good guys, mental puzzles that would stump Einstein, and a thrilling chase scene here and there.  Police work looks plenty exciting on the screen when it comes from Hollywood.
In actuality, it’s hours of monotonous desk work, days of waiting on lab results, weeks of waiting for red tape to be cleared, and months when nothing ... NOTHING ... new comes up to move a case along.  Cases can extend into years with false leads going nowhere.  Sometimes they never get solved.
You’ll find this slow grind is very much the issue in Clan Beginnings:  Clan and Conviction.  When we join Gelan and Wynhod in the first part of the book, Gelan is investigating the Delir drug ring, as he has for months.  He’s the second lead investigator that’s handled the case, in fact.  Delir has already defeated the first one.  It’s been dragging along for quite some time.  Several things happen all at once to push this long-stagnant investigation into overdrive at last:  Wynhod becomes Gelan’s partner, a savvy criminal psychologist with new insights is assigned to help (Krijero), and a lucky break finally comes along. 
In the second part of the book, a new drug called Frenzy makes itself a pain in our clan’s collective ass.  This one stretches for two years before any headway is made.  There’s a lot of bitching about sitting at a computer doing research (Wynhod), because that’s the name of the game in most cases.  Interspersed with their Frenzy case are other cases that are no less tedious to our intrepid trio.  It’s no wonder they go in for extreme sports like mountain climbing, primitive hunting, and spear fishing with man-eating rizpahs.  These poor guys have to do something to blow off steam and get the adrenaline pumping.
Yes, police work, especially the investigative part, is mostly dull stuff.  However, Clan and Conviction skips over broad swaths of time, so don’t be worried about sitting next to Wynhod and Gelan, your eyes glazed over as you spend hour after hour on a stakeout watching people walk in and out of a supposedly closed-down club.  You get to miss all that stuff and go quickly to the shoot outs, hostage negotiations, and races against time.   Plus there’s that matter of new intimate relationships and sex.  Yeah, that helps pass the hours too.
Tentative release set for May 2013.

Weekend Wake-up Call – Clans of Kalquor 4: Alien Salvation

Lower and lower, until his tongue probed her navel, sending fresh shivers down her spine and erasing her self-consciousness.  She wondered if he’d go lower still and perform the act the Church had damned as profane.  She wanted him to.  And she wanted to do the same for him.  The thought made her shiver with anticipation.
Bacoj grasped her thighs, propping them over his wide shoulders.  His gaze flicked up to meet hers, and he smiled.  “You smell like ocean.”
“Is that good?”
“I like.”  And as if to prove it to her, his face dipped down to her secret flesh.  His mouth closed over it in the sweetest kiss of all.
Lindsey arched as overwhelming desire bubbled through her womb.  She cried out to feel Bacoj’s tongue sweep over the pink petals of her core, scooping up the sticky honey of her need.  Every sense was alive, every cell of her being electric with an ache of the deepest pleasure she’d ever known.  Her feet drummed helplessly against his back in reaction.  He chuckled against her mound.
Bacoj laved her thoroughly, leaving none of her folds untasted.  He held her thighs tight to his shoulders, stilling her lower body for his attentions.  Lindsey’s upper body writhed, caught up in the thrills that raced through her being.  The warm ball of pleasure built thick in her belly, pressing at the confines of her body until she thought she might faint.
Every time his tongue found her clitoris, a bright bolt of sensation crashed through her womb, leaving Lindsey moaning.  It felt so good, yet it was torment too.  She felt she might explode if he didn’t quit.
But instead of halting the delicious torture, Bacoj increased it.  His lips closed over the hard nub of hungry flesh, holding it in their soft vise as his tongue flicked quickly back and forth.  Then Lindsey did beg him to stop, her voice strangled with need.  “Don’t, please, stop, stop, STOP!”
She grabbed handfuls of his thick, soft hair, trying to push him off.  The sensation was overwhelming, straining her beyond endurance.  She couldn’t take it, it was too much, he was killing her with bliss…
Molten ecstasy filled her and exploded outward.  A bright flash of lightning filled her loins, and she screamed as overwhelming sensation flung her into a pulsing nirvana of exhilarating pleasure.  Waves of bliss pounded through her body, and she had a vague knowledge that she was now grinding against Bacoj’s face, riding every throb of delicious fulfillment, the likes of which she’d never imagined.  His mouth shattered her in a million glorious pieces, and she didn’t care if she never came together again.
The bright point ebbed, giving her a brief moment of breath, then another brilliant flare filled her.  Then another.  And once more.
An eternity later, Lindsey slowly returned to herself, sobbing in the wake of her first orgasm.  Bacoj climbed over her to embrace her gently, murmuring softly to her in his own language.  She held onto him tightly as she regained reality.  His arms surrounded her, keeping her safe and whole.
Available from Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords

Shalia's Diary Thursday Post

Like a moth to a flame called Nang.  Shalia gets a bit singed this time.  http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

WIP Wednesday – To Protect and Service: Ravenous Virtue

Raven’s friend Douglas is not what he seems:
Douglas took a deep breath.  The air shimmered around him, like desert heat off blacktop.  Then he changed right before her eyes.
His chameleon hair turned as blond as Vendeen’s.  His golden eyes shaded to brown.  His features sharpened, taking him from the chiseled perfection of Douglas Bringer to that of a thinner, finer-featured man.
Raven couldn’t even summon a gasp.  She stared, trying to decipher what her eyesight was telling her.
Before she could gather her senses to react, Douglas changed again.  His features became rounder and even more delicate.  His eyes turned blue, and his hair lengthened to past his shoulders.  His body curved out until Raven was looking at a woman.  A woman that had been Douglas Bringer.
The female gave Raven a saucy grin, then shifted once more, returning to the visage of Douglas that she knew.  Golden eyes and short hair.  Chameleon hair.
The whole fucking man was a chameleon, if Raven was to believe her eyes.  She wasn’t so sure she did.
“What the fuck?” she croaked.  The only explanation was drugs.  She was so hopped up on medication that she was hallucinating.  Like she had earlier, with the voices in the dark she was just now remembering.  Douglas and Vendeen’s voices.
Douglas took her hand.  He felt real enough as he said, “My real name is Daagiis, Raven.  I am what many refer to as a face-changer, though I can alter my whole body.  I come from the world Paatuun.  The space station you thought was a joke is real, and you’re on it.”
She stared at him.  Damn it, this didn’t feel like a dream, but it had to be.  Either that, or she was absolutely fucking insane.  She said, “Right.  So what meds am I on?  Because I really think someone needs to lower my dosage.”
Releasing late summer.

Shalia's Diary Monday Post

Getting ready for a meeting with Nang.  http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

Sunday's Serving - Nuns of Europa: Sister Katherine

He grimaced.  Vadef was not a Nobek.  He’d never frightened anyone in his life, and he didn’t like that he scared these poor women.
Miv’s hand squeezed his shoulder.  His voice had a delightful gravel quality, and Vadef felt like it scratched an itch deep in his ear.  “It’s all right, my Imdiko.  We’re not hurting them.”
“I wish we could make them understand that.”  He thought he might hear the screams for the rest of his life.
“They wouldn’t listen.  They are poisoned against us.  Not to mention terrified at this moment.”
Vadef nodded.  Even the most benign invasion would be far from pleasant for those it was happening to.  With a sigh he carried the woman he held to the wall of the corridor and laid her on the floor.  Her white gown, while voluminous, still seemed inadequate protection for such a small creature.  It wasn’t cold in the corridor, but Vadef still had the urge to cover her in a blanket or slip a pillow under her head ... somethingthat demonstrated care.  However, he needed to keep up with Miv, to finish this unpalatable work.  The sooner this invasion of the tiny Earther colony was over, the sooner Vadef could sit in front of a computer where he belonged.
Reluctantly leaving the woman in the growing line of sedated females, he followed Miv to a closed door.  Either someone was inside or it hadn’t been checked yet.  The tiny sleeping rooms that were confirmed empty had the doors locked in the open setting.  Miv pointed his frequency disruptor at the locking mechanism of the one in question.  It beeped and slid open, and Miv put out a hand to warn Vadef back.
The Imdiko obeyed and stepped aside, though he really couldn’t imagine one of the tiny Earthers being able to harm him.  Vadef didn’t get to feel big often, but being near the small women gave him a sense of how his powerhouse of a clanmate must feel.
He was content to let his Nobek be a Nobek – protective, in other words.  Miv stepped into the tiny rectangle of darkness beyond the door to restrain whoever might be inside.  Vadef thought the room must be empty since no screams issued from it.
Miv paused just inside and turned back to Vadef with a confused look on his face.  Curious, Vadef stepped close to peer in past his clanmate’s large body.
Releasing Summer 2013

How Long Would You Wait for Love?

How long would you wait to win the one you love?  If you knew for certain this person was the one for you, that no one but this one soul  would do, how patient would you be?  Could you hang on in hopes of winning that person, knowing they may never be yours?
I find myself thinking about this a lot as I work on Clan and Conviction, the Beginnings story of Clan Gelan.  You all know how I’ve been struggling with Krijero and his fear of clanning.  I have to say Gelan and Wynhod’s determination to lure in this reluctant Imdiko puts me in awe. 
I’m afraid I would give up on someone like Krijero.  Three years is a long time to try to convince someone you will love them forever and never walk away.  Even knowing the other person loved me back, I don’t think I could handle the pain of having him right there and not be able to make him mine.  But I don’t know ... if it’s true love, shouldn’t I be able to see it through?  Even if I’ve got no guarantee we’ll be together in the end?
Fortunately, Gelan and Wynhod have that kind of strength.  They realize Krijero is not only perfect for them, they know he’s the only one for them.  This Dramok and Nobek would be the first to tell you they aren’t deep thinkers, and they have little use for games.  Yet for a slim chance of a life with Krijero, they obey the instinct that tells them he’s worth the wait and the aggravation.  They’ve made up their minds he will be theirs, and so they deal with his issues accordingly.  They are sometimes rough about it, maybe even a bit cruel, and they make Krijero just as crazy as he drives them.  There is never any doubt that these three men care greatly for each other, though.  And it turns out it was worth the hell they put each other through.
But three years of waiting and fighting and hoping?  Wow.  I don’t know of many who would hang on that long for anything or anyone.  Hell, I yell at the microwave oven for not getting my burritos heated faster.  I guess it’s lucky for my marriage that Hubby and I determined it was a go after only four months of dating. 
Still, I like to think that love would get me to hang in there as doggedly as Gelan and Wynhod have for Krijero.  That when my heart knew who it belonged to, I would listen to it instead of my severe lack of patience.  That I’d wait even if it meant doing so forever, so I could share my soul with its mate instead of giving up and settling for something so much less.
What about you?  Is love worth waiting for forever, if that’s what it takes?