Tracy St. John's Blog, page 200

Countdown to Alien Redemption - One Day...

  ...until the official release.  Yes, Amazon and Barnes & Noble are eager for you to buy, so they've already got it available for Kindle and Nook.  Here's your excerpt for today:
          Global Security officers Breft and Raxstad arrived in the city’s underground market, carefully navigating their small shuttle right to its central square.  It was early yet, but the market was already bustling with many Kalquorian and Earther Mataras alike, all on foot.  Only emergency vehicles were allowed in the heart of the market where the bulk of the capital’s business and entertainment took place.            The Kalquorian love for keeping their planet’s landscape as untouched as possible was the reason the hub of the activity was kept underground, in a former mine.  One would rarely realize they were not outdoors once they reached the market area.  The ceiling above was one great vid receiver, showing a live transmission of the sky overhead.  The day was filled with sunshine, and no one, not even the best engineer or tech, could discern that the sun wasn’t actually beaming down on the streets of Kalquor.            The central square, like many of the other squares of the market, was lined on either side with shops and eateries.  In the wide open space between the shops, entertainers played music for the enjoyment of those wandering the area.  Artists invited passersby to sit for portraits.  There were scenes enacted from favorite plays.  Seats and tables scattered around beneath the shade of trees for those who wished to rest or simply visit with friends.  There were even play areas for the few children, mostly toddlers, to enjoy.  Breft’s clan had brought their twins out just yesterday to shop.  He had supervised his little ones as they happily climbed rocks with carved handholds and slid down chutes.  Their shrieks of laughter had pealed joyously enough to make even tough Nobeks grin.              There was to be no laughter today.  Not considering the report they’d received.            At the very center of the square was a large statue, depicting the First Clan of Kalquor.  The virus that had decimated the female population had spurred then-Crown Prince Shev to adopt the clan system with his friends Nobek Mekyi and Imdiko Hartob.  Matara Dalic had joined them.  They ascended to the throne together, becoming the first Imperial Clan.            As Breft and Raxstad neared, they saw the statue was hidden behind an opaque shield.  A crowd clustered around it, no doubt curious as to what had happened.  Other Global Security officers noted their first and second superiors’ approach.            “One side, citizens!  One side to let officers pass,” came the call, and everyone drew back to create a path.  Breft and Raxstad walked through the crowd without a problem, both activating their identification signals via small boxes on their belts.  The opaque shield allowed them to walk right through.            The huge bronze visage of Nobek Emperor Mekyi stared down at Breft, his blades drawn as he coldly dared anyone to harm his clan.  Dramok Emperor Shev stood at his side, one hand over his heart in a symbol of his devotion to Kalquor.  On the opposite side of Shev stood Imdiko Emperor Hartob, one hand on Shev’s shoulder, the other on the shoulder of Empress Dalic, who knelt on one knee before Shev, facing away from her men.  Her hands were held out, palms up, as if to offer peace to all.            Breft swallowed to see what had been placed in one of her outstretched hands.  It wasn’t peace the beloved empress offered today.            Officer Lidon approached, his usual limp not as obvious today.  The turn of warm weather was offering him a little relief from the horrific injury that had nearly destroyed one of his legs long ago when he was a fighter pilot.  He nodded a quick bow of respect.  “My commanders.”            Breft thanked the ancestors Lidon had retired from his military spaceflight career to join Global Security.  The man’s quick mind had been a boon to the precinct since joining.              Now he asked the elder Nobek, “How intact is the scene?”            “I believe nothing has been disturbed.”  Lidon gestured to a man who was talking to one of Breft’s investigators.  The man’s face was pale, his eyes wide, and he kept the statue at his back so he wouldn’t look at it.  “That Imdiko over there owns the herbal shop just across the square.  He saw this when he arrived to open and called security.”  Lidon pointed to two regular peacekeepers.  “Those two officers zoned off the area right away and called regional enforcement, who called us upon their arrival.”            Raxstad had stood silently by, his lips pressed tightly together as he surveyed the scene.  When he spoke, his growling words were nearly indecipherable.  “By the ancestors, this is the worst one yet.  What kind of monster would do such a thing?”            Breft looked at Matara Maria’s face, still recognizable from the pictures he’d viewed.  The killer hadn’t marred her now-pale features.  With her closed eyes, she almost looked serene.  Or would have, had the rest of her body still been attached.  It was her head that the statue of Empress Dalic held out like a gift.

Countdown to Alien Redemption - 2 Days...

           Rachel’s determination and excitement ebbed the moment she stepped up beside the table.  Beyond the window, she could see Kalquorians moving towards the room’s viewing area in a huge tide.  Excited rumbling voices rolled through the room like oncoming thunder.  Her heart beating madly, she turned to Erybet.  Rachel typed so fast her panicked message was filled with spelling errors:  wat of they thik Im ugly?              Erybet’s warm hand stroked her cheek.  He smiled at her.  “I promise you, they won’t see anything ugly about you.  Wait here.  I have an idea.”            He went to the wall where gags and restraints of all kinds hung together.  He selected a dark blue satiny blindfold and a flexible strap and brought them to her.  He tucked the strap into his belt.  He brought the blindfold up and slipped it over her head.  The soft fabric settled on her closed eyes.              “Better?”            She nodded.  She could still hear the mutter of the growing crowd beyond the glass, which left her trembling.  Not being able to see them calmed her racing pulse, however.            “Let me take your handheld.  Remember, you say sholt if you can’t continue.”            She nodded and let the little computer leave her hands when she felt him tug on it.  Then his hands closed over her forearms.  “I’m going to tie your hands, so that you can’t resist what I do for our audience.  Remember, you have your word.  Sholt stops everything immediately.”            Rachel didn’t resist as he bound her wrists behind her back.  He did that while still standing in front of her, so that her face burrowed into his chest.  She inhaled the good scent of his musk and arousal.            Then he leaned back and grasped her shoulders, leading her.  “This way.”            She followed him with cautious steps, moving forward and then a couple of steps to her left.            “Stop here.  Face this way.”              He turned her slightly, and then moved around to stand behind her.  His hands settled on her shoulders again and his lips brushed her ear.              “You are facing the window.  They are watching you with such hunger in their eyes.  They want to see this beautiful woman.  Her beautiful body and how it responds to a man’s touch.  I am going to seduce you on their behalf, for their pleasure.”            Rachel swallowed.  She couldn’t help but tense a little.  People were watching her, and they would soon see the imperfections.              Erybet’s hands moved from her shoulders, rubbing down the front of her body.  Despite her nervousness she arched into his palms as they ran over her breasts.  Her nipples tightened beneath the warmth of his touch.  He plucked at them with his fingertips, making them swell so they would poke brazenly through the fabric of her dress.            Rachel heard low growls of appreciation.  She was suddenly well aware of her physical helplessness to stop Erybet.  He was blatantly showing her off to the assembled patrons of the pleasure club, showing how her body responded to him.  She trembled with mingled tension and arousal.            Erybet cupped her breasts, pushing them up as if offering them to the crowd.  More growls, louder with intensity.  He squeezed, making them ache a little, and Rachel arched with a groan, her head falling back against his chest.  Shouts of approval greeted her submission to Erybet’s use.              Hearing their acclaim gave Rachel strength.  She thought of the sad and hungry looks they’d given her, these men who desired women in vain.  Yes.  She would be theirs to enjoy.  This was what she wanted to show them; that they mastered her through the proxy of her Dramok.  That she belonged to all of them since they had no Mataras of their own.  She surrendered herself in that moment to every last one of them, utterly.            Erybet’s hands flattened over her ribcage and swept down to the swell of her hips.  Then, wrapping one arm about her waist, his other hand moved over her mound, cupping her crotch.  The feel of him touching her there made Rachel cry out, and she jerked instinctively, rubbing herself against his fingers.            “So eager, this little Matara,” Erybet said, loud enough for the onlookers to hear.  “Show us how you desire us, my love.”            She ground against the press of his hand, rocking her hips back and forth to rub her flesh as her masters commanded.  Choked cries escaped her throat.  Heat bloomed with every call of encouragement they offered.            So many voices, calling on her to show them her pleasure.  She worked herself against Erybet’s hand, determined to obey.  She panted, the knots in her belly tightening with need.  She wanted to come for them.            “Let us see all this beautiful woman offers us,” Erybet said.              His hands moved to the top of Rachel’s dress to part the resealable seam at the hollow of her throat.  It opened with a soft purr just far enough to expose her breasts.            Groans and sighs rippled through the unseen crowd.  Once more Erybet plucked at her nipples, making them harden and swell all the more.  Darts of pleasure sprang from them to spear her pussy.  Her head lolled from side to side against his chest and she moaned throatily.            “See how sensitive she is.  How she succumbs to our touch.  Such a sweet, soft creature.  She is ready to give of herself, to trust us though she has been harmed so terribly in the past.”            All was silent now but for the Dramok’s voice and Rachel’s soft sounds of pleasure.  The room itself seemed to be holding its breath.            Erybet cupped her breasts, gently massaging the mounds with his big, calloused hands.  “They tortured this poor little innocent.  Shamed her.  They tried to steal her beauty.  They told her she was ugly.”            Rachel barely noticed the low rumbles of angry growls.  She was lost in the touch of those hands, those strong yet tender, teasing hands.            “They could not succeed in their determination to mar her perfection, though they left their marks upon her body.  The fools, in their mindless zeal to destroy, only emphasized her strength and purity.”            With that, he gathered the open edges of the dress and parted the seam to Rachel’s waist.  She was suddenly exposed, her scars laid bare for all to see.  She froze.            There was a collective intake of breath.  Rachel cringed, waiting for the insults.  The catcalls.  The disgust.

Countdown to Alien Redemption - Three Days...

            What Sletran brought out was a flat black double strap, shaped in an ‘x’.  The middle of the fabric piece was thickly padded.  The four ends were looped, like cuffs.            The Nobek returned to her.  He slipped the padded part behind her neck, leaving two straps on either side of her.  He worked quickly, securing loops just above her knees and around her ankles.              When he was done, Rachel’s legs were wide open, her knees and feet held up in the air by the tension of the short straps.  She was splayed, the weight of her legs held by the strap behind her neck.            “Gorgeous,” Sletran breathed.  His half-lidded eyes were dark as he looked down on her, his breath heaving his sculpted chest.  His thumbs hooked the waistband of his shorts, and he dragged the fabric down.  His primary cock sprang loose, so hard it nearly slapped his lower belly as it escaped its confines.  The second cock appeared next.  Both glistened wetly with the cinnamon-scented lubrication he secreted.  The dark skin of him was almost purple, and veins stood out on each appendage.  Rachel’s pussy flexed, aching to be filled with him.            “Krewet,” she moaned.    Her voice had a desperate edge to it.            Sletran stared at her mound.  His fingers stroked through the tight, soft curls there.  “I think I would like to see this entirely bare,” he whispered.  He was gone in a blur of motion once more.  Rachel heard him rummaging in the facility, and she warbled a plea in that direction.            The Nobek was between her legs a moment later, a thick towel and slim instrument in his hands.  He slid the towel beneath her buttocks and switched the instrument on.  A low hum muttered through the air and Rachel tensed.  Another vibrating toy?            Sletran touched it to the upper edge of her pubic triangle and stroked down.  Rachel gasped to see the black swirls of hair fall away, revealing the dark chocolate skin beneath.  He was shaving her.            Flesh not bare for years was made smooth.  Rachel jerked to feel the slightest breeze against her most secret parts.  Sletran worked with efficiency, wielding the shaver with gentle strokes until the last soft sprig had been eliminated.  Then he folded the towel up and dropped it to the floor next to the sleeping mat.            She felt very, very naked without her nether curls.  Every current of air felt blatant against her flesh, as if the very atmosphere was determined to have its way with her.  She writhed, unable to stop herself.            Sletran grinned.  “Such a beautiful pussy.  I have wanted to see it this way from the beginning.”            His hand slid against her slit, nestling in to rub the soft petals.  Meanwhile, his thumb drew tight circles around her clit.  Rachel jerked against his touch, groaning with need.  The thick, calloused fingers massaged up and down, spreading her juices all the way down to her anus.            It felt good to be handled by the Nobek, but Rachel needed more.  She needed something inside her.  She needed that thumb to stop teasing and to offer direct contact.  She squirmed.            “Krewet, Sletran?”  The pitch of her tone was higher than ever.            Instead of giving her what she wanted or even the courtesy of an answer, Sletran’s other hand settled its warmth over the slight hill of her mound.  He applied pressure and rubbed in slow circles.  Rachel’s insides tumbled over and over, her need growing by the second.              Her groan came all the way from her curled toes waving in the air.  “Krewet.”            Sletran bent forward.  While his hands continued to work her sex, his tongue dipped into her navel.  He dragged it up to her breastbone, forging a wet trail.  She shuddered under the rasp of the scratchy appendage.  Then she cried out as he nipped his way over to suckle at one breast.  While he sucked gently, that wicked tongue rubbed her nipple over and over.            Rachel’s body was a riot of erotic agony, agony that grew by the moment as Sletran played with her.  The delicious torment was driving her insane.            “Krewet,Sletran, krewet, krewet!”            He moved over to her other breast, still sucking and stroking.            Damn it, she was going crazy.  If Sletran wasn’t going to provide her with what she needed, she would get it herself.  Disobeying his earlier orders, she moved her hands to grab his and push them towards where she needed.            Sletran immediately reared up.  His hands released her mound and one clapped against her clit.  She heard the wet smack before she felt it.  And when she felt it…            A sharp sting reverberated through her pussy, and then a crescendo of heat burst through her.  Rachel yelped from the sudden pain.  An instant later, the pulsing burn twisted into something else, and she cried out from the gut heaving arousal.  She writhed in helpless, ecstatic torment.            Sletran snorted as he put her hands on either side of her head.  “Nearly came, didn’t you my naughty Ray-Ray?  Now keep your hands where I’ve put them.”            Rachel trembled violently.  She shrieked when Sletran picked back up from where he left off, his hands massaging her pussy and his mouth working her breasts hungrily.            Cruel bastard!            She was nearly sobbing from need.  The spank to her most tender flesh had only increased her agony to be fucked by the Nobek.  He’d mastered her.  She’d begged him.  What more did he want from her?            Suddenly, two of the fingers working her slit slid into her pussy.  Rachel bucked against the thick digits, desperate to take him in as deep as possible.  The calloused fingertips probed her channel, searching, searching…            A jolt of pure fire burst through her belly.  Sletran had found the cluster of nerves at the front of her sheath.  She clenched handfuls of linens in her fists.  Rachel opened her mouth to scream, but she had no breath to utter it.            “There it is,” he growled, his eyes narrowing.  “Right there.”            He stroked the knot of sensation, the pressure firm and his movements slow.  It was enough to bring orgasm boiling right up to the brink, but not quite enough to send her over.  Rachel quaked violently, unable to come.  Tears spilled from her eyes.            She couldn’t even think, she was so close.  Her brain fragmented under the torture, and she could only think of one word, the word that had already failed her several times.  But it was all she had, so she started screaming it with all her might.            “Krewet!  Krewet!  Krewet!”            Sletran sighed and leaned back, pulling his touch from her straining body.  “Finally.  Such a strong, stubborn warrior.  I should put you over my knee and give you a thorough spanking instead of a good fucking.  Luckily for you, if I don’t spill in your belly soon I’ll be in agony.”            He knelt between her legs and brought his cocks in line with her open pussy and ass, handling them both in one hand.  It was only now that Rachel realized he hadn’t stretched her anus in preparation for his penetration.  Would she still be loose enough from the night before?            I don’t care if he splits me in two.  I need those cocks in me now!            Sletran propped himself on one hand between Rachel’s clutching fist and her ear.  With a sigh, he lowered his groin to hers, pressing his cocks into her body.  The tips of him slid in, eased by their combined wetness.  Rachel groaned to feel him filling her channels, the fit snug.  As the Nobek’s girth increased, she ached a little.  The entrance of her tighter sheath burned as it reluctantly widened to accommodate her lover’s thickness.              Then the front cock moved against the nest of nerve endings inside her pussy, and the wash of heated pleasure took all her attention from the discomfort of being impaled in the rear.  Sletran pushed steadily into her warmth, his gasps a storm.  He watched himself disappear into the shelter of her body, his lower lip clenched between his teeth.              A jolt of painful elation jarred Rachel, galvanizing her body.  She tensed all over and groaned as shivers of delight zapped all through her belly.  Sletran had found her end, the tip of his cock making contact with her cervix.              His gaze slid up her body to meet hers.  “Will you save me?  Can you save me?” he whispered.

Countdown to Alien Redemption. Four Days...

           Erybet scowled.  He kept his voice low.  “People change, Imdiko, especially men who have been through war.  Just because we’re not quite how you remember us—”              Here we go again.  Conyod couldn’t keep the furious hurt out of his voice.  “You’re nothing like the men I clanned with.  I’m not stupid, you know.  I understand war changes people, but this is beyond that.  If you’d just give me a hint as to what happened, maybe I could find something to grasp, some common ground where I could meet you.”            Erybet stopped and swung around so quickly that Conyod would have run into him if Sletran’s arm hadn’t shot out to stop him in time.  Before Conyod could catch his eyes, the Nobek looked away, his gaze darting away as if ashamed.              Conyod couldn’t remember the last time Sletran had looked him in the eyes.            They were just in front of Conyod’s office, and Sletran yanked him towards it.  “In here.  If you two have to fight about this again, at least do it in private.”            The three went in.  The door shut, leaving Conyod alone with his clanmates.  Erybet loomed over him, his lips pressed tightly together.  Conyod returned the glare, not giving an inch.  Sometimes he thought he hated his Dramok.  If Erybet would give just the tiniest bit, Sletran might open up and tell Conyod why he’d hacked his once waist-length hair off.  Why he shouted “No!  No!” in his sleep, his voice breaking in horror and despair.  Why he sometimes disappeared for hours at a time and wouldn’t tell them where he’d gone, re-appearing with bruises and scratches all over his body.            Sletran was self-destructing.  And until Erybet let him speak, Conyod could only stand by and watch his hero fall apart.             Yes, sometimes he really did hate Erybet.  Like right this moment.            “Damn it, it kills me when you look at me like that,” the Dramok said, his shoulders drooping.  “Don’t you know I’d tell you everything if I could?  I’ve never kept secrets from you before.  But we’re sworn to do so now by the Imperial Commander himself.”            The defeated look Erybet wore made Conyod’s anger waver.  He knew Erybet was hurting too.  That perhaps the Dramok himself was lost in an emotional storm no less destructive than Sletran’s.  But seeing the frozen blankness on Sletran’s face that didn’t quite hide the torment in his eyes made Conyod feel mean.            Damn it, Erybet was their Dramok.  He was supposed to lead his clan, to put their welfare ahead of all else.  His voice cold, Conyod told him, “I don’t know anything anymore except my clan is falling apart, and you’re letting it happen.”            Raw anger sparked anew in Erybet’s expression.  Sletran picked up on it immediately and pushed Conyod back a little, angling his body so that he was between the Dramok and Imdiko.  Protective as always.  It was the one thing about Sletran that hadn’t changed.            That made Conyod’s vision swim, and he blinked hard.  Damn it, he wanted his Nobek back.  And his Dramok too, for that matter, as mad as Erybet made him.  So he didn’t hate his leader after all.  If he did, it wouldn’t hurt so much.

Shalia's Diary Post is Up

A close encounter.  Much too close.  http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

Six Sentence Sunday - Clans of Kalquor 6: Alien Redemption

Erybet had paled.  He watched Sletran carefully.  When the Nobek remained still and silent, he said, “We are carrying our own scars, Matara.  I know you can see them.”  A deep breath, then his words grated as if he was forcing them out through the strength of his will alone.   “Perhaps you would not be so well off with my clan, though it pains me to say so.”
Five more days!

Ready for Redemption

We are in the homestretch!  There are only six days until the release of Alien Redemption.  The clan we created together is ready to take center stage and tell you their story.  And what a story.  I still can’t believe the length and complexity of this one.  
Lots of thanks to everyone who helped make this one happen.  My husband, who dealt with me as I experienced the highs and often incredible lows of my characters.  Erin, who made the gorgeous cover.  Bruce, who called me on every mistake I made so the story wouldn’t fail (you’ll notice I dedicated this book to him).  All of you faithful blog followers who helped me create Clan Erybet via many weeks of polls.  And of course to all the readers who made the series the kind of success that warranted 6+ novels and a short story collection thus far.  Without all of this support, Alien Redemption would not have been written.  
It’s been more of a wait then you wanted, but hopefully you’ll find the long delay worth it.  This Friday brings you Erybet, Conyod, Sletran, Rachel, and the Beast of New Bethlehem, along with several familiar Kalquorians.  I’m not going to ask if you’re ready ... the many comments and emails I’ve received has already answered that question.  Hang in; we’re almost there.

First Five Friday - Clans of Kalquor 6: Alien Redemption

Chapter 5
            Govi had grilled Rachel over her intentions towards Conyod and his clanmates the day before.  ‘Grilled’ indeed, if such a word could exist in connection with Imdiko Govi.  Getting interrogated by the gentle head psychologist was like getting beaten by the softest pillow in existence.  Still, Rachel had realized that if he wasn’t happy with her responses, he’d put the brakes on her hopes to charm Erybet and Sletran. 
Releasing in one week!

WIP Wednesday - Clan Beginnings: To Clan and Conquer

Degorsk tries to convince himself he doesn’t want Tranis.  Methinks the Imdiko protests too much.  (Please note:  homoerotic situation in this excerpt)
            Degorsk reached the door to his private room not nearly soon enough for his liking.  He turned to snap a good night to Tranis and jumped to find the other man had followed him as close as he’d thought.  Tranis was close enough to kiss.            Degorsk put that thought firmly out of his head.  “Good night, Commander.”            Not waiting for an answer, he swung around to face his door and release the lock.  He didn’t have a chance.  The next moment, the Dramok was in the way, getting between Degorsk and his quarters.              Tranis’ smile was so irritatingly confident, the medic had a momentary fantasy of slapping it off his face.  His fingers spasmed with the need to unleash his anger.            Tranis said, “One moment before I dismiss you.”            Dismiss me?  What the fuck is this shit?  Degorsk was livid.  He might not be able to match the Dramok in muscle or fighting prowess, but he could still leave a few marks on the man before getting his ass kicked.  It would certainly be worth it.            Tranis’ smile fell away and he reached behind Degorsk’s neck to grab his braid and pull it forward.  Stroking the thick plait, the Dramok asked, “What is it besides my age that bothers you so much?  And don’t give me that crap about not knowing me well enough.”            “How about being so damned pushy?  You act like I should fall all over myself because you’re paying attention to me.”  The Imdiko glared.            Tranis skewered him with that commanding stare.  “That’s not the problem.  Thanks to having five Nobek brothers who took it upon themselves to train me, I can smell fear a mile away.  So tell me what’s really wrong.”            Degorsk jerked.  “I’m not afraid of you.”            “No?  Maybe you should be.”            The next instant, Degorsk was up against the wall next to his door.  Tranis pressed his body against his, and his mouth crushed down on the Imdiko’s.            Degorsk instinctively opened to shout, and the other man’s tongue forged into his mouth.  It stroked his with possessive intent, shattering every lucid thought in his head.  Degorsk found himself kissing back.  Demanding hunger took control, bleeding away anger and fright.            Tranis tasted of feral masculinity.  Degorsk sucked on the invading tongue, delighting in the flavor.   He groaned, feeling the muscular bulk of the Dramok against his body, pinning him against the wall.  His cocks swelled with unabashed need, and he ground against the equally hard crotch of the other man.            Without breaking the devouring kiss, Tranis grabbed the back of Degorsk’s knee, shoving the leg upward.  At the same time, he wrapped his hand around Degorsk’s throat in a gesture of domination.  He rubbed his groin against the Imdiko’s, and the doctor cried out as pleasure grew heavy in his gut.  His greedy cocks begged to be taken into the Dramok’s commanding grip.            While Tranis continued to plunder his mouth and rub against him in ways that had Degorsk thinking he might spill before they could get inside, the Imdiko groped for the manual release to his door.  Fuck the fear of getting too close to someone.  Fuck his dignity.  He needed Tranis in his bed, fucking him.  Right now.            He found the door release.  With a beep it recognized his print signature and opened.  Degorsk grabbed Tranis’ collar, yanked his leg free of the Dramok’s grip, and pulled him towards the open door.

Shalia's Diary Entry is Up

Hello Dramok Dusa!  http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/2012/11/august-23.html?spref=tw