Tracy St. John's Blog, page 218

Countdown to Alien Interludes: An Improper Proposal

The biggest complaint I heard about Alien Salvation was that readers wanted it to keep going.  In particular, they wanted to see sisters Lindsey and Jessica reunited.  You can all stop being cranky with me now.  It happens in this story.
However, I'm saving the reunion for the book release.  Allow me to introduce you to three special ladies instead.  As you'll soon find out, these are women you'd want in your corner (and heaven help you if you cross their sons).
            The greetings went on with people she’d already met via frequent communications, first during the year her clan had been on assignment on Earth then during the nine month trip to Kalquor.  Lindsey greeted her clan’s parents, all eleven of them.  Bacoj’s Dramok father had died when he was still young, so his was the only incomplete parent clan.  She found it amusing how much Vax and Japohn were like their mothers in looks and temperaments.  Vax’s mother Udi was as sweet natured and gentle as her Imdiko son, with soft waves of hair and finer features than most Kalquorians.  Japohn’s handsome mother Nenap, all six feet seven inches of Amazonian muscle with a head full of long, spiraling curls, seemed to glower suspiciously at everyone.  Had Lindsey not gotten to know Nenap over the long-distance coms, discovering she was just as fair minded and loyal as Lindsey’s Nobek mate, she would have been terribly intimidated by the Matara.  However it was Nenap who eschewed the Kalquorian mother-daughter greeting of pressing cheek to cheek.  Instead, she swept Lindsey off her feet for a delighted hug.  To the amused group she loud proclaimed, “Forget Kalquorian custom!  My daughter is finally home!”            Bacoj’s mother Felac, whom Lindsey suspected was of the jealous mom type, was more reserved.  Her expression was friendly enough, but she lacked not only Nenap’s unbridled enthusiasm but also Udi’s quiet warmth.  Attractive with almond-shaped eyes and generous lips, her long black hair arranged in a tidy updo, she gave Lindsey a sedate greeting, briefly pressing cheeks on one side then the other.  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Felac said.  Then she turned back to Bacoj, stroking his hair and clinging tight to her only child.  He looked a little embarrassed, but he put up with it with the patience Lindsey had grown used to.

Countdown to Alien Interludes: A Family Affair

I'm ready to stop teasing you as to who the secret lovers are.  Like Hunted, this story came about because of reader requests.  A lot of you wanted Tara, Jessica and Lindsey's mother, to find a new love.    
Most of you guessed the clandestine couple were Tara and one of the Imperial Fathers.  You were correct.  But which of the former emperors was she carrying on with?  Read on to find out:
            The lovers met in secret every day in her quarters.  Of course the Royal Guards knew he visited her and how often, but the protective warriors were picked as much for their discretion as their fighting prowess.  After so many years, most were loyal to him more than any other member of the Imperial Family.            The man and woman kept their affair secret for reasons of their own.  Guilt.  Worry they’d hurt those they loved most.  In his case, there was also a sense of possessiveness, an unwillingness to share his woman with the other members of his clan.  Time and again they’d vowed to end this tryst to save others pain.  But passion and loneliness had thwarted their efforts to remain apart, sometimes only moments after the attempt had been made.            And now, as former Nobek Emperor Yuder stepped into her receiving room and swept her into his arms, Tara McInness, Imperial Mother of Empress Jessica, felt all recriminations flee once again.  His lips found hers.  Her body hummed in delight to feel his muscled frame, still strong despite his 178 years, pressed against her.              He lifted her, one supportive arm beneath her buttocks, the other against her back to press her chest to his.  Beneath his robe she felt the heat of him, the unabashed masculinity of this fierce and yet giving Kalquorian.  Tara had thought she’d never want another man again, not after over thirty years of devoted marriage to her Aaron, now dead fourteen Earth months.  Yet somehow Yuder had broken through the grief that surrounded her, had made her lonely heart his.            He carried her to her sleeping room, his blue-purple eyes never leaving her face as he easily navigated the hall.  Had he really visited her so often now that he didn’t need to look where he was going?  A twinge of conscience made her stomach flutter nervously.            “I can always tell when Aaron crosses your mind,” Yuder rumbled soothingly.  “I have seen that look in my own eyes too many times in the mirror to mistake it.”            Tara caressed his strong jaw.  His face was as sharp as a hawk’s, and he was every bit as dangerous as that beautiful bird of prey.  But the warrior Kalquorian, his steel-gray hair a result of mutation and not his advanced years, was always tender with her.  After many years of danger and turmoil, Yuder made Tara feel safe.            “He would want me happy, as I would have hoped for him had I been the one to die.  You make me happy,” she answered.            Yuder smiled at her, an expression he seemed to reserve for Tara alone.  She melted to see the defined planes of his face soften.            They reached the bedroom, the bed sized just right for the two of them.   Jessica had hired the finest craftsman on Joshada to carve the sleek furnishings from the black wood of one of their native trees.  She’d known Tara had no intention of being clanned, so there was no need for the oversized bed mats preferred by Kalquorians.            No, Tara wanted no clan.  Only her Nobek lover.            Yuder laid her on the cloud-soft mattress and bent for a quick kiss before rising and flipping his robe off over his head.  Tara felt giddy at the sight of him, as if she hadn’t seen his naked body every day for the last six weeks.            Many Kalquorians were simply too bulky for Tara’s tastes.  Not Yuder.  His body, while defined with the precision of a master sculptor, was longer and sleeker than the norm.  He was a lithe cheetah among a pride of muscled lions.  Her mouth went dry as she was confronted by his stark beauty yet again.            His smile returned as he watched her look him over.  “I like that you appreciate what you see,” he teased.            “Very much.”              The first time she’d laid eyes on him, she’d been unable to tear her gaze away.  Yuder had beguiled immediately, though at the time Tara had only been amused at her reaction to his physical beauty.  It was like being a hormone-crazed teenager, not the mother of grown women and grandmother of two.  She’d appreciated Yuder’s masculine beauty only aesthetically for the first few weeks.  It was the man’s intelligence, his commitment to justice, and the discovery of the firm but fair persona beneath the surface ferocity that had turned a laughable infatuation into more.             Before landing on Kalquor, had anyone told Tara she’d fall in love with a man other than Aaron, with a Nobek warrior no less, she would have only chuckled at the notion.  A devout Buddhist, one who eschewed harming others even at the expense of her own life, Tara couldn’t have imagined herself involved with someone who was almost nonchalant about bloodshed.  Yet here they were, embroiled in a passionate affair that would have shocked and probably angered their blended families.

Monday Man Time

Countdown to Alien Interludes: The Sentence

Alien Conquest was possibly the darkest book of the series.  The short story The Sentence, which re-visits Cassidy and her clan, is also the heaviest in this collection.  Painful decisions must be made concerning Cassidy's grandfather General Hamilton, and none of the options are very palatable.  But in real life, sometimes our choices don't include a happy ending.  In those instances, one can only hope for the unwavering support and love of others to get her through.
            Her religion, a hybrid version of the three older faiths of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, demanded an eye for an eye.  Lidon’s beliefs, which he quoted often but never forced on anyone, pretty much said the same.  She agreed justice needed to be served on behalf of so many dead.  Cassidy just wished she knew what form that justice should take.  Praying on the matter had given her no insight.            She finally gave up on her scholastic exercises.  She couldn’t concentrate.  Cassidy glanced at the other corner of the small room the clan had designated as her and Degorsk’s study space.  Like hers, Degorsk’s area had a table and seat.  Soothing tones drifted through the room which the Kalquorian said helped him relax and focus.  Cassidy tended to tune it out entirely.  The Imdiko hunched over his own vid, deep in making comments and observations on several cases his study group were involved in.  He was making strides in his new field, and Govi had guaranteed Degorsk a spot on his team when his internship was completed.  Degorsk loved the challenge of healing broken spirits even more than his former career of healing broken bodies.            Cassidy quelled the urge to walk over, undo the long, thick plait of hair lying down his back, and kiss him to arousal.  He was intent on his work.  Suppressing a sigh of longing, she left the room quietly.            Tranis was busy speaking on the vid com in the main sitting room of their temporary quarters, no doubt conducting business as an admiral of Kalquor’s military space fleet.  Despite her extreme intelligence, Cassidy had found learning her new home’s language difficult.  She was definitely geared more towards the math and sciences than language, and her ability to speak Kalquorian was halting at best.  She could pick up a word or two of Tranis’ vid conference, but he spoke too fast to make out much.  From the grim set of his mouth, it probably had something to do with the small but growing threat of trouble from the few Earther ships still fighting the long lost war; or the dissenting Kalquorians who didn’t want the two races mixing and had made a few raids against outposts in protest.  Bloodshed continued, though thankfully on a far smaller scale.            She went instead to the bedroom they all shared.  The quarters, decorated in soothing sapphire and gray tones, was specifically geared to a full Kalquorian clan.  The soft sleeping mat took up most of the room, leaving little space for anything else.  Lidon had found just enough room in one corner to set up his altar, which he now sat cross legged on the floor before, his eyes closed in meditation.  His thick copy of the Book of Life lay open before him.            Cassidy didn’t love the warrior-philosopher any more than the other two men, but she did feel a deeper connection to him.  Lidon was many things to her:  the exacting disciplinarian, the instructive mentor, the spiritual guide, and of course her beloved mate.  Despite her youth and naivety, he never made her feel stupid or that her opinion didn’t matter.  In fact, he seemed to weigh her words with as much seriousness as he did the other two members of their clan.            She stood motionless in the doorway, looking over the sleek black hair and the strong and handsome face.  His loose, white tunic and pants did little to hide the muscular perfection of her fierce but fair Nobek.  Lidon knew she was there, of course.  His eyes slid open and he looked over at her with a slight smile.            “I’m disturbing you,” she said.            “Not at all.  But I thought you had set aside this time for studying.”            “I can’t concentrate.”            He stood, not at all as fluid as Tranis or Degorsk, but getting to his feet quickly nevertheless.  Cassidy swallowed, looking at him.  He was like a barbarian god of war, animal violence kept at bay only by the grace of a shrewd mind.  Lidon was a scarred and savage beauty, much like a hunting tiger.            He approached slowly, his limp better than it had been earlier in the day.  “The trial is bothering you.”            “Not the trial.  The general was found guilty as he should have been.  It’s the sentence that has my head in a muddle.”            Lidon took her into his arms, letting her burrow into the shelter of his chest.  “My Matara, it is out of your hands now.  ‘Despair not over that which you can exert no control over.’  He must face his justice, however horrible you may find it.”            “I know.  But this memory wipe … it really, really feels wrong.”            Lidon kissed the top of her head.  “Of course it does.  You suffered a lighter version of it, so naturally you’re going to have issues with it.”            Cassidy raised her face so he could kiss her lips as well, which he did with great expertise.  Clean, lovely lust warmed her belly just as his mouth warmed hers.  She dove into it, but anxiety nibbled at the back of her mind no matter how hard she rubbed against her mate.            “Get these worries out of my head,” she begged when the kiss ended.            Her eager gyrations had aroused Lidon, and he gave her a bestial grin.  “Gladly,” he growled, making her insides tumble with nervous desire.            Lidon yanked her clothes off with rough hands, the way he knew she liked it with him.  Cassidy whimpered, feeling divine helplessness as he exposed her lushly curved body.  When the Nobek brought out his hover cuffs, she trembled but offered her wrists without hesitation.  Feeling them clamped over her flesh turned her wet.  Lidon barked a command in his own language, and the hover cuffs lifted into the air, taking her with them, until she hung a foot off the ground, almost at eye level with the Nobek.            Completely at his mercy, knowing he had none, Cassidy stared into his cat-slitted eyes, gone dark with feral desire.  His respiration came fast, and his cocks strained the crotch of his pants.

Countdown to Alien Interludes: Michaela's Child

I admit I cried over this one.  Michaela's inability to carry a child to term was my own bit of hell.  Like her, I was told I could get pregnant but my body would refuse to maintain it for more than six weeks.  Fortunately, the Universe and my beloved son had other ideas.  My li'l man is now six years old, and not a moment goes by when I'm not grateful for him.
Michaela is lucky in a different way in that her best friend Jessica has offered herself as a surrogate mother.  Still, she's having a hard time accepting her good fortune.  Putting myself in her place, I can understand why.
            A knocking sound turned Michaela around, and she smiled to see Jessica standing in the nursery’s open doorway.  “Hey.  Want some help?”            “Come on in.  I’m just putting the last of the baby’s clothes away.  How are you feeling?”            Jessica waddled in, very un-Empress looking with her belly swollen huge beneath her purple robe.  “I’m fine.  Your daughter is practicing her kung fu though.  She actually kicked Clajak awake last night.”              Michaela shared laughter she didn’t really feel.  “Sorry about that.  Were yours that active?”  She looked at Jessica’s stomach, trying but not quite succeeding in squelching her envy.              “Actually, yes.  Noelle was the worst, busy girl that she is.”  Jessica plopped down in the rocking chair made especially for Michaela, back when there was still hope she would carry her own child to term and nurse the baby from her breasts.            So many plans.  So many disappointments.            Stop it.  Just because I couldn’t carry the baby and won’t be able to nurse her doesn’t make me any less her mother.  It’s my egg.  One of my clan’s sperm.  Serena is ours.  So stop being such a whiner!            But it wasn’t easy when it was Jessica’s body ballooning big with surrogate motherhood.  Nevermind Michaela attended every checkup, got to see the images that showed Serena possessed her nose, the same curve of her lips.  It didn’t matter that Michaela would be there when her baby was born and would be the first to hold her.              None of that mitigated the fact Michaela’s body, her freakish abomination of a body, had proved an inadequate shelter for her daughter.  She could get pregnant, but she couldn’t carry a child past six weeks.              She knew from Jessica’s two pregnancies that it was common for a mother-to-be to feel unworthy of motherhood, inadequate to the task.  But unlike Kalquor’s empress, Michaela had the suspicion it might be true in her case.  After all, she wasn’t a real woman, was she?              “Kalquor to Michaela; come in, Michaela.”            She jumped at Jessica’s teasing voice.  “Sorry.  Mental vacation.”            The empress, her best friend in all the universe, chuckled.  “Don’t worry about it.  It’s called Mommy Brain.  I can’t tell you how absentminded I was getting ready for my kids.”            Michaela smiled dutifully, and Jessica’s gaze sharpened.  “Is everything okay, Michaela?”            “Fine.  Just excited, I guess.  One more week and she’s here.”  Michaela looked around the nursery.  Most of the items had been purchased four weeks into her first pregnancy, the result of a wild, happy shopping spree that she’d gone on the instant she’d found out she was expecting.  A week and a half later, she’d sat sobbing in the middle of the room amid the boxes of things the lost baby would never use or wear.            But I get to have this one, thanks to Jessica.            “I bet you’re looking forward to having your body back.”  Your perfect, baby-sustaining body.            “It was my honor to carry your child.”  Jessica watched her like a hawk.            “Not the most popular choice you’ve ever made.”  Michaela could give her a real grin on that.  Both of them enjoyed bucking the overly paternal protectiveness of Kalquorian men.  It had caused no end of scandal when Kalquor’s empress had announced she housed Michaela’s embryo in her body.            “They’ll get over it.  Besides, what’s one more Imperial disgrace to Kalquor?”  Jessica sniggered in delight.  The Imperial Clan always seemed to be at odds with the council, and no one loved a fight more than the empress, except perhaps her Dramok clanmate Clajak.            “I know you missed going to the meetings.  I’m still not sure why you didn’t continue your duties like you did with your children.”            “I wasn’t taking any chances with Serena.”  Jessica put on her mule look, the one that said she was right and no one could tell her different.  “You deserve to have this child and if I had lost her through being stubborn I never would have forgiven myself.”            Tears threatened for an instant, and Michaela blinked them back.  Jessica waved wildly at her.  “Don’t!  I’m so hormonal, I’ll cry with you.”            Once she’d recovered enough to talk, Michaela said, “You’re the best.  I’ll never be able to repay this.”            “Don’t be ridiculous.  You’d do the same for me in an instant.”  Jessica lumbered awkwardly to her feet.  “Gotta go, girlfriend.  Mom and the in-laws are coming for dinner and I haven’t notified the kitchen yet.”            Michaela stood too, bitter that she could do it so easily.  “I’ll pick you up for tomorrow’s doctor’s appointment.”            They hugged as best Michaela’s baby would allow.  Jessica released her quickly, knowing from past experience how sensitive Michaela usually was about being embraced, not realizing how desperate her friend was for contact these days.            Unable to carry a baby.  And these days, not worth being touched.            That was problem number two in Michaela’s life.

Create a Kalquorian Clan – Final Results

We are done!  The last of the polls are finished, and you have helped me create the clan that will star in Alien Redemption (Clan of Kalquor 6).  Thanks so much for participating.  It was amazing to see how you wanted Dramok Erybet, Nobek Sletran, and Imdiko Conyod to be presented.  The majority of the time, you selected options I didn’t expect.  Those choices will definitely help shape the story.  So let’s see what manner of men you have made.

Character:  Dramok Erybet, strategic commander of military ground troops (On administrative leave)
Height:            6’8”, taller than average KalquorianHair:               Blue-black, mid-back length, straight      Body:              Long, lean muscles, built like a cat, best feature is shoulders and armsFace:               Fine bone structure, masculine beauty, pretty boy along the lines of Matt DamonMouth:            Used to smile a lot but now has few reasons to; lower lip a little thin but nice overallImperfections:  Tries to do everything himself; doesn’t delegate wellAge:                52 (looks mid-20’s)Home:             Among the seaside cliffs near the Royal House and Council, capital city of KalquorOverall personality (prewar):  Take charge, not afraid to make the hard decisionsHabits/hobbies:  likes to draw and paintLife changing childhood event:  Was mistakenly categorized as a Nobek and spent a year in brutal training campGreatest accomplishment:  promoted as the commander of several military companies, usually the realm of NobeksMotto:             ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’  - Martin Luther King, Jr.Motive:           To put the past behind and make his clan work while keeping his secret

Character:  Nobek Sletran, platoon leader of military ground troops (On administrative leave)
Height:            6’10”, tall even for a KalquorianHair:               Black, straight, just below the ears, growing out after he chopped it short with a knife            Body:              Big, but not outrageous muscles, well proportioned, best feature chest and absFace:               Uber-man look, very strong features with chiseled jaw, wide forehead, clean shaven, think Jason Momoa (Conan the Barbarian)Mouth:            Thick, sensuous lipsImperfections:  Tends to see others as weak and in need of his protectionAge:                58 (looks 30-ish)Home:             Among the seaside cliffs near the Royal House and Council, capital city of KalquorOverall personality (pre-war):  bravery and fairness was an inspiration to his subordinates; so much so that they obeyed his orders without thinking twice.Habits/hobbies:  Volunteers to teach young Imdikos self defenseLife changing childhood event:  Was injured in the wilderness with a broken leg, had to survive for a week before rescue arrivedGreatest Accomplishment:  Saved teenage Conyod from being attacked by bullies; this is how they met.Motto:             ‘The first casualty when war comes is truth.’  - Hiram JohnsonMotive:           To somehow fix the horror of the past

Character:  Imdiko Conyod, psychologist specializing in traumatized Earther Mataras
Height:            6’6”, average height for KalquorianHair:                Black, midback length, wavy, hangs loose          Body:              Muscular, well cut but not bodybuilder big, chest and abs are his best feature,                         beautifully chiseledFace:                rugged, square-jawed, manly, clean-shaven, grim when not smiling, Hugh                         Jackman typeMouth:            thin-lipped but beautiful teeth, smile lights up entire faceImperfections:  a little OCD, can’t function without a to-do listOverall personality:  Understanding of others’ shortcomings and patient with almost everyoneHabits/hobbies:  Breeds champion kestarsh (Kalquorian version of horse)Greatest accomplishment:  Being chosen to be a part of the Earther Matara psychological team;                             out of over two hundred applicants he was top choiceAge:                48 (looks late twenties)Home:             Among the seaside cliffs near the Royal House and Council, capital city of                         Kalquor          Life changing childhood event:  Sibling went missing and was never found, his parents became overly protective as a result.Motto:             ‘From caring comes courage’  - Lao TzuMotive:            To rectify whatever has gone wrong with his clanmates

Countdown to Alien Interludes: The Negotiation

I always wondered why Plasian cougar Israla had a thing for the younger men and why she went through them so fast.  I sent in gorgeous Earther Colonel Tyler Carter to find out.
He continued, his pleasant rumbling voice tripping over the words.  “I know you prefer younger men.  I’m not your type at all.  But it’s all I have to trade, and sex seems to be the going currency for a man with little to no funds.”Israla pressed her lips together.  “I do not enjoy men who don’t find me attractive, Colonel.”  Her tone could have frozen a raging inferno.Tyler’s flicked a surprised glance at her before looking down again.  “You are beautiful, Saucin.  All Plasians are, but you’re the loveliest I’ve seen.”It was Israla’s turn to be startled.  “My sources say you’ve taken no lovers since coming to my planet, Colonel.  I assumed you were not interested in our people or too repressed like most of your breed to want sex with us.”Tyler crooked a self-conscious smile at her.  “Plasians are very pleasing to the eye.  And I enjoy sex very much.”  His smile faded and his gaze went inward.  “I did, anyway.”Israla leaned forward, fascinated despite herself.  “Who was she and what happened to her?”Tyler’s eyes brightened with tears.  “My wife Heather.  We lived in Chicago, one of the cities hit by Armageddon.”“There’s no chance she wasn’t there when the bomb went off?”He shook his head slowly.  “I’d spoken to her only an hour before the Kalquorians came through the wormhole.  I told her we were preparing to transport home immediately to deal with the attack force that was threatening our defense grid.  That I’d see her soon.”“I’m so sorry.”  Israla winced as she uttered the worthless sympathy.  Empty, useless words, but that’s all that was left when the one who filled your heart was gone forever.“Thank you.”  He didn’t try to sound grateful, and that was all right.  The bombs had gone off a year and a half ago.  Time enough to dull the worst of the agony, but the void within remained.  Israla knew the pain well.  She’d lived with her own version of it for forty years now.“The Kalquorian emperors are determined to exact their brand of justice for the near-fatal attack on their Matara.  They will not be easily convinced to give up their claim on those soldiers.”Tyler took a deep breath.  “You think it’s hopeless.”“I think it will be exceedingly difficult.”  Israla smiled tightly.  “But I have good relations with one of their trusted councilmen, Dramok Rajhir.  I will contact him about the matter and see what he can negotiate.  If anyone can convince the Imperial Clan, it will be him.  The emperors hold him in high esteem.”Tyler blew out a breath.  “I thank you for making the effort.  No doubt you’d rather wash your hands of the whole affair.”Israla shrugged.  “I have worried about this issue for quite some time.  I am prepared to keep those men in stasis indefinitely rather than see them put to death in the manner the Kalquorians would prefer.”“Plasians are noted for their gentle nature.”  Tyler licked his lips.  “Now as to my side of the bargain—”Israla held her hand up.  “No need, Colonel.  Your heart wouldn’t be in it.”Did she imagine the flash of disappointment on his face?  It was gone as fast as it had appeared.  “You are too kind, Saucin.  I realize I’m not your usual choice of playmate.”She let her eyes drift to the window overlooking the side lawn of her property.  About a dozen boy-men, clad only in tight-fitted shorts, romped on the lush mossy surface.  They tossed an oblong object they called a football and tackled one another.  So innocent and fresh.  Pretty things to play with.  She taught them carnal amusements and then sent them on their way.  They often left her willingly, eager to experience others and expand their horizons.  A few wanted to stick around for longer than Israla was comfortable with, but her aides often stepped in, distracting the younglings’ pursuit of happily ever after.  Israla found it imperative to not just teach the boy-men techniques for pleasing a woman sexually.  They needed to know that relationships weren’t guaranteed, that ‘forever’ was actually a finite time span.“You are a very attractive example of your species, Colonel, and I enjoy looking at you,” Israla assured him.  She really did.  Her gaze had already drifted from the younglings to peruse Tyler’s wide shoulders, the lovely vee of his torso as it tapered from those shoulders to his trim waist and the muscled thighs ill-concealed by his olive pants.  Israla sighed before she could stop herself.  She cleared her throat.  “However, you are not the kind of man I choose to share my body with.”Tyler’s blue eyes were sharp as he stared at her face.  “Who was he?”Israla stilled.  “Who was who?”“The man you’re still in love with.”

Formatting Issues with Kindle

Hi all.  If you bought Alien Slave or Drop Dead Sexy from Amazon for your Kindle and are having trouble reading it due to formatting issues, please let my publisher NCP know at http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/contact-us/.  It's up to them to fix the issue.  I have no control over the problem.  Thanks!

Countdown to Alien Interludes: Abduction

Some of these stories give hints as to what will happen in future installments of the Clans of Kalquor series.  This is one of those.  A rebellion is brewing in our favorite empire, which will play out in a later book or two.  Empress Jessica is one of the first victims of this insurgency.
            Jessica woke in utter darkness.  What time was it?  And where was the comforting warmth of her clan next to her in their shared bed?            She tried to move and discovered she couldn’t.  Not a muscle would twitch.  She tried to cry out, but her vocal cords seemed frozen.            What is wrong with me? Is this a dream?            She fought to calm her racing heart, to push back the sudden wash of panic that wanted to overtake her.  Instinct told her she was awake and in trouble.  She could hear sounds around her, and it felt as if the hard surface beneath her moved.  She realized she wasn’t in her home in her bed.            Think, Jessica.  What’s the last thing you remember?            It came to her.  She’d been visiting Narpok.  Her mother had come, insisting she indulge in a little alone time with her clan.  She’d been on her way to Egilka’s office when someone had come up behind her.            Then nothing.            Had she been attacked?  She detected no hurt and she could feel perfectly well, from the hard surface beneath her body to the slick cool cover that rested against her face.  She just couldn’t move.            Perhaps she had fainted.  Maybe she had fallen ill with some bizarre sickness and was en route to a treatment room.  But why was her head covered then?            No, suddenly succumbing to some ailment didn’t make sense at all.  Something else had happened to her.            Had she been kidnapped?  Now that idea had frightening merit, especially since she remembered those quick, heavy steps coming up from behind her before she’d lost all her senses.  But being the latest victim of those who resisted a growing Earther female population on Kalquor had its drawbacks as a theory as well.  Could the rebels really have become so brave that they would abduct the Empress herself, right from the heavily populated hospital?            Jessica listened hard, trying to get some sense of where she was.  The soft tread of a pair of feet told her someone walked next to her.  The feeling that she glided smoothly through the air led her to guess that she lay on a hover stretcher and was being transported somewhere.  So perhaps she was still in the hospital.            A voice overhead suddenly spoke, and she tried to utter a startled shriek.  Her vocal chords remained silent however.  She only managed a rush of breath.            “Any trouble?”            “None.  Has the shuttle arrived yet?”            “No, but he’s on his way.  They just announced lockdown here at the hospital.”            “What do we do?”  The voice sounded panicked, but Jessica was sure she knew the speaker.  Remembering him danced just out of reach.            “He’ll get here before the guards and Global Security think to check the offload area.  Our man is already there, waiting to let him in to collect her.”  The unfamiliar voice sounded sure of himself.  Jessica felt cold all over.  She had little doubt she was the her someone was on their way to collect.

Countdown to Alien Interludes: Hunted

8 days to go... 
This is the story that started the whole compilation off.  A couple of readers, tantalized by a passage in Alien Embrace, specifically asked for this tale.  I liked the idea, so I went for it.  And once Hunted was written I thought, why not check in with all the major characters in all the books?  A short story collection was born.
Amelia swallowed the panic in her throat as she hurried through the forest.  The choking knot of emotion lodged in her chest, making her heart pound harder than her pace warranted.  She navigated the woods with care but went as quickly as possible.  She had a two-hour head start on the hunter, but when one was stalked by a Kalquorian Nobek, two hours wasn’t much of a buffer.She’d walked these Kalquorian woods innumerable times with her three mates and their twins.  She loved the patchwork quilt of jewel-toned leaves of the trees overhead, the springy ground that seemed to cushion her feet, the bright cheerful songs of drils, small blue Kalquorian reptiles that nested high in the trees.  But today she was on her own and running from a cunning and ruthless hunter, one of Kalquor’s best.   She knew his savagery, knew him for the predator he was.  She’d seen one of his victims, his throat torn out from the brute’s fangs.Her Imdiko mate Flencik, as big as he was gentle, had warned her only this morning, “Nobeks are set off by prey in flight.  Never let one see you running from them.  It brings all their primal instincts to the fore.  Stand your ground.  Fight back.  Believe it or not, you’re less likely to get hurt that way.”And the leader of their clan Rajhir had added, not very usefully, “Swinging big sticks or throwing heavy rocks would help.  Or maybe it will just make him mad.”Her mates were miles away now, having taken the twins to the pink-sanded beach close to their home.  No doubt laughing at the babies’ cheerful antics while Amelia dashed through the woods with a stalking brute on her trail.