Cynthia Sax's Blog, page 148
June 7, 2020
Warlord’s Mercy – Fourth Scene Of The First Chapter
Warlord’s Mercy, the fifth standalone story in the Chamele Barbarian Warlords series, is releasing on June 16th.
You can read the first scene from the first chapter here:
This week I’m sharing the final scene of that first chapter.
***
The tiny vessel was jammed between a boulder and the side of
the mountain.
“Ohhh…the damage is bad, really bad.” The entire roof had
been torn open. Its side panels were gouged and dented.
There were markings on it. She gazed closer at it.
“That’s the universal language.” Almost every being knew it.
“And Dorian.” That was written and spoken by a species bearing the same name. She
smiled. “Thank you, Father. I never believed I’d use Dorian, but you insisted I
learn it, and now it might save me.”
That knowledge would be useful to locate the power
converter.
“Get moving, Lea.” She extracted daggers from the sheaths on
her thighs. “You have no time to dawdle. Others will arrive at the site soon.”
Parts were hard to find. Every being on the planet would be
seeking to strip the escape pod of anything at all usable.
And newcomers weren’t the only possible source of danger.
She approached the small vessel slowly, carefully. “Assume it is occupied and
the being is hostile.”
Severed cables snapped and writhed on the sands around her. Blue
sparks lit the area. Fuel wet the sand. It was a hazardous combination.
“You have to do this.” She might not get another chance to
retrieve a power converter. They were coveted and in high demand.
A set of bloody handprints decorated a side panel. Lea
paused.
“That’s one large palm.” The being’s fingers were
thick, appeared human or humanoid. “I’m guessing you’re a male.”
The handprints relayed more than that.
“You’re injured.” She glanced at the ground.
There was no trail of blood, not that she could detect. She
didn’t see any footprints.
“And you’re missing.” He had vanished into the air.
She paused for a moment, uncertain of her next actions.
“You can’t be that injured, not if you moved that
quickly.” He should survive for a couple more moments. “I’ll extract the power
converter before I search for you.”
He must be hidden. It would be safer for him if he remained
that way while she found the part she needed.
Her gaze returned to the escape pod. “Stars. I hope there
are no dead bodies inside there.”
She’d seen too much death in her lifespan, didn’t want to
see more.
“You can do this.” Taking a fortifying breath, she sheathed
her daggers, grabbed the edge of the escape pod, and pulled herself upward,
grunting with the effort.
She peered into the small vessel.
“It’s empty.” She exhaled, almost giddy with relief. “Thank
the stars.”
Puddles of rich red blood pooled on one of the white seats.
More blood slicked the floor. A jagged piece of metal had pierced the back of
the seat. The end of that narrow strip of debris was painted crimson.
“Ouch.” She winced. The being sitting there had been
impaled. “You can’t be human. A human couldn’t survive a wound like that.”
Yet there was no being inside the escape pod.
She looked over her shoulder, saw no one behind her. “Unless
there are two of you and the second being carried you out.”
The blood on the palm print could have belonged to the
wounded being.
“I may have two beings needing help.” The situation was
growing more complicated by the moment. “Hold on while I get what I came for.” She
hefted herself over the edge of the side panel.
And tumbled headfirst into the escape pod.
Her hands slid on the bloody seat. The left side of her
chest coverings became damp.
“Ugh.” She righted herself. “This garment will have to be
discarded.”
She gazed around her. The control pad had been torn off the
wall. She followed the cables attached to it. The homing device had been disconnected.
“That looks like it was done deliberately.” It wasn’t a
product of the crash.
Trepidation skittered over her skin.
“You don’t want to be tracked.” That was the only reason she
could think for a being to remove a homing device from an escape pod.
What did that mean?
“Nothing. That means nothing.” She reassured herself. “I don’t
want to be tracked, and I’m not a violent being.”
The beings from the escape pod might not be violent either.
She studied her surroundings. “I’m guessing the control pad is
situated close to the power converter.” She pried off a wall panel. “Shit. It
isn’t there.”
She removed another one.
“Success.” Lea grinned “And the power converter looks to be intact.”
She extracted a dagger from a sheath and carefully
disconnected the delicate piece of technology. Sweat beaded on her forehead as
she worked.
“Work quickly, Lea.” The escape pod’s one or two former
occupants were missing and could be hurt or hostile.
Daisun and his band of thugs would also have noticed the
crash, would be headed toward the site. A tremor of fear ran down her spine.
“If he captures you, you’ll wish you were dead.” Her tone
was bleak.
He’d torture her in all the ways a being could be tortured.
Her lifespan would consist of pain and humiliation and hunger.
Lea’s jaw jutted. “You’ve survived this long. You’ll avoid
that fate.”
The power converter was heavy and unwieldly.
“I need something to convey it in.” She felt under the
seats, located an ugly medic pack. “This could be useful.”
She might have one or two beings who required care. Lea
slung it over one of her shoulders and continued her search.
There was an equally hideous-looking pack filled with
nourishment bars stored under the seats also. “I don’t need these.” Chamele 4
provided all the nourishment she required.
She dumped the tasteless rations on the floor, placed the
power converter in the pack.
“More water could be needed.” She had some drinkable liquid.
Only a fool would venture outside in Chamele 4’s heat without that.
But she doubted she had enough to clean wounds and hydrate
three beings.
She located a container of beverage. It had been damaged in
the crash. Water seeped through the cracks.
“That’s useless.” She tossed it aside, reached under the
seats again.
A rock vulture screeched, the sound barely audible.
“Oh fuck.” Lea stiffened. “It must be hunting something or
someone.”
That someone was
approaching the site. She glanced upward. The creature wasn’t yet visible. She
had time to flee.
Hefting the power converter pack over her other shoulder, she
turned toward the exterior wall. “It’s time to go.” She grabbed onto the top of
it and flung herself out of the escape pod.
As soon as she did that, she realized she’d made a mistake, misjudging
the severity of the drop and the impact of the packs’ additional weight on her
fall.
“Fuck.”
She plummeted toward the ground, mentally bracing for the pain
she’d soon experience.
“This landing is going to hurt.”
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Other Chameles view him as the
enemy.
She sees the warrior hero he never
believed he could be.
* * *
Tolui is a Warlord in search of a planet
to rule. He has been leading his fellow clones in a stealth battle, fighting
for both control of the Chamele sector and the right to exist. The brave warriors
he commands warrant respect, and they deserve the best.
That best isn’t the barren,
dangerous terrain on Chamele 4. When Tolui crashes on that planet’s surface, he’s
determined to leave it as soon as possible. The tiny human female rescuing him
might be as beautiful and as wild as the land she inhabits, but her flowing
words, trusting gaze, and enthralling submission won’t stop him from rejoining
the war.
After many solar cycles of living
alone, Lea is overjoyed when a tall, scarred, muscular warrior falls from the sky.
Her savage stranger is strong and severe, and he makes her feel safe, an
emotion she hasn’t experienced in a long, long time.
He also insists they must part.
Before they do, she’ll show him the splendor of her home, and she’ll enjoy his
big form, collecting passionate moments she can revisit when she’s solitary once
more.
Every additional moment Lea and
Tolui spend together increases the chance they’ll both die. Lea is being chased
by female-hating fiends. Tolui is being hunted by the best bounty hunters in
the universe. War will soon arrive on their threshold, and the blood spilled
might be their own.
* * *
Warlord’s Mercy is based on a much
shorter story sharing the same title.
It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian
SciFi Romance featuring a villain turned hero and a brave, chatty heroine set
in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
Warlord’s Mercy is the fifth of six
core stories in the Chamele Barbarian Warlord series.
Book 1: Warlord Sky
Book 2: Warlord’s Bounty
Book 3: Warlord Unarmed
Book 4: Warlord Reunited
Book 5: Warlord’s Mercy
Book 6: Warlord’s Return
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886K65F9
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0886K65F9
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0886K65F9
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/warlords-mercy/id1511995733
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/warlords-mercy-cynthia-sax/1116524052
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/warlord-s-mercy-1
SmashWords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1020349
May 31, 2020
Warlord’s Mercy – Third Scene Of The First Chapter
Warlord’s Mercy, the fifth standalone story in the Chamele Barbarian Warlords series, is releasing on June 16th.
You can read the first scene from the first chapter here:
This week I’m sharing the third scene of that first chapter.
***
Lea reached the edge of the boulder field, peered out of the
natural coverage, looked straight ahead, to her right, to her left.
“It’s only a short distance.” Dips and crests of shifting
sand stretched in front of her, land waves that would limit a being’s view. “Once
you climb over that first dune, you’ll be safe.”
But there was always a risk of being spotted.
“You can do this.” She took a deep breath and sprinted,
leaning over, staying low to the ground. Granules of sand pelted her boots and
ass coverings. The sun scorched the top of her head.
No one called out an alarm. No beings ran after her.
She reached the peak of the first dune and descended.
“You’re safe.” She exhaled heavily. “Keep going.” She climbed the next dune,
trudged down it, giving herself verbal encouragement as she moved.
The mounds of sand gradually flattened.
“Some beings on the ship complained Chamele 4 was merely
sand, sand, and more sand.” They clearly hadn’t completed any research before
they’d agree to relocate. “I don’t know what they were talking about. There’s
plenty of variety.”
There was the boulder field by the market, the dunes, the
flat lands, and the Khatagtai Mountains where she lived.
Her gaze lifted to them. “The mountains are the prettiest.”
They stood like giant sentinels, guarding her home.
The hum of a ship’s engine broke the silence.
“What is that?” Lea stopped and scanned the sky above her. “It
doesn’t belong to Daisun or his brutes.”
They flew pieced-together sand skimmers. Their vessels were
as ill-kempt as they were.
“This ship sounds…new. Thank the stars.” Excitement filled
her. “I might be able to bargain with the pilot. I’ll offer her or him some of
my best garments. She or he will agree to transport me somewhere else. I won’t
need a power converter.”
The drone of the engines became a roar surprisingly quickly.
Lea tilted her head back as a small vessel shot across the sky.
“Oh shit.” Dread replaced her exhilaration. “That ship is
flying too fast and too low.”
The artificial wind it created whipped strands of her hair
against her face.
“It won’t clear the nearest mountain.” A tremor rolled down her
spine. Unless the pilot increased the ship’s elevation quickly, it would crash
into the base of that unrelenting land formation.
If the crew survived that impact, they would be facing rock
vultures, ukhels, and other dangerous creatures. The occupants of the vessel
might be unaccustomed to the heat and the sun, could be suffering from
injuries.
And they would be targets…as she, her father, Flor, and the
rest of the beings on her ship had been. “Fuck. Daisun and his brutes could
reach them first.”
The Palavian would order the slaughter of the males, the enslavement
of the females.
“I can’t let that happen. Not again.” She sprinted,
following the ship. Her boots skimmed the sand. Her arms pumped. She had to
protect the beings, warn them.
Lea had been unable to save her father and her friend, but
she could save the newcomers.
Spires of rock jabbed skyward. She dashed around them. The
rock towers extended upward more and more, looming over her. The ship had
avoided those. Hope blossomed inside her. They might clear the—
A boom echoed across the arid landscape, and her optimism
shattered, crashing as the vessel must have done. A huge plume of red dust rose
before her.
“Any being in the vicinity will see that cloud.” She moved
faster, determined to be the first being to arrive at the wreckage. If the crew
remained alive, she would ensure they stayed that way.
Lea passed a porthole half buried in the ground. Its surface
was fractured with cracks.
She rounded the base of a spire, jumped over a piece of twisted
metal sticking out of the sand. More and more fragments of what she suspected
was the ship obstructed her progress.
Her nostrils twitched. The scent of spilled fuel clung to
the air.
Judging by the debris around her, she doubted she’d have
anyone to save. It would take a miracle to have survived the crash, and she had
stopped believing in those four solar cycles ago.
While she maintained her harsh pace, she indulged her
sadness, grieving over the deaths of the unknown crew for one, two heartbeats.
Then she pushed those emotions away. She had to do that. Life
on Chamele 4 was brutally hard. If she wished to stay alive, she had to focus
on the dangers around her, and what she needed to do and to obtain in order to escape
her current situation.
That included a working power converter. The ship might have
one.
As she approached the crash site, her body responded in the
most peculiar way—her nipples tightening and her pussy growing wet. She rubbed
her leather-clad thighs together. It was as though…
She was aroused.
By the destruction of a ship. Her face heated. Stars. She
had to venture somewhere where there was a safe community of beings. The
solitude was impacting her brain.
She rounded a bend and skidded to a stop. Her chest heaved
as she caught her breath. Her ability to speak returned.
That
hadn’t been a ship she’d seen. “It’s an escape pod.”
***
Read the next scene (available June 8th) here: http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=7122
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Other Chameles view him as the
enemy.
She sees the warrior hero he never
believed he could be.
* * *
Tolui is a Warlord in search of a planet
to rule. He has been leading his fellow clones in a stealth battle, fighting
for both control of the Chamele sector and the right to exist. The brave warriors
he commands warrant respect, and they deserve the best.
That best isn’t the barren,
dangerous terrain on Chamele 4. When Tolui crashes on that planet’s surface, he’s
determined to leave it as soon as possible. The tiny human female rescuing him
might be as beautiful and as wild as the land she inhabits, but her flowing
words, trusting gaze, and enthralling submission won’t stop him from rejoining
the war.
After many solar cycles of living
alone, Lea is overjoyed when a tall, scarred, muscular warrior falls from the sky.
Her savage stranger is strong and severe, and he makes her feel safe, an
emotion she hasn’t experienced in a long, long time.
He also insists they must part.
Before they do, she’ll show him the splendor of her home, and she’ll enjoy his
big form, collecting passionate moments she can revisit when she’s solitary once
more.
Every additional moment Lea and
Tolui spend together increases the chance they’ll both die. Lea is being chased
by female-hating fiends. Tolui is being hunted by the best bounty hunters in
the universe. War will soon arrive on their threshold, and the blood spilled
might be their own.
* * *
Warlord’s Mercy is based on a much
shorter story sharing the same title.
It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian
SciFi Romance featuring a villain turned hero and a brave, chatty heroine set
in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
Warlord’s Mercy is the fifth of six
core stories in the Chamele Barbarian Warlord series.
Book 1: Warlord Sky
Book 2: Warlord’s Bounty
Book 3: Warlord Unarmed
Book 4: Warlord Reunited
Book 5: Warlord’s Mercy
Book 6: Warlord’s Return
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886K65F9
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0886K65F9
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0886K65F9
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/warlords-mercy/id1511995733
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/warlords-mercy-cynthia-sax/1116524052
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/warlord-s-mercy-1
SmashWords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1020349
May 24, 2020
Warlord’s Mercy – Second Scene Of The First Chapter
Warlord’s Mercy, the fifth standalone story in the Chamele Barbarian Warlords series, is releasing on June 16th.
Last week, I shared the first scene from the first chapter.
You can read that scene here:
This week I’m sharing the second scene of that first chapter.
***
“You’re dead.” She gazed down at the soft leather.
There was no ability she could obtain to undo that. Her
beautiful, rare flower of a friend had been killed, squashed under the heels of
Daisun’s monstrous boots.
“I’m sorry, my friend.” Lea tucked Flor’s death garments
into a crack in the rock. Har, her selling partner, would retrieve the chest
and ass coverings.
No one knew of her agreement with him—how he supplied the
rock vulture skins to her and then sold the items she crafted using them,
splitting the credits with her.
“He’ll arrange for you to wear these.” Har would bribe the
brutes assigned to bury Flor. He would ensure her friend was beautifully
clothed when she was lowered into the sand.
It was the final thing she could do for Flor.
“I failed you in every other way.” Lea kissed the palm of
her right hand and pressed it against the stone. “But I will see you are
respected in death.”
She peered into the nook. Any creature or being could
discover the garments. The likelihood of that happening was low, as there were
many cracks and many rock facings, but it was possible. The relay point
was only utilized for rush garments, for emergencies.
Like the death of a dear friend.
“You were loved, Flor.” Lea wiped the wetness from her face.
“Never question that.” She straightened. “Find peace.”
Unable to linger longer, she turned and ran between the
rocks, moving silently and swiftly, watching and listening for any indication
she was no longer alone.
“You took a risk leaving that last gift for Flor,” she told
herself. “You’re already on Daisun’s radar.”
It irked the Palavian that she had escaped him. And his supply
of sex slaves was dwindling.
“With Flor gone, he’ll increase his efforts to capture you.”
Voices murmured in the distance.
Lea wedged her form between two rocks and waited, pressing
her lips together to stop herself from talking. It was doubtful anyone would
hear her, and it was a trial to keep quiet, but she wasn’t taking any more chances.
She couldn’t be spotted. By anyone. Daisun’s spies were everywhere.
The sounds of chatter grew louder.
“…the market.” The voice belonged to Stench. That was the
name she’d given to one of Daisun’s cruelest lackeys. He never cleaned his
garments…or any other part of him. Her nose twitched. He smelled like something
long dead. “I’m told that fabricator cunt Daisun is looking for sometimes
appears there.”
Lea stiffened. There were only five garment fabricators in
the area, and none of the others were female. She must be the cunt they were
hunting.
“Will he let us fuck her after he’s done?” Her name for that
male was Holes. His garments were in a constant state of disrepair. “She’s
small. She’d be so tight.”
She silently gagged, the thought of him touching her
unsettling her stomach.
“She’s too small.” Stench’s voice faded. “Once Daisun
is done with the cunt, there’ll be nothing left of her. You’d be fucking chunks
of…”
Lea couldn’t hear more, and she was grateful for that. She
waited until she was certain they weren’t returning, and then she ran in the
opposite direction, toward the tunnels she called home.
It was a long trek. Sweat dripped down her spine, underneath
her garments. But she didn’t slow her pace. Solar cycles of surviving on her
own, without a ship or any other means of transport, had supplied her with lean
muscles and extra endurance.
“This land has formed me.” She brushed her fingers over the
boulders as she passed them.
Varying shades of color delineated centuries of soil
settlement and created intricate designs on its surface, designs she used in
the garments she crafted.
“I’ll take these images when I go, and that way I’ll always
have a part of Chamele 4 with me.” When she found a new home, somewhere safe,
she’d utilize those memories as inspiration.
She had a vision of that fresh start, the place she hoped
would be permanent.
“My next home will be situated in a settlement. I’ll find a community
filled with kind, supportive beings.” Her lips curled upward as she dreamed of
her future. “I’ll be surrounded by friends, by a makeshift family, and no one
will try to hurt me or the beings I love again.”
She stopped for a moment to study a long-dead creature
captured in the surface of a stone. A chest covering crafted in that shape
would appeal to one of her war-loving customers.
“I’ll have protection and art and conversation.” She resumed
her trek. “Stars. I miss talking with beings—beings who talk back, beings who
are not myself.” She laughed softly.
The silence was necessary to avoid detection, but it carved
into her. Too many planet rotations had been spent without one word spoken to
any sentient beings.
“There’s no reason to remain here.” Flor, the only other
being she cared for on Chamele 4, was dead…like everyone else Lea had cherished.
“I love this planet, but I might love the next planet as much, and it won’t host
Daisun and his brutes.”
The danger was too great to stay.
“Once I locate a power converter for my ship, I’ll fly away.”
***
Read the next scene (available June 1st) here:
http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=7120
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Other Chameles view him as the
enemy.
She sees the warrior hero he never
believed he could be.
* * *
Tolui is a Warlord in search of a planet
to rule. He has been leading his fellow clones in a stealth battle, fighting
for both control of the Chamele sector and the right to exist. The brave warriors
he commands warrant respect, and they deserve the best.
That best isn’t the barren,
dangerous terrain on Chamele 4. When Tolui crashes on that planet’s surface, he’s
determined to leave it as soon as possible. The tiny human female rescuing him
might be as beautiful and as wild as the land she inhabits, but her flowing
words, trusting gaze, and enthralling submission won’t stop him from rejoining
the war.
After many solar cycles of living
alone, Lea is overjoyed when a tall, scarred, muscular warrior falls from the sky.
Her savage stranger is strong and severe, and he makes her feel safe, an
emotion she hasn’t experienced in a long, long time.
He also insists they must part.
Before they do, she’ll show him the splendor of her home, and she’ll enjoy his
big form, collecting passionate moments she can revisit when she’s solitary once
more.
Every additional moment Lea and
Tolui spend together increases the chance they’ll both die. Lea is being chased
by female-hating fiends. Tolui is being hunted by the best bounty hunters in
the universe. War will soon arrive on their threshold, and the blood spilled
might be their own.
* * *
Warlord’s Mercy is based on a much
shorter story sharing the same title.
It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian
SciFi Romance featuring a villain turned hero and a brave, chatty heroine set
in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
Warlord’s Mercy is the fifth of six
core stories in the Chamele Barbarian Warlord series.
Book 1: Warlord Sky
Book 2: Warlord’s Bounty
Book 3: Warlord Unarmed
Book 4: Warlord Reunited
Book 5: Warlord’s Mercy
Book 6: Warlord’s Return
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886K65F9
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0886K65F9
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0886K65F9
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/warlords-mercy/id1511995733
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/warlords-mercy-cynthia-sax/1116524052
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/warlord-s-mercy-1
SmashWords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1020349
May 19, 2020
The Cyborg’s Secret Baby Featured In Roswell Daily Record
Woot!
The Cyborg’s Secret Baby and Passion Surge were mentioned in Veronica Scott’s awesome article on Mothers in SciFi Romance!
See the entire article here: https://www.rdrnews.com/2020/05/18/from-afar-sci-fi-romance-books-with-mothers-as-heroines/
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
The Cyborg’s Secret Baby
A fierce cyborg warrior and his curvy human female share a no-longer-so-little secret.
Stealth, a K Model cyborg, knows his passion for Zebrina, the commander’s human daughter, is forbidden, yet he can’t resist the curvy female. He craves her touch, cherishes her sounds of pleasure, would do anything to keep her safe.
When he’s faced with the choice of protecting his fragile human or living to see the next sunrise, he chooses her, always her, sending Zebrina halfway across the universe to safety. He doesn’t realize their stolen moments had consequences neither of them believed possible.
After hearing her warrior died in battle, Zebrina focuses on the last gift he gave her. Doing what is right for their child is her sole priority. She will put their son’s happiness first, even if that means choosing another male over the love of her life.
The Cyborg’s Secret Baby is a STAND-ALONE story loosely connected to the Cyborg Sizzle series.
It is also a Second Chance Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, often-violent universe.
Buy Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Cyborgs-Secret-Baby-Stars-ebook/dp/B07F2NK6D4
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyborgs-Secret-Baby-Stars-ebook/dp/B07F2NK6D4
Apple/iTunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-cyborgs-secret-baby/id1404800721
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cyborgs-secret-baby-cynthia-sax/1128976169
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-cyborg-s-secret-baby
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/870968
May 17, 2020
Warlord’s Mercy – First Scene Of The First Chapter
Warlord’s Mercy, the fifth standalone story in the Chamele Barbarian Warlords series, is releasing on June 16th.
As we wait for Warlord’s Mercy to release, I’ll be sharing the first chapter. This week I’m sharing the first scene of that first chapter.
***
Chapter One
“I love this planet, but I have no choice. I have to leave
it.”
Lea uttered that truth under her breath. She talked to
herself. Constantly. That tactic had allowed her to survive four solar cycles
of mind-numbing solitude. The long stretches of silence had been unnerving.
She was alone this planet rotation also. Again. Always.
The sole sound she heard was the wind whistling around giant
rocks. Those monuments of stone shielded her from the severity of the sun’s
rays, concealed her in their shadows.
She crouched on a path only two beings knew about—herself,
and Har, the garment merchant she saw briefly every fifteen planet rotations. Sweat
soaked Lea’s chest covering. Sand shifted around her booted feet. She gripped
garments in her hands.
“I don’t want to go.” Her heart was heavy with grief and
regret. “Chamele 4 has become a part of me.”
Its rugged wild beauty called to her. Its unforgiving nature
tested her. It had taken everything she had to carve out a life on the planet,
to earn her survival. And during that unforgiving process, she’d fallen in love
with the harsh terrain.
She now considered Chamele 4 to be her home.
“The time has come to find a new home.” Her words were so
softly spoken she could barely hear them. “I’ll die if I remain here.”
Her most recent commission confirmed that sad reality. She
skimmed her fingertips over the chest and ass coverings she’d fabricated for
her late friend, tracing the flower designs she’d pierced into the soft brown
leather.
“You always liked flowers.” She addressed her friend, saying
the words she couldn’t relay when Flor was alive.
They’d met solar cycles ago, during the long trip to Chamele
4. Lea had happily allocated her spare time to crafting delicate cloth blooms.
Those had been woven into her new friend Flor’s long blonde hair.
“We were all full of hope and excitement then, weren’t we?”
Even her overly serious father sported a glimmer in his eyes
and lightness in his tread. Relocating to Chamele 4 had been a dream of his.
He’d prepared for it for most of Lea’s lifespan.
Flor, younger than Lea by two solar cycles, had been as
excited about new start. She had bubbled over with laughter, brightening the
interior of the ship with her smiles.
“Everyone loved you.” Her friend had that way with beings.
“Including me.”
Flor had been like the sister she’d always hoped to
have…which made her failure to save the female even more soul-crushing.
“When we landed, the situation changed…drastically.” Lea
tried to block the images yet couldn’t.
Her father died within mere moments of setting foot on the
planet’s reddish-brown sands, his dream snuffed out as soon as it was realized.
Daisun and his band of brutes attacked them, slaughtering
the males and enslaving the females.
“He laughed when he killed my peace-loving father—a male who
had never intentionally harmed another being in his entire lifespan.”
The Palavian had smiled as he kicked her father’s body
aside.
She shuddered.
“We ran as fast as we could.” She and Flor had fled the
blood-soaked scene, their visions of sanctuary, companionship, a normal life, evaporating
under the hot sun. “You were right behind me.”
She didn’t know the terrain, didn’t know where to go or where
to hide. Daisun’s males were bigger,
stronger, faster than they were. Their pursuers caught up to them, captured
Flor.
Lea would never forget the scream her friend had emitted.
The sheer terror in that sound haunted her rest cycles.
“I should have stopped, should have helped you.” She had
replayed that moment a thousand times in her mind, dwelling on the many
mistakes she’d made. “If I had done that, I would have been taken too, but we
would have been together.”
Young, inexperienced, and so scared, her brain had shut down,
she hadn’t thought to stop. She had reacted based on pure instinct, and those
instincts told her to run, to escape her pursuers.
That simple feat had almost been beyond the range of her
abilities. It was mere luck she found the entrance to the underground tunnels.
The gap in the rocks was large enough for her to slip into, but it was too
small for the male to spot, to follow her.
She had waited in the dark like the scared girl she’d been
until the screaming stopped and the attackers left. When she emerged, nothing
remained. The ship had been stripped to nothing. Her father’s body was missing.
Her friend had been taken.
“I tried to rescue you, Flor. So many times.” Lea sighed.
She held as little knowledge about freeing beings and covert missions as she held
about fending off attackers. “Daisun and his thugs guarded you and the other
slaves too closely. You were never alone.”
The Palavian and his horrid males restrained the females,
starved them, abused them. The worst was the gags. Their slaves weren’t
permitted to speak. They were mute vessels for the males’ vile use.
“Every time I spotted you, you were thinner, your beautiful
eyes were duller.” Lea traced the petals of a flower decorating her friend’s
final garments. “And I couldn’t do anything to prevent that from happening to
you.”
The misery and the wounds etched on Flor’s once flawless face
had torn at her heart. It had frustrated Lea until she had wanted to scream.
If she’d had more skills, more experience, she might have been able to free her friend. She could have stopped that deterioration. But it was too late now.
***
Read the next scene (available May 25th) here: http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=7118
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Other Chameles view him as the
enemy.
She sees the warrior hero he never
believed he could be.
* * *
Tolui is a Warlord in search of a planet
to rule. He has been leading his fellow clones in a stealth battle, fighting
for both control of the Chamele sector and the right to exist. The brave warriors
he commands warrant respect, and they deserve the best.
That best isn’t the barren,
dangerous terrain on Chamele 4. When Tolui crashes on that planet’s surface, he’s
determined to leave it as soon as possible. The tiny human female rescuing him
might be as beautiful and as wild as the land she inhabits, but her flowing
words, trusting gaze, and enthralling submission won’t stop him from rejoining
the war.
After many solar cycles of living
alone, Lea is overjoyed when a tall, scarred, muscular warrior falls from the sky.
Her savage stranger is strong and severe, and he makes her feel safe, an
emotion she hasn’t experienced in a long, long time.
He also insists they must part.
Before they do, she’ll show him the splendor of her home, and she’ll enjoy his
big form, collecting passionate moments she can revisit when she’s solitary once
more.
Every additional moment Lea and
Tolui spend together increases the chance they’ll both die. Lea is being chased
by female-hating fiends. Tolui is being hunted by the best bounty hunters in
the universe. War will soon arrive on their threshold, and the blood spilled
might be their own.
* * *
Warlord’s Mercy is based on a much
shorter story sharing the same title.
It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian
SciFi Romance featuring a villain turned hero and a brave, chatty heroine set
in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
Warlord’s Mercy is the fifth of six
core stories in the Chamele Barbarian Warlord series.
Book 1: Warlord Sky
Book 2: Warlord’s Bounty
Book 3: Warlord Unarmed
Book 4: Warlord Reunited
Book 5: Warlord’s Mercy
Book 6: Warlord’s Return
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886K65F9
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0886K65F9
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0886K65F9
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/warlords-mercy/id1511995733
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/warlords-mercy-cynthia-sax/1116524052
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/warlord-s-mercy-1
SmashWords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1020349
April 22, 2020
North Bound Mentioned On Veronica Scott’s New Releases Post
Woot!
North Bound was mentioned on Veronica Scott’s SciFi Romance New Releases Post today!
See the full list here: https://veronicascott.wordpress.com/2020/04/22/new-releases-in-scifi-fantasy-and-paranormal-romance-for-wednesday-april-22/
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
North Bound
A mission-focused cyborg battles a captivating and dramatic distraction.
***
North, the second-in-command of a cyborg crew, has two priorities—he has to explore and collect data on Balazoid Minor, a small planet in their sector, and he must bring his three-being team back to the ship alive and fully functional.
When he encounters his brash, bravado-wielding female, the one being genetically designed for him, he recognizes her for what she is—a distraction that might get him and his brethren killed. He WILL claim her, but only on his terms, when his mission is complete and everyone he is responsible for protecting is safe.
Myrina the Magnificent is the best warrior on her planet and possibly the universe. She has captured an unparalleled fourteen males for her all-female tribe. Once she has secured the fifteenth male, she will be a legend. Her name will live forever. She’ll earn the undying adoration of her sisters. Glory will be hers.
The male in her sights—and in her snare—is a huge, gray-skinned, blue-eyed cyborg with a skill for war and lips designed for kissing. One emotionally charged battle is all it takes for Myrina to realize she wants North for herself. She won’t share his caresses with anyone.
Their forbidden love might be destined to be, but it won’t be easy to maintain. Myrina will have to fight her sisters, an all-powerful male-eating plant, and her cyborg’s unbending will to make North hers and hers alone.
***
North Bound is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It is the fifth of six core stories in the Cyborg Space Exploration Series.
Book 1: Choosing Chuckles
Book 2: Doc’s Orders
Book 3: Dominance And Dissent
Book 4: Passion Surge
Book 5: North Bound
Book 6: Testing Truth
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Apple/iTunes:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/north-bound/id1500291657
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/north-bound-cynthia-sax/1136528667
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/north-bound
Smashwords:
April 21, 2020
North Bound Mentioned On Dear Author
North Bound was mentioned on Dear Author today!
See the full list here: https://dearauthor.com/features/new-releases/new-releases-week-of-april-21-2020/
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
North Bound
A mission-focused cyborg battles a captivating and dramatic distraction.
***
North, the second-in-command of a cyborg crew, has two priorities—he has to explore and collect data on Balazoid Minor, a small planet in their sector, and he must bring his three-being team back to the ship alive and fully functional.
When he encounters his brash, bravado-wielding female, the one being genetically designed for him, he recognizes her for what she is—a distraction that might get him and his brethren killed. He WILL claim her, but only on his terms, when his mission is complete and everyone he is responsible for protecting is safe.
Myrina the Magnificent is the best warrior on her planet and possibly the universe. She has captured an unparalleled fourteen males for her all-female tribe. Once she has secured the fifteenth male, she will be a legend. Her name will live forever. She’ll earn the undying adoration of her sisters. Glory will be hers.
The male in her sights—and in her snare—is a huge, gray-skinned, blue-eyed cyborg with a skill for war and lips designed for kissing. One emotionally charged battle is all it takes for Myrina to realize she wants North for herself. She won’t share his caresses with anyone.
Their forbidden love might be destined to be, but it won’t be easy to maintain. Myrina will have to fight her sisters, an all-powerful male-eating plant, and her cyborg’s unbending will to make North hers and hers alone.
***
North Bound is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It is the fifth of six core stories in the Cyborg Space Exploration Series.
Book 1: Choosing Chuckles
Book 2: Doc’s Orders
Book 3: Dominance And Dissent
Book 4: Passion Surge
Book 5: North Bound
Book 6: Testing Truth
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Apple/iTunes:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/north-bound/id1500291657
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/north-bound-cynthia-sax/1136528667
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/north-bound
Smashwords:
North Bound Releases!
Woot!
North Bound has released!
I think you’re really going to enjoy this story. I had such fun writing it.
North Bound
A mission-focused cyborg battles a captivating and dramatic distraction.
***
North, the second-in-command of a cyborg crew, has two priorities—he has to explore and collect data on Balazoid Minor, a small planet in their sector, and he must bring his three-being team back to the ship alive and fully functional.
When he encounters his brash, bravado-wielding female, the one being genetically designed for him, he recognizes her for what she is—a distraction that might get him and his brethren killed. He WILL claim her, but only on his terms, when his mission is complete and everyone he is responsible for protecting is safe.
Myrina the Magnificent is the best warrior on her planet and possibly the universe. She has captured an unparalleled fourteen males for her all-female tribe. Once she has secured the fifteenth male, she will be a legend. Her name will live forever. She’ll earn the undying adoration of her sisters. Glory will be hers.
The male in her sights—and in her snare—is a huge, gray-skinned, blue-eyed cyborg with a skill for war and lips designed for kissing. One emotionally charged battle is all it takes for Myrina to realize she wants North for herself. She won’t share his caresses with anyone.
Their forbidden love might be destined to be, but it won’t be easy to maintain. Myrina will have to fight her sisters, an all-powerful male-eating plant, and her cyborg’s unbending will to make North hers and hers alone.
***
North Bound is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It is the fifth of six core stories in the Cyborg Space Exploration Series.
Book 1: Choosing Chuckles
Book 2: Doc’s Orders
Book 3: Dominance And Dissent
Book 4: Passion Surge
Book 5: North Bound
Book 6: Testing Truth
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/north-bound/id1500291657
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/north-bound-cynthia-sax/1136528667
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/north-bound
Smashwords:
April 15, 2020
Cynthia Sax Is The Author Of The Month
Woot!
I’m the Author Of The Month at Dawn’s Reading Nook!
That is such an honor.
See The Full Post Here: https://dawnsreadingnook.blogspot.com/p/author-of-month-cynthia-sax.html
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
North Bound
A mission-focused cyborg battles a captivating and dramatic distraction.
***
North, the second-in-command of a cyborg crew, has two priorities—he has to explore and collect data on Balazoid Minor, a small planet in their sector, and he must bring his three-being team back to the ship alive and fully functional.
When he encounters his brash, bravado-wielding female, the one being genetically designed for him, he recognizes her for what she is—a distraction that might get him and his brethren killed. He WILL claim her, but only on his terms, when his mission is complete and everyone he is responsible for protecting is safe.
Myrina the Magnificent is the best warrior on her planet and possibly the universe. She has captured an unparalleled fourteen males for her all-female tribe. Once she has secured the fifteenth male, she will be a legend. Her name will live forever. She’ll earn the undying adoration of her sisters. Glory will be hers.
The male in her sights—and in her snare—is a huge, gray-skinned, blue-eyed cyborg with a skill for war and lips designed for kissing. One emotionally charged battle is all it takes for Myrina to realize she wants North for herself. She won’t share his caresses with anyone.
Their forbidden love might be destined to be, but it won’t be easy to maintain. Myrina will have to fight her sisters, an all-powerful male-eating plant, and her cyborg’s unbending will to make North hers and hers alone.
***
North Bound is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It is the fifth of six core stories in the Cyborg Space Exploration Series.
Book 1: Choosing Chuckles
Book 2: Doc’s Orders
Book 3: Dominance And Dissent
Book 4: Passion Surge
Book 5: North Bound
Book 6: Testing Truth
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Amazon Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0853DFY1B
Apple/iTunes:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/north-bound/id1500291657
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/north-bound-cynthia-sax/1136528667
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/north-bound
Smashwords:
April 14, 2020
Seeking Vector Named One Of Dianne Duvall’s Favorite Sci-Fi Romances
Awww… the always awesome Dianne Duvall mentioned Seeking Vector as one of her favorite Sci-Fi Romance novels!
That means the universe to me!
Read Her Other Selections Here: https://www.ladywithaquill.com/post/blog-tour-the-lasaran-by-dianne-duvall
***
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Seeking Vector
A cyborg with a secret… A female seeking the truth…
Vector, the C Model captain of the Freedom, is a cyborg many warriors wish to emulate. He fights fiercely, leads with honor, has earned the respect and loyalty of his crew. But no being, not even a cyborg, is perfect. Since arriving at the Homeland, Vector has been hiding a dark truth about his past. If his secret is exposed, he could lose everything – his position, his ship, and his life.
Kasia excels at uncovering secrets. Half a lifespan ago, her curiosity placed her on the Humanoid Alliance’s kill list. Now she has accessed information the cyborg council would prefer remain hidden. Their warriors are hunting her and won’t rest until she’s dead.
When Vector arrives on her battle station, all grim determination, gray skin, and bulging muscles, Kasia knows he has been sent to kill her. That doesn’t stop her from wanting the dominant cyborg. She senses the savage nature under the male’s controlled exterior, sees the mysteries in his brilliant blue eyes, craves the roughness of his touch. She will risk all she has to experience his embrace.
Kasia braved the cyborg council’s ire for a reason. If she doesn’t convince Vector to act on the information she uncovered, the enemy could destroy his home planet and render every cyborg in the universe immobile.
Can a doubting C Model warrior learn to trust and to love before it is too late?
Seeking Vector is Book 10 in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is a STAND-ALONE story.
It is also a Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Buy Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Seeking-Vector-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B075FHBW87/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seeking-Vector-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B075FHBW87/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/seeking-vector/id1280185990
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seeking-vector-cynthia-sax/1127072529
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/seeking-vector
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/746717
