I’m so excited today! I’ve been invited to the Mining Territory to interview Ryder Arteres about his role in the slave uprising. He’s the dreamy hero from The Neumarian Chronicles. It’s definitely another world here.
I glance up and down the boardwalk and spot the queen’s massive ship resting on the landing field at the edge of town. “Thanks for taking such a great risk to meet me out here. I know you’re really busy with the uprising, but some people want to know more before joining your cause. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
Ryder swipes his dark hair from his brow and steps in closer. “Sure. Shoot.”
I’m taken aback by how much his physique and strong voice commands attention for such a young man. I can see what caught Princess Semara’s attention. “How old were you during the Great War of 2185, and what happened to your parents?”
“The war ended ten years ago. In the final days of battle my parents were executed. At only eight years old, I was made to watch.” His morose brown eyes meet mine for a second, before he snaps his attention to a few rowdy men outside the saloon.
“You’ve been enslaved since the Neumarian Enslavement Act was passed at the end of the war. This declares that anyone harboring a terrorist (Neumarian) may be imprisoned without trial. Why should others risk their lives if they are not a Neumarian?”
“There be vicious tales the queen has told to keep her dictator of the territories. Humans are scared of us because they believe us to be life-sucking creatures, but it’s not true. Each Neumarian possesses a different gift, an ability that can help heal, create energy, and so many other possibilities. There’ll be a time when a human needs our gifts to help one of their loved ones, but we’ll all be extinct by that time. Besides, it’s plain wrong to enslave people. We be collared like dogs and forced to live under her tyranny. Humans should stand up and fight or when she’s done killin’ all us, it’ll be their turn.”
“You make some great points. What impassioned you so much to rally all of us to fight? Is it for your sister?”
Ryder’s fists tighten at his side. “Keep Raeth out of it.”
I’d heard he was overprotective of his sister, but I can’t help myself. “What happened to your sister that she stutters?”
“Queen did that to her. She’s vial and would stop at nothing to remain in power.”
Okay, moving on. He’s tight lipped when it comes to Raeth. “What do you hope the uprising today will accomplish and how can we help?”
“According to you, the way to get the word of our story out is to share with lots of people via Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter channels. Getting “likes’ and sales will help Escapement appear on lists. If I understand it right, that be the way to rally more fighters for freedom.”
A scout ship shoots out across the vast wasteland.
“Gotta go. Something’s up. Thanks for all your help. Be safe, we can’t afford to lose another spy.”
I step back at his warning. I think it’s time for me to get out of here. My place is back home helping spread the word.
He offers his hand in a Neumarian Greeting. “Be bold, be brave, be free.”
In honor of the uprising, I’ll be giving away a FREE e-copy of Escapement. Also, they’ll be more, so keep an eye out for my next excerpt today. The next part of The Neumarian Giveaway is something a few people are fighting over right now, but I decided to offer it here. 🙂
Escapement (book I of The Neumarian Chronicles)
A knock sounded at the door and Ryder sauntered over, bare-chested and shoulders back. I ducked behind a partition and crossed my arms over my lace-covered breasts.
“Your sister’s asleep on the couch. You two can sleep in here. There are two beds. Blow out the candles, they ain’t that easy to make, you know. Pass me her shirt and thing-a-ma-giggy she had on.”
“Vest?”
“Yeah, what else ya think I’m talkin’ about?”
Ryder stood at the other side of the partition. “Pass the rest to me.”
I tugged the pants down my legs, and removed my undergarments. Standing there naked, I crossed my arms over my chest.
“I’ll wash these. For now there’s a gown back there on the hook you can sleep in.”
The door clicked shut and Ryder returned with a smirk on his face.
“What?”
“Nothing. Just that you’re strong and scared of nothing that attacks or tries to kill you, yet you cower behind a large divider.”
I retrieved the gown and slid it on, dropping my hands and pulling my shoulders back in defiance. “I wasn’t cowering back here. It’s”””
“You’re shy?” He brushed my hair behind my ears. “I like that. You’re complicated, not obvious like the girls I usually know.”
Usually know? How many girls had he known?
“You’re smart yet compassionate.” His eyes traveled down my chest. “And you’re beautiful, yet you cover it as if you don’t realize how inviting you are.”
I concentrated on calming my heart, to keep things in check. I didn’t want to melt the entire home.
With a deep breath, I focused on how my body hummed in his arms instead of my fear. I opened my eyes and saw such intensity in his.
He wrapped his arms around me. My heart pounded so hard, he had to feel it against his bare chest.
We had to talk, but I didn’t want to break my few moments of bliss. I wanted him to be mine. A man worth losing my soul for, but I couldn’t hide from what I’d done.
I tried to form the words. My arms began to shake. The thought of ruining this fractured my heart. But if I opened to the possibility of us and he refused, I’d shatter into a million shards that could never be mended.
His strong hand stroked the back of my head. “Shh, we’re safe.”
I leaned back. His eyes glistened in the candle light and a reassuring smile calmed me. His sexy dimples tugged at my determination. Of course, this was the first smile I’d ever really seen since meeting him. I traced a finger along his jawline.
He lowered his lips to mine. Pressing his bare stomach to my thin nightgown, his cool energy surged into me.
At first, only small circles and soft kisses, then more urgent powerful strokes of his tongue left me breathless and trembling in his arms. His hand ran down my back and up my side.
The room spun and I clutched him tighter so I wouldn’t fall.
The harsh realities of the world disappeared and my body longed for more. He suckled on my bottom lip and his thumb brushed against my chin. Lost, swirling in a pool of escalating excitement, waves of desire threatened to drown me. I captured his lips again, and electric currents ran through my arms and legs.
He tore his lips away. “What’s that?”
The smell of a blow torch tickled my nose. Breathless, I stepped back. Steam rose from the barrel of water. If we didn’t stop, I’d melt the room to a pile of silvery goo.
He winked. “I’m glad you liked it.”
I didn’t know much about intimate things. Only the groping I’d suffered at the hands of the general. This was nothing like that. Something in me longed to connect with him in a deeper way, but how far could I take this before the truth separated us once more?
“Don’t know I’ve ever wanted someone so bad in my life.”
His words thrilled and frightened me all at once. “I don’t”¦um”””
“Shh.” He pressed his finger to my lips. “Not like that. Someday, but I just want you in my arms for now.
I wanted to meld with him, become one, never to be separated again.
He guided me down to the old bed. The springs squeaked under us.
Fear vanished. I trembled at his touch. For the first time, a man wasn’t groping me. Instead, he shared the gentle touch of a lover. I wanted the harmful world to vanish and allow me to live eternity in his arms, below the trees and golden sunlight of the Resort Territory. Never to be parted from him again.
Bang. Ryder nearly fell out of the bed at the knock. The door creaked. “Think I’ll leave this here door open “til morning.” The old lady’s voice broke the spell.
I sighed, his breath caressed my ear. I pulled away, and while I wanted to wrap my arms around him and never let him go, I had to.
Ryder slid to the side of me on the bed. He tapped his finger playfully against my nose. “I’ll respect Maggie’s house rules, for now.”
“Good night, y’all.” Footsteps softened in the distance.
I felt for the woman. She’d lost everyone she loved. My muscles tightened at the thought of losing Ryder or Raeth.
“Are you okay?” Ryder pressed his palm to my chest.
My heart beat faster than a spiderat’s wings flapped as I nodded.
He leaned up and blew out the last candle.
In the darkness, I found my courage. “I hope you can forgive me someday for what happened to Raeth.”
“Already told you. Not your fault. You were a child at the time. No way you could’ve done anything to stop it from happening. Just, my temper got the best of me. Made a promise to my parents, and I failed to protect her. Blame myself.”
“You did save her. If you hadn’t found her”¦” The words caught in my throat.
Ryder snuggled my head against his chest. “Don’t go there. Not now. Let’s have our moment together tonight.”
He stroked my hair and kissed my head. For the first time since childhood, I was hopeful for the future. The calm energy pulsing from him awakened places in me. Had he used his gifts before, with other women?
“I guess you’ve done this a lot with other girls.”
He froze. “Semara, I lived like any man in the mining territory, and I shouldn’t be judged for it.”
“I get it.” My body tensed, but I didn’t pull away. “Look, we both know I haven’t been with a man. I’d been promised to the general on my seventeenth birthday. Part of that promise was that I remained pure until our wedding. But if I’d had the chance”¦” My voice cracked. “Just forget it. Not important.”
I flipped over. He turned and pulled me to him. We fit together like a well-oiled cog. Perfect. Not a space between our bodies. His fingers traced a line from my shoulder to my elbow. “I want to know.”
“Part of me wants to be with someone. Because if I was, the general wouldn’t want me.”
“That’s why you want to have sex with me? To not have to marry him?” Ryder asked.
The pain in his voice etched a permanent tattoo on my heart. “No. My mother would still force me, if only as a slave.” I huffed. “My body chose you. I have no control. I know it sounds ridiculous. You wouldn’t understand.”
“You’re wrong. I feel a need so intense I think I’ll die if I don’t fulfill it.”
My head spun, then my body. “Yes. I’ve never felt that way, and now that I have”¦I can’t bear the thought of giving myself to another man.”
“Like the general or Malvak.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to worry about that no more. Won’t let them take you back.”
My lips brushed his, as my salty tears moistened his face.
“Semara, can I ask you something?”
My finger trailed down his forearm. “Sure.”
He tensed. “Did you suffer a lot on that ship?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m free now.”
“Are you okay with that? Queen’s still your only family.”
“No, she was never my family””only a woman who gave birth to me. I haven’t had a family since the day my father died.”
“You do now.”
“I appreciate it, but we both know that the Neumarians will never accept me. Just like they won’t accept your sister.”
“I’m not talking about Neumarians. I’m talking about Raeth and me. Family’s people that care about you.”
“You care about me?” The words flew from my lips before I could stop them.
“Yes.”
“In what way?”
He raked his lips across my earlobe and I drew in a long breath. “In every way. I can’t explain it. You have a way of mixing the words up in my head. No one has ever done that.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I want you in a way that’s more than friendly.”
“So this is physical. A chemical response between us, like my mother said. No such thing as love, just hormones and tools.”
“Po gÌavolite,” he rambled. “Tools?”
“Never mind.”
“Don’t know what’s going to happen. I do know I don’t wanna keep fightin’ unless you and my sister are by my side. It’s not just physical or hormones. I’m not sure what it is yet, except that it’s amazing.”
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