Chapter Three
The day after his heat ended, Rashan returned to his regular schedule. He got up early, hit the gym, and had breakfast. The 29th had patrols today and he was glad for the chance to get back to work. Rashan turned on the radio, listening to the universal news report as he got dressed. Midway through the broadcast, an ad for an intergalactic dating service came on. As he drew on the close-fitting black tank and square cut black briefs he wore beneath his space suit, he found himself wondering how other people saw his body. Stepping up to the mirror, Rashan looked over his bronze skin, flat stomach, and slim thighs. They were nice he supposed. And he’d never noticed anyone eyeing him with disgust. He usually only took notice of his appearance to make sure he was neat and presentable for work. But today he was curious if people saw him as attractive. Annoyed at himself, Rashan shrugged and turned away from the mirror. It didn’t matter whether they did or not. He’d only had the stupid thought because he was no longer on his heavily restrictive suppressants. He took his flight suit from the closet and stepped into it. Although the material appeared thin, it was constructed from titanium infused webbing strong enough to deflect blaster rays. And it was triple weaved over his torso for extra protection. The suit was all black, except for the glowing blue Z.E.A.F logo over the left breast and blue stripe down the length of the sleeves. Rashan tucked his identification tags inside his suit, then reached behind him to grab the zipper pull and zip it up to where the suit ended beneath the nape of his neck. His black boots were next. They fit snugly, stopping at the knees, with thick soles fitted with mini propulsion packs to help him maneuver on planets with low gravity. Last, he strapped on his blasters, holstering one on each thigh. Once he was geared up, Rashan grabbed his helmet, turned off the radio, and left his quarters, the door sliding shut and automatically locking behind him. The halls were busy and bustling with crew members reporting to their morning shifts, some perky and awake, others bleary eyed and grimly holding on to cups of coffee. Just before he reached the briefing room, he ran into Layla. “Hey.” She greeted Rashan with a warm smile. “You look like you need a hug.” Rashan wasn’t usually a hugger, but he surprised himself by saying yes instead of politely refusing. “I do actually.” Layla leaned in to hug him, the comforting scent of a fellow omega wrapping around him as securely as the hold she had on his waist. It was different than Tony’s scent, homey and sweet, and it helped him relax, leeching away the tension he hadn’t realized he carried in his neck and shoulders. “You okay?” she asked. “Yeah.” “Good.” She squeezed him once more then stepped back. “I hear we’re going planet side today,” she said as they started walking together. “You know what that means.”
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Hello and Happy Friday! This week I have chapter two from Alpha's Desire. It's NSFW, so don't leave it up on your work computer while you go on break. ;-)
CHAPTER 2
Rashan went straight back to his room, not speaking to anyone he passed along the way. The odd tension that had cropped up during the scent marking surprised him. When he'd asked Tony to help him out, he'd thought his friend would mark him as a relative would, with a quick hug and cheerful rubbing of his throat over Rashan's head. He hadn't expected Tony to mark him in the way of a lover, using lips and tongue pressed against his scent glands. If Tony hadn't done that, he never would have thought to ask him to mark that spot at the base of his spine. But an unfamiliar urge had prompted him to do so, and the request popped out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying. Tony becoming aroused and his eyes going silver was another surprise. Rashan hadn't ever been involved with anyone so he had no frame of reference for what was normal. Maybe that was just the way alphas reacted to any omega in heat that they got too close too. His was obviously coming soon. He could smell the scent of it wafting off him, and it was growing stronger by the second. When he arrived at his room, he grabbed his data pad, swiped to the 29th Star Squadron schedule, and marked himself unavailable for patrol. The notification would go to their flight commander, and she would put an alternate in his customary position on patrol. It was a simple system for omegas and their partners to schedule time off during a heat. Rashan had never needed to use it himself. He was slightly embarrassed using it now, but there was nothing he could do about it. With that small but necessary task out of the way, Rashan started to settle down on the bed. He immediately jumped back up as another task came to him. He was going to need food and water but all he had in his room was a few bottles of water and some pretzels. That wouldn't get him through the next several days. Damnit. He had no experience with this. Ah, book covers. I love them. So shiny and pretty. For the Alpha Omega Force series, I got it into my head that I could make my own covers. I thought I wanted something with a simply starry background and one or both of the major characters. Piece of cake, right? I created a cover and showed it to my friends Sam and Ed. They took one look, and gave me the old, "Oh, honey, no." I was shocked! How could I, someone with zero graphic art training have created an ugly cover? (tongue is firmly in cheek here) With my hopes of becoming the next great cover artist dashed, I went looking for help. Since I'm new to writing sci-fi romance, I reached out to other authors for advice on genre appropriate covers. Then I polled my amazing readers, who told me what colors and type of backgrounds they liked. Finally, I went to my cover artist Melody Simmons of BookCoversCre8tive and she gave me this... Gorgeous, isn't it? Alpha's Desire releases January 22, 2019. You can add it now on Goodreads. Pre-Order links are live for Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. Amazon and Google links will be available on release day. Pre-Order & Release Day Price: $2.99 Regular Price: $4.99 An Alpha Determined to Win His Chosen Mate Star Officer Tony Alvarez protects his galaxy along with the rest of the 29th Star Squadron. But deep space can be lonely, and Tony longs to share his love and passion with a mate. Many omegas would jump at the chance to bond with the virile alpha. But Tony desires only one, his best friend, and the one man he can’t have. An Omega Newly Awakened to Passion When it comes to mating, Star Officer Rashan Grove doesn’t trust alphas. He’s repressed his omega nature for years, choosing instead to focus on his career as an elite fighter pilot. Now that he’s experiencing his first heat in a decade, he turns to the alpha who has always been by his side for help. With a gentle touch and passionate embrace, Tony guides Rashan through nights of passion hotter than an exploding star. Unfortunately, when the heat clears, Rashan retreats behind a wall built from lifelong fears. How will Tony convince Rashan to embrace the bond between them before their shot at love is lost to the stars? Alpha’s Desire is a steamy non-shifter/non-MPreg omegaverse romance set in the distant future. It has mechs, hot sex, and space battles. If you love space opera, anime, and romance you'll want to give this series a try! Tags: Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Omegaverse, Non M-Preg, Friends to Lovers, Pining Hero, Battle Couple, Multicultural Heat Level: High/Explicit Lookit what else I have! I wanted character art of my guys in their flight suits, so I reached out to Andy, one of my favorite Voltron fan artists. They hooked me up with amazing drawn art of Tony and Rashan. Artists are the coolest. You can find more of Andy's work and commission info on their website: mondaijo.carrd.co And finally, I have three advanced copies of Alpha's Desire to giveaway! Click HERE to enter. Three winners will be randomly selected. One entry per person. Winners will be notified Tuesday, January 15th. Good luck!
Love, Christa Sign up for my Newsletter to receive updates, free reads, and more! Hello and Happy New Year! Today I'm sharing the first chapter for my upcoming release, Alpha's Desire - Book 1 in the Alpha Omega Force series. This chapter was written to the Top Gun Anthem by Harold Faltermeyer. Yes, Top Gun is one of the inspirations for the story. No, I'm not even a little ashamed of that. I hope you enjoy reading! Space stretched so far into the distance mathematicians had gone insane trying to calculate the vastness, while philosophers spent their lives theorizing over the meaning of its infinite reach. Rashan did neither. As he flew his jet, he scanned for signs of movement, splitting his attention between the radar and looking directly out the window in front of him. There was nothing there. Nothing but deep, inky black and the glow of distant stars.
He spoke quietly, the microphone in his helmet transmitting his voice to the rest of his squad over the communication link. "I think this is going to be a peaceful and uneventful patrol." His squad mate's response exploded in his ear as soon as he finished. "Boring!" Rashan grinned at Waylan's vocal disappointment. It was expected, as was the response that followed. "Any day that we don't have to directly engage with pirates or the Varnos is a good day," Lieutenant Sasha Jemison calmly said. Rashan understood her viewpoint. No matter how good they were as fighter pilots, battles were dangerous, and they risked their lives in each one. Still, he too was a little disappointed they'd be returning to the ship without seeing anything but space dust. However, a blip suddenly appeared on Rashan's radar. Followed by another. Then two more. "Guys. We've got company." "Looks like you jinxed us, Rashan," Tony said. Already getting into the mindset for a fire fight, Rashan grinned and answered his best friend without much remorse. "Sorry about that." "Don't be sorry!" Waylan cut in. "I need some action." "You're such a cowboy," Rashan said with a snort. He teased his friend, but secretly he was glad the Varnos had shown up. "Stay on me and wait to see what they do. They might stay far enough outside the transport lane to avoid violating the Guion Accords, and pass by us." Following his lieutenant's instructions, Rashan banked around slightly, staying on Sasha's left as they flew to meet the approaching space crafts. It was unlikely they were friendlies. Space travel was heavily regulated in this section of the Guion Galaxy, and they would have been informed of any expected traffic in this section before the start of their patrol. Which meant it was either pirates or unsanctioned rebels from the Varnos Federation. They'd find out soon who they were dealing with. Once they were in range for a hailing frequency, the lieutenant got on the line. "Attention! You are approaching a restricted travel lane, protected by the Zareen Earth Alliance Force. Identify yourself for travel approval or change course immediately. Action will be taken if you do not comply." Flying at a steady pace, his hands light on the controls, Rashan waited for the response to Sasha's order. When it came, it was in a heavily accented voice filled with loathing. "Shut up, earthling scum." "Well, that answers that," Rashan offered dryly. "Yes, it does," Sasha agreed. "Engage but remember, we are not the aggressors. If they attempt to retreat, let them." "You got it, boss." Rashan pushed up on the accelerator and his jet shot forward, streaking toward the line of small black ships. His radar signaled a shot coming at him a few seconds before he saw it himself. Yanking the controls, he tilted his craft onto the left wing. He avoided the hit but it shot so close underneath him his jet shuddered from the blowback. Quickly righting himself, Rashan locked onto his target, firing rapid blasts from the gun ports mounted on the front of his wings. His shots connected, and a second later a plume of smoke rose up, stark white against the black of space. The Varnos jet spun and wobbled before steadying itself enough to limp behind its fellow rebels. After that, they all retreated. Rashan shook his head in disgust as he watched the blips on the radar move farther and farther away before blinking out. "That was pointless." Waylan laughed. "At least we won." "So easily I don't even know why they bothered," Tony said in annoyance. "We'll patrol for another twenty to make sure they've really gone before we return to the ship." "Roger that," Rashan said with a nod. For the rest of the patrol, it remained quiet, with no sightings other than a registered cargo ship. So precisely twenty minutes later, they turned to head for home, the Galaxy Ship Marion 3. The ship was massive, as long as three football fields and several levels high. Despite its size, its design was sleek and elegant. The wings flared from its sides in smooth curves while the red-tipped tail rose in a perfect slope. Once they were in sight of their home base, Sasha got back on the comm link. "Lieutenant Jemison to Flight Command. 29th Star Squadron returning to base. Requesting entrance for four space craft." "Welcome Back 29th. Permission granted to enter the Marion in gates three and four." Two of the ship's rear doors for small craft slowly opened, and blinking laser runways guided them in. Rashan throttled back and flew forward slowly, taking entrance three on the left. Even at his decelerated speed, he was still flying too fast to stop on his own. The arresting wire caught his tail hook, pulling him to a complete stop on the lift before he shot back out into space on the other side. Rashan started shutting down the weapons system as the lift rose, taking him up to the flight deck. The lift stopped, locking into place with a metallic bang. He rolled forward slowly, driving along the lit path until he reached his assigned bay. After completing his post-flight check, he popped the canopy open and activated the exit ladder. Once he hit the ground, he gave the gleaming blue jet a small salute. "Thanks for keeping me safe, babe." He pulled off his helmet and waited for Tony, who was exiting his jet in the bay next to him. Tony took his helmet off as he walked over, revealing short, wavy black hair, smooth brown skin, and a close-cropped beard. He flashed a grin at Rashan, his dark eyes lit with amusement. "You've been flying for two years and you're still talking to your mech?" |
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