by Elin Wyn
In the first days that Calixta started living with us, she was still a bit leery of him, which was only natural, after watching him obliterate a Xathi with his hammer, but he had worn her down over time.
Now she had his big green heart wrapped around her tiny fingers, and he couldn’t be happier.
“Are we almost there?” she asked, looking around impatiently.
Our outings with the refugees were one of her favorite pastimes. The Vengeance might have been her new home, but she still looked forward to the days she could spend outside with the other children.
“Actually,” I said, pushing my way between some densely packed trees, “we’re here now!”
She laughed as she ran into the clearing, greeting the refugees by name.
“Stay where I can see you!” I reminded her, jogging to keep up.
I saw Vidia a moment after Calixta did, and she ran to the woman, throwing her arms around her in greeting.
“Leena, Calixta!” Vidia called. “There you are.”
From my side, Tu’ver cleared his throat.
“And Tu’ver,” she added, “always a pleasure.”
“Likewise.”
I crossed to the older woman, giving her a hug before turning to look at the refugees.
“How is everyone doing?” I asked, nodding to a group of children. Calixta had already inserted herself amongst them, laughing along to a joke none of us could hear.
“They’re doing well. Some people are still struggling, but we’re making do as well as we can.”
Her voice hinted there might be more to the story.
“Vidia… how are things really going?”
She sighed, looking down at her feet. “Things are as well as could be expected,” she finally offered, “given the circumstances.”
“What’s been happening?”
“Oh nothing,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I do worry some about the psychological effects of what they’ve all been through. I’d be a fool not to. But everyone’s trying, we’re all working to get past it.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say. Long-term psychological effects would hardly be surprising, given what we’d all been through.
“And you?” I finally asked
She smiled, “I’m quite well, Leena.”
“You know, if there’s ever—”
She interrupted with a grin. “Anything I need, I can ask you. Yes, I know. We all do, dear. It’s just going to take some time to adjust.”
I opened my mouth to question her further but she stilled me with a raised hand.
“Enough shop talk,” she said, “I promise, our problems will all still be here tomorrow. Right now, that girl of yours seems to require your attention.”
I turned to find Calixta waving her arms. “Leena, Tu’ver, come play with us.”
Hours later, we walked back into the Vengeance, Calixta now asleep on my hip.
I said goodbye to Tu’ver, and tucked Calixta into bed before heading off to find Axtin.
He looked up as I walked into the training area, a smile pulling at his lips.
“How was the clearing?”
“Exhausting.” I said, crossing to him.
He laughed, reaching out to pluck a leaf from my hair, “I’ll bet.”
I looked him up and down, noting his heavy breathing as he set his weapon aside.
“Have you been training since we left?”
He had the decency to look abashed.
“Maybe.”
“Axtin,” I scolded, “you know you can’t push yourself too hard.”
“I’m not, I swear. I was just about to stop.”
I raised a brow in disbelief. “I’m sure.”
He chuckled, “Well, I’m stopping now.”
“I see that, but you still can’t—”
“Oh please,” he chided, “if I didn’t bring you food most days you’d probably starve to death in your lab.”
I opened my mouth to argue but only a laugh came out. He had a point. It was easy for me to forget things like food and water when I was working.
“Touché.”
“Have you eaten today?” he asked, his expression suggesting he already knew the answer.
“Maybe I’m hungry for other things.” I ran my hands up the broad planes of his chest then back down, curling my fingers until my nails lightly scratched him.
“You tempt me, mate,” he growled, tugging me to him.
I blinked, pushed against him to lean back while my mind reeled.
Mate?
I stared at him.
Not when facing the Xathi, not when rescuing the prisoners, had I ever seen such a look of fear on Axtin’s face.
We hadn’t exactly made plans for the future, just settled into our routine.
But…
I leaned forward and nibbled at his lower lip until he relaxed into me.
“And I plan to keep tempting you.” I locked his gaze with mine. “Mate.”
Letter from Elin
I don’t have favorite couples, I really don’t!
But if I did, Axtin and Leena would be near the top. They’re so much fun together, each so stubborn in their own ways - and magic when they learn to work together.
Next up?
If you know you’re going to die young, you can react in a few ways.
Harden your heart. Fight destiny.
Or roll with the hand you’re dealt and enjoy what time you have.
Archivist Mariella thought all hope of a cure for her disease had been lost long before the Xathi invaded.
The war sped up her timeline, nothing more.
The warriors of the Vengeance? Friends only.
Even if one of them calls to her heart and sparks new desires within her…
Tu’ver and the rest of the K’ver esteem logic and order above all.
He has a function.
To fight with the crew of the Vengeance. To kill the Xathi. To avenge his people.
So why is he so drawn to the gentle human, Mariella?
And when there’s a chance to obtain information that may save her life, why would he risk everything to save her?
In the war between Logic and Passion, there can be only one victor.
XOXO,
Elin
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Don’t Miss the Star Breed!
Given: Star Breed Book One
When a renegade thief and a genetically enhanced mercenary collide, space gets a whole lot hotter!
Thief Kara Shimsi has learned three lessons well - keep her head down, her fingers light, and her tithes to the syndicate paid on time.
But now a failed heist has earned her a death sentence - a one-way ticket to the toxic Waste outside the dome. Her only chance is a deal with the syndicate's most ruthless enforcer, a wolfish mountain of genetically-modified muscle named Davien.
The thought makes her body tingle with dread-or is it heat?
Mercenary Davien has one focus: do whatever is necessary to get the credits to get off this backwater mining colony and back into space. The last thing he wants is a smart-mouthed thief - even if she does have the clue he needs to hunt down whoever attacked the floating lab he and his created brothers called home.
Caring is a lia
bility. Desire is a commodity. And love could get you killed.
http://myBook.to/StarBreed1
Bonded: Star Breed Book Two
She doesn't need anyone. He's not going to let her go.
Eris Vance, salvager and loner, is happy with her life in the remote fringes of the Empire with just her AI for company. An abandoned ship could be the find of a lifetime, but it's not nearly as empty as she thinks. And the hulking man left behind kindles a heat she's never felt. But will he stay through the coming storm?
Connor is the perfect soldier - He's been made that way. Waking up to the destruction of the world he knew disturbs him almost as much as the gorgeous woman who found him. Her scent, her touch distracts him, and just this once, maybe he doesn't care.
The Daedelus is filled with secrets and the results of genetic experiments to breed the perfect soldier... and now that she's awakened him, the mystery of its destruction will hunt them both. Can the growing bond between them survive?
http://myBook.to/StarBreed2
Caged: Star Breed Book Three
No Past. No Trust. No Way Out.
Zayda Caiden relies on no one. An Imperial spy, her mission was betrayed - but she doesn't know the identity of the traitor.
And there's certainly no reason to trust the giant of a man dumped at the prison clinic, even if he makes her burn with feelings she thought long buried.
Mack has no memory, no real name. Just dreams of fire and pain, and a set of coordinates to a section of unexplored space he refuses to reveal. There's no room in his mission for a woman with secrets of her own, but her scent fills his dreams.
When they have a chance at freedom, can they trust each other enough to escape? Or will their secrets overwhelm their passion?
http://myBook.to/Starbreed3
Freed: Star Breed Book Four
When solitude leads to the brink of madness, only the touch of a sexy, headstrong doctor can pull a dangerous warrior back from the edge...
Dr. Nadira Tannu's work at the small clinic on Orem station was a quiet practice, helping the people of the Fringe. But then she and one of her patients were abducted into a nightmare on a long lost star ship and nothing would ever be the same.
When a rugged survivor rescues them, can she turn his thirst for revenge into a plan for escape? And can she keep her heart safe from the heat in his eyes?
Vengeance against the faceless droids who destroyed his brothers is all that keeps Ronan alive. But he can't resist the pleading look in a pair of wide green eyes staring at him from a cage.
He'll keep her safe. Even if it's from himself.
http://myBook.to/Starbreed4
Craved: Star Breed Book Five
Compassion. Kindness. Caring.
Not really part of my skill set. But for her, I might have to learn.
Geir
I run advance reconnaissance, collecting intel the Pack needs to execute our operations.
In and out, hard and fast.
And I don't need help.
So when a gorgeous woman saves my life, I'm knocked more than a bit off my game.
That's all it is.
Not the shy smile I hunger to coax from her lips, not the sweet body she keeps hidden. Not the mysteries that haunt her eyes.
And certainly not the bewitching scent that stirs me in ways no mission ever has.
I crave her like nothing I've found before.
Even if she might be the enemy, I'll make her mine.
Valrea
He can't save me.
The secrets of the Compound are too tangled. The nightmares in my blood can never be erased.
But his touch sends me reeling, thirsting for what I can't have.
What harm could one night do?
http://myBook.to/Starbreed5
Snared: Star Breed Book Six
When the only woman Xander cared for was ripped from his arms, nothing else mattered.
Now she’s back. Fragile and brave, beautiful and brilliant. Someone to protect, someone to fight for.
Except she doesn’t remember him at all.
Her curves and captivating scent drive him mad, demanding he cares for her, possess her.
He'll keep his mate safe, even if the Empire burns to ash around them.
Loree Sarratt is tired of everyone treating her like an invalid. Her hacking skills could save the Empire - if she's not arrested first.
First puzzle to solve? An overprotective pillar of muscle who turns her legs to jelly when he’s in the same room.
She can’t lose focus. But the heat of his gaze sends her pulse racing. His touch steals her breath. Everything tempts her to surrender…
And forget the danger she's in.
http://myBook.to/Starbreed6
About the Author
I love old movies – To Catch a Thief, Notorious, All About Eve — and anything with Katherine Hepburn in it. Clever, elegant people doing clever, elegant things.
I’m a hopeless romantic.
And I love science fiction and the promise of space.
So it makes perfect sense to me to try to merge all of those loves into a new science fiction world, where dashing heroes and lovely ladies have adventures, get into trouble, and find their true love in the stars!
Also by Elin Wyn
The Empire’s Fringe – Science Fiction Romance
The Empire’s Fringe Bundle
All of the below stories, at a special price!
https://elinwynbooks.com/the-empires-fringe/
Staked
In the slums of space station Cilurnum 8, fiercely independent Anisha Cheng must decide how far she’s willing to trust Kieran Matthias, the one man who she’s ever allowed to break her heart. If she can’t, she risks losing the Sapphire Star, her late father’s bar and the only home she knows, to a crime syndicate in three days. But as Anisha and Kieran try to work together, the plans of the syndicate may break them apart forever.
Jewel of Empire
On the spaceliner Dynomius, reformed cat burglar Audrey Pilgram has three weeks to prove her innocence of a series of copycat crimes, or all the sins of her past will be laid at her door. But her quest to uncover the culprit is complicated when she sees the next target - tall, handsome Phillip Lapsys. Can she stop the theft of the jewel before he steals her heart?
Raven’s Heart
Jayna wasn’t looking for trouble. Her plan was to keep her head down, save her money, and get back into to med school. But when she overhears the plans for a bio-terrorism attack that could wipe out the population of her station, her world is turned upside down. Raven’s Heart is a steamy science fiction romance complete novella with a happy ending, containing nebula hot scenes of passion.
Stolen
An alien artifact. Archaeologist Eliya Cafeal has spent her life in pursuit of this find - and nothing is going to get in her way. Certainly not a rogue and a scoundrel, even if he makes her blood catch fire. Captain Ruvon Taxal likes his life. Few close friends, a spot of petty smuggling or charter trips as needed. No restrictions, and nothing to tie him down. And if his newest passenger, a feisty archaeologist with storm grey eyes, has gotten under his skin, well, he'll learn to live without her when she leaves. But everything is changed when Eliya is stolen.
Claimed
In the remote mountains of a frontier planet, tinkerer and part-time inventor Paige Roth has her hands full protecting her claim against the goons of MagnorCo. With the help of her robots, she's doing pretty well, but the last thing she expects to fall into one of her traps is a handsome stranger trying to hike through the mountains for reasons of his own. He's handsome enough to make her forget where she put her toolkit, but can she trust him?
Alien Warrior Romance
https://elinwynbooks.com/alien-romance/
Alien Mercenary's Desire: Alien Abduction Romance
Kordiss has spent his life on the fringe, not succumbing to his rages. But when he rescues feisty human Sharla from intergalactic sex traders, his defen
ses are breached by her trusting smile. And when she's stolen from his arms, nothing will stand in the way of getting her back.
This is a sexy, steamy stand-alone alien abduction short romance with a happy ending.
Bonded to the Alien: Gate Jumpers Saga Part 1
Captain Taryn Nephalia was, honestly, a little bored with her current mapping mission. But a freak accident sent her and her crew crashing towards an unknown planet. Captured by alien snake men, Taryn knows she's on her own to escape, rescue her crew, and get off that rock.
But she's not expecting help from a fellow prisoner - a hunky alpha alien warrior on mission of his own. And now his mission includes her.
Bonded to the Alien is the first in a linked series of steamy science fiction alien romance short stories about Captain Taryn and her crew.
Allied with the Alien: Gate Jumpers Saga Part 2
Stephine Willovitch isn't sure about trusting the Eiztar warriors. She's practical, logical, and not terribly fond of strangers. As far as she remembered, she'd just entered her pod moments ago. Torpor gas had kept her still for the past 36 hours. But apparently Captain Taryn had gotten them all involved with a bunch of rebels, and now they were on the run from some sort of alien snake men. Stephine would follow orders, but she couldn't be ordered to trust the man paired with her - Dojan Cholsad-. Tall, blond, stunningly handsome - and annoyingly friendly - she certainly wasn't going to put up with any of this bonding nonsense. But when Dojan is in danger, her heart isn't listening to her head.
