KIERCE:
A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL
BY
VERONICA SCOTT
Thanks for having me as your guest today, to talk
about my new book!
I’m having fun writing an actual series (although
each book is written to be read standing on its own – you don’t have to read
the other books first) and challenging myself to come up with new wrinkles for
each successive novel.
For your readers who might not have read any of my
Badari Warriors books, here’s the background:
Genetically
engineered soldiers of the far future, the Badari were created by alien enemies
to fight humans. But then the scientists kidnapped an entire human colony from
the Sectors to use as subjects in twisted experiments…the Badari and the humans
made common cause, rebelled and escaped the labs. Now they live side by side in
a sanctuary valley protected by a powerful Artificial Intelligence, and wage
unceasing war on the aliens.
I started this series in part because I love Laurann
Dohner’s New Species and Lora Leigh’s Breeds, both of which have entirely
different takes on genetically engineered soldiers, and I wanted to write my
own stories using the trope, set in my future universe, the Sectors.
The
blurb: Elianna McNamee, spaceship engineer, is far from
her home in the human Sectors, kidnapped along with all her shipmates to be
used for horrifying experiments conducted on a remote planet by alien
scientists.
Her captors decide to toss her in a cell with a
ferocious predator, expecting him to kill her…but Kierce, the Badari warrior in
question, has too much honor to mistreat a human woman. The trouble is, he’s
trapped in a form drastically different from his own as a result of twisted
genetic meddling and hiding dark secrets to save other Badari lives.
Able to become a man again briefly with Elianna‘s
help, he and Elianna bond over their mutual hatred for the enemy but when
rescuers finally arrive, the pair are separated by well-meaning Badari
authorities.
Kierce struggles to overcome flashbacks from the
torture and drugs the alien scientists inflicted on him. He and Elianna despair
over whether he’ll ever be able to regain his rightful place as a man and a
soldier in the pack, much less be ready to claim a mate.
Elianna accepts a risky but essential assignment far
away from where Kierce is being held, working with another man who’s more than
professionally interested in her. Her heart belongs to Kierce and she can’t
forget their two nights of shared passion but will that be enough to lead them
to a happy reunion?
The
excerpt:
The officer nodded, raised the bottle to his lips
and drank deeply. Wiping his lips, he cleared his throat and tucked the now
closed container into a loop on his own belt. “And the human?”
The man holding her gave Elianna a shove. “She can
go back into the cell,” he said sullenly.
Weak in the knees, Elianna wanted nothing more than
to rejoin her fellow humans right now, but the officer hesitated.
“We have more than enough humans for the protocol.”
He eyed her.
With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach,
Elianna understood she was in even more danger now. Being singled out for
attention in this place of horrors could be a death sentence.
Elianna’s tormentor grabbed her by the arm and
yanked her close to him again. “Exactly what we thought, sir. No one’s going to
miss one female.” He cupped her breast with his free hand, squeezing painfully.
“This is a lonely post—we deserve entertainment.”
With nothing to lose at this point, she kicked him
in the knee, knocking his leg out from under him, and grabbed at his weapon as
the man fell. Before she could get a shot off, two of the guards attacked her
and tore the pulse rifle from her hands. The third guard ran to retrieve the
neurocontroller. The officer held up his hand and everyone froze.
“We’re not going to stoop to the level of having sex
with the experiment subjects,” he said. “We’re not like those twisted deviant
scientists. The military caste has pride, discipline, standards.”
“But, sir, you said—” The guard sounded confused,
and Elianna had to admit she was too, but nerves were making her tremble so
hard she could barely stand.
What did the officer have planned for her?
“I’ve got something much more interesting and
profitable to suggest,” the captain said as if he was reading her mind. “Bring
her.”
Following him like sheep, the guards marched her
through the corridor, past empty cells of various sizes, all dark, until the
procession stopped in front of the only other one showing a light.
A huge feline predator was curled up in the cell,
easily six feet tall and maybe fourteen feet long. Elianna shrank against her
captors as the beast uncurled to snarl and roar, baring fangs as big as steak
knives. Tail thrashing, the creature prowled energetically in the enclosed
space.
Knees buckling under her, she wasn’t too proud to
beg. “You can’t put me in there. Please, don’t do that. Let me go back to the
humans’ cell, I’m begging you.”
“Has he been fed today?” the officer asked in Basic
as he ignored her desperate pleas for mercy.
“Not yet.” The guard holding her tightened his grip.
“We know there’s quite a market for vids of the
experimental animals fighting to the death, lots of blood and gore,” the
officer said. “Imagine what the fans will pay for a recording of a human woman
savaged by this creature?” He raised his eyebrows. “Nice bonus for all of us,
and we can clean the mess up long before the scientists and techs return from
their conference at the main lab.”
One man whistled, and all the Khagrish exchanged
gleeful grins.
Author
Bio and Links:
USA Today Best Selling Author
Veronica
Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science
fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more
romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing
her own stories.
Seven time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well
as a National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud
recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job,
not her romances!
She read the
part of Star Trek Crew Member in the official audiobook production of Harlan
Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vscotttheauthor
