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Synopsis: Saving
Caeorleia Book Two
Dade, human-Caeorleian hybrid and ex-military grunt, doesn’t
fit in—not with humans, not with aliens, not anywhere. He’s always on the
outskirts, angry, and people aren’t sure they can trust him. When he encounters
a compatible tziu named Yaseke, secrets, misunderstandings, and attacks nearly
prevent the two from making a connection Dade sorely needs. Even after they
unite, Dade and Yaseke face challenges that two newly joined males should never
have to endure.
From traitorous council members, to sadistic aliens who plan to sell them as
slaves, to meeting a mysterious race of revered aliens called Collectors, Dade
and Yaseke manage to stay together—and even rescue two youths related to
Yaseke, who’ve lost their parents to the same betrayer.
Someone from Dade’s past is at the root of everything he’s suffered. No way can
he let them get away with what they’re planning, but Dade isn’t sure he can
stop them on his own. If he doesn’t let go of his isolation and risk the pain
letting others in will bring, he’ll never save Caeorleia in time.
Excerpt: Chapter One
Sunlight glared off the silver surface of the lake, blinding
me where I crouched away from everyone. The guard currently assigned to me
stood at my back, making my skin crawl. I shivered, even though it was hot
enough I was sweating. I never knew when one of them might try to touch me.
The water cooled my fingers when I dipped them in, making
small swirling circles ripple around my hand. My hovering shadow, a guard
assigned to follow me around, shouted over to the guards who were with the main
group lounging together beside the lake. The sound startled me, and I jerked,
splashing water over my robe. I glared at him from the corner of my eye, but my
guard was talking to Fieo and not paying that much attention to me. Nicklaus
was sitting in the shade of the weird brown trees by the water. He was busy
talking to Ryker, the other human who’d set us free from the military
scientists.
Over the last few days, things had settled down. Those
Caeorleian Council guys were no longer trying to force us into matches with
their own people. Ryker’s guy had really told them off, calling it the rape it
would have been. The other two men might want one of these pale aliens touching
them, but I didn’t. I wasn’t sure what would happen to us on their planet, but
I didn’t need anyone pawing at me. I’d known I would need more information, so
I pumped the only person I could. Ryker had spent a few afternoons telling us
everything he’d learned living on Caeorleia, which was the name of their
planet.
I’d tried to absorb everything about the Caeorleians,
treating what he told me like a debriefing. Before Ryker and his isit had rescued us, the only term I’d
heard the planet called was MC-214-XXV. It had been the subject of a lot of
speculation among the rank and file since it’d been discovered. The rest of the
time I stayed in my room, avoiding the guards. Especially the one always
hovering over Nicklaus. It creeped me out to see the way he watched him every
second—so possessive. Fieo never touched Nicklaus but focused on him with a
single-minded intensity.
Ryker and his alien guy, Seral, were never far apart,
either. Being part of that kind of constricting relationship would’ve driven me
insane. A slave to a need not my own? No. Not on the agenda.
I sighed, dipping my other arm in the water up to my wrist.
It was really too hot out in the sun, but the shade of those weird sampanga trees was filled with naked
aliens. And as tempting as the water was, I didn’t want to go swimming. That
would involve taking off my robe.
I was not comfortable with that, even if it seemed like
almost everyone on this planet shunned clothing. I’d never seen so many cocks
and balls, and I’d been in military school and then actually joined the Space
Forces as a teenager. Close quarters with a lot of guys was nothing new, but I
couldn’t believe the Caeorleians’ blasé attitude toward nudity. Ryker had told
us about the confusion over the different concept of clothing he’d encountered
when he first showed up. Ryker ran around in a pair of shorts and had given
Nicklaus a few pairs. I was too big for his shorts, so I had to wear the
aliens’ version of a skirt and robe.
It was awkward. I’d tried to wear my pants I’d been wearing
when we fled the ship, but it was too hot. I was not going to go naked, though,
not like these aliens.
A shadow fell over me. I dipped my shoulder and spun as I
surged to my feet. The guard who had come up behind me seemed startled and
looked at me uncertainly as I glared at him.
“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, clenching my hands into fists,
barely resisting the urge to show him my fangs. “What do you want?”
He held up his hands and took a step back. “Sorry. Everyone
is going inside; it’s too hot out here. Seral has invited you to eat with him,
and the midday meal will be served soon.”
I grimaced. Being stuck in a crowd of people around a table
was the last place I wanted to be, but I didn’t feel like I had much of a
choice. I waited for the guard to move after he gestured at the path. The guard
took another few steps away from me, but he didn’t start walking toward the
building until I walked past him. Then he followed me. I ground my teeth, my
shoulders hunching up.
I could have been safe the past five years, in a hovel back
on my home planet, working in a factory as a drone assembler or something. I
might have more freedom to move around on Caeorleia than I’d had on the ship
Ryker and Seral rescued me from, but at this point I wasn’t sure how much
better it was here.
Damn scientists.
Author Bio:
Alicia Nordwell is one of those not so rare
creatures, a reader turned writer. Striving to find an interesting story one
day, she decided to write what she wanted instead. Then the voices started...
Yep, not only does she talk about herself in the third person for bios, she has
voices in her head constantly clamoring to get out.
Fortunately, with the encouragement of her family and friends, she decided for
her own sanity to keep writing. Now you can find her stories both free and e-published.
When she’s not on the computer typing away, she's a wife and a mom of two in
the dreary, yet ideal for her redhead complexion, Pacific Northwest. Except for
when she disappears into one of the many worlds in her head, of course!
She can also be found quite often at her blog, where she has a lot of free
fiction for readers to enjoy or working hard, or maybe hardly working, as an
admin on GayAuthors.org under her online nickname, Cia.
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