Forsaken Realms
by Katalina Leon
Blurb:
On The Run, Bounty
Hunters.
“Retrieval specialist” is a fancy term for
high-level corporate bounty hunting and Agent Gemmina Nayar is the best in her
league. She’s a sense-enhanced, level-seven bounty hunter from New Mumbai who
receives an exclusive invitation to track a dangerous criminal on private
property. She arrives on the tropical planetoid eager to hunt and release her
inner tigress, but is disappointed to discover the bounty has already been captured.
Syan is a
Kironian, an off-limits alien race. He’s gorgeous, rugged and all male. Even
sedated and forced to wear an electronic silence collar, he resembles a coppery
skinned refugee from Mount Olympus. Gemmina’s unaware Kironian saliva is loaded
with pheromones that can turn even the most indifferent woman into a willing
mate. A single kiss or bite is sabotage.
When the
mission turns lethal, she realizes she’s not only been tricked into bringing
the wrong man to justice, but the harsh jungle below is a calculated trap.
Excerpt:
Gemmina
faced the open bay doors of the complex. Shouts and several loud howls rang
from within.
The
guard mumbled into the communicator. “What’s going on in there? Ms. Nayar is
waiting to collect the retrieval.”
A
frantic response burst from the device. “He ripped the second silence collar
off! We’re replacing it now.”
The
guard appeared visibly shaken. “The collar’s made of carbon compound. How did
he do that? This is not good. Obviously, we can’t count on the collar. Don’t
you have him sedated?”
“The
sedation burns through him. We’ve given him enough to knock a rhino down.”
“Then
try something stronger.” The guard scowled.
A
burst of static buzzed from the communicator. “Kironian physiognomy is tricky
shit. This guy’s a puzzle. There’s something
weird going on with his blood. He keeps adapting to whatever sedation we give
him.”
The
guard glanced up. His eyes widened when he realized she had heard the
conversation. “I have Ms. Nayar right beside me. I advise we use force cuffs on
the subject, even if they violate intergalactic ethics protocols. They work.
Treat the sedation as back up.”
“Gotcha.”
“Force
cuffs?” A wave of disgust curled her lips. “Really? Are we living in the Dark
Ages? Not that I feel a great deal of pity for a psychopath who nuked innocent
people, but it looks bad on my side. The cuffs are notorious for causing nerve
and tissue damage, and they’re considered cruel and unusual. I’ve never had to
use them to get a retrieval under control.”
“Once
you’re out of Naveen’s orbit you’re free to do things your way, but I advise
you to not let your guard down with this guy.”
A
shiver of apprehension gripped her. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
Considering she had extensive experience with many humanoid species, she should
have felt confident in her abilities. But she didn't know exactly what a
Kironian was.
“Listen,
guys, even with access to a warp tunnel for part of the journey, Penal Colony
X57 is eighty flight hours away. I cannot leave a man in force cuffs that long.
Add to that the fact he’s Kironian and under political sequester and none of us
are legally authorized to punish or even interact with this species. I see a
perfect recipe for disaster. I don’t want to harm him and cause an
intergalactic incident. What are we talking about here? How humanoid is a
Kironian?”
“Very
human.” The guard was quick to answer. “But better—smarter, and stronger. Most
are peace-loving except for this character, who seems to be something of a
rogue. I’ll bet the Kironians will cheer when they discover we took him out of
the equation.”
Four
guards wearing head-to-toe body armor and face shields, and carrying ionized
bang sticks with the tips glowing hot, marched toward her, dragging a semi-conscious
man between them. The captive was slumped forward with head hanging and a
tousle of dark, wavy hair concealing his face. His splayed legs hung limp, and
the toes of his heavy boots dug deep furrows into the beach. The current
sedation seemed to be effective…”
Bio: Katalina Leon
Katalina Leon is an artist and
author who can’t commit to a single genre. Her favorite playgrounds are
historical, Sci-fi, contemporary, and most of all paranormal realms. Katalina
brings a sense of adventure and a touch of the mystical to erotic romance. She
believes there's a daring heroine inside every woman who wants to take a wild
ride with a strong worthy hero.
“Forsaken
Realms” Is part of Bounty Hunters United
and Fated Desires Publishing Special
Lines.
Contacts:
Twitter: Katalina_Leon
