KINDLE UNLIMITED - SCI-FI FANTASY - RESCUED BY THE WATER DRAGON PRINCE (Elemental Dragon Warriors, #3) by Aria Winter & Jade Waltz

 RESCUED BY THE WATER DRAGON PRINCE

Elemental Dragon Warriors, #3 

by Aria Winter & Jade Waltz

Publication Date: January 15th 2021

Publisher: Purple Fall Publishing

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 172

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

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BLURB

We set out from Earth to colonize a new world, but ended up crashing on a planet full of dragon shifters.

These fierce Drakarian warriors believe in a fated bond. A glowing mark appears on their chest when they find their fated one.

Prince Llyr of the Water Clan insists that he knows in his heart we're meant to be together. The only problem is, his chest doesn’t have the mark and I worry he might be wrong.

Llyr is everything I could ever want, but how can I give him my heart when he might end up fated to another?

Grab the first 2 books in the series!

Claimed by the Fire Dragon Prince: Dragon Shifter Romance (Elemental Dragon Warriors Book 1)

Stolen by the Wind Dragon Prince: Dragon Shifter Romance (Elemental Dragon Warriors Book 2) ,

Pre-order the final book in the series now!

Healed by the Earth Dragon Prince: Dragon Shifter Romance (Elemental Dragon Warriors Book 4) , Releasing February 19, 2021

Author Info

Aria Winter loves to write romance. Especially science fiction and fantasy since that's pretty much all she reads. She lives with her husband, 2 cats and 1 dog near Ft. Worth, TX.

In addition to reading and writing, she loves biking, travel, and sitting on the deck drinking coffee or tea when it rains.

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Author Info

Jade Waltz lives in Illinois with her husband, two sons, and her three crazy cats. She loves knitting, playing video games, and watching Esports. Jade’s passions include the arts, green tea and mints — all while writing and teaching marching band drill in the fall.

Jade has always been an avid reader of the fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi genres and wanted to create worlds she always wanted to read.

She writes character driven romances within detailed universes, where happily-ever-afters happen for those who dare love the abnormal and the unknown. Their love may not be easy—but it is well worth it in the end.

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RECENT RELEASE w/EXCERPT - NA SCI-FI - MILLION MILES AWAY (Million Miles, #1) by Alice Bane

Million Miles Away

(Million Miles, #1)

by Alice Bane

Publication date: October 5th 2019

Genres: New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

For the past year, sleep paralysis has been little more than a thorn in Natalia’s side. That is, until she meets Korin, a strange but beautiful alien being who makes her question everything she knows about the universe.


BLURB
Life-changing love almost feels like an invasion.

I won’t bore you with details about the mysterious medical issues I’ve had over the last year;
the sudden severe allergies to food and medication, the sleep paralysis. All I’ll tell you is that they turned my life upside down.

But I’m a rational person.

Naturally, I assumed that my mind was playing tricks on me when I saw the strange figures standing over me.

But it felt so freakishly real;
especially one face in particular that always stayed with me long after I woke up.

Something about him always drew me in and I knew he was different. He made me feel different.

All my life, romance has felt like something that was reserved for everyone but me. I’d accepted that the only love in my life would be experienced through my artwork.

Now I’m questioning everything I know about myself, about reality, and especially about love.

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—

EXCERPT:

The girls would always tease me about how put together my life was. Sure, it looked good on paper; top-rated artist in my department, an amazing house which I always kept immaculate, and when I wasn’t working, I was at the gym. They seemed to think that I had a perfect life. They had no idea how much I envied them. They both had incredible relationships with gorgeous men who doted on them endlessly. They were always commenting on how jealous they were of my body, but they also never missed a chance to eat delicious foods that I couldn’t so much as smell without getting sick. They didn’t realize that my house was always clean because it was empty and sterile; just like the rest of my life.
I didn’t even have a pet. Ever since little Ivan died, I accepted that I wasn’t pet owner material. If I couldn’t keep a goldfish alive, what chance did I have with a more complex and emotionally dependent animal? Besides, with my work schedule, it would be cruel to even try.
“Before we get started with what we’ve got on today, I need to ask you guys a really important favor,” Abiola said, circling the desk to take both mine and Laura’s hands in hers. “The two of you have been such a huge part of my life. You’ve been there for me through all my family drama and I couldn’t love you more if you were my flesh and blood sisters.”
“Abi,” Laura pushed out her bottom lip. “That’s the sweetest thing you could possibly say.”
“Well, I would be so honored if the two of you would be my bridesmaids this spring. Please say yes!”
The three of us all wrapped our arms around each other in a sickeningly sweet display of female solidarity. I forced a smile and swallowed the lump in my throat as I imagined walking down the aisle on the arm of some random groomsman who had a wife or girlfriend somewhere in the church. This would be the second time I was a bridesmaid at someone’s wedding. The old saying ‘three times a bridesmaid, never a bride’ rang out in my mind.
“I would love to be a bridesmaid at your wedding,” Laura crooned.
I mustered the minimal amount of excitement I could get away with for the situation and said, “Me too. I love you, woman,” then patted Abiola on the back.
Abiola nodded and wiped at eyeliner from beneath her watering eyes. She was an old soul with a soft heart. She spent her weekends volunteering at a children’s group home. That was where she met her fiancé Trevor, and they bonded over their dysfunctional family situations. They would probably adopt a bunch of foster kids right after their wedding and live happily ever after. She deserved that; it was all she ever wanted.
“Okay ladies,” Abiola clapped her hands. “Today we’re looking for something we can use for the promotion of the OSA campus, which will be opening next year in Portland, Oregon. Boss says our primary focus is to attract engineering and architectural students for the Lunar-retreat that’s in the works.”
“So, where do we start?” Laura said, looking right at me.
“I am going to need to work up some concept drawings for the Lunar Resort. Also, if you could give me the clearest photos of the most beautiful views the Lunar Surface has to offer, that would be cool to show exactly what the students should be aspiring to be a part of. I want to see some dramatic landscapes with visible craters, maybe some rock formations. Anything to pull people in.”
“I’m on it,” Laura nodded and sat down at her touch responsive computer.
“I’ll go to engineering to get permission to use blueprints of the resort that you can use to make the concept drawings,” Abiola said, then turned and headed towards the elevator.
It was an exciting project. I used to fantasize that by the time I was ready to retire, I would be able to cash in on all the vacation time I had accrued and maybe even spend a few of my golden years at that resort. The thought of waking up in the morning and looking out the window to see the Earth just as we see the moon from down here always gave me a sense of calm.
Four hours later, all final decisions had been made on what I wanted to use on the project. Right on cue, my trusty assistants started complaining that they were starving to death.
“If I don’t get some corned beef nachos in me in the next ten minutes, I might actually die,” Laura said and stood up dramatically from her desk.
“I want waffles and bacon,” Abiola rubbed her belly.
I sighed at the memory of bacon; I would probably just have some raw vegetables and berries. I was still looking at my screen and inspecting one of the photos, trying to decide on how I would alter the image to bring it to life. My eyes burned. I clenched them shut and rubbed them, forcing them to rest. Eye strain was the enemy and this day was proving to be particularly difficult since I had hardly slept the night before. I couldn’t shake my anxiety about today’s social gathering after work. Stress and lack of sleep usually meant a big fat migraine, which was the last thing I needed at Laura’s party.
“I’m going to head to the chill room. I need a nap more than anything.”
“You better be rested for tonight’s festivities,” Laura wagged her finger at me.
“I’ll bring my party face, I promise,” I said. I stood up but couldn’t stop the oncoming yawn. “The fatigue is killing me.”
“Yeah, no coffee or sugar in your morning will do that to you,” Abiola said with a shake of her head. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“Well, it’s easy since a cup of coffee could put me in the hospital again, I guess.”
“Jesus,” Abiola pressed her fist to her mouth. “I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s fine, Abi,” I assured her. “I just need to get a little rest.”
The two girls headed down to the food court while I made my way to the sleeping pods. White, plush, and stacked like a honeycomb, they were an inviting image that screamed comfort. I smiled and breathed a sigh of relief to find my favorite lower level pod was unoccupied. Turning on the sound system, I selected a playlist I knew I could sleep through. Sometimes I would choose guided meditation tracks or audiobooks. Today’s selection was soft cello. Something about the deep tones helped me unwind no matter what was on my mind. I settled in, turning on the heated cushions and closing my eyes.
I practiced the deep breathing exercises the doctor had taught me as I pictured myself floating through a dark endless sky toward the moon’s surface. The pictures I had looked at for over four hours served to be the subject of my meditation. I inhaled deeply, focusing on relaxing my arms and legs. Exhaling, I imagined moving further out into space. In… and out…
As soon as sleep found me, I was swept up in a flurry of blinding light. My stomach turned as the light began strobing violently, causing me to feel disoriented. My body tensed as I realized it had been several weeks since I’d had an episode. Right on schedule, it hit me like a ton of bricks.
Oh no, no, no, no… I can’t deal with this right now, not at work!
I struggled to wake myself, I couldn’t move. The cold sensation of a smooth metallic surface beneath me was confusing. I felt my fingertips twitch as I tried desperately to flail any and all limbs that might respond to my will, but my body remained where it was. I strained to sit up or scream, but I couldn’t even open my mouth. I was trapped, overwhelmed by the weight of my chest collapsing in on itself. If I didn’t put every ounce of will I possessed into sucking air through my nostrils, I had a very real fear that my body would simply shut down, leaving my body as a cold stiff corpse which might be found hours later in my cozy little pod. Filling my lungs with intention, I gasped for air, breath after panicked breath, hoping someone would notice and wake me.
The strobing intensified for what felt like several minutes and when it finally stopped, there remained a constant blinding light that made my eyes water. Tears streamed from the outer corners of my eyes into my ears.
“Help… me…” I managed to whisper to no one in particular.
From the edge of my vision, a blurry figure leaned over me.
“Please,” I sobbed, trying to turn my head to get a better look at who it was, but I couldn’t.
My chest burned as my heart pounded out of control. I tried to calm myself by reciting the scientific facts about what I knew was happening.
During REM sleep, your muscles are essentially turned off to keep you from sleepwalking. When a person wakes up during REM, they are fully conscious but completely paralyzed. Usually, physical stimulation from someone rubbing or shaking them will pull the victim out of the purgatorial state. Unfortunately, living alone means I have no one to rescue me during these episodes, which can sometimes last for hours.
“Just close your eyes. Everything will be okay,” a distorted voice spoke through the fog of my half-conscious state.
Maybe my brain is morphing the cello music into a voice. Sleep paralysis is often accompanied by waking dreams or hallucinations, after all.
I thought I could force myself to come out of it but, instead, I moved even deeper into unconsciousness. It wasn’t like falling, but more like being underwater and sinking slowly. I struggled against what felt like a chemically induced calm. I tried again to force myself awake but couldn’t. The darkness swallowed me up and I finally surrendered to it.
To my surprise, I suddenly found myself vividly aware of two things; one, the fact that I was breathing without much effort, and two, I was no longer in my cushioned sleeping pod, but rather stretched out flat on my back on a cold metal surface. All efforts to move just made me realize that what I was experiencing was very different from the sleep paralysis I was familiar with. I could move my fingers and flex my wrists and feet. There were actual physical restraints fastened around my wrists, neck, forehead, and ankles that were preventing me from moving.
Blinking hard, I strained to look around at my surroundings. The entire room was reflective as if every surface and object was made from surgical steel. It was shockingly cold, almost like the inside of a walk-in refrigerator. I grunted, twisting my wrists in hopes that I could slip out the straps.
There was a continuous hum that was so low I didn’t hear it so much as felt it vibrating through my entire body. There was a spherical light that seemed to be floating in the air a few feet over me. The ceiling was high above that and almost too dark for me to make out anything but the vague shape of what might have been a reflection of myself and the rest of the room around me. I strained to see past the light so I could study what else I could make out in the reflective ceiling. My heart pounded in my ears as my attention was drawn to a distorted human shape in the darkness at my side.
A chill spread through my body as I realized that someone, or something, was quietly watching me struggle but I couldn’t for the life of me work out who, as the silhouette disappeared from my view the moment I noticed it. Even when I turned my eyes as far as I could, the dark corners of the room remained completely obscured. Regardless of the deafening silence and the fact that I couldn’t see anyone, I knew someone was there.

Author Info
Kate Rudolph is an ex-derby girl who lives in Indiana. She loves writing about kick butt heroines and the steamy heroes who love them. She's been devouring romance novels since she was too young to be reading them and had to hide her books so no one would take them away. She couldn't imagine a better job in this world than writing romances and sharing them with her fellow readers. 

Want to know when she releases a new book and get a free copy of The Alpha Heist? 

Sign up to her mailing list to receive notifications of new releases and deals. The link can be found here: http://katerudolph.net/index.php/subscribe

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BOOK BLITZ w/EXCERPT - SCI-FI ALIEN - ALIEN LOVE: Ella & Krian by Vera E. Unita

Alien Love: Ella & Krian

by Vera E. Unita 

Publication date: October 1st 2019

Genres: Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

Mischief and lies brought us together but as soon as I learn the truth, I promise to help her.

She is mine now and everyone, who ever hurt her, will feel my wrath.


BLURB
Krian
My people are dying. We won the war against the Rakes but they poisoned our water and one after another our females died.

We searched the solar system for a compatible species, humans piqued our interest. As King of Krotan it is my duty to test our scientist’s theory. Thanks to the matchmaking agency Alien Kinka tiny human called Ella Bellini comes to Krotan. Something feels off, though…

Ella
I was kidnapped, f*cking kidnapped.

When I realize that I have been sold to planet Krotan, home to an infamous warrior people, I didn’t expect to be put into a luxurious suite. And I really didn’t expect my tall, overly muscled captor to look confused, when he comes for me in the night and I fight him with everything I’ve got. What did he expect? That I wanted to be here with him?

Problem is, we don’t understand each other. But he stopped, that’s everything that counts. Perhaps the sexy as hell alien will even help me, once we find a way to communicate?

Every book in the series can be read as a standalone, HEA guaranteed! This fast and steamy romance is intended for adult readers—have fun!

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—

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—

EXCERPT:

My legs felt shaky and suddenly being able to understand his language was overwhelming.
We could finally talk to each other!
The thought was like a lightning strike. I needed to tell him everything that had happened! Hopefully he could really help me find Sia. “We were just walking down the street, when they came at us,” I began. My tongue felt strange, as if talking Krotan needed different motions than I was used to. He had hacked my brain with his translator, right now I didn’t care anymore, after all I was finally able to communicate properly with him.
With Krian, I reminded myself. The Krotan warrior had a name.
“They drugged us, I only woke up again in the cargo bay of their ship.” The memory of how scared I’d been made me shake even now, months later. Staring at the floor, I didn’t see him coming. Suddenly there were arms pulling me towards a heavy, reliable chest. “You’re safe.” The dark timbre of his voice vibrated throughout my whole body, it made my skin prickle but the frantic rhythm of my heart slowed immediately. I believed him: In his arms I really was safe.
Something must be wrong with me, right? How could I trust him so quickly? Exceptional situations brought exceptionally strong feelings, I guess…
“They took my sister. They took Sia, too!” I whispered against his chest, my throat was closing in. “And there were other women, one was barely more than a girl!”
Around me I felt his arms tighten, as if he didn’t like what he was hearing. My heart was pounding heavily between us but his embrace helped me to calm down. “I need to find her,” I urged. When I looked up, his gaze was dark. By now I was able to discern the tiny differences between his expressions, though. He wasn’t angry at me, he was just determined.
“I understand,” he said after a while and I got the feeling that he understood much more than he let on.
“Did…did you have a sister?” Suddenly my heart was racing again, meanwhile my hands clutched at his shirt, seemingly of their own accord. A bad feeling was whirling around in my stomach.
“A brother.” A sharp nod. “He died in the war against the Rakes.” At first I was shocked how he could say these things as if solely stating facts. Then I saw the gut-wrenching pain hidden beneath the calm mask of his face. He did hurt, apparently Krotans only had fewer facial expressions than humans.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, while tears began to roll down my cheeks. Only the thought of losing Sia made me go into a panic. I was so sorry that he had had to go through this.
He nodded solemnly but didn’t say anything more about his brother. Perhaps one day he would tell me about him. One day? How long did I plan to stay here? I wanted to find my sister and then go back home. Right?

Author Info
Due to her father’s many business trips, Vera Elle Unita was born in Germany near Stuttgart in 1990. Since then she has traveled a lot, even studied one year abroad, but finally settled down with her husband and two beautiful dogs back home in the US—hello, Boston! She likes new hair colors, chocolate (who doesn’t?), and reading or writing about strong, perfectly imperfect book boyfriends struggling with their past. Everyone just needs a little love, right?

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RECENT RELEASE - SCI-FI - UNINTENTIONAL OBSESSION (Lotus Adaamas series, #2) by Layla Stone

Unintentional Obsession

(Lotus Adaamas Series, #2)

by Layla Stone

Publication date: September 25th 2019

Genres: Adult, Romance, Science Fiction 

BLURB
Every year Shine visits his mother’s grave. No one has ever dared to interrupt his day of sorrow.

Except today. An old enemy stops by, not to pay his respects but to demand Shine take in a snobby female that works in his lab. To keep her from leaving the planet he’s bound both Shine and the female with a bracelet that will electrocute them if they stray too far apart.

If Shine doesn’t do what he’s told, he dies.

If the female doesn’t do what she’s told, they both die.

Shine’s patience, loyalty and love have never been tested like this before.

—
Note to reader: This is a slow burn Sci-Fi Romance that can be read as a standalone.

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Author Info
Layla Stone is a Sci-Fi Romance author who is passionate about writing and reading romances. Her books are a blend of science fiction, romance and action adventure. 

A business coordinator by training and a bookworm at heart, Layla makes her home in Southern California, where she lives with her husband, two children, and a trio of fur babies. 

You can find more information about her characters and their races at www.authorLaylaStone.com 

To learn more about Layla, her life and writing process, copy and paste this link into your browser and join her monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/daY1qj

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RECENT RELEASE w/EXCERPT - EROTICA - STAR KNIGHT ERRANT: THRUST by A.K. Shelley

Star Knight Errant: Thrust

by A.K. Shelley

Publication date: August 26th 2019

Genres: Erotica, Romance, Science Fiction

BLURB
When Martian Air Science Engineer Cass Hedley takes a dare to use her new Artificial Intelligence system for a night of erotic release, there’s only one man she can imagine spending time with—the legendary comic book hero Star Knight Errant. She imagines strong hands, hard abs, and bubble baths, but her black market AI has another idea—an illegal fight club that will only end in her sexy companion’s death…or hers.

When Evander Mór transports to an unknown desert planet, his mission changes. Instead of brokering a peace deal, he’ll figure out what backwater he’s landed on and enjoy a well-earned weekend off with a gorgeous scientist. But when things get hotter than a supernova between them, he discovers he only has eighteen hours to stop an AI bent on murder, convince Cass he’s more than fiction, and find a way to cross the gulf between galaxies to bring her home.

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—

EXCERPT:

Cass squinted at the wall screen. The call with Sylvia dropped mid-sentence—typical solar flare interference. Cass and the other Terran engineers worked miracles with rock, water, and bio-matter, but there was no getting around Mars’s feeble electromagnetic field. She glanced at the AI manual on her opaque crystal tablet while waiting for her friend to reappear.
Sylvia’s image blinked back on, mid eye-roll. Ever the confident space port commander, Cass’s best friend hated repeating herself. Unfortunately, calls dropped with regularity between Cass’s new station near the equator and the established colonies. They wouldn’t have proper communications until shielded lines ran from Elysium to Hellas, which would take years.
“As I was saying, your new place is barren. You need to paint. Throw art on the wall, pillows on the floor. Get plush rugs fabricated. Something, anything.”
Sylvia was right. The concrete monolith, aside from its gorgeous views of Elysium Planitia’s frosted desert, was dark, sterile. It even smelled like a new building—concrete sulfur, stone, and the chem salts meant to mask the Martian building materials. Not home. “It’s only been two weeks. I’ll get to it.”
“What are you reading?”
“House AI instructions.” Cass frowned.
“Thank the Gods. How’d you get one so quickly?”
Cass leaned against the kitchen island. Beyond the great room’s picture windows stretched the rocky, misted plains outside the new Elysium Colony. In the distance, the trio of Albor Tholus, Elysium Mons, and Hecates Tholus dominated the dusty caramel horizon. Remote as this new station was, it was a damn great view. “The lab’s network guy found me a black market model.”
Sylvia hissed. “You made sure he wiped it, I hope. People do crazy shit with black market machines—brothels, grand theft, fight clubs…”
“I made sure. Besides, it’s a Luxe model, only one season old and in mint condition. I could only get a basic model paying retail. The hours I’m putting in at the lab, I need a nanny for the kids.”

Author Info
Prior to "following her weird" into passionate affairs off-world, A.K. Shelley wrote fantasy under the pseudonym Angela Shelley. She's worked as a technical writer, publications manager, graphic designer, biologist, and Buddhist nun. Born and raised under the starry skies of Canada, these days she lives with her husband and kids in Southern California. A.K.'s first book, Star Knight Errant: Thrust, is expected August 26, 2019 through The Wild Rose Press. http://akshelley.com

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RECENT RELEASE w/EXCERPT - HYBRID: Adapt or Die by Rebecca Henry

Hybrid: Adapt or Die

by Rebecca Henry

Publication date: August 5th 2019

Genres: Adult, Horror, Science Fiction

BLURB
Agent Van of the CIA is sent to an Australian underground military surveillance base called Pine Gap. Agent Van finds himself thrown in a conspiracy cover up of an ancient alien race known as species X. He falls in love with Annika, a mysterious and uncommon woman who displays unusual abilities, leading Van to question her own origin. Mystery and horror explode around Agent Van during a cave diving exhibition to search for a lost colleague referred to as Agent One. The only clue for Agent Van and his team is a cryptic message carved on a wall inside the bleak cave that reads “Agent One is gone. No more Agent One.” Terror arrives as the agents are trapped inside the ominous cave. Agent Van soon learns that there is more to Pine Gap than Species X.

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EXCERPT:

A man in a white lab coat turned to me with a smile. A tie-dye bandanna held back his long, graying hair. Doctor Helix was an older man somewhere in his 60s, but still had the hippie heart of a Dead Head. Wiry in build, he was a dead ringer for Bob Weir. Doctor Helix flashed me a peace sign as he rifled through a stack of vinyl records on a desk. Selecting one, he drew a joint from his lab coat and put Sugar Magnolia on the record player, adjusting the needle as he expertly lit the joint with one hand.

“It’s always best to remember the dead with a tribute song and a little smoke,” Doctor Helix explained. “Makes the job less of a job, you know.”

I smiled, uncertain if he was talking to me, or maybe to himself.

He pulled back the sheet and blew smoke into the dull-gray face of one of the dead aliens. “Here’s to you, buddy,” he whispered, his expression soft. “Had some good times, man. I’ll miss ya.”

I stared at the lifeless body in wonder as I observed this new and unknown species of alien. The skin shimmered with hints of blue against its smooth gray complexion. Its closed eyes were set deep within a triangular-shaped face that tapered to a sharp point. The alien’s spidery limbs hung motionless over the side of the metal table. I studied the delicate, elongated fingers that nearly touched the floor, its thumb almost as long as its index finger. I was surprised at how humanoid it appeared; they didn’t look too different from humans, just more exaggerated in comparison.

“He was a friend of yours, Doctor Helix?” I questioned, watching him.

“You young kids and your formal titles,” he scoffed. “Man, call me Doc Do Good. I might be old enough to be your grandpappy, but I ain’t no old fart.”

I liked him instantly.

“Yeah, kid, he was my friend. They all were.” He was silent for a few beats before shaking his head. “Shouldn’t have gone down this way. Good people, man, shouldn’t have happened.”

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline. “You called the aliens people.”

“Well, hell, man,” he answered with a shrug. “They weren’t aliens to me. They were the same as us—better even.” Doc pointed to one of the cabinets lining the far wall. “Lab coats are in there, kid.”

I opened the cabinet, selecting from the wide array of liquid-proof radiation aprons, accompanied by radiation attenuation gloves. The Doc turned with an encouraging nod, indicating for me to suit up. Selecting one, I pulled it over my uniform of black cargo pants and shirt.

“Grab one of those lead face shields as well, kid. The ones with the lamp attached.” He touched his head, noticing he was absent a mask. “And kid, grab one more for me,” he called. “Don’t want any splatter getting in my eyes.”

I selected another face shield and passed it to the doctor. I’ve always been intrigued by autopsies. It’s fascinating to see the world inside our skin; the mechanics to the amazing anatomy that keep the human body alive and functioning. But I’ve always found alien autopsies unnerving. Those autopsies set me on edge. Seeing a new system—an unknown and usually much more complex structure of a living creature not from this earth—both astonished and troubled me. Every time I look inside an alien I am overwhelmed by the vulnerability of humans, how simple and trivial our bodies are compared to an extraterrestrial.

Doc rolled a free-standing surgical light over the cadaver of Species X as he activated his own head lamp and pulled down the lead acrylic shield to protect his face. He took out a recorder to begin his dictation.

“It’s the fifth of November of the year 2025. Agent Van and I are going to perform a Species X autopsy on Phylax Number 571. Number 571 is roughly seven feet, weighing in at 140 pounds.” Doc looked over at me, a scalpel poised in his hands. “Ready, kid?”

“Yeah, Doc, open him up.” I slid the shield over my face, ready for anything. I’d witnessed many autopsies, but this was my first experience with Species X.

With practiced fingers Doc sliced a smooth Y-incision into the alien’s chest, standard procedure during alien and human autopsy. A thick fluid oozed from the cadaver, and I coughed over the gagging stench, the taste of rotten anchovies coating my mouth. “Looks like thick cream,” I said as I rubbed the viscous substance between my gloved fingers.

Doc didn’t look up. “They don’t have blood like us, kid,” he explained as he worked. “I call it ‘lactrum.’ It has more nutrients than any mineral or vitamin we know of. Lactrum carries more genetic coding then all the species of our entire planet put together.” He paused to gaze down at the alien with what I imagined was wonder. “These guys could live forever, never aging, never falling sick with illness.”

Doc waved me closer. “Take a good look, kid. See how vulnerable our God made us compared to Species X.”

BOOK TRAILER:

—

Author Info
Rebecca Henry is a newly published author. Her debut novel is The Lady Raven, A Dark Cinderella Tale, which was published in 2017. The Lady Raven, is for those who have an affinity for fairy tales retold with a link to witches, magic and the macabre. Her second novel, Louisiana Latte, a chick lit comedy was released February 28th 2019. Louisiana Latte, is a feel good comedy that focuses on the bonds of sisters, and how audacious life can be when you have a diva for one! Both books are available on amazon as well as Barnes & Noble. 

Rebecca Henry is a world traveler living abroad in England. Besides being an author of two published books, Rebecca is also a podcast talk host on the show The Latte Talk. The podcast was inspired by her latest novel, Louisiana Latte and her diva sister Deb. She is a serious vegan, gardener, crafter, wife and mom who practices yoga. She loves to laugh, her drug of choice and loves all things witchy with a hint of the macabre. Her favorite holiday is Halloween and her favorite movie of all time is Practical Magic.

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