It is a bonus scene from Escaping Fate, Veredian Chronicles Book 1 told in Lhor's POV. Please read Escaping Fate first to fully enjoy this bonus scene. EXCERPT Her sultry voice stirred the embers, deep in my gut, of a fire I had not felt in years. The same powerful connection struck me when our eyes met. My skin tingled and my pulse perked up. Her throat worked and her pupils dilated. She quickly looked away, breaking the bond. Goddess have mercy.

    But Ankari Markovich needs a few archaeological samples for her latest business venture, a venture that might prove lucrative enough to move her family off the impoverished planet where she grew up. Unfortunately, she has no sooner collected her samples than she’s captured by a band of brawny mercenaries. The captain might be handsome, but he’s intent on turning her over to some finance lord who has, for reasons unknown, put a bounty on her head, a ridiculously large one at that. If she can’t figure out a way to escape before she’s delivered to the lord’s home world, she could be forced into a life of indentured servitude—or worse.Captain Viktor Mandrake doesn’t usually take on piddling bounty hunting gigs, but when his intelligence officer informs him of a criminal on a nearby planet, he decides it wouldn’t hurt to take a shuttle down to collect the woman. But Ankari Markovich is trouble from the start, nearly eluding his elite forces, then fighting and tricking his people left and right. He finds himself admiring her spirit, but according to her warrant, she’s a criminal. The safest thing is to keep her in the brig and ignore her until she can be handed off to the man who wants her.But the situation grows more complicated when other bounty hunters show up, wanting to claim Ankari for themselves. Thanks to this woman, Viktor’s ship is in danger, his crew members are going missing, and he’s fighting enemies he never asked for in a jungle in the middle of a hurricane. He’s either going to strangle Ankari… or fall in love. Either scenario could get him killed.Mercenary Instinct is a full-length, stand-alone novel of 90,000 words. It is part of the “Mandrake Company” series of science fiction romance stories and is recommended for readers who enjoy space-based adventure (such as Firefly) and steamy love stories (in the style of Linnea Sinclair).

    A review of the populated planets in your region revealed that Earth females are the closest genetically to our species. Thus we have decided to take one thousand human females with us."As these words are broadcast over Earth media, Janis Stone blacks out. She awakens on an alien colonization ship, one of a thousand human women destined to become Brides of the Terilian colonists.At first outraged by the kidnapping, Jan soon finds herself intrigued by Delos, the Terilian doctor who serves as liaison to the human Brides. Despite his pointed, furry ears and the pelt down his back, Delos' muscular physique and wonderful scent draw Jan like catnip attracting a feline. The two embark on a sensual journey, exploring their species' sexual compatibility.But their new love is threatened when a higher-ranked male desires Jan. As she plans a mass wedding for the thousand Brides, she dreads the upcoming "Spring Running", the mysterious rite where Terilians will mate with their Brides. Will the wrong groom claim her?

    She’s locked her sights on becoming the top technical engineer for the most prestigious space program back on Earth. That is, until her life and plans are turned upside down in an instant on board a maintenance Space Station. Stranded on the now failing Space station, Kyra needs a miracle to survive. She has no idea that the ‘foreign’ astronauts who show up to rescue her are out of this world—literally. Warrior Lord Tordin, Crown Prince of Olodia, knows he’s outside of the Mandates of the Intergalactic Alliance when he intercedes to rescue the survivors of the Earth space station. But there’s something or someone pulling him in. He’s not prepared for what he finds in the unassuming Earth female. Try as he might to stay away, the pull grows stronger and stronger to be with her. His mission depends on his ability to stay focused and be prepared, but that’s almost impossible with Kyra in his thoughts and dreams. On the alien mother ship speeding away from Earth forever, Kyra’s biggest problem is not getting back to Earth; it’s how not to fall for this alien Warrior Lord who's the actual man of her dreams. Can she find a way to realize her dreams of power and recognition now that she’s been rescued by Tordin?

    When a wormhole opens from his galaxy to Earth and the women who could hold their future, Lorn will do all in his power to not only find his mate, but show her a Universe she never knew existed.Casey Westfall’s normal life changed forever when she finds the sexy leather clad man on her doorstep. One innocent kiss leads to an adventure that will span worlds and Casey will have to choose between the man who is the other half of her soul and never seeing her family or her world again. To complicate matters Kadothians live in polyamerous family units and Lorn will have to convince his Earth bride to accept not only his love, but the love of his best friend and brothers in arms or risk the chance of losing them to either the madness or the Hive—the race of sociopathic women bent on destroying and enslaving everything in their path, but Casey can’t see loving more than one man as being anything other than a sin. Lorn will have to teach his bride that she was created for both of them just as they were created only for her.In a Universe where all is possible, the battle to protect not only his people, but his heart rests on the soul of a human woman who must face the unknown and take a leap of faith that could save or destroy them all.

    Loneliness plagues her daily life and fearing that will she never know true intimacy, she does something uncharacteristically reckless: she pays the steep price for an unforgettable night with one of the Krave, legendary alien lovers with unparalleled skills and non-human abilities in the bedroom. Only, she never expected him… When Khiva’s home planet was destroyed during the Great War, his race scattered among the stars and survived any way they could…including selling their infamous ‘services’ for credits. Now, residing and working at Madame Allegria’s elite brothel on a human colony, Khiva’s only goal is to earn enough for passage off Everton. But when a beautiful, lonely human female visits him one night...everything changes. Suddenly, he craves her with an intensity that should frighten him while her lush curves drive him to madness. It was supposed to be only one night, but Eve finds she can’t stay away from her mysterious and forbidden alien lover…even if she has to pay for him.

    Desperate to survive, she picks the wrong target--Dain, the head of planetary security.Dain is amused by the attempted theft, and when Mella is sentenced to serve time indentured as a bedroom slave, he buys her contract. As he introduces the repressed Earther to the pleasures of sex with a dominating warrior, he slowly comes to realize that the little thief has stolen his heart.When the monster arrives on Nexus and has lunch with Dain, Mella is panic-stricken. Her owner must be part of the conspiracy to kill her, and it will only be a matter of time before the monster discovers that she’s still alive. She attempts to escape. She fails. Embittered by her lies and mistrust, Dain returns her to Indenture Hall to be sold again.Now the monster has found her. And she has nowhere left to run...

    But Circe isn't your typical military base. It's an alien-run operation center and not all of the aliens are friendly, especially the one that tries to kill Alex on her first day. When Ace, a dark-eyed Caltian, enters and saves the day, she can't help but be drawn to him. Can these star-crossed lovers survive when they're on the brink of intergalactic war?

    Are they fated mates, or is fate stacked against them? Love and war on a galactic scale.Rom B’Kah is fighting for the survival of his people. During combat he encounters a beautiful and mysterious woman who saves his life. When she vanishes without a trace, he vows to find her again. Years after battlefield trauma sends her life into a tailspin, Jas Hamilton has given up on love. When a galactic empire makes first contact with Earth, she sets out to reclaim her lost sense of adventure—and finds it in the arms of the golden-eyed alien warrior she’s spent a lifetime trying to forget.When an old enemy resurfaces, will they be forced to choose between duty and a future together? Saving the galaxy has just gotten personal…

     Calista is happy with her life of scientific research. She has no need for a man, she has her books, her friends, and her work. Things are fine until her ship is attacked by space pirates and crash lands on a desert planet with heat so intense she and her friends can't survive without help. Ladon is a Zmaj warrior resigned to a life alone, who only desires to protect his treasures. His hopes for a mate faded long ago, yet when he meets Calista something stirs. It takes no more than one look to know that she belongs to him. He's been alone for so long but she is the ultimate treasure and he will protect her. Now there's only the small problem of her living long enough to understand. A devastated planet, a mysterious history, space pirates, and threats environmental and alien beset them on all sides. The sexy Zmaj warrior will have to battle the planet's ultimate threat in an epic effort to obtain the one thing he knows Calista needs to survive. Then maybe they can begin to come to terms with the feelings they create in each other. But will the other humans accept this huge and alien looking dragon warrior? Or will they find him just as big a threat as the rest of the red planet? The future of both their races depends on it. Alien Dragon's Baby is a full length scifi novel with a happily ever after ending, plenty of steam, bloody battles and alien-human intrigue. It is standalone and has been co-written by newcomer Miranda Martin and one of the hottest science fiction romance authors out there, Juno Wells. (B01J6WA1T2 Original Cover Edition. This is an alternate cover edition.)

    Sent back to the Solar System on a mission, his unit barely survives an attack. On top of everything, he's ended up on Solaris - the one station he'd sworn to never return to.He immediately bumps to the very woman he left the station for - Ariana. Even years after he last saw her, she still manages to make his blood boil and set his mating urges on fire.And he isn't sure he can resist her this time...Ariana is a short, standalone sci-fi romance with a HEA and no cliffhangers. Intended for mature audiences only.

    Now civilians, his squad–Circe’s Recruits–works for a private organization bent on cleaning up the mess left in the wake of Project Dawn’s rebirth. Run by Elliot Pearl, a ruthless millionaire, Pearson Labs continues to create Circs, people who have been genetically changed. When needed, these Circs take on an altered form, one neither man nor animal, but something in between. But unlike Roane and his squad, the Circs coming out of Pearson Labs aren’t sane… Except for Caitlyn Chase, a female Roane can’t get out of his mind. As Caitlyn matures into the Circ she was meant to be, she sets in motion a chain of events that will forever alter her future and those of Circe’s Recruits. In the process, she’ll fall in lust, in love with Roane, and in danger as she finally finds out who she really is. Only with Roane and her newfound friends can she hope to keep the PPA at bay while they crush an agenda that may spell the end of them all. Warning: This book contains sexual content readers may find fascinating: group play, m/m, m/f, m/m/f and more. Expect government conspiracies, rough Marines, genetic experiments, and Shifters unlike the kind you think you know. This book is not for the faint of heart. Enjoy!

    Cassie Tomlin is desperate and willing to do anything. Just how far is she willing to go to start a new life? Is she desperate enough to agree to live on another planet with strange and sexy aliens?Prime Leader RendEL has been given the task of overseeing the repopulation of his home world of Katiera. The primitive planet of Earth offers females that are both beautiful and compatible. However, Ren finds one Earth female to be a lot more than what he had bargained for. Will he be able to fulfill his responsibilities to his people and follow the path of his heart? Or will he have to sacrifice one in order to have the other?

    or has he?On the wild planet of Frontiera, Rose Thorne is out to save her brother. But when she holds his disreputable boss at gunpoint, Stone Masterson shows her just how ruthless he can be ... and how tender. With space pirates on the loose, is she safe in his arms, or is she just another pawn in his struggle to rule this new planet?

    Give yourself to him in return for protection. It’s the only way you’ll ever survive. Convicted of a minor crime, Riana is sentenced to a prison planet—a dark primitive hold filled with convicts vying for power. Her only chance of survival is with Cain, a mysterious loner who has won his territory in the prison through intelligence and brute strength. Sex is all she has to offer, so she uses it. She’s under no delusions here. No one is ever released, and no one ever escapes. Survival is all she can hope for—until Cain. An earlier version of this book was published under the same title and a different penname by Ellora’s Cave. It has since been substantially revised and expanded.