Legacy excerpt #2

In anticipation of the release in October 2020, I wanted to offer a little bit-sized taste of what's to come. "Legacy" is book #2 in Saga of the Bold People, a follow up to my bestselling "Leopold." Mastrodai, Leopold's alien mate, is given his own point of view in this book. I decided the prologue would reveal certain scenes from "Leopold" but from Mastrodai's viewpoint. There are five significant scenes I touched on in the prologue and five months to go before release. So here's the second little taste.

Enjoy!

BLURB:

What does a former assassin do when he’s not out there… well… assassinating? Saving his species from extinction, of course.

At least, that’s what Leopold wants to do with every molecule in his body. But the task won’t be fast or easy, and he can’t do it alone. Enter Mastrodai—a mrrog prince who has absolutely no desire to rule, much to his father’s exasperation. He craves the ability to prove his worth as a mate and to somehow atone for his actions that led to Leopold’s torture at the hands of an enemy. Making humans official would be a good start.

But politics rule no matter what the species, and Mastrodai has to maneuver carefully and risk what he has built to give his mate what he deserves. And when he realizes both he and Leopold have deeper feelings for Alex, one of Mastrodai’s human slave women, he knows his future is out among the stars with his humans, not planet-bound with his kin.

Unfortunately, before they can set their plan into motion, Leopold receives a vision that sends him reeling and questioning everything he knows about himself. A vision he must investigate, back to where he began—Lex, the backwater planet where he spent his early years, and where he swore never to return.

******************************************************************************************************************

MASTRODAI

Three cycles later

I stood frozen, helpless, watching Leopold’s ship surge out of Terk’s hanger. I grabbed the doorway to keep from being sucked out into space, my hair and coat whipping around my body, reaching for the damn human that continued to escape me at every turn.

Snarling, I yanked out my comm and ordered Jauntai to bring my ship closer. Use the tractor beam. Capture that infuriating assassin!

For a moment I anticipated triumph. Then my hopes were dashed when Leopold disappeared into hyperspace. Just like that. Gone again. All because of one greedy tarsus. I flung my head back and howled my rage as one of my bodyguards, Aurnkai, managed to crawl to the lever on the wall and close the hatch. I spun around and Terk stiffened. He must have seen the murder in my eyes. Even as he lifted his hand, several of my bodyguards tackled him. I’d heard rumors about his “special abilities,” about the way he could control things without touching them. No matter. Apparently, he couldn’t do anything with his limbs pinned.

“This is all your fault,” I said, not even trying to keep the menace and fury from my tone.

Terk spat foul curses, struggling and yanking to no avail. I slipped off my coat and lowered on all fours. Even as Terk’s guards came running because of the commotion, they all stopped, stunned and afraid. As they should be. They knew the penalty for killing a mrrog.

Terk met my gaze and started to beg, flipping from anger to fear in a finger snap. “Stop! Please! I’ll give you anything! Take anything or anyone you want! Stop!”

I gripped his head, my claws digging and slicing into his skin. He howled as blood dripped slid down and dripped onto the metal floor. I yanked back, exposing his neck. I bared my teeth and scrapped them against his flesh. He quivered, losing control of his bowels.

“All. Your. Fault.”

Instead of biting him, I raised my other hand and swept down, slicing through his bodysuit and into his stomach. Blood gushed and sprayed, and he screamed as I disemboweled him, yanking out his intestines, his stomach, all the organs I could reach. Then I reached up into his chest cavity and tore out his lungs. He collapsed, dead, face contorted in agony. Good.

I stood, covered in his grime. My bodyguards moved away; postures submissive. I turned to Terk’s guards as they gaped with horror. I growled low in warning.

“Run.”

They ran. Despite their weapons, they ran.

“End them.”

My bodyguards gave chase, tackling and ripping into every single one of Terk’s minions they could locate. Slave traders disgusted me, though I might have left them alone if the deal had gone as planned. But ruining my chance to claim Leopold was unforgivable. I sneered at Terk’s corpse before grabbing my coat and turning to stalk down the corridor.

I contacted Jauntai again.

“My lord?”

“As soon as all of us return onboard, blow up this space trash.”

“Yes, sir.”

I came across three minions myself and made quick work of them, sating the sharper edges of my rage. Leopold was fine prey; I’d give him that. He was certainly making the chase a worthy one, pushing me to my very limits of patience and control. Yet what did I expect? The moment I’d learned his name, and his profession as Voidstriker, I knew I was in for the fight of my life. I was going to make him scream when I finally claimed him.

My growl turned into a purr. I wasn’t going to let him leave my bed.

###