Best Friends Forever by Darcy Abriel

There’s something about childhood friendships.  I don’t know if it’s that as children, we possess that sheen of innocence, that certain unquestioning acceptance about the people who are a part of the formative years of our lives.  But there’s also a fear of losing special friendships if we reveal too much of what is in our deepest heart.  The moment is lost and we live with the regret of things not said. Sometimes we move on as we mature to new friendship spheres, and then sometimes not.  And we’re left with that lingering question in the back of our mind, “what if”?

Perhaps we have to move on, experience other things, follow different adventures before, maturing into our true self, like Dorothy discovering where the home of her heart truly lay, we recognize that one person who undeniably touches us heart and soul, giving breadth to our lives in a way we would never know without them.

Eye For the Prize is a discovery not just of an odd, supernatural object, but the rediscovery of friendship, of love, and perhaps the one person that makes anywhere truly home.  What would you give up to be united with that one true soulmate?  How far would you go?  And what if it came down to a choice between the man you love, or the family who raised you, whose blood you shared?  And there was no middle ground.  And what if the incident you’ve been set to investigate will eventually be the thing that changes your whole life?

In every object is a story, in every story there is a pulse of truth.  Finding the truth is Detective Larke Ava’s job.  Find the object is Zhalazti researcher Roan Dwellen’s purpose. Reuniting with the boyhood friend who completed you was never part of the plan for either man.

Eye for the Prize, part of the Tales from the Amber Allure 77th Precinct AmberPax Collection. Mystery, danger, heritage, and love.  Was there ever a more explosive combination?

Here’s just a short excerpt when Larke awakens from an uneasy sleep to discover an unexpected presence in his apartment.

*_*_*

Larke's heart almost stopped beating. A rush of air left his lungs. And suddenly he knew all too well who was in the room with him. He went to turn on the table lamp next to the couch.

"No. Leave it off."

"I want to see you, Roan. It's been a while."

"In a minute."

"How did you get in?"

"I've developed skills, I guess you could say."

"Breaking and entering?" Larke asked.

"Among others. For my line of work it comes in handy," Roan responded.

Larke felt like he was still in a dream world. Could this be real? Was Roan really seated in his apartment here in Seattle? Or was it just part of the dream--the nightmare he'd only recently escaped.

Roan walked across the room and suddenly dropped to one knee before Larke. He reached out and ran a hand through Larke's hair and Larke shuddered at the contact.

"Why are you here?" Larke asked. "Why now?"

"I think you know why," Roan said.

"I have something you want," Larke responded.

Roan stared into his eyes for a long moment. Shadow chased across his face. More mature, more knowing than he had been when he left the island so long ago. Something in that look had Larke's heart turning over, right along with his stomach.

"Yes, you have something I want." Roan's hand tightened in Larke's hair, holding him still as he leaned forward. "Aren't you going to welcome me home?" he asked and then burned Larke through and through with a searing kiss that practically had his toes curling.

The fire in Larke's belly roared to life after so many years. He wrapped his arms around Roan, still afraid it was all a dream, but suddenly not caring. In the moment. He just wanted to be in the moment. He didn't care about the past, the future, right or wrong. None of that mattered. Without breaking the kiss, Roan shoved Larke back onto the couch, and stretched out over him. Larke's cock sprang to life, hardening beneath the onslaught of sensations that rode through Larke.

Larke broke the kiss and stared up at Roan. Roan placed two fingers across his lips.

"Don't say anything. Not now. Not yet. Do you have any idea how many nights I dreamed about this?" And then he kissed Larke again, and Larke forgot everything he was supposed to remember as he pulled Roan closer.

*_*_*

Eye for the Prize by Darcy Abriel is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

LATEST PAX RELEASE - Tales from the 77th Precinct

Genres: Gay (M/M) Erotic Romance

The titles listed below comprise the Tales from the 77th Precinct AmberPax™ Collection. Buy all five together and receive a 35% discount! To purchase any of the titles individually, click on the covers below to go to the books' separate pages. 

Crazy Joe by A.J. Llewellyn & D.J. Manly Novella (Gay)

The Door Keeper by Hurri Cosmo Extended Novella (Gay)

Eye for the Prize by Darcy Abriel Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters by Angel Martinez Novella (Gay)

Scarecrows and Devils by T.A. Chase Extended Novella (Gay)

 

In conjunction with our newest release, we will be having a giveaway! Any comment made from today throughout the week (5/24-5/29) will be eligible to win the entire pax collection. A winner will be picked at random on Saturday from all comments received.

Eye for the Prize by Darcy Abriel

Detective Larke Ava doesn’t believe in magic or the paranormal. And he joined the Seattle PD in order to uncover and expose the unscrupulous, those like his mother and his brothers. Larke has few cherished memories of growing up on Vashon Island, except for the time he spent with his best friend, Roan Dwellen. But Roan, the adventurer, with a belief in the magical running deep in his veins, left the island when he was eighteen on a mission for his family—his Roma tribe—leaving Larke behind.

Now a part of Seattle’s 77th Precinct, Larke has been assigned a new case—to discover the secrets behind a recovered stolen artifact named the Eye of Anu. Little does Larke realize the unique artifact is about to change his life. Not only will it reunite him with the boyhood friend he has never forgotten, but it also draws the attention of dangerous foes, including his own family, who will stop at nothing to acquire it.

Soon, caught between the family he’s always tried to love but couldn’t, and the best friend he could not stop loving but doesn’t necessarily trust, and all the while tempered by his duty to the city he serves, Larke’s next move could mean live or death—especially his own.

Genres: Gay/Contemporary/Mystery/Detective/Paranormal
Heat Level: 3

Length: Extended Amber Kiss (17k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...Larke’s heart almost stopped beating. A rush of air left his lungs. And suddenly he knew all too well who was in the room with him. He went to turn on the table lamp next to the couch.

“No. Leave it off.”

“I want to see you, Roan. It’s been a while.”

“In a minute.”

“How did you get in?”

“I’ve developed skills, I guess you could say.”

“Breaking and entering?” Larke asked.

“Among others. For my line of work it comes in handy,” Roan responded.

Larke felt like he was still in a dream world. Could this be real? Was Roan really seated in his apartment here in Seattle? Or was it just part of the dream—the nightmare he’d only recently escaped.

Roan walked across the room and suddenly dropped to one knee before Larke. He reached out and ran a hand through Larke’s hair and Larke shuddered at the contact.

“Why are you here?” Larke asked. “Why now?”

“I think you know why,” Roan said.

“I have something you want,” Larke responded.

Roan stared into his eyes for a long moment. Shadow chased across his face. More mature, more knowing than he had been when he left the island so long ago. Something in that look had Larke’s heart turning over, right along with his stomach.

“Yes, you have something I want.” Roan’s hand tightened in Larke’s hair, holding him still as he leaned forward. “Aren’t you going to welcome me home?” he asked and then burned Larke through and through with a searing kiss that practically had his toes curling.

The fire in Larke’s belly roared to life after so many years. He wrapped his arms around Roan, still afraid it was all a dream, but suddenly not caring. In the moment. He just wanted to be in the moment. He didn’t care about the past, the future, right or wrong. None of that mattered. Without breaking the kiss, Roan shoved Larke back onto the couch, and stretched out over him. Larke’s cock sprang to life, hardening beneath the onslaught of sensations that rode through Larke.

Larke broke the kiss and stared up at Roan. Roan placed two fingers across his lips.

“Don’t say anything. Not now. Not yet. Do you have any idea how many nights I dreamed about this?” And then he kissed Larke again, and Larke forgot everything he was supposed to remember as he pulled Roan closer...

Morphing Into Pandemonium by Darcy Abriel

Pandemonium: a place or scene of riotous uproar or utter chaos.  Bedlam.  Turmoil.  Babel.  The capital of Hell.

I saw a cave, I saw two men, and I began to write, and I called this piece, “Dragon City.” I let it take me where it wanted to go.  Crispen had heard the rumors, but until this moment, he hadn’t believed they were real.

One sentence leads to another, one thought follows, and barrels into the next.  The man glared at him steadily until Crispen was certain he could see flames in both his eyes.  He reared back, landing against the wall.

And suddenly a premise materializes: It was the animals who ran the asylum and the humans who served.  But tied into that premise is the next: that humans are sometimes the savages, the predators.  And thus the crazy world of Pandemonia began to morph.

“You have no life anymore.  You belong to me now...”
“Forfeit,” Crispen said.
“For as long as I want it.  Isn’t that the law in Dragon City?”

And so it began, the morphing of a world, the shaping, the creation, the defining of character.

Pandemonia is a dangerous future, where earth is now made up of prison colonies and societies are not what they once were.  Pandemonia is controlled by a conglomerate of scientists called the Nucleate.  And mutants, such as Drayce, one of the gen species they gleefully, maniacally create, have been incarcerated in Pandemonia when the end of the most recent intergalactic war ended their usefulness to the interglobal councils.

Societies and civilizations turned and twisted, no longer recognizable, laws of humanity mutilated by needs, instinct, and the powers of the Nucleate.  This is the world of Pandemonia, a future world gone reimagined darkly.

Here’s an excerpt from the most recent story in this series, part of the AmberPax Kiss of Fire.  Pandemonia: Combustible.

*     *     *

"What do you think the crazy bastards are up to this time?" Zadrian Rigel, Drayce's second in command, asked.

"Who the fuck knows? Some abomination they want to parade out in front of us," Drayce responded. He should know, he was dragogen after all, patterned after a species millions of years old. Spliced DNA from biological material discovered in 3939 through a discovery made by archeologists. And Zadrian was caninogen, a wolf-like creature. They were both products of an experimental program at a time when the world had no hope of combating its feral alien enemies. Now incarcerated in this electronic grid-locked hell hole.

Drayce glanced around at the surly crowd. Saw a knife fight break out. In another corner, a prostitute plied her charms. And in another, a gang of children worked the crowd in hopes of eating tonight.

Paris, a city of the Old Earth, part of a separate country once known as France, was simply another quarantined sector of Old Earth, which was now no more than a prison planet after the last peace treaty ceded the administration of the Old Earth sectors over to the powerful Nucleate. The majority of law-abiding citizens had been transported to other planets in other solar systems.

Old Earth had become a dumping ground for criminals, toxic waste, and anything else that most civilizations considered refuse and of little value. But it had since grown into a society with generations of families now confined within its borders. And its residents now included mutant discards the governments had subsidized but had no further use for, such as men like Drayce.

The giant screen flickered to life, and Drayce returned his attention to the screen. A long view of the main room and choir came into view, with the top scientists seated along the sides, arrowing past the stained glass windows flooded with light, and then focusing in on a modern podium, where a man in a white coat, looking, as usual, self-satisfied and smugly superior stood.

These scientists, ranging from biologists to physicists, chemists to mathematicians and geneticists, had eagerly sought these positions, able to come and go at will, able to perform experiments without government control, per se. A core, select representation of the Nucleate appeared on screen. There were others, though, who had been exiled on Old Earth, a part of the criminal system itself, who were allowed to continue their deviant experimentation on the throwaways of other societies. And they did the grunt work, but received none of the recognition.

Drayce looked at the rows of seated scientists in their pristine white coats. Each one with a human "disciple" leashed and kneeling beside him or her. Male and female humazoid companions chosen from the masses to serve as diversions from their work, personal servants to attend to their needs. Sex, body servant, spy, whatever they wanted. In contrast to the scientists in their sterile white coats, each servant sparkled with expensive jewels and silky designer attire. Hair fashioned elegantly, faces made up, each scientist obviously trying to outdo his associate in elaborate flesh and blood disciple display.

Drayce's attention was caught as Dr. Francois Beljon, the assistant director of Scientific Interrogations stepped to the podium, his leashed humazoid trailing behind, holding a stack of papers, head bowed.

"He's new," murmured Drayce. He wondered what had happened to the last disciple he'd seen with Beljon three months ago. Used in experimentation, dead, released to the streets? Could be any of the above, or all.

Drayce peered closer at this new toy of Beljon's. Young, pretty, athletic but lithe. Bronzed body. Not the usual. Beljon usually enjoyed more brawny types. This one seemed a rarer sort.

Beljon reached behind him for the sheaf of papers and the boy obediently handed them to the scientist. But Drayce wasn't focused on what Beljon had to say. These semi-regular broadcasts where more to show the Nucleate's far-reaching power than anything else. All Beljon was going to do was read the list of the latest additions to the Pandemonium community, and their crimes. Which of late always seemed to be more political than anything else.

Drayce watched the disciple, who stood still as a statue, gaze cast downward. Drayce's cock began to stir as he studied the boy. There was something about him...something different. He stood in a subservient pose, just as the others did. But there was a tightness in his lithe body, an awareness, almost a pride, that the others lacked. And it made Drayce curious.

"I think I want to know more about him," Drayce murmured. "Things have been far too quiet of late. We need some excitement to stir the blood."

"Beljon?"

"No. The trained whelp. He might be useful. There's some oddity to his manner. Some value in him."

"I wouldn't think so. Beljon changes disciples as often as he does his underwear."

Drayce slid a glance to Zadrian, hearing the lingering bitterness in his voice. "That was a long time ago. You should move past it."

Zadrian didn't respond for a long time. "Beljon doesn't forget. He twists the knife at every turn when he can."

"You're free of him now. At least as free as one can be in a place like this. It doesn't pay to care, you know that."

"One would assume I've learned my lesson," Zadrian responded. "But he doesn't give up you know."

"Obsessed is a word I'd use when it comes to him."

"I won't go back. You can count on my loyalty."

Drayce refocused on the screen. Beljon had completed his list. He turned back to the whelp. He patted him on the head like a prized pet and then they moved off to the side, and another pair took his place. This one spoke of the recent death sentences that had been carried out.

The scientists droned on. Drayce scanned the crowd, wondering who would be the next to die by the decree of the Nucleate. A new lottery would likely occur within the next month.

"Find out more about him," Drayce said. "I want him. He means something to Beljon, and so I mean to have him. Beljon will throw a tantrum, and I love when that happens. He always makes mistakes."

"Poking a stick at the bear can bring you nothing good. I think you're making a mistake," Zadrian said. "Don't let that dragon cock of yours lead you into doing something you're going to regret."

"Just get me the intel on the disciple. Then we'll go from there."

"Whatever you say, boss. But leashed like he is, it's probably not going to be easy to get to him. Not if Beljon has taken a shine to him for the moment."

"You'll find a way. You always do," Drayce said. "And I want him before Beljon decides to mod him."

*_*_*

Pandemonia: Combustible by Darcy Abriel is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

[Image: Pandemonium circa 1825) by John Martin (1789-1854); Wikimedia Creative Commons]

LATEST PAX RELEASE - Kiss of Fire

Genres: Gay (M/M) Erotic Romance

The titles listed below comprise the Kiss of Fire AmberPax™ Collection. Buy all five together and receive a 35% discount! To purchase any of the titles individually, click on the covers below to go to the books' separate pages. 

About a Dragon by A.J. Llewellyn Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

Dragon Herder by K.M. Mahoney Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

Dragons, Diamonds, and Discord by Angel Martinez Extended Novella (Gay)

Pandemonia: Combustible by Darcy Abriel Novella (Gay)

Trailing Air by T.A.Chase Extended Novella (Gay)

 

In conjunction with our newest release, we will be having a giveaway! Any comment made from today throughout the week (3/15-3/20) will be eligible to win the entire pax collection. A winner will be picked at random on Saturday from all comments received.

Pandemonia: Combustible by Darcy Abriel

(Part of the Pandemonia series)

Earth of 4035 is a wasteland populated with sectors of penal colonies, seeded through the generations by its life-long inhabitants of criminals, lunatics, political prisoners, and DNA-spliced mutants, all ruled by a powerful conglomerate of scientific researchers called the Nucleate.

One such sector, Pandemonia, is situated on the former European continent in the vicinity of Paris, now a hunting ground of a world gone horribly awry.

Drayce Eth, of dragogen-spliced DNA creation, rules one quandrant of Old Paris with a strong hand. He has never mated, never taken a long-term lover, and has always denied the instincts of his dragogen-spliced DNA. But then he encounters an attractive disciple and slave of his arch-enemy, Dr. Francois Beljon, and a simple game of poke-the-bear to relieve his ennui may just result in more than Drayce ever expected. It may also be exactly what he needs when his mating instincts are aroused by this least likely of potential mates.

Crispen Wills is a product of the mean streets. He’s a survivor—a dancer, a liar, a scavenger, and whatever else will serve to keep him alive. But when he becomes a desirable pawn in a treacherous game, it could easily cost him his life. What Crispen never expects is to fall in love with the powerful dragogen that his master has sent him to destroy.

Passions mix with danger in a highly flammable game devoid of rules and safe words, where all’s fair in love, lust...and death. Only a fool would dare to risk everything for a fleeting chance at love, especially when that lover could easily barbecue you should you make one false step...

Genres: Gay/Science Fiction/Futuristic/BDSM/Series
Heat Level: 3
Advisory: This book contains some material that may not be suitable for the more sensitive reader. 

Length: Novella (23k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...Drayce rose from his chair and circled Crispen. The room was so quiet he could hear the dripping faucet from down the hall. Until he inhaled a breath and exhaled a shot of flaming fire that singed the opposite wall, making everyone jump back, and the boy scrambled as far from the flame and sparks as he could get—considering the collar and chain that bound him to the spike in the floor.

“So, you’re Beljon’s flavor of the month,” Drayce finally said, after clearing his throat. He leaned forward, gripped a handful of Crispen’s curly hair and yanked his head back. He leaned closer and inhaled. Then slowly exhaled. “You smell of the Nucleate. I wonder how much you’re worth to Beljon? If you’re worth anything. The bartering shall begin.” All a game, just a game to piss off Beljon and to entertain himself.

He waited for Crispen to beg. But as he stared into the boy’s eyes, expecting tears, whining, he saw something else. Something that surprised him. Yes, there was fear, but combined with a certain street-wise cunning as well. A wariness, speculation. Some fear, but not nearly as much fear as Drayce might have expected from a disciple that licked at the heels of the Nucleate Assistant Director of Scientific Interrogation. Drayce released him and turned to the men who waited for his orders.

Zadrian stood silently, at attention, his demeanor wolfish—caninogen enhanced DNA, stiff as his militia training had prepared him. Just as Drayce once had been. Like gravitated to like in this penal colony.

“Any trouble getting in and out, captain?” Drayce asked.

“No, sir,” Zadrian said. “It actually went better than we expected. My contact was right on the money.”

On the money. That in itself made Drayce suspicious. It shouldn’t have been that easy. He turned and stared at Crispen. Meek, mild, cowering. At least outwardly. But there was something else—something in his eyes that said there was more to this whole situation, and Drayce meant to find out what it was. Crispen was hiding something, but what?

“We’ll see,” Drayce said, more to himself than to the others. He turned to Ion, who served as supply master and manager of the Rouge nightclub. “We’ll see how much he’s worth. Prepare the demand. Let’s get these negotiations underway. See if we can’t squeeze Beljon to sweeten our storehouse.”

“You got it, Drayce. You think he’s worth all that?”

Drayce shrugged. “Might as well start high and see where that takes us.”

“And if Beljon won’t negotiate what are we going to do with him?” the overseer asked.

“Then he’s dead weight and we serve him up to the ratogens. They need a new nibble. Fatten him up a bit, and that’ll keep them happy for a night or two, and off my back with their whining for fresh meat.”

Drayce was pleased to notice that the possibility of becoming ratogen appetizer got some attention from Crispen. He watched the whelp tense, whip his head upward to stare at Drayce with panicked eyes. Drayce felt his dragon’s blood heat. Something about this boy made his blood simmer in a way it hadn’t in a long time. It wasn’t the fear expressed in his whole attitude, it wasn’t that he seemed to be a new shiny jewel in the Assistant Director of Scientific Interrogation’s overflowing jewel case of domesticated pets. Maybe it was just the flicker of defiance he’d caught in Crispen’s eyes. The speculation that seemed to challenge Drayce. That was the look that intrigued him...

Sparking An Idea...resulting in Pandemonia by Darcy Abriel

It doesn’t take much when you’re talking about a writer’s fertile imagination, to spark a story. One headline this time fueled a world-building that took me to Pandemonia. “Incarceration rates increase.” That’s it.

Add in one very naive researcher, mix in one very jaded prisoner. Throw in a dangerous and deadly environment. Strip about past, deny a future, liberally sprinkle in a vast scientific agency with the power of life and death over the inhabitants of the Pandemonia sector. This is the world that Dr. Swane Fox has unwittingly stepped into.

This is Swane’s journey, his fate, or maybe a better term would be his destiny, and it’s not determined by the turn of one card, nor a rather random spread. But it is the hero’s journey as depicted in the symbology of the Major Arcana. Swane’s journey is a complete circle, but he is changed as he follows his journey, his eyes are opened to possibilities, to challenges, and he ends up discovering what his true destiny is.

The power of love changes us for better or for worse. Discovering our soul mate isn’t always an easy path to follow. But in discovering our destiny, love can add powerful magic to our journey and add meaning and dimensionality and purpose in our lives. This is the story of Swane’s journey, as he meets the challenges of the unknown and steps outside of safety.

Fortuity is a step into the world of Pandemonia. Watch for more stories, including the upcoming Combustible, which is the the story of Drayce, a dragoen mutant, and his newest captive, Crispen.

But for now, here’s an excerpt from Fortuity, where fortune, love, and destiny collide.

*_*_*

The Fool - A beginning to the journey. Perhaps fraught with peril. Infinite possibility abounds…as well as danger.

*_*_*

Ground Zero. Pandemonia Penal Colony, one of a number of penal sectors that populated the Old Earth of 4035 after the destruction that had turned the planet into a wasteland following the intergalactic war that had put Earth at the very center of the battle.

“You will receive no special considerations while you’re inside,” the commandant at the palace said, as he reviewed Swane’s papers, stamped them, and handed him a special magnetic identification card, then gave them back to Swane.

Sucking in even a shallow breath was painful. He was certain a few ribs were broken and who knew what else. The next thing he realized was that he was naked beneath the blanket. Well, naked except for the bracing bandage around his torso. Someone had obviously undressed him, and then tended to his wounds.

He gazed around the room, noticing shelves with books and tools and wooden crates filled with odd assortments of round metal discs. Stacks of what looked like white cloth were piled around the room. And finally he saw a big man in rough clothing seated on a bench in front of a tall worktable, hunched over and using a soldering iron, several wooden frames were spread across the table that looked like wide embroidery hoops like what he’d seen his

mother use for her tapestries.

Swane tried to sit up, and he groaned, dizziness swamping him as his bare feet touched the floorboards. Where was he? The last thing he recalled was being air dropped into Pandemonia, and the excitement he’d felt in the realization that all he’d worked for the last two years would finally come to fruition. It had taken a good many bribes to gain him this opportunity to study the behavior of this confined society.

The dark-haired man glanced at Swane. “Hmm. So you’re awake,” he said in a gruff voice.

“How did I get here? And exactly where am I?” Swane asked.

“Lots of questions for someone whose first day down almost got him killed right off.”

Swane searched around, frantically looking for his satchel, which contained everything he’d brought with him. Barter goods, clothing, food, his identity cards in order to get him out when he’d completed his work.

“Where’s my bag?” Moving quickly was not an option. He wrapped the blanket around his bruised and aching body, and slowly rose to his feet.

“No bag. No nothing. You remember anything?”

*_*_*

Pandemonia: Fortuity by Darcy Abriel is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

LATEST PAX RELEASE - Something's Coming

Genres: Gay (M/M) Erotic Romance

The titles listed below comprise the Something's Coming AmberPax™ Collection. Buy all five together and receive a 35% discount! To purchase any of the titles individually, click on the covers below to go to the books' separate pages. 

The Cookie Said "Red" by J.D. Walker Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

Deserves to be Adored by T.A. Chase Novella (Gay)

The King of Hell's Kitchen by A.J. Llewellyn & D.J. Manly Extended Novella (Gay)

The Moon by Sean Michael Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

Pandemonia: Fortuity by Darcy Abriel Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

 

In conjunction with our newest release, we will be having a giveaway! Any comment made from today throughout the week (2/15-2/20) will be eligible to win the entire pax collection. A winner will be picked at random on Saturday from all comments received.

Pandemonia: Fortuity by Darcy Abriel

(Part of the Pandemonia series)

Earth of 4035 is a wasteland populated with sectors of penal colonies, seeded through the generations by its life-long inhabitants of criminals, lunatics, political prisoners, and DNA-spliced mutants, all ruled by a powerful conglomerate of scientific researchers called the Nucleate.

One such sector, Pandemonia, is situated on the former European continent in the vicinity of Paris, now a hunting ground of a world gone horribly awry.

When Dr. Swane Fox, a behavior scientist from the peaceful planet named Daudulis 40, enters Pandemonia to study its criminal society in an effort to save Earth, he is assaulted. Only a stroke of good fortune keeps him alive when a surly, uncommunicative prisoner named August steps in to save him.

Now, without a way out of Pandemonia since everything he owns has been stolen, Swane realizes his only hope of survival is accepting August’s offer to become his protector—for a price.

Both men have ulterior motives for joining forces, yet if anyone discovers their true goals, they will end up dead. Will lies, mistrust, and initial hatred prevent Swane and August from learning the truth about each other, to give in to their most passionate desires and perhaps even finding love in the least likely of places? Or will their destinies destroy them first?

Genres: Gay/Science Fiction/Futuristic/Menage (M/M/M)/Group Sex/Series
Heat Level: 3

Length: Extended Amber Kiss (17k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...The man spun around on his bench to face Swane. He eyed him with the darkest, most sexual look Swane had ever seen.

“Pretty thing,” the man commented. “You’d have no problems making your way bartering your body for whatever you need. There are plenty of places that would put you to work.”

Swane pulled the blanket closer, his panic just about choking him. This was not how he’d envisioned things would happen. He wanted to study these criminals close up, but he’d never thought he’d find himself in a situation such as this.

Yet his father was always warning him about acting rashly. Like the time he’d eaten that jar of pickled kaylar peppers when he was ten. His mouth and stomach had burned for a week because he’d thought if one was good, a whole jar was better. This time that rashness had gotten him in quite the pickle.

“I-I wouldn’t do something like that. I-I don’t do that.”

The man shrugged. He spun around to work on…whatever project in which he was engaged. “Guess you’ll starve then, won’t you? Unless you’ve got some other skill to work with. But I’d guess fucking would be your fastest route to finding a protector.”

“A protector?”

The man put on a pair of magnifier goggles and turned his attention to the soldering project. “Kid, you’ve got no survival skills. I can tell that. You’re gonna end up dead, raped, savaged, or some gang’s cute little bitch to do with as they please…until you’re all used up. You’ll be lucky if you last a week once you hit the streets. Here you’re either the predator or the prey. There ain’t no in-between.”

Predator or prey. But hadn’t Swane known that when he’d decided on this course? But the difference between what was written in the books, researching from a distance, and encountering the reality were obviously two very different animals.

“Why did you save me?” Swane asked, knowing he had but one chance to survive his fate. One man or many? Take his chances out there, or give himself a chance to acclimatize, by staying with this man?

The man shrugged. “Who knows? Sometimes I do stupid shit that makes no sense to me one way or the other. I was out scavenging and saw you drop.”

Painfully, Swane stood. “My name is Swane Fox. What’s yours?”

The man glanced at him. “Why do you want to know?”

Swane, heart pounding in his chest, gulped and let the blanket drop, exposing himself fully to the man who had saved his life.

“I owe you. And I think maybe you and I can come to some kind of agreement. If you let me stay here, with you, I’ll do whatever you want.”

The man chuckled. Lasciviously his gaze swept over Swane’s body, and Swane tried to keep from shuddering at the enormity of what he’d just offered a man he knew was a criminal in exchange for his safety...

Scars and Baggage and Small Towns by Darcy Abriel

Ternekill is a small sleepy town in the Catskill Mountains of New York, with a lot of secrets and I love writing about small towns. Having grown up in a small upstate New York kind of town I know what’s it like living there. I am intimately familiar with small towns and with a writer’s imagination, I take this fictional small town of Ternekill and expose just a few of the secrets riding my two favorite guys from “My Soul He Seeks,” Ravol Nova and Byron Shepley. “My Fate, My Destiny” takes you a little further into their relationship and the depth of their commitment, one to the other. They do face challenges. But then again, it would be a pretty boring story if they didn’t.

Ravol is a werewolf, no secret there. He’s been very up front with Byron about that part of his background. But up to this point Ravol has refused to allow Byron to witness his change from human to werewolf. Nor will Ravol agree to change Byron into a werewolf. Just one bone of contention between the two lovers.

Ravol carries a lot of baggage, including the death of his first love, Francesco. He’s a secretive man who tries to keep his life compartmentalized, but Byron is making that harder and harder to maintain. Notwithstanding, Ravol has a lot of baggage because of who he is - a part of the ancient Zhalazti tribe nobility that carries with it a great deal of responsibility and tradition.

Byron may be human, but he has his own set of secrets and full load of baggage he carries around with him, not the least of which is that he can communicate with the Ternekill House ghostly ancestors. Ghosts that are a sure part of his heritage and tie him quite closely to the town of Ternekill. More so than either Byron or Ravol knows.

But soon, some of those dark secrets for both Byron and for Ravol are about to be revealed Some revelations are expected, others not quite so much. Ravol’s past is about to meet his present with a life-altering, perhaps murderous climax. Secrets, if left to fester can kill. Secrets if finally revealed and faced can ultimately heal.

I love genealogy and dabble in it regarding my own family. Digging into the families of Ravol and Bryon and doing the research, fictional and not-so fictional is always exciting. And Ternekill reminds me of some of those smaller town in New York that were lost in the aftermath of flooding from Hurricane Sandy that destroyed forever certain quint towns where I picnicked, and did some steamy parking too.

Oh, yes, there are secrets among those back roads and small towns. And in “My Fate, My Destiny,” a few more of Ravol’s and Byron’s dangerous secrets will be revealed as the past merges with the present.

Here’s an excerpt from “My Fate, My Destiny.”

*_*_*_*

I awoke late. Ravol was still asleep and, as quietly as possible, I slipped out of bed. Technically, I marched to the tune of two masters.

Terne House owned my soul as much as Ravol Nova did. I had come to terms with that understanding early on in my relationship with Ravol. I think it's a blood thing. My ancestors are tied to this house. The ghosts reasserted their hold on me that they'd instigated when I was sixteen. Bits and pieces of that night so long ago have started to return the longer I stay in the house.

I no longer fear the ghosts; they are a part of me. They are my heritage. It's taken some effort, several discussions with Heinrich, and working with a friend of his who delves into paranormal investigations, and I see the spirits now, not just hear them. I don't try to second guess myself. With their help I have learned to accept. I think when I made that visit to Terne House so long ago, that's when I had my first encounter with the spirits. And it scared the shit out of me. I didn't just sense them, I saw them, and I blocked the episode out of my mind.

Crazy blood. That's what folks in town said about the Ternes. Crazy blood ran through their veins. And I was one of their descendants, though one might say it's through the wrong side of the blanket.

I hear the ghosts whispering now.

Not long ago I learned the truth about the incestuous relationship between Nelda and Simon Terne, long dead now. I heard the echoes of the crying baby that Nelda bore--the one she smothered and Simon buried in a corner of the dirt floor basement. Ramon helped me dig up the bones one evening when Ravol was out of town, and the child is now buried in the Terne Cemetery with a simple white wooden cross marking the grave. The poor child never had a name, so Ramon and I agreed she should be called Mary. And that's the name on the cross. I don't hear her crying anymore, so perhaps her soul has moved on. I like to think so.

But because Horace's son, Luke, my ancestor, couldn't keep his cock in his pants on even his good days is the reason I'm blood-tied to the Terne family by bastard blood. And even today, he has to have his own way. His ghost is the one that demands my attention more than the others. His presence is the strongest. He doesn't seem to want anything. But he uses me as an interpreter. He seems very interested in Ravol's background, in what sort of blood he has running through his veins. The werewolf blood. Luke asks a lot of questions.

Wild Luke Terne was the one who had the affair with Lucy Day. Lucy Day, who bore a bastard girl-child, who grew up and eventually married Farmer Shepley's son. They had a son, but the poor girl died. Luke's wild blood lived on, tied now to the Shepley line. And so here we are full circle, and the Terne ghosts, because well, hell, there weren't any other descendants, legal, bastard, or otherwise, see me as the rightful resident of Terne House in some strange and skewed way. I don't know what they'll do if Ravol ever chooses to leave Terne House for good. For now they're pretty benign. I try not to think about the consequences of such an action. So instead, I try to maintain some level of peaceful coexistence between the Zhalazti and the spirits of my ancestors.

I stared up at the portrait in the third floor bedroom where I went after slipping out of the bedroom I share with Ravol. I jumped when Ravol place a hand on my shoulder. "Why are you up here?" Ravol asked.

"Luke summoned me," I answered. Ravol glanced up at the portrait. I closed my eyes, enjoying Ravol's nearness. I have to leave for the auction house soon and it will be hard to tear myself away from him.

"What does he say?" Ravol asked, then nipped my earlobe, completely distracting me from my train of thought. A cold breeze kicked up dust in the room. Ravol laughed. "He's jealous because he has no lover to warm him these days."

I leaned back and Ravol nipped at my nape. I knew there would be bruises when he finished playing. He nipped again. It was a sharper pinch that left me gasping.

"H-he'd probably be less volatile if you brought him a woman," I said, as I stretched my neck longer, giving him even more access.

"A woman?"

"No." The dust roiled higher. "That isn't want he wants. He would need to choose."

"He can forget it. He's gone two hundred years without a woman. I'm not bringing some sacrifice here for him to play havoc with." Ravol nipped at my shoulder. I lost interest in Luke. Luke might be a nuisance but he hadn't caused any real damage. Just a bit of petulance. I turned in Ravol's arms. He kissed me.

"Forget about Luke," I said. I'd learned to tolerate Luke's presence and to ignore it as much as possible. Just part of the charm of Terne House, I guess. Every old house has its quirks. Terne House certainly had its share.

"How long will you be gone?" Ravol asked, then kissed me more thoroughly. I started to lose focus. The man's charisma was too overpowering. But I'd know that the first night I walked into Terne House and met him for the first time. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. "I want you."

I chuckled. "You had me. And had me some more." He grabbed my ass and yanked me closer. I felt the ridge of his cock brush against my own hard-on.

*_*_*_*

My Fate, My Destiny by Darcy Abriel is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

LATEST PAX RELEASE - Growl

Visit the links to take advantage of our

Growl An AmberPax™ Collection of Werewolf Romance by Various Authors  Genre: Gay (M/M) Werewolf Romance  Cover Copyright ©2012 by Trace Edward Zaber

Included in this collection of erotic romance...
(For more information on each title, or to purchase separately, click on the book covers below!)

Awaking the Alpha by Carolina Valdez Extended Novella (Gay)

Boundless by Vivien Dean Novella (Gay)

Crouching Vegan, Hidden Werewolf by Sean Michael Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

My Fate, My Destiny by Darcy Abriel Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

Temptation Eyes by A.J. Llewellyn & D.J. Manly Extended Novella (Gay)

  In conjunction with our newest release, we will be having a giveaway! Any comment made from today throughout the week (1/19-1/24) will be eligible to win the entire pax collection. A winner will be picked at random on Saturday from all comments received.

My Fate, My Destiny by Darcy Abriel

Sequel to the Amber Allure best-seller My Soul He Seeks...

After their first introduction in Ternekill, and through the sharing of an amazingly emotional paranormal experience, Byron Shepley and Ravol Nova have remained lovers for two years. Finally, Byron has come to terms with his relationship with the mysterious Terne House and his unusual ability to connect with spirits of the past.

But circumstances change when Byron is abducted by Ravol’s fierce enemy, who will use Bryon to bring Ravol to his knees. On a night lit by a full moon, Byron may finally get his wish to witness Ravol transform from human to beast—but it may be his last wish, as two beasts clash in a life-or-death struggle. Byron may be in for more than one surprise before the night is over.

Yet, revelations may not just be about Ravol, but about Byron, too, as he comes face-to-face with what may be not only his fate, but his destiny. Can love save them, or will his fate destroy them both? 

Genres: Gay/Dark Fantasy/Werewolf/Shapeshifter/Gothic/The Arts/Paranormal/Ghosts/ Hauntings/BDSM (Light)/Series

Heat Level: 3

Length: Extended Amber Kiss (11k words) 

Read a short excerpt...

...“Byron, are you awake?” Ravol’s voice is still growly and hoarse. It’s a remnant from his change, is what he tells me. “I’ve missed you—I need you now.”

The chains affixing me to the bed jangle as I roll onto my back, opening myself to him.

“I’m here, Ravol. I need you, too.”

His moist heat curls around me, coating me with his presence. I can smell his sweat. I worry about him when he goes out prowling on nights like this. If something did happen I’d be locked to the bed, and Ramon’s not going to interfere with Ravol’s order. I could never get to him fast enough if he needed me. Ravol says he’s simply making sure I’m safe. His enemies track him persistently. They’ll use me to get to him if they can. Ravol is always vigilant. He does some sort of spell around the house, some scent thing or other that he calls a Zhalazti safety net. Once a month he’s out there at the dark of the moon chanting, calling upon the Zhalazti goddess. I don’t understand it, but it’s apparently some charm thing that his tribe used to keep their wagons safe from marauders in olden times.

Beneath my shirt I even have to wear a bag of herbs that he puts together. He makes it stronger when he’s out of town. Heinrich can always tell when I’m wearing the stronger charm. He always jokes about me stinking up the place. I usually confine myself to my office when I have to wear that one. I hate answering questions about it and then needing to make up some story or other.

My attention is all on Ravol now. He comes over me, his body presses me deeper into the bed. His kiss, deep and hungry, transports me, sends the familiar zing of recognition throughout my body. As he lifts my hand, the gold cuff with the strange markings on my wrist rattles because the chain is still attached. He kisses my palm, nips at the heel with sharp teeth. His lips are slippery against mine. Blood of his prey?

“You could make me like you,” I say, just as I’ve said a hundred times before. “I’m ready. It would be easier.”

“No,” he answered sharply. “You will never be like me. You know what you would be. Just like that pelt that’s spread before the fireplace in the music room. Is that what you want?”

“But I’d be with you. You’d teach me to control the instincts. I’ve read the stories. There were some who survived and who controlled the madness.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” He leaned down and kissed me fiercely, stifling my words, and at the same time drawing blood as his sharp tooth razed my lower lip. Ravol licked it clean and then he grabbed the tube of lube from the nightstand and squirted the gel into my ass. This was about urgency, as I knew his blood was still running high and hot. His lust was always so intense when he returned to me. Ravol used his fingers to stretch me, to get me ready to take his big prick. Firm, long fingers that reached deep inside me. And then he was over me, dragging my legs wider, lifting me as though I weighed nothing at all. My arms dragged against the chains binding me. The gold cuffs scraped my wrists, the familiar tendrils of pain clawing up and into each digit of my finger, each hand wrapped around the length of chain binding me to the headboard.

And then my attention was diverted as Ravol pressed his big prick into me, stretching me even more. Pain screwed up my arms, shoulder joint to wrist, as I twisted and writhed beneath him. He stretched my ass as the head popped past the ring, fitting so sweet and familiar inside my channel. Coming home, and I couldn’t help smiling at the stupid thought... 

Hunting Down the Back Story for My Soul He Seeks by Darcy Abriel

Brainstorming for this story started with word association. No, back up, it didn’t start there. It began with the image of a man. Hispanic, gypsy. What did he do? What’s in his soul? And so I dug deeper. Music is in his soul. What kind of music? There was no other answer. Flamenco. In researching, one line resonated with me, and with Ravol. Flamenco is at the very heart of the gitano culture with strong roots in Andalusia. And thus Ravol Nova was born.

Ravol possesses a dark and mysterious history. Rumors about his relationship, and the murder of his lover, Francesco, haunt him unceasingly. For me, this past came to life through a video on Youtube.

A duel of guitars in a sense. But for my story the duel started between a young Flamenco guitarist and a Flamenco dancer. What better inspiration could I find for the dancer than this Youtube video:

Joaquin Cortes. Wow. Perfect. I had the passion and the pain of my backstory.

The foundation of Ravol’s dark haunting, is the murder of his passionate lover, Francesco, that has colored his life so deeply. But there was more, a lot more, because as I got into writing the story, I realized Ravol actually was a descendent of a lost gypsy tribe, the Zhalazti, which has its roots in Babylonian origins. (My story, “Run to Ground”, provides the foundation for the Zhalazti in more detail.)  And thus there is magic– a special magic he must harness and use in an effort to bring peace to his life. And he will use any means to find that peace. To that end, he acquires a special musical instrument. Enter, the young, auction house researcher, Byron Shepley, who has a very dark and somewhat disturbing history with the mansion Ravol now lives in. And it is on a dark and stormy night these two men will finally meet.

These fictional facts represent the foundation of “My Soul He Seeks,” as both Ravol and Byron, in seeking resolution to their past histories, may discover a light of love shining through the darkness shading each of their souls, even though there is nothing remotely simple about the attraction they soon share.

“My Soul He Seeks” is a story of redemption and resolution in many ways. It is also about sacrifice and revenge.

One last little tidbit about this story. I needed to name my town...something special. Ternekill wasn’t just something I pulled from my black hat and pasted into the story. I starting researching names. I thought about the town and the story and the people.  The word “terne” I discovered is a Delaware Native American word for...wolf. What better name could I choose? Especially with Ravol’s history as descending from the werewolf clan, the Zhalazti? Having grown up in central New York near the Catskills, I finished off the name of the town with the word, “kill.” Two meanings, one the obvious–to murder, or kill. The other goes back to the roots of the area, and the early settlers of New York – the Dutch. Kill refers to a river or a creek. Kille, meaning riverbed or channel. Thus, the town’s name of Ternekill. There is reference in the story to a dark spot in Ternekill history regarding the Ternekill Creek.

Did I mention I love creating backstory?

“My Soul He Seeks,” part of the “Gothics Galore” AmberPax collection, available this month at Amber Allure.

*_*_*_*

My Soul He Seeks by Darcy Abriel is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

LATEST PAX RELEASE - Gothics Galore

Visit the links to take advantage of our

Gothics Galore An AmberPax™ Collection of Gay Romance by Various Authors  Genre: Gay (M/M) Gothic Romance  Cover Copyright ©2012 by Trace Edward Zaber

Included in this collection of erotic romance...
(For more information on each title, or to purchase separately, click on the book covers below!)

Coliseum Square by Lynn Lorenz Novella (Gay)

Dark and Stormy by Deirdre O'Dare Novella (Gay)

Mist in the Night by D.J. Manly Novella (Gay)

My Soul He Seeks by Darcy Abriel Extended Amber Kiss (Gay)

Shattered by Fate by A.J. Llewellyn Extended Novella (Gay)

  In conjunction with our newest release, we will be having a giveaway! Starting tomorrow, leave a comment on any post made during the week (7/22-7/26), and you'll be eligible to win the entire pax collection. A winner will be picked at random on Saturday from all comments received.