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Escape into the New YEAR! Sneak Peek at Acatalec Chosen!🔥✨

Feast your brains on these beauties!

Hey ,


Thank the universe and all that is booky that a new year is upon us!


I was halfway exciting this year and went out to dinner and a movie. Saw the new Avatar! I'm just going to say that it made me cry. I'm a complete sap. But, in a non-spoiling way I will say there is a glaring plot hole towards the end, despite that, I still very much enjoyed the movie.


I find it strange that the mere act of starting something new, whether that's a new day, a new year, or a new book, can completely recalibrate your outlook on things.


Bad day, bad year, bad book? No worries, wake up to a new day, a new year, a new book, and new chances for your happily ever after, or for some... a raunchily ever after. Whatever boosts your spaceship, is what I say, or at least what I choose to say in this NEW YEAR.


I wanted to share with you a few new year promotions that I think might help you refresh your e-readers, and kickstart your bookish engines for the year. There's a little something for everyone. Steamy Alien Romances, Sci-fi Adventures, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, and more! Plus, if you're a writer, or a reader who likes to know things about writer's journeys, stick around for my little new year's author plans at the end.


I've got a little something for everyone! Free Kindle Unlimited Vampire Romance, Free Download for Alien Romance, Free Download for an Epic Fantasy Adventure by one of my newly FAVORITE authors! Free Kindle Unlimited Alien Untamed Warrior Read! A romance e-reader giveaway! And a fantasy January book fair!


If you're anything like me January is the slowest month of the year, and the PERFECT time to read!


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Free Alien Romance

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Grab Bren's Blessing for Free!


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Okay, if you've seen my other email earlier in December then you know how much I LOVE this author's writing! I got sucked into The Sword of Mercy and Wrath, and found out there was a companion book to it and couldn't help but share it with you! If you like Fantasy Adventures at all then you NEED this in your library! Also, if you missed out on the last email, The Sword of Mercy and Wrath is available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited!

Grab The Sword of Salt and Smoke for Free


Read The Sword of Mercy and Wrath on Kindle Unlimited for free or grab for 99 pennies


Watch My Blind Date Read of The First Chapter on YouTube!


Read Gray Free with Kindle Unlimited!

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I've joined up with a bunch of romance indie authors to have this fun giveaway for everyone! Happy NEW YEAR!

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Join the e-reader Romance Stuffer 50+Books! Ends Jan 4th



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Stock up on Fantasy Adventures for freesies



~Stevie AKA S.M. McCoy AKA Sky Robert (Author of stuff and things, mom of humans in training, including my husband.) 


PS: Sometimes you have to click the read more to see the whole email.


Author Plans/Updates:

Okay, since I have my nom de plume launch for Sky Robert, I have several things going. But, I don't want to neglect my regular works either. So, I'm still plugging away at Kingdom of Acatalec book two, which I'm still debating on the title. Currently dubbed, Chosen for Acatalec, or Acatalec Chosen.


Do you like either title better?


I'm working on one book from each author platform, the next books for Sky Robert, Her Alien Prince, and Her Alien Savior. As well as the next books for S.M. McCoy, Acatalec Chosen, and The Serpent's Kiss. And... I was bad... and started another project... it's a habit of mine. It's a vampire fated mates romance... I couldn't help myself.


I hop between books when I write. A little here, a little there. I'm kind of a spazz.


And what has been working for me for marketing has been this newsletter, as well as author swaps, and group giveaways. So, yes, you do see other author's works mentioned in this newsletter from free reader downloads, to Kindle Unlimited Read highlights, and the occasional 99 cent bargain. All from indie authors just like me, and I do go out of my way to find and pick things that I think you'll enjoy.


It helps me out a lot when you click to check those authors out, even if you end up not choosing to read the book, because they are also mentioning my book in their newsletter, and I get introduced to other readers who might like my stories.


The more people that check out works I mention, the more reach my own books will have, and the more I get to share my worlds.


I understand that some people might find that annoying to be "advertised" to, but I do pick out stuff that I like myself, as well as things I hope you'll like. And as I mentioned in my very first welcome email to this newsletter, writing stories, being an author, YES, this is my passion, but it is also my business. And if I can't make some money from my words, then eventually the only person who will be reading them is me, because it costs me two thousand dollars everytime I launch a book. From cover design, proofreaders, author platform builders, services to find readers, being included in other book newsletters... all of it costs an author money. Even maintaining the website hosting, having the BookFunnel or Story Origin platform to send free books to you, creating an audiobook adaptation, or a paperback copy for your shelves, all of it costs, even the time I take to create these emails. That doesn't even include the time and effort of writing the book to begin with.


Your support and the fact that you are here with me, means the world to me.


I hope you've been enjoying the free books I've made for you, My Abett - a sci-fi fantasy adventure romance, and Her Alien Exchange - a sci-fi steamy fated mates alien romance. These are my gifts to you, and I hope to continue making more for you for years to come!


I'm currently working on The Serpent's Kiss as a new freebie for the newsletter.


I will also start working on audiobook adaptations of some more of my books.


Being part of my newsletter you will be the first to be informed of ARC reader opportunities to read my books for free, but I also try to include all sort of other goodies from other awesome indies that I hope you enjoy.


If you like alien romances, please take a moment to pre-order Jewel of the Alien Bandit on Amazon for the pre-order only sale of 99 pennies to help this baby have a great first week launch and become a verified purchase on Amazon! This book will also be available for free with Kindle Unlimited, so for those of you with the subscription you can help ensure the future of the Trillume Galaxy by reading when it launches January 31st!

So, get excited, and save the date! I need everyone who loves Alien Fated Mates Romances to blast Amazon with TONS of KU pages read!

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Pre-order Jewel of the Alien Bandit



And as a treat for those who love the Acatalec series, my Sci-fi fantasy futuristic Seattle based adventure into a parallel world of the magical Acatalec, with a splash of romance and fated mates, here is a sneak peek preview of Book Two:


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SPOILER ALERT! If you have NOT read Kingdom of Acatalec Book One, DO NOT READ THIS!

Quick! Go check out the preview of Kingdom of Acatalec and read book one before diving in below! The below sales page has a preview action to read the first 7 chapters for free through the "read sample in your browser"

Check out Kingdom of Acatalec Book One



Acatalec Chosen - Book Two Sneak Peek

Chapter One:

Gently, Kelly tugged my hood back and I squeezed my green eyes shut even knowing it wouldn’t do much good at stopping whatever glamour poured off of me in an invisible miasmic wave. She shouldn’t be this close to me, but my willpower to keep pushing her away dwindled day by day. Isolating myself from everyone wasn’t a long-term solution. I needed to feel connected, and Kelly was always there.

Maybe she stayed because I wanted her too. Maybe she stayed because she had a strong stubborn sense of loyalty to our friendship. I wasn’t strong enough to leave her alone, or to let her go. It was deeply unnerving how much I relied on her simply to exist near me.

Her black curly hair escaped from her work bandanna, tickling my skin, and even so it was like that unruly strand was meant to be there. Even her imperfections were envy inspiring and distracting me from what I should have been doing, pulling away. I couldn’t be sure anything she did around me was of her own free will. Not when I discovered what I was capable of, and where I was actually from.

A place called Acatalec, and worse yet… the region of Tarquin, where everyone who develops abilities from the land is feared.

Things were safer when we only communicated through the NeuralGo tech, at least then I could be sure I was far enough away from her that my newfound abilities didn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to do simply by wanting it myself. The tarquin power of manipulating the people within a set boundary that I didn’t even know the rules for. Where did the boundary end? How far away did I have to be? Did it even matter if I said what I wanted out loud, or could I simply look at a person and my wants override their own? I couldn’t answer those questions, because I didn’t grow up in the Kingdom of Acatalec.

When Kelly’s fingers laced into the belt loops of my coveralls to tug me in for a firm embrace, I couldn’t refuse. My chair wheeled forward, and her arms wrapped around my waist pulling me to the edge of my seat. For her safety I should have stopped her, because I knew I wanted this, and even thinking about how much I needed her arms wrapped around me in comfort might have been enough to influence her through my magic. I couldn’t control the Tarquin in me, and it’s only become stronger since I won the races, and found out what I was.

Not human. At least not fully.

But neither was Kelly.

“You don’t have to wear that all the time. Honestly Babe, I don’t even think your hood would stop your glamour if you were trying to get someone to do something.” Kelly was more comfortable calling me Babe to prevent herself from screwing up in front of strangers with our new identities. Our old names were lost to us, as long as the person who hired my attempted killer was still out there.

Cradling my head against her chest, she nuzzled her cheek into my maple brown frizzy mop. I was considerably shorter, even if I wasn’t sitting in my wheelchair, but that didn’t seem to bother her.

Though I doubted everything now. Maybe it did bother her, and I would never know the difference. Not while my magic controlled her or anyone else I knew. My need to have her accept me could be all that was needed to change her own mind about accepting my disability, both my legs, and my tarquin ability.

In my ear she whispered assuring me, “I’m not doing anything I don’t want to do.”

But I couldn’t trust her words any longer. Or anyone’s for that matter.

“I can’t know that for sure, and neither can you.” I regretted breaking the moment, but it had to be said. I reluctantly eased out of her grasp, but for me that meant grabbing her hands and gently untangling her from around my neck. Kelly had to do the rest, pulling back, and allowing me to get to work scanning the code of the malfunctioning drone in the garage hanger.

Kelly was my best friend, and she’d been there for me since before we even met in person. I knew that sounded weird, but in this era it’s not uncommon to only see the people you care about through links in the NeuralGo, a neural connection in your brain transmitted to your retina through contact lenses. An image augmented over your environment in real time. I could be there with anyone without ever leaving my home.

Behind my ear was a button smaller than the thickness of a hair that I tapped to activate my interface to connect with my contact lenses. The code for the drone popped up, and as my eyes scanned down, the lines of data followed my ocular movements. Keeping my attention on the last line of code for more than a second allowed the next few lines of code to scroll. I closed my eyes, pausing my task unable to concentrate.

Kelly was hovering behind me, the pull of her presence tugged inside my chest. It was like I could feel her even though she didn’t touch my skin, but the back of my neck warmed. If this was my old wheelchair it might have turned to face her as my control waned responding to my thoughts to move. Face her, I begged myself to compile, but I couldn’t push past my self-made barrier to keep her safe.

Understanding what I wanted Kelly picked up the edges of my hoodie, her arms gently resting on my shoulders. Slowly she pulled the covering back over my face to hide my eyes, though I purposefully ignored the obvious reason why she was doing any of this without a word between us. Her chest pressed into my back as her arms wrapped me from behind, and her cheek grazed against mine, nuzzling in for good measure. This was all to prove a point that she did what she wanted, and in that moment, she wanted to comfort me, but if I wanted it too how could I know for sure it wasn’t my magic calling to her as a siren would luring a victim to the depths of the sea.

Being here in person, with Kelly, for the past few months… I wouldn’t change that for the world. There was something next level in feeling her calming presence, and not simply seeing or hearing her through the NeuralGo. The whole air around us was different being in the same room with her, she really made being uprooted from my life easier to digest and manage. Which was why it was so difficult to push her away, but it was selfish of me to keep her by my side.

The person responsible for sending Bailey after me was still out there, and Kelly had already been caught in the dangerous game of trying to kill me. Whoever they were, they didn’t care if Kelly was collateral damage, or Bailey for that matter. Even if there wasn’t some psychopath out there, I still had no control over what was inside me.

 We’d been avoiding the topic ever since leaving Seattle to start a new life in the sticks of Oregon. I’m not calling Oregon the sticks; I’m calling where we were too far away from Portland to be considered civilization. Though, not far enough away that people didn’t purposefully leave the city to get the expert services that the mum and pop shop Locket Code N’ Machinery provided for everything drone repair, and more.

It was that reputation Rem’s mother, Lauren, had gained that allowed both Kelly and me to temporarily get seasonal work here. Though I knew Rem enough from saving my life during the races to trust coming here, I didn’t let her mother know who I was, or that Rem had hinted that she could help us get new identities. To Lauren, we were Aura and Peyton… I only got to hear my real name before we went to sleep each night in a whispered, ‘Goodnight Tyler.’

Kelly somehow knew I needed to hear that I was still the same person, despite everything that’s changed I needed to still be me. But I didn’t really know who that was anymore. I was almost certain the only way we were getting away with being off-the-books contract workers, not answering questions about our past, or living in Lauren’s spare loft above the garage was because of my tarquin abilities. Only a few months ago did I find out about what I was, and it was the reason I could never have a normal life as who I was ever again.

Unwittingly, I worked for Zeiten Drone Transportation ran and operated by Acatalecians, though I didn’t know that at the time. The uncomfortable stares I got from co-workers took on a whole new meaning now that I thought about it. Were they simply not used to seeing a woman in a wheelchair, or was it that they thought I was a human working at an alien company?

“I think you need to stop avoiding this, and try to understand it better,” Kelly insisted. She squeezed my shoulder, and I tensed knowing that touch, voice, and eye contact made my abilities stronger. When I used them altogether it was pretty much a guarantee that Kelly did whatever I asked of her.

She was right about needing to understand more, but nothing was ever simple, and I had to bear the weight on my soul of being responsible for someone’s death because of what I was.

“How do you think I should do that? Go around messing with people’s free will?” I snapped a little too aggressively, and accidentally jostled the hood enough to see the hurt in her eyes. Yanking my hood down I wished hiding my eyes did more than simply relieve my guilt for existing, that it actually helped stop my power from influencing people around me without forethought. I turned away and heaved out an exasperated breath. It wasn’t her fault I was born this way. There was a reason the Tarquins were avoided even on Acatalec.

We were dangerous.

“I’m sorry, this is my problem,” I dismissed.

Shaking her head in denial I could hear the way her hair bounced and brushed against her skull-patterned bandanna, which was supposed to keep the curly strands out of her face, but I could imagine more locks of curls springing free with every movement she made. “No, this would have never happened if it wasn’t for me,” she tried to take all of the blame herself. That was so like her to take the lead, and a majority of the time she’d be right. Most of the trouble we got into over the last few years could easily be placed on her shoulders, she had a knack for wanting to test the boundaries with illegal races being only one of her morally gray activities.

“Why don’t you just try something simple?” she asked while grabbing my hands before I could pull away. Before I could object about the morality of taking away a stranger’s free will for experimental purposes Kelly quickly offered, “On me. Ask me to do something. You have my permission. No matter what you ask in the next five minutes if it’s of my own freewill, I will not do it. I will stay right here for five minutes, no matter what.”

She squeezed my hands pleading with me. Her milk chocolate skin was grease stained from digging around the tools and repairing drone parts. She was a masterful engineer, knew the ins-and-outs of a drone so well she could manufacture her own parts if she wanted to, or build a drone from scratch.

I learned most of what I knew about drones from her, but I stick to the coding, not the mechanics.

“I could ask you for a cup of coffee,” I suggested while still keeping my eyes averted. Sometimes even suggesting that I wanted coffee was enough to get someone to grab a cup. My voice alone could force their will to bend, and they wouldn’t even realize what I’d done.

I didn’t realize what I’d done, or for how long I’d been doing it before I knew what I was.

Being around people was too dangerous.

Speaking was too dangerous, but it was worse if they were making eye contact, or touching my skin. I pulled my hands from hers. I wore gloves, but I didn’t want to force Kelly to do anything, even if it was simply to get coffee.

“Exactly. You know I make horrible coffee,” she teased trying to lighten the mood and it did work to an extent. I had no idea how my abilities worked, except that I couldn’t control it, and I tried to limit looking at people or asking for things so I could make sure anyone around me was still being themselves.

I wasn’t a vampire, at least not in the traditional myth about them. There was no blood sucking… that I knew of, but having ancestry from the Tarquin Region of Acatalec did give me a heightened ability to manipulate the people around me. They called it a glamour, but what made it so dangerous was that it was difficult for the victim to know that they were doing something they didn’t want to. Which was why I tried to avoid staring directly in the eyes.

I would rather seclude myself than take away someone’s free will again. Images of Bailey smiling up at me as she fell made my heart ache, and I bit my lip to stop myself from reliving the moment again. If I didn’t get a hold of myself soon could I guarantee another person wouldn’t die because of me?

Nodding softly to Kelly I agreed. I’d do it. I couldn’t let someone else suffer that way. “Okay, but first let’s try it without eye contact.”

“Agreed, but you have to actually try, not just pretend to try. If you're not in it, then it’s pointless and we aren’t learning anything.” She squeezed my hand for reassurance, and then took a step back waiting before saying, “I will not go get you coffee, no matter what.” Kelly widened her stance like she was preparing for battle, and in a way, she was, but it was all in her mind. I didn’t know how it worked, but somehow, I imposed my own will, and proximity was a factor.

I took a deep breath feeling my throat tighten. Closing my eyes for good measure, even with the hood down I finally said, “I could really use a cup of coffee.” My voice was low, and I could feel it vibrate out from me like a seduction. In order for this experiment to have value I had to make myself believe I wanted coffee, then in a more direct manner I asked, “Would you grab a cup for me?”

“No problem,” she was quick to reply, and I sunk into my chair. Kelly turned from me and walked over to the counter where an old glass carafe warmed on a hot plate sat. “You know I’m not the best at making coffee,” Kelly rambled on, completely oblivious to what she was doing. I fisted my hands, angry with myself for thinking this would do anything but confirm what I already knew. That this experiment did nothing but prove that if I wanted something and I voiced those wants, people around me would do what I asked of them. So, basically, I needed to keep my mouth shut.

“It’s a good thing you already brewed a bunch this morning,” Kelly continued, “But, I could have sworn you were trying to cut back.” It was like even her mind was trying to convince herself that she shouldn’t be grabbing me coffee, but the impulse to fulfill my request was too strong. And I’d only used my voice.

Kelly came back and handed me a mug, completely forgetting she was supposed to be saying no this whole time. Did she even remember having the conversation with me? Or was my voice so enticing that she couldn’t think of anything else but to help me out because I asked her to?

But I didn’t demand it of her. I didn’t tell her to grab me a cup. I only asked her if she could, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. I couldn’t find a way to ask something of someone and still give them freewill. I was a monster, and the very thought had my whole spine tingling in discomfort.

Groaning in frustration knowing my voice was only part of the problem. I mean, at least the voice thing usually only worked if I tried, but it was too risky to meet people in the eyes when I didn’t know what I was doing. What’s worse was that it was getting more out of control, and I couldn’t guarantee just talking wouldn’t take someone’s freewill away more and more often. Wanting something was enough for people in proximity to do something I’d merely been thinking about if I caught their eyes with mine. Turning away from her I rolled back to the counter with all the coffee fixings, and with a bit too much force placed the cup in the sink creating a crack that shouldn’t have been there. Story of my life, I scoffed at the offending coffee cup that had once been usable, and no longer was.

“Did I do something wrong? I thought you liked creamer…” Kelly bemoaned. That’s how disturbing this ability was, she didn’t even realize she was doing something against her will. I had no idea when my abilities would have started, and how many people in my life were affected without even knowing. There was no way to ask someone if they were doing something because they wanted to or because I asked. I’d have to talk through the link permanently if this continued, just to be safe…

“No, it’s me. Maybe we can save up for some special contacts that can reflect so there isn’t direct contact or something, so no one can be affected that way? I’m not sure. I mean I’m wearing contacts now…”

A light bulb seemed to trigger in her head at my suggestion, or perhaps my strong distaste for seeing the coffee adjusted my own glamour over her. She slouched in the ducked tapped swivel chair beside the drone we were servicing.

“Maybe it’s because coffee is such a simple request?” she posited with sympathy, obviously remembering our conversation now. “But, you can’t just ignore who you are, we should try again later with coffee, but this time don’t do the voice thing and only make eye contact with me normally, not trying to do anything.”

“You’re right,” I slid my hood off, and turned around to look at her, I could care less about wanting coffee, and actually thought about how I hated the idea of even drinking coffee right now, but asked anyways while staring directly in those gorgeous pitying eyes of hers, “I think this coffee would have been better black. No cream please.”

I tried my best to be as casual and non interested as possible. Kelly was stunning even in a ripped-up jumper, and dirty jeans. Her black curly hair was naturally puffy and held back by a simple rolled-up skull printed bandanna that she wore whenever she was determined to finish a project. It was like her super power to strap on a bandanna like a war sash, and whatever she was working on would be conquered that day, if not the next.

If she wasn’t here with me, she’d have been easily hired by any engineering department across the country for her skills. Even if she wasn’t as knee deep in the shit we got ourselves into, I still wouldn’t have been able to convince myself to leave her alone, not if there was a small chance that someone found out I was alive, and wanted to use her to get to me. They’d already done that once, and I wouldn’t let it happen again. She was stuck with me, whether she liked it or not. At least, that was the excuse I kept telling myself which prevented me from letting go.

“I knew it! It was too sweet,” she said while practically jumping up from her seat with renewed vigor,

“but you know this coffee is practically shit without it.” Kelly sauntered over and took my cup from the sink, too focused to even notice it was dripping from where I’d cracked it, pouring its contents down the drain to start again. “You’d be better off getting an I.V. of the stuff than tasting anything but the sugar. Just my personal opinion.” She poured more coffee into the cup, and eyed the powdered creamer like I was insane to want coffee without it, since the coffee didn’t taste great even with it. Then she reached for the sugar packets, glanced at me with a sly smile she poured a few packets in. “You can’t be serious about taking it straight like that.”

I nodded at her. “You’re right, it’d be like guzzling nitrogen.” Giving her a sad, defeated smile before pulling my hood back over my face to shadow direct contact with my eyes. I had no control over it, and I didn’t know how to not let energy seep out from me when I asked someone to do something.

“Ugh,” she groaned probably finally realizing the coffee cup was broken, “Well, this one is for me.” Peeking from my hood I could see Kelly quickly cupped the bottom of the cup to cover up the evidence of the leak with a mischievous grin. She’d been duped into doing what I asked of her again, and she knew it, but thankfully it was such a weak request that she realized what had happened as soon as I broke eye line with her.

“That’s enough,” I lamented. Experimenting on her was no better than being a scientist in ancient times cutting open people to discover the body’s mysteries without a scanner. I was done, and even not wanting to manipulate her was probably forcing her to agree with me, and I was exhausted even thinking about it. I understood why tarquins had such an awful reputation, but most grew up with it and could control their energy, at least I hoped they did. “Why don’t we just see if Lauren can make something to block my eyes before we leave? She’d probably know what to do.”

At least I hoped she would. She may not have been human, but she didn’t inherit her region’s abilities either. Even still, I wouldn’t know how she would react to finding out I was part Tarquin, it wasn’t something people found endearing unless you were in Tarquin’s region itself. And going back to Acatalec, even to Tarquin, wasn’t an option since they thought I was dead.

“It was only coffee, get over yourself. It’s not like you were trying to make me do something tragic. I may not have your ability, but I’m pretty sure it’s not that easy to affect people when it’s something they don’t want to do. It’s probably just more potent when the person wouldn’t find a problem doing it in the first place. I’m not a good subject for the test.” She huffed and paced back and forth raking her brain for something before turning to me sharply with her finger pointing.

“A stranger,” Kelly exclaimed her epiphany. “Someone that would have no reason to stop what they were doing to get your coffee, and wouldn’t feel a connection that would make a favor seem trivial. Anything done for you would be out of character for a stranger. Then we can test if your eyes would still do it, or if you need to try harder to make it work.”

“And if it does? Then what? That isn’t a plan.” I waved her off, and rolled in front of the drone sitting in the garage for repair more frustrated than I cared to admit. Linking up to the drone, interfacing, and then scrolling through to code for anything that would explain why it was sensing drones that weren’t there was better than humoring this insanity. This drone may have been driving the owner crazy at all the slowdowns on their commute, but at least they weren’t dealing with something unexplainable. It wasn’t impossible that there were actually drones not normally on the overlay, but it was more likely picking up on some interference, and just needed a recalibration. If only my own problems could be solved with a simple retooling.

“We need to know whether this is happening every time you look at someone, or if it’s only happening because unconsciously you know you can do it, and you trigger it because now you know about your power.”

“Then we’d never know. How am I supposed to tell my unconscious mind to shut the link up to prevent myself from using it?”

Frustrated with me she stomped over and tilted her hip with her hand resting on it. “Fine, live like a recluse for the rest of your life. What do I care? I’m the only one trying to come up with suggestions and we’re both avoiding the best solution.”

I knew she was right, there was an obvious solution, but to do that would put us at risk. We couldn’t afford to let anyone from Acatalec know that we were alive, let alone go there and find a Tarquin to train me. It was risky enough to be here with Lauren, which I wouldn’t have even done if I didn’t know she was as normal as a human, but understanding that we weren’t, while having lived on Earth her whole life, so really didn’t have much connection with Acatalec.

Even still, I wasn’t going to put her at risk by staying too long. Just long enough to get some spending credits, and convince her to help us with our new identities. I wasn’t fond of resorting to my abilities, but I would to make sure she stayed safe. Convince her to help, then make her believe she’d never met us. I’d leave the contacts Rem let me borrow so that if she ever came back to visit her mom, she’d know I was safe, but also that I didn’t plan on coming back. Rem had done enough to make sure everyone believed I was still dead in the minds of all that mattered, meaning the Acatalecians. And if I was lucky, even the Lord Prince would believe I died when his drone crashed.

“You know that isn’t an option.”

She sighed. “I know, Babe… it’s just that even I grew up in Acatalec when I was younger to understand what was happening with me. Most who exhibit any abilities do, and you have no idea if it was your dad or your mom that you inherited this from. Honestly, I can’t figure out why it couldn’t be both. It’s super rare for someone to inherit two regional abilities like you from only one parent. I’ve never heard of it happening ever,” she paused knowing this was a sensitive subject for me. “We should find a way to contact your mom safely before we start somewhere fresh, you know, to feel things out…”

“Yah, because if she’s human and I decide to tell her I have super powers she’d think her daughter is insane, and accidentally decide to contact a therapist. I’d have to use this ability to make her forget we talked, and pray to whatever deity existed that I don’t accidentally make her forget not just that we talked but that she can talk at all.” I shivered remembering what happened the last time I tried to make someone forget about something.

My words mattered.

I didn’t want to use my ability at all.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Kelly soothed, wrapping her arms around me her head leaning on my shoulder.

That’s just it… it was my fault, that’s what made it so painful.

My stomach clenched in on itself.

Bailey’s death was because of me.


Want to read more? Stay tuned on this newsletter for a sneak peek at chapter two!

(Side note: this sample is not professionally edited yet. Book two is still in progress)


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Disclaimer: Sometimes, not all the time, I do use affiliate links, at no cost to you, and I only recommend or promote things that I personally trust, checked out, want to read or have read myself. Books that I myself would share with friends and family. I do not sell your email/information. I also do not buy/spam emails. If you are on this newsletter it is because you clicked a marketing consent when you entered a sponsored giveaway for books, grabbed a free copy of one of my books, read one of my books, saw me on socials and thought, hey that person seems like my kind of weird and decided to click that join newsletter to find out more. Either way, if you're here it is because you wanted to join me in book rants, and if you don't want to anymore you are free to unsubscribe at any time, and also welcome to return at any time as well. I think that covers things... if I missed something feel free to email me. I am a human behind these strange goings ons, so welcome to the weird, the strange, the fantastical, and all the book love I can give.

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