Showing results by narrator "Piers Ryman" in Science Fiction & Fantasy

Nothing will ever be the same again. Having successfully averted a mutiny and the near-discovery of the Exit Plan, the White Flower II's new captain is now in charge of fulfilling that plan to its end, and there's only a little more than a month to prepare. But there's a problem—Tesko doesn't want to deliver the terraformer to the pirates as agreed. She wants it for the geroo, and she will not take no for an answer. But it's not as simple as kicking the pirates out, as both crews need each other. For now.

From battle-hardened warriors to brilliant scientists, these alien males will stop at nothing to claim and protect their fated mates. As war rages across a dangerous planet teeming with lethal flora and fauna, passion ignites between species. Witness the sizzling chemistry as stubborn humans and possessive aliens clash, resist, and ultimately surrender to a love that defies galaxies.

Centuries ago, we lost our world. Planetary Acquisitions keeps us alive solely to maintain their vast fleet of gate ships in an endless quest to find them new worlds to settle - or to conquer. Years flutter by like a tree shedding its spring petals, and so we desperately cling to this chunk of dirt-and-machine we call home.

Bryony, Princess of Kimmery, has a secret. She lacks the Hunger, the magical and passionate craving that is responsible for Kimmery's prosperity. Without that power, she will lose the crown and the chance to rule the kingdom she sincerely loves. The Queen's Line must select Chosen to satiate their Hunger with and Bryony's Choosing ceremony has arrived. On her first night with her newly assembled men — a prince, an ambassador, a stablehand, a sculptor, and a rogue — her own secret, and the secrets of Kimmery, spill out between them.

Tales of Hayven Celestia tells 13 stories of ordinary people put in extraordinary circumstances. Stuck in situations far beyond their control, they have to make the hardest choices of their lives. The stakes have never been higher, and one wrong move will lead to catastrophe.

Princess Bryony and her Chosen have been challenged, threatened, and attacked, but it’s news from the capital that lands the hardest blow. Bryony’s greatest ally is at risk, and if she loses her grandmother’s support, she may lose the crown, as well. Returning to the capital introduces new enemies and dangers as well as painful memories.

The peace Princess Bryony and her Chosen enjoyed in the north is broken, disturbed by the arrival of her family to the Winter Palace. Camellia is crueler than Bryony had ever imagined, and her grandmother's faith is hard won. Nothing will come easily, not even with her men at her side, with their affections growing deeper.

She’s the last person he thought would make his twin hearts beat in unison. I’m the rebel son next in line to rule as king, banished from the palace for fighting against the slave trade. The very trade started by my father, the late king of Zorlox. Life’s path had me riding roughshod, rescuing the slaves behind the scenes, until she showed up. The Terran from Earth who came to Zorlox under mysterious pretenses. Why do I feel so protective of her? I’ll do anything to get close to her, to find out why.

A well-placed kick into Kanti’s stomach dropped him back to the deck, grasping his gut and gasping for breath.

“What’s wrong?” The bigger geroo asked, twisting Kanti’s helmet free. “Can’t breathe?” The commissioner accidentally let his last cleaning crew starve to death. So now, Kanti and 49 of his teammates will have to spend the rest of their lives in a one-room barracks, with only a single airlock protecting them from the planet’s poisonous atmosphere. Surrounded by towering monsters, on a world where the very air is lethal, mysterious burrowing strangers are pushing the crew into a panic. Will Kanti be able to keep them from tearing each other apart?

Kanti had spent many sleepless nights torturing himself with thoughts of the day when he would give up on returning to Tish. Old and grey, back-stooped from decades of labor, he would try to get up out of bed, and change his mind. Why bother? He couldn’t have been more wrong. He was still young, his pelt still tanned, and his back didn’t hurt when he rose. Everything had conspired to keep the two lovers apart: rivals, foes, distance. Now, he needs his friends’ help more than ever if he wants his old life back.

The best-laid plans of geroo and ringel often go awry. Nobody knows that as well as the crew of the White Flower II, the geroo ship whose captain still bears the literal scars of his last failure. Despite their best efforts, his ship and its crew still languish in slavery to the cruel krakun. But when a new opportunity for freedom presents itself, will the geroo be able to pull off an even more daring escape plan - right under the nose of a krakun overseer?

Lillian Dellacourt is beautiful, refined, and absolutely lethal. She’s come a long way from the penniless seamstress’ daughter sold to the highest bidder, and it wasn’t by trusting a man, let alone an exiled Marquis with more on his mind than slaying the hellspawn. For Dorian Lambert, Marquis de Montlambert, being sent to keep track of Lillian is no mean task. He’s wanted the fiery vixen since he first heard of her five years ago. But wooing the lady while fighting the demon uprising is difficult, especially when the lady’s tongue is as sharp as Japanese sai blades.

"They’ve put Kaz on trial for the murders!” cried Aziz. “They’re going to execute her as the killer!” Tori shook her head in an attempt to wake more fully. “What? No. That’s a mistake. Kaz wouldn’t harm an insect. There’s no way a court could find her guilty.” “The krakun legal system doesn’t give a damn about geroo. They find everyone guilty!”

Desperate to get the surgery she needs, Tori transfers aboard the Sailor's Gambit I to catch a vigilante. But the situation quickly unravels, and our unlikely investigator discovers that a serial killer on the loose is the very least of her problems.

An alternate universe male/male romance short story set in the world of The Runaway Model....Once Stoney discovered the secret for jumping between the worlds, how could he resist the urge to keep looking for the universe where he could live forever? Kyle was a guitarist, a model, a lost boy, an astronaut, a designer... but, in every world, in every time and place, he was always there for Stoney. Their fated love was infinite. Eternal. Until it wasn't.