She only had a few minutes to contemplate her newly defined status as a married woman, when her grandfather pulled at her hand. “Come with me.” He tugged and, confused, Kira allowed herself to be towed away.

  A glance at her parents’ faces stole any feeling of well-being.

  “Grandfather?”

  “Shh, my love. You must go.” His grip was implacable and his face stern, but he shivered.

  “What are you doing? Where are you taking me, Grandfather?”

  They moved rapidly through the village they’d visited to sell their wares just that morning, and for the first time since they’d arrived in the market place she felt fear. What was wrong? Was it something to do with Vasya?

  “You are in danger. We must send you away.” The words confused her further. Send her away? Danger?

  “Where is Vasya?” She stumbled over a stone, but he kept tugging her onwards.

  With a quick glance around, he hauled her into a dirty laneway between the buildings. Kira gasped, trying to drag air into her starving lungs. “There’s no time. We must get you away.”

  A nondescript shopfront lay ahead, and he pushed on the door. It rattled and opened with a loud groan. “Andre? Andre, are you here?”

  An older man shuffled into the room, bent nearly double from the weight of the load on his back. “Marat? What do you want?”

  “My granddaughter. They are coming for her and us. Get her away. Take her now, while you can.”

  The man’s face clouded over. “Are you sure?”

  “Grandfather, where is Vasya?” Fright had the blood in her veins pounding.

  “Hush, my precious. Andre will see you well.” He turned. “Whatever it takes, Andre. Take her now.” With surprising speed, her grandfather whirled and was gone.

  The man, Andre, eyed her. “Come this way, child. There is no time to be lost.”

  * * *

  Eleven years later

  The tattoo of her heart and cry of terror woke her, as they usually did. Once again, as she had since that rapid flight from those who sought her, she found herself in a lonely bed. Hundreds of miles away from everything she’d dreamed of, in a house she’d built for them to share. As always, it left her wishing that Vasya had fled with her.

  Instead, here she was, exiled without her husband. With a sob, she rolled over and let the tears fall.

  * * *

  Available from Beachwalk Press

  books2read.com/IOTB

  * * *

  Direct Autographed Copy

  http://bit.ly/2w6g4K6

  The Celtic Cupid Trilogy

  When Cupid—otherwise known as Diocail— is banished from his home on a remote Scottish Island, he's set a series of tasks by the great god Lugh, who also happens to be his father.

  In Blame The Wine, he must bring two lovers together... BBW Cara and James, the man she’s lusted over from afar who happens to be a super geek and head Veha Industries.

  In A Stranger's Embrace, Diocail is driven to help an emotionally fragile Jane and Davis, a famous author. The task is more complicated, with the existence of Carstairs her could-be ex-husband and teenage daughter, Frannie.

  In Revenge on Cupid, Diocail must take the ultimate chance and find his own happily ever after with Simone. Sometimes the past gets in the way and HEA's don't come cheap though.

  _______________________________

  The dusty, dingy little diner was full, even with its current state of cleanliness—or lack thereof. People from the surrounding offices didn’t care about anything except the incredible, well-prepared food at a reasonable cost. They flooded in, like waves to the shore. As one tide left, another swept in.

  “Honestly, Simone. I’m going to try getting his attention one more time. If that doesn’t work, I’m out of there. I mean, how long can I keep trying?” Cara picked at the caramel tart she hadn’t been able to resist with the cheap metal fork and flicked the blob of fresh cream that sat on top to the side of the plate.

  “You’ve said that tons of times before. Besides, what are you going to do to get his attention? Hmm? Walk naked through the typing pool?” Simone bobbed the straw in her smoothie as she eyed her friend with a frown. “It’s been what? Eighteen months since you saw him, and you’ve mooned over him from a distance ever since you met him. You need to move on, Cara. That is, unless there’s something you haven’t shared?”

  The query was arch. Cara shivered even as she shook her head. “No.”

  Simone quirked an eyebrow, obviously unconvinced with the answer. Cara let out a deep sigh of frustration. “There’s a position...it’s only temporary, for a PA reporting directly to him.” She speared a forkful of tart, chewed quickly and swallowed, before continuing. “In his office, full-time for the period of the engagement. I saw the memo yesterday. I mean, I have the skills, right? I can type, answer phones, make coffee, file, greet people. What’s more, I can probably do it better than all those size eights in the typing pool that Ms. Jackman seems to prefer.” She nodded thoughtfully. “All I have to do is get past the ogre in Human Resources.”

  Simone stared at her, disbelief clear on her face. “Girl, I so remember that woman. If you think you can get past her, you’re doing better than I ever did. That’s why I left Veha Industries, remember? Maybe it’s time to haul out your resumé and consider some other options. Look for something better.” Simone shook her head and billows of her crimson hair swirled through the still air.

  Cara understood Simone only had her best interests at heart. But this time she knew the outcome would be different. Hell, she could feel it in the air. The tingle of expectation.

  “Cara, the HR ogre will hang you out for breakfast before she offers you anything like a position in that office. Remember her mantra? Good looks and good work make for a positive workplace!”

  Simone didn’t sugar-coat anything. It was another great reason for their long- term friendship. Honesty. But Cara didn’t want to hear the truth in the statement. Even if it was exactly as her friend said.

  Cara nodded quickly. “Yeah, I know, but if I don’t try, then I won’t know how close I can get to him, right? And the only way to catch his attention is to get past her and see him in person.” Cara quaked a little at the information she needed to share. The favor she needed to ask. “Anyway, I tidied up my resumé and dropped the application into a memo envelope yesterday, so it’s too late to back out now. I mean, fortune favors the brave. Doesn’t it? If I don’t snag an interview, I’m going to visit the career advisor across the street and register with them.” She shrugged. “I’ll look for temp work until something more long-term shows up. I can see what they have on offer and well...who knows? Maybe a job with the right boss is just waiting for me. But I’d rather this worked out, to be honest.” Her voice trailed off into a whisper. “I really wish he would notice me.”

  Simone took a long slurp of her banana drink, and Cara noticed her questioning gaze even as she squirmed. Finally, Simone nodded. “It’s your funeral. So anyway, you’d better show me this memo if you want me to be a referee for you. I’m guessing that’s what you need, right? I’ll have to know what I’m supposed to say about you before they ring.”

  Cara smiled. “Thanks, Simone. I knew I could count on you.” She slipped a piece of paper out of her handbag and handed it over. “Sorry it’s a bit creased. It was in the bottom of my bag, I stashed it so none of the others from the pool would see. You know how it is.”

  Available from Love Books Publishing

  books2read.com/CelticCupid

  * * *

  Direct Autographed Copy

  http://bit.ly/2vs7wtS

  BioCybe by Imogene Nix

  * * *

  Can a cyber-enhanced warrior and a ship's captain find love together?

  * * *

  Levia Endrado never wanted to be a warrior, but at seventeen she was deemed suitable for battle. After intense training and multiple enhancements, which gave her superior strength and healing ability, she was sent off to defeat the enemy—a killing machine with a mission.

  * * *

  When the war was over, she had to find a new life. At twenty-seven she's a washed-up veteran without a future. Or she was, until she met Sandon Daria.

  * * *

  Serving as a pilot aboard Sandon's spaceship the Golden Echo makes Levia long for a different and gentler life. But old hurts and even older enemies aren't so easily forgotten. Particularly when they come back for her.

  * * *

  Sandon is determined to show Levia that she's more than just a BioCybe…she's the woman who completes him. Getting close is just the first step, keeping her alive is an even bigger challenge, but one he's willing to take because the prize is their combined future.

  _______________________________

  Levia scanned the long line of other hopefuls entering the chamber. The large building in the center of town was cold, and she dragged her wrap around her body, even as she craned her head, looking to the high ceiling. She’d never before had an occasion to enter the testing complex, yet she’d seen the lines of teenagers every time they passed the building.

  Once she’d asked her parents why the teens were lined up and her mother’s face had shuttered. Her stepfather had just shaken his head and growled. They’d stopped her questions with a carefully uttered, “You’ll know soon enough, Levia.” The pain in her mother’s eyes had been enough to shush her questions. For endless months afterward, her parents had traveled different routes to the educational facility she attended and Levia lost interest in the puzzle of that building.

  Now, as she looked around, remembering that long ago spring day, it was her opportunity to find out. But she felt a surge of concern at what lay ahead. She likely wasn’t the only one, given that there were probably two to three hundred seventeen-year-olds gathered in the one place. Ahead of her, she caught sight of a couple of girls, their arms linked together and wide smiles on their faces. Scanning the crowd, she became aware that, by far, a majority of those gathered displayed both fear and trepidation.

  “All female subjects will enter through doors three, six, and seven. All male subjects will enter through gates four, eight, and ten.” The speaker above her was loud, and she jumped before checking the numbers etched on the black metal sign over her head.

  The massive doors beside her swung open, and now an uncertain silence reigned. Many of the youngsters hung back, clearly discomforted by whatever testing regime lay ahead. This was where they’d been told their futures would be determined.

  “Oh gosh, I hope they only have an aptitude and psych eval. I don’t think...” Levia turned to see the white face of the girl behind her. The girl had uttered what many must silently be thinking.

  Levia dragged an unsteady breath in, her hand resting flat against the plane of her belly as she looked around. No one had entered yet. It was clear many were on the verge of taking the step, but still they hung back.

  She straightened her shoulders. “I’m not afraid.” It was always wiser to approach things head-on, she believed. When her biological father had died, she’d been one of the few to view his capsule before it was sent into the massive gray structure built to accommodate those who’d moved onto the next life realm.

  Her legs shook as she wobbled toward the entrance. Beyond the doorway, she spied sealed cubicles and her heart stuttered. Why cubicles? Usually testing—med and psych—were in eval-units, hidden only by billowing white curtains. She glanced back, noting that others had taken the first step.

  “Move along, subjects.” Once again, the androgynous voice of the address system blared.

  Of course, given it was her seventeenth anniversary of birth, she was technically considered an adult now.

  She thought longingly of baby Rald and her half-sister, Elda, waiting at home for her to return, and the celebrations to be held that night. That made her smile. She would need to make them proud of her.

  She entered a row and the tall Educational Specialist, the edu-specs as her peers laughingly called them, stopped her. “Present your credentials to the scanner.”

  She’d done this many times since the tiny implant had been slipped below the dermal layer of her skin at birth. The small unit in her wrist heated as her details were checked.

  “Enter the first cubicle, Levia Endrado, and follow the instructions to complete your assessment.”

  Thus dismissed, Levia moved to the first unit, laid her palm against the scanner, and the door slid open soundlessly.

  “Welcome, Levia Endrado. Take your place in the eval-unit.” The soft contralto of the voice echoed after the door closed silently behind her.

  “What are you evaluating?” Her voice was breathy, and she peered around.

  “Your skills—physical and psychological. Your emotional and medical status. Your educational attainment levels.”

  It was an answer that shed little insight into the many things she was hungry to know. “Why do all seventeen year olds—”

  “Take a seat, Levia. Then we may begin your testing.”

  If she’d expected an answer, she was sadly mistaken, she considered sourly. She dropped into the seat, the soft leather-like surface molding to her body.

  “Levia Endrado, you are required to remove all non-specified apparel.”

  She jolted in the chair. “It’s cold.”

  “The temperature will be amended. Remove the non-specified apparel.”

  Her misgivings grew as she dragged off the light wrap she’d brought with her, and then threw it to the floor at the side of the unit.

  “We will begin, Levia Endrado. At any time, should you experience any malfunctions of the unit, simply depress the red button.” It glowed and she grimaced.

  Levia reclined against the chair and waited for the testing to begin.

  The first examination was based on her understanding of the political system, where she saw herself, and her knowledge of the rights and responsibilities accorded through citizenship of both her planet and the commonwealth.

  The second test was mathematical and scientific proficiency. It felt like hours had passed by the time she’d finished, and she lay limp on the seat, exhausted.

  “Levia Endrado, you may rise. The sanitary unit will emerge once you trigger the yellow button at the door. Should you require refreshment, press the blue button and a restorative will be made available.”

  “Can I leave?”

  “Negative, Levia Endrado. Your needs will be catered for in this capsule.”

  “Why?” Her voice hitched and true fear rose for the first time. Why did they keep her in the alcove?

  “All will be revealed at the end of the testing cycle.”

  Levia looked at the now empty screen before hurling a curse word. It was met with silence.

  The urgent throb of her bladder reminded her that she needed to use the facilities, so, with

  a sigh, she rose and clambered from the seat. After attending to the needs of her body, she walked around the unit, peering at the door, but it was obviously programmed remotely. She poked and prodded, but it made no difference. With a huff, she headed back to the chair.

  The moment she’d settled in, the viewing screen shone bright. “Welcome back, Levia. The next sequence will evaluate your psychological reflexes, then that will be followed up with the general knowledge portion of the evaluation.”

  “When can I leave?” It seemed better to ask bluntly, she told herself.

  “Once the examination is completed. After the next set of evaluations, you will be subjected to the physical aspect.”

  “Then I can go home?”

  “Levia Endrado, you will now complete the psychological test. This will be undertaken by one of the center’s personal evaluators.”

  She frowned. Personal evaluators? She bit her lip, and the sting reminded her that this wasn’t something to joke about. In her seventeen years, she’d only heard of personal evaluators being brought in once before, and that was when one of the girls at her academy had been in a serious accident. Both legs were amputated and her body’s ability to keep her alive had been gravely compromised. Her peers had been informed that the girl had requested the assessment before she could request her support systems be disconnected.

  “Levia Endrado, are you ready to recommence processing?” The emotionless voice echoed once more and she gulped.

  “Yes.”

  * * *

  Available from Beachwalk Press

  http://www.beachwalkpress.com

  * * *

  Direct Autographed Books

  http://bit.ly/BioCybe

  Also by Imogene Nix

  Warriors of the Elector

  Star of Ishtar

  Starline

  Starfire

  Star of the Fleet

  Starburst

  The Star of Eternity

  The Star of Ishtar & Starline - Print

  Starfire & Star of the Fleet - Print

  Starburst & The Star of Eternity - Print

  The Secrets World:

  Blood Secrets

  The Blood Bride

  The Illuminated Witch

  The Sorcerer’s Touch

  House Secrets

  As Dawn Breaks

  Immortal Consequences

  Unnamed Book III

  All That Glitters - a House Secrets Novella (Coming in 2023)

  Danu’s Secrets

  The Downfall of Padraic O’Shaunessy (Coming in 2023)