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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Duty, by Thianna Durston

QSFer Thianna Durston has a new MM paranormal book out in her “Drakyl Ranch” series: Duty.

They’ve been safe for decades, but now the drakyl of Drakyl Ranch must fight for their lives and the lives of their human relatives against the vilest creatures to inhabit the earth: Vampyr.

Jeffrey’s been a drakyl for 2 months. He loves being drakyl, but his overwhelming inability to stay awake during the day frustrates him. All he wants to do is be of assistance to his cousins. Instead, he spends his nights running perimeter checks and his days sleeping.

Cor has been a drakyl for over a century. He’s spent his time protecting his tribe from others of his kind. He expects to do that for the rest of his existence. Only now there’s someone who is a constant pull toward Drakyl Ranch. He never believed in the joined. He does now. 

When Cor and Jeffrey come together, their sworn enemy pulls a stunt that threatens them all. While they have hints from the research generations of drakyl left them, they can’t understand the language it was written in. Now Cor must find out what it means before the vampyr strike again.Even though Drakyl Ranch now has four full drakyl, it might not be enough to fight off the new horror the vampyr unleash.

Get It At Amazon | Universal Links


Giveaway

Thianna is giving away an ebook copy of Discovery, Drakyl Ranch Book One with this post – for a chance to win, comment on the post below.


Excerpt

“You will tell me what I need to know.” Watching the ancient drakyl glare at him, Vinishad couldn’t help but smile, his smile widening as the creature in front of him paled, its mouth twisting into a grimace at the same time its nose wrinkled. Drakyl were such weak creatures, unable to handle the intense odor that came from his kind. It was amazing they still existed. Of course, there were those who had gained strength. Aaron of the drakyl was a danger only he seemed to understand. And one he intended to completely obliterate. Once this fool gave him the information he sought. 

“I will tell you nothing, vampyr!” The anger in the creature’s tone didn’t bother him. The derision did.

Leaning forward, he let his stank breath settle over the older being, enjoying watching him squirm as he stopped breathing. While drakyl had to breathe, he would be able to hold his breath for a while. Until he needed to speak. And Vinishad would make him speak. “You will. Even if it is upon your last dying breath, you will tell me everything you know about destroying your race.” Turning his head, he looked up at the sky. Still dark. Turning back, he smiled again. “You have approximately two hours until the sun comes up. If you do not tell me, I will find your joined.” 

“No.”

“Yes. Your joined will become my next victim.”

A huge glob of saliva landed on his nose, burning slightly. Vinishad hissed, using his shirt sleeve to wipe it off. 

“If I tell you how to destroy us, you will kill him, too. I’m not vampyr. I am drakyl. And we’re smart, you fucking pile of—” 

Growling, he slammed his fist into the drakyl’s forehead, enjoying the sound as its head slammed against the cement wall of the small building they stood against. The silver-laced cuffs kept the dangerous creature contained, and would keep it confined long after the sun came up. His fellow vampyr had set up the cameras as requested, but he hadn’t had them turned on. Yet. He would only have them record upon sunup. For he would enjoy watching the lowly being die for years to come. But before that happened, he needed information. 

“I’ve been searching for weeks!” he spat back, the slimy black liquid of his saliva coating the drakyl’s face and neck. “We all know you are the weaker species and should never exist. I am only doing my job to make sure you all die. But,” Vinishad went on, not caring what he said as the creature would die soon, anyway, “first, I need information on how your species works. For I have found a set of drakyl who are stronger than the rest of you.”

“Stronger?” The surprise in the other’s tone made him smile again, nodding.

“Yes. One known as Aaron decapitated my commander without any trouble.” The widening eyes in front of him looked so hopeful. He couldn’t help but continue. “He also cured his joined who I stabbed with iron and silver. Aaron is mighty powerful, drakyl. Just imagine what could happen if your kind began to go to him for…help. Vampyr might actually be dealt a blow leading to our expiration.”

The hopeful look on the creature’s face made his stomach burn. Beast! How dare it glory in the demise of the vampyr race? Roaring, he hit it again, delighting in the sound of its head smashing into the cement again and again. The scent of lemon-laced blood, the horrible scent of drakyl, filled his senses and he leapt back, furious as he looked at his captive. Half the skin was torn off his face, his bones jutting out at odd angles. 

“Tell me your secrets, old man,” he hissed, leaning in and letting the full extent of his odor overcome the spineless drakyl. 

A cough of a laugh left his victim. The jaw, no longer covered with skin, looked odd as it worked up and down while the drakyl chuckled. “You cannot destroy us, vampyr. Not really. You may kill one or another of us, but you cannot get us all. And even if you did manage to kill us, there are hundreds of thousands of young men wandering around with our gene. Just ready to become full drakyl. You will never get rid of us,” he spat, “until you kill everything on earth. And with it, your food source. You fucking rotten piece of—”

Reaching out, he smacked the drakyl’s jaw, enjoying the sound of crunching bones. This was over. He would need to find another drakyl to torture. Growling, he turned to walk away. Sunup would come soon and he needed to be protected. A low gurgling moan from behind him was the only thing that made him feel good. “You’re a fool,” he barked over his shoulder. “If I have to, I will kill all young men, killing off…” His voice trailed off as a cry of pain came from the drakyl. Their young men. That had to be it. There was something about their young men.

Whipping around, he stomped back to the creature, grabbing its hair and yanking its head up so it had to look him in the eyes. “How can I tell your young men from others?” Its eyes widened in fear and gurgles leapt up through its throat though no words escaped. “There is a secret within them, isn’t there?” he pressed, pleased when the blood vessels broke around both eyes, terror and pain making the drakyl unable to hide its reactions. “Yes, a secret.” Leaning forward, he spoke directly into its ear. “I will find young humanoid males. I will compare their scents to the ones at Aaron’s ranch. And I will find out how to seek them out. And when I do? I will find a way to make your kind serve mine.”

The sky lightened and he released its head, walking quickly toward the tunnel that would take him underground. While he might not have all the answers, he had a direction in which he might go. And right now, that was all he needed. 

A shriek of fury pierced the hallway as he moved down it, making him smile. “Yes, die, you foul piece of drakyl,” he muttered. “Die. And through your unwilling treachery, I will end your joined and your species.”

Reaching the base of the building, he closed the door behind him and looked at the television screen his comrads were watching. The sun had not quite reached the victim, but it was encroaching moment by moment. Moving forward, he stared at the creature. With its face gone, it didn’t look human anymore. The only thing humanlike were its eyes which stared at the encroaching sun, filled with terror. 

Until suddenly the terror left and they looked directly into the camera. As loudly as he could through a broken jaw, the drakyl screamed something. At first, Vinishad couldn’t make it out. But as the sun hit the tips of its fingers and the words turned to shrieks of pain, he finally figured it out. Furious, he wished he could rescue it from the sun just to tear it apart piece by piece. 

“Long live Aaron!”


Author Bio

Thianna is a writer by day and supernova by night. Or at least that’s what the faeries tell her. And who is she to deny those pesky *cough* lovely little creatures?

She lives in the Pacific Northwest, though her heart belongs elsewhere. In the meantime, until she can return to the place she calls home, she happily lives in a city that still thinks it’s a small town. Thankfully, it has given her muse lots of amusing places to start a story.

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