QSFer Kellie Doherty has a new FF sci fi romance out:
In the sequel to Finding Hekate, after escaping Donavin’s grasp, Mia Foley and her crew crash on a prison planet and need to deal with its inhabitants, beast and criminals alike. Mia hears Donavin in her mind once again and knows the transformation into one of his drones isn’t far off.
Trapped in her own body, lashing against Donavin each chance she gets, and fearful that she’ll lose it all, Mia has to rely on her crew—on Cassidy—to save her.
But she’s not the only one transforming in her little group, and things never go as smoothly as they could out in the black.
Cicatrix Duology Book 2
Excerpt
The darkness lasted a few moments, but the pounding in Mia Foley’s chest seemed to last an eternity. The base of the escape pod brightened, glowing with a steady white light. It chased the darkness to the top of the pod and threw shadows onto the hull.
Mia took in her surroundings. With smooth paneling, concave ceiling, slightly domed deck, the escape pod wasn’t pretty and certainly not comfortable. They barely had enough space to stand, even less to sit, with the holoimager fused in the center. At least the harnesses—freezing metal arms that had snaked tightly around their bodies—had sunk back into the hull. With no noticeable hatches or bulbs, it remained a mystery where those long arms had gone. Or if they’d even come back again. She rubbed her nose at the tangy scent permeating the air. Something in the air purifier. The deck flashed red, green, and purple. It ended on light blue, the color of a cloudless sky, disconcerting as the color glowed beneath them. It made Mia feel like she was falling. Which, in a sense, wasn’t far off the mark.
Mia shook her head. This couldn’t be possible. She’d escaped from Charles Donavin, gotten off his abhorrent Acedian ship. She hadn’t wanted to leave her crew, hadn’t wanted to sacrifice them to save herself. She had chosen her crew over her own life. Chosen Cassidy Gates. Her gaze shifted up from the deck and onto the viewport. Her silver eyes glinted back. How was it possible she was still changing? She couldn’t be disappearing like this. Not now, not here. Not anymore. And yet, Mia knew she was. From the way Cassidy now stared at her, wide-eyed with her back pressed against the hull, it became apparent Mia’s first mate knew something was changing, too.
Mia shifted her weight forward, just a bit. “Please, Cassidy, it’s me.”
Cassidy’s lower lip trembled. She wiped her hands on the ripped fabric that barely covered her thighs. “How am I supposed to know that? Your eyes—”
“Are the only thing that’s changed.”
Cassidy’s gaze skittered away. “You attacked us.”
“Cassidy, please. Listen.” Mia paused, waiting until Cassidy’s eyes met hers. “I wasn’t thinking straight. Donavin controlled me.”
“And I’m supposed to believe he’s not controlling you now?”
Mia spread her arms, palms up. “Yes.”
She was glad for the clarity of her voice, even though her emotions warranted a different pitch altogether, a pleading tone. Cassidy had to understand. Of all people, she had to. She didn’t. Instead of relaxing, Cassidy seemed more tense, more scared, if that were at all possible. Her entire body shook. It took all of Mia’s control to not stretch out her hand a little farther and comfort the one she loved. Instead, her gaze drifted to the viewport again, and the silver eyes staring back at her claimed her vision. Surely, there was a way to make Cassidy believe her. Surely, she didn’t think the kiss, of all things, was Donavin’s idea.
Static from the comm system interrupted her thoughts. Cassidy started from the sound and stared at the speaker behind her head. The static crackled.
Skyler Jones’ voice filtered through the white noise. “What’s happening over there?”
Cassidy didn’t reply, so Mia did for her. “My eyes turned gray.”
Silence. Mia caught a glance from her first mate and tried to hold it, but Cassidy’s eyes flitted toward the deck instead. It seemed she found the colors of this pod especially fascinating.
At last, Skyler’s voice erupted through the static. “Do you feel differently?”
“Differently? As in?” Mia expected the nurse to be more descriptive than that.
“Emptier.”
A chill raced through her body. She certainly wasn’t empty, not anymore. “No.”
“When did you last feel him?”
Mia grimaced, thinking back to their hurried escape. “On the Acedian ship, right before you told me to get into the pod.”
“And nothing since?” Even through the static, the panic in Skyler’s voice rang true.
Mia hesitated. Now wasn’t the time for dishonesty. “Only once, for a short time, I heard a snippet of his thoughts.” The three words seemed to echo in her head. I’ll be waiting.
Author Bio
Kellie Doherty is a bisexual writer living in Portland, Oregon. She is currently a student and hopes to graduate with a Master’s in Book Publishing from Portland State University in June 2016. She is also a freelance editor, taking jobs whenever they come her way.
Kellie has been writing since she was young and living in Alaska. Her work (fiction and non-fiction) has been published in Pathos, Alaska Women Speak, F Magazine, The Chugiak-Eagle River Star, as well as the blogs of 49 Writers and Ooligan Press. She also writes fanfiction under the name SerenityQuill. She is currently working on the sequel to Finding Hekate, Cicatrix Duology Book 2 – Losing Hold.
When not writing or editing, she enjoys reading, taking walks, playing video and board games, and hanging out with her friends.