QSFer C.W. Gray has a new MM/demisexual mpreg sci fi book out in the “Blue Solace” series: “The Captain’s Mate.”
Welcome back to Charybdis Station and the crew of the Blue Solace: (Sixth Book in the series)
Draif Ando started life as a slave on Vextonar. When he was fifteen, he met his best friend, Leti Ando, and life got a lot better. Now he’s a Charybdis Station captain and works closely with the Lord Admiral of the Station. He is a free man, finally has a purpose of his own, and has the the best lieutenant in the galaxy by his side. If he’s so content, why does he yearn for more, and why is he suddenly picturing children with his eyes and Lucas’ ears and tail?
Lucas Meluth knew that Draif was his life mate from the moment they met. He also knew that Draif was demisexual and wasn’t attracted to Lucas. Not at first. Now, Lucas notices the way Draif’s eyes follow him and the way Draif’s innocent touches are suddenly not so innocent. Has the time come for their friendship to turn into more?
Draif and Lucas may finally be figuring their relationship out, but their enemies are approaching and it’s time to protect Charybdis Station and rid the galaxy of Humans First, once and for all.
Author’s Note: 55,000 words. This is a sci-fi/fantasy, m/m love story with no angst and no cheating, just a HEA. There is lots of action, a little sex, mpreg, and a few potty mouths involved in the story. 18+ readers only, please. It is also the sixth book in a series that is best read in order. Read “The Mercenary’s Mate,” “The General’s Mate,” “The Soldier’s Mate,” “The Lieutenant’s Mate,” and “The Engineer’s Mate” first!
Get It At Amazon
Excerpt
“Dottie, I can’t thank you enough for your contact list,” Draif Ando said, smiling at the older woman on the screen in front of him. Her wild and tangled grey hair stuck up in all directions from the wind that blew through the spaceport on Vextonar.
Dottie was a bit crazy and a bit evil mastermind, but she had a heart as big as the galaxy, and had been one of the few to really see him when they lived on Vextonar. There had been more than a few times, her strong arms had held him as he cried. Her strange mixed-up scent of ship fumes and basil was as familiar to him as the scars on his face.
Draif cleared his throat, chasing away the nostalgia. “Each person you introduced me to has been helpful in hunting down the information I need. A few even sent me on to some of their own contacts.”
Dottie’s wide grin lit up her eyes. “Good. It took me years to find them, but they’re good and talented folks. I know you’ll treat them right.”
Draif grinned. “They like my money just as much as yours. I’m putting my pieces in place, and we’ll catch Humans First unawares.”
Her body shook with her laugh. “I knew the first time we met that you were a sneaky bastard, kiddo. You remind me of an Old-Earth bird I read about. Black Herons would hunt fish in the shallows by spreading their wings over one spot and tricking the fish into thinking it was night. The poor fish would poke their heads up, believing they were safe and the Black Heron would eat them up.”
“I’ll do my best to take HF down,” Draif said, nodding. “They’re arrogant fuckers. I don’t think they understand what they’re getting into.”
Dottie looked sad for a moment. “It’s getting bad here, kiddo. Vextonar has always been specieist, but the government and the Prime are pushing harder and harder each day. They want a planet of pure-blooded humans.”
Draif frowned. “There are no pureblood humans anymore. Besides, the Prime like their slaves and servants. How does that fit?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t say they were making sense, Draify. I think that’s what scares me the most. It’s like something is stirring the pot just to see it boil over.”
“It has to be Humans First. We’ll deal with it.”
Dottie smiled softly. “You’re a good boy, Draif. Did you know that Lord Admiral of yours personally called me up to thank me for sending you and Leti to them?”
Draif scratched his ear. “Oh, well, Fasi loves Leti. He’s married to Fasi’s son, after all.”
She arched a brow. “We all love Leti, Draif, but we love you too. You’re a good addition to the Station and Lord Admiral Juren knows it. Don’t sell yourself short, kiddo.”
Draif didn’t know how to respond. He knew people put up with him for Leti’s sake, and he tried to be as helpful as possible, but love was a completely different thing.
A beeping sound came through from Dottie’s end, and she groaned. “Okay. Our secure line is breaking. Take care, kiddo. Give them hell.”
Their call ended, and Draif stared at the blank screen as he thought about all the pieces moving around him. Dottie had handed over her network of hackers, smugglers, and spies.
The woman liked to know what was happening in the galaxy. Draif felt like he was becoming Charybdis Station’s Dottie – a very inferior Dottie.
An alert pinged on his tablet and he looked it over. Stocks in the production company had risen like he thought they would. Time to sell a few stocks. A few clicks later and he checked his account. Yes!
He looked up from the screen of his tablet when his chubby, orange tabby cat hopped on his bed. Marmalade meowed, then begin kneading the soft bed beside him, intent on making the perfect napping spot.
He smiled softly, the scars on his cheeks tightening. “We made a lot of credits today, Marmalade. It was a good choice to buy into that company, and I think we’ll make even more later on.”
Marmalade circled twice, then settled into a large ball against his leg.
“We’ll put what we made today in our savings, then look into that new start-up on Derelict.”
Marmalade ignored him and started purring. She was a constant warm comfort against his leg.
Draif started to dig into the company a bit. It looked like a start-up shipping company which would do a lot of good for the merchant world. The CEO was a young human with a large guardian fleet to escort his ships. He promised a safe and timely delivery, and so far that’s what he provided.
Draif’s eyes narrowed as he read Gus’ report on the man. “Oh, Mr. Chad Ige, aren’t you interesting?”
“What are you plotting in here?” Draif looked up at Lucas’ words.
His friend leaned against the doorframe. The man was a Betonize-Cardinal hybrid with a pair of silky-brown ears atop his head and a matching furry tail just like a Cardinal. His fangs, dark eyes, and large size were all Betonize.
One of his eyes had a slightly silver sheen to it when the light hit it right. He’d lost the eye when he’d lost his leg and arm.
Draif pressed a hand to his chest, trying to steady the frantic beats of his heart. Recently, he’d started noticing the width of Lucas’ shoulders and the controlled and graceful way he moved as he walked. It was a problem.
“Well,” Lucas asked. “What are you up to?”
“Researching a guy – Chad Ige, CEO of that shipping company I was telling you about.”
“What did you find?”
“Company is legit and looks like a good investment. The man is smart and doesn’t take anyone’s shit. I like him.”
Lucas’ ears flattened and his tail swished in irritation behind him.
“I think he might be a useful asset,” Draif said. “My contact says he despises Humans First even if he isn’t public about it. I’ll contact my guy and get him digging into him.”
Lucas’ tail stopped swishing and his ears perked back up. “Useful asset, huh?”
Draif winced. “I shouldn’t think of a person like that. This thing with Humans First is messing with my head. All I can think about is taking them down.”
Well, that and Lucas, he thought. Lately his dreams had been all about his friend. He’d dreamed of Lucas holding him, kissing him, even fucking him.
He made a face. Friends didn’t think of friends that way.
Lucas slipped onto the bed and settled down next to him.
Draif almost swore. Damn if Lucas didn’t make things worse.
Even a month ago, it wouldn’t have bothered him a bit to sit on the bed with Lucas and Marmalade. They often watched vids and talked before bedtime. There had been many nights when they’d fallen asleep together.
Hell, Lucas still lived with Draif. It had started as a way to keep an eye on his friend as Lucas adjusted to the robotic prosthesis he had needed for his left leg and right arm. Then, after he was healed and adjusted to his new limbs, Lucas just never left.
He had his own room next to Draif’s and had done a lot more to make this huge house a home than Draif ever could.
“Humans First need to be taken down, but you don’t have to do it alone,” Lucas said, leaning over to bump him with his shoulder.
Draif gave him a half-smile and dipped his head, letting his long hair fall over his face. “I know. I just have all these ideas and want to see if they play out. It’s like a game of chess, and I fucking love it. Then I feel bad for getting excited about this. If we’re right about them, they’ve killed billions of people.”
Lucas considered him for a moment, before smiling, his sharp fangs gleaming. “I sure as shit love fighting, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy wars. If I never killed another person for as long as I lived, I’d be perfectly happy. You enjoy the intrigue of this. I think if you weren’t focused on HF, you’d probably be focused on something else like improving the Station’s security measures.”
Draif felt the little ball of worry that had been stuck in his chest for days start to loosen. Lucas and Draif’s best friend, Leti, had a way of making his worries disappear.
“You’re right.” Draif tapped out a message to Dottie’s favorite hacker, Gus. The man was damn good and had somehow become Draif’s friend. The man also liked the idea of taking down HF.
Author Bio
I am fairly new to the self-publishing world, but I have several m/m romance novellas and short stories available on Amazon. I love to write, but I also love to read. My preferred genre for both is m/m romance with instalove, mpreg, sci-fi, fantasy, or paranormal aspects. I have two series out right now. My Hobson Hills Omegas series is light and sweet. They are novella length and angst-free. My Blue Solace series is a sci-fi romance and has more action and adventure. The romance, however, is still light and sweet.
| Author Website | https://cwgray-author.com |
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