QSFer Toshi Drake has a new MM sci-fi Christmas romance book out, Must Be Aliens book 1: Cyborgs Save Christmas.
With time running out, can Tobias and Malik find a way to be together forever or are they destined for a lonely Christmas?
Finding an alien cyborg in the town park wasn’t something Tobias Prince figured on. He was only taking a breather from family drama when he discovered the spaceship hiding. He hadn’t counted on the giant robot following him home either.
But when Malik Io took off his powersuit and revealed the person inside, Tobias was smitten.
Malik Io crash landed on a planet distant from his own. His only hope at survival is reliant on the kindness of strangers. When he meets a young man tired and exhausted, he is struck by Tobias’s reluctant kindness. He knows that anything more than friendship is dangerous, considering that remaining on Earth is dangerous to his health, but Malik can’t help falling for Tobias.
With Christmas on its way, Malik and Tobias succumb to the nature of Christmas, bonding over Christmas baking, celebrating the town’s Light Up night and decorating a tree with friends and fall in love, despite knowing their time is limited.
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Excerpt
Tobias sipped his drink cautiously, wincing at the scalding liquid. He attempted to study Malik without anyone noticing as Malik passed a mug to Rory. Malik, without his suit, was still impossibly gigantic. He was much taller than Rory. His body was lean and muscular, which made a lot of Tobias’s wildest fantasies come racing to the forefront of his head. The delicate antique chair groaned under Malik’s weight but remained intact. Malik’s bright red eyes distracted Tobias a lot as he took in the space. Tobias’s curiosity knew no bounds when it came to Malik’s robotic aspect.
He’d been rolling Malik’s story around in his head, and the questions that kept popping up made him wonder about Malik’s validity. The gist of it was like a science fiction novel or movie. Tobias needed more unscripted answers from Malik to accept that he was from outer space.
Tobias would hear Malik out and listen with a kind ear before denying him. He had to say no. Christmas was upon them, and he had way too much to do without adding babysitting an alien robot to the list.
“A place to rest my head that’s safe and warm, as well as someone to assist me with your planet’s culture,” Malik answered Tobias’s unspoken question. His red eye settled on Tobias, and Tobias groaned. He’d been selected as Malik’s host. He didn’t even need to see Rory or Callie’s mad grins.
“Is there a spare room for Malik?” Tobias asked as he glanced upward to the second story. Their quirky home already had a number of people living in it.
“No, not that I know of. Fox said he hadn’t found the time to fix up the attic,” Callie said, mentioning their landlord and owner of the house.
“Shit. There’s nothing anywhere else either. What’re we gonna do?” Tobias bit his lip. The guest living room was too open to let someone sleep in it.
“He can use your place, Tobe. It’s bigger than the rest of ours,” Callie offered. Her eyes danced with mirth as Tobias processed her comment.
“Callie.”
“What, Tobias?” Callie arched an eyebrow, as though daring Tobias to continue.
“Nothing, but you don’t need to be so mean. You can be nice, you know,” Tobias suggested. Callie’s mercurial moods were common, but sometimes battling them drained Tobias.
“If this is causing strife among you, I don’t have to stay here. I can always—” Malik started.
“No!” Both Callie and Tobias roared. It was rare that the two of them agreed when they were feeling combative.
“Rory, can you bring Malik to my room? The door’s unlocked.” Tobias asked his frozen roommate before pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes. He watched Malik pick up the pieces of his suit he had stashed. Malik arched an eyebrow as he passed, but Tobias remained silent, unwilling to concede the fight to Callie. Once Malik and Rory were gone, he turned on her and glared.
“Why, Callie? What was the point of that?”
“I am helping,” she insisted as she tidied up. “This is a dream moment for you, and you’re deliberately cockblocking yourself.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? He’s a fucking robot from outer space. How is putting him here going to be a good idea?” Tobias asked, almost baffled by Callie’s brainless scheme. Tobias willed his skin to remain neutral as visions of muscular Malik leaning over him, his hot breath tickling Tobias’s neck, filled his mind.
“I don’t know. Seemed like a good idea at the time.” She shrugged as she gave a weak apology. “I’m sorry about being such a bitch around Rore.”
“Dammit, Callie.” Tobias shook his head as he grappled with Callie’s casual apologies. Her outspoken personality hurt more often than it helped, and after the day he had, he was done with trying to understand anything. “I’m going to see how they’re doing.”
“Whatever, dude.” Callie waved him off as she curled back on the couch. She ignored him while he hovered. He was never sure where he stood with Callie, and he hoped he hadn’t truly upset her.
His shoulders slumped, Tobias made his way toward Malik and Rory, who were having a quiet conversation. He didn’t want to interrupt them, but his apartment was his sanctuary, and Tobias was overstimulated and ready to be done with the day.
Author Bio
A Canadian author exploring the world of books, Toshi Drake has been dabbling with the idea of writing since they were a young child. An avid fan of all things speculative fiction, they began their journey of creating worlds and books just this past year. While thoroughly loving writing high science fiction, they also dabble in the speculative romance side of queer fiction.
A rabid geek, they spend their weekends playing video games or watching any of the Stars and dreaming of creating a better world for all.
| Author Website | www.toshidrake.com |
| Author Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089146020443 |