Enemy
Within
Chronicles
of the Empire
Book
One
Marcella
Burnard
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: July 17,
2019
ISBN: 978-1-5092-2698-6 Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-5092-2699-3 Digital
Number of pages: 422
Word Count: 98539
Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor
Tagline: The military hung her
out to dry. Captain Ari Idylle isn’t going to dangle.
Book Description:
Horrific torture in an alien
prison torpedoed Captain Ari Idylle's military career. Stripped of command and
banished to her father's scientific expedition to finish a PhD she doesn't
want, Ari refuses to fly a desk. She intends to have her command back by any
means possible, until pirates commandeer her father's ship, and she's once
again a prisoner. Perhaps this cunning captor isn't what he pretends to be.
As far as Cullin Seaghdh is
concerned, the same goes for Ari. Her past association with aliens puts her
dead center in Cullin's cross-hairs. If she hasn't been brainwashed and
returned as a spy, then she must be part of a traitorous alliance endangering
billions of lives. He can't afford the desire she fires within him. His mission
comes first. He'll stop at nothing, including her destruction, to uncover her
true purpose and protect what is his.
Excerpt:
“You know how to
use that thing?” He nodded at the energy blade in her hand.
She swallowed
outrage and awarded him a tight smile. “I am proficient.”
He grinned.
“Ever fight for your life?”
“No,” she said,
pleased her tone remained steady.
His smile deepened.
“Then this isn’t so different. We aren’t fighting for your life, are we? We’re
fighting for theirs.” He gestured at the knot of scientists.
Fear gripped
her. She’d won matches. She had awards. She practiced religiously. Sure, she’d
fought Chekydran with the might of an Armada Prowler at her disposal. But
energy blade combat had always been a highly regulated sport, a dance with
specific choreography designed to minimize injury. She’d never dueled for
anything of more value than a bit of metal or a piece of paper to hang on her
office wall. Swallowing hard, she eased into guard position.
Taking his time,
he matched her stance. Ari did her best not to frown at the avid smiles on his
men’s faces or at the effortless way he sank into position and crossed his
blade with hers.
Her mind raced.
She had to find a way to keep everyone alive. No matter the cost.
Captain Cullin
Seaghdh tapped her blade with his, bringing her attention back to her
predicament and his damnably cocky grin.
“You’re willing
to trade your life for theirs?” he asked, his question pitched for her ears
only, his smile gone and his gaze searching.
Troubled, she
shook her head. “Are you intimating I have a choice?”
“Then fight.” He
lunged.
Ari scrambled
back, her parries thrown off by the aggressive attack. He didn’t press his
advantage. That maddening grin flashed at her as he backed off. One step. Two.
Charity. She
wanted to scream at him. She clamped her jaw shut and advanced the ground he’d
offered.
“Out of
practice?” He opened his defenses, daring her.
She accepted,
ignoring the taunt. She had no intention of explaining that she’d had a hard
time keeping up on weapons practice while a prisoner of war. Her attack
wavered, but she pulled it together and forced him back a step to avoid her blade.
He drew her in and then pushed her back, like a teacher hearing lessons. She
ached to wipe that smile from his face.
“Point,” he
said, nodding at her chest.
She glanced
down. The bastard had sliced clean through her jacket and the buttons of her
shirt. A shiver ran through her. One millimeter more and she’d be bleeding,
probably on the floor. A slice like that one took enough control and skill to
scare her.
“Lesson one,” he
said. “Watch the man wielding the blade, but never lose sight of the business
end.”
Lessons? Or
something more? From the shock of physical awareness twining through her blood,
she suspected they were no longer discussing energy blades.
Snarling to
cover the grudging admiration at Seaghdh’s skill welling up within her, Ari
charged him. He did not retreat. They locked, body to body, blade to blade.
Feeling the leashed strength coiled in him, she knew instantly that she’d made
a mistake, one that in any other circumstance would have been fatal. Scorched
where their bodies strained against one another at chest and hip, she struggled
to control the rush of yearning crashing her defenses. What was wrong with her?
She met his
hooded gaze. Desire glittered in the golden depths of his eyes. Pleasure
rocketed through her, almost painful in its intensity. She’d forgotten what if
felt like to be appreciated as a woman, and the want in his eyes, shadowed by
surprise, took her breath away.
About
the Author:
Marcella Burnard graduated from
Cornish College of the Arts with a degree in acting. She’s a Tarot-reading,
Third-degree Wiccan who knows far too much about space travel because she
desperately wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up. Turns out she gets air
sick. She wisely decided to write space travel instead. Marcella writes science
fiction romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, and fantasy. If a story brings the
weird, Marcella’s right there for it. She lives in Florida where she and her
husband are outnumbered by cats. Marcella is actively involved in feline rescue
in the Tampa Bay area and you can always find cat photos and videos on her
Facebook page or on her Instagram account.
