Make
a Wish
Book
2
M.A.
Church
Genre: M/M, Sci-Fi
Publisher: ARe Books
Date of Publication: November 1,
2015
Word Count: 54,000
Cover Artist: Erin Dameron-Hill
Book Description:
When
you wish upon a star… it comes true in ways you never expected.
Things have gone downhill since
Sheriff Bryan Coltrane got involved in the FBI’s investigation of a recent UFO
crash. Not only is a homophobic agent pushing his buttons, but he’s made
contact with one of the aliens…who wants him for a mate!
Daroshi, a warrior with tentacles
from the planet Maz’Rar, monitored the rescue of his captain, Ziang. Impressed
by the courageous and brawny human male, he wants Bryan for his own despite
knowing little about the race. Neither man is prepared for the problems arising
from Daroshi’s desires, or the passion exploding between them.
What’s an alien to do when his
mate harps on his civil rights and makes demands? He makes the wishes come
true.
Excerpt:
Bryan came awake
with a snap. One second there was nothing, then the next he was awake, his body
jacked up with adrenaline. His heart went from zero to sixty in two seconds
flat, and his muscles tightened.
His brain yelled
at him through the sludge in his mind. Danger! Confused, he lay quietly, not
moving. Something teased the edge of his brain, a warning that something was
wrong—dreadfully, Earth-shatteringly wrong. He fought to control his breathing
as he tried to figure out the hazy feeling of impending danger that haunted
him. Earth-shattering wrong… Earth…
“Fuck!” Bryan
yelled as memories exploded over him.
He reared up on
the table, his head bobbing back and forth, eyes wide. The room he was in
reminded him of a creepy alien movie set with its dim lighting, odd symbols,
strange equipment, and funky-colored walls that looked… alive.
Fear snaked
through his chest as he recalled those two tall-ass fuckers chasing him through
his house. The knowledge that he was screwed—totally and completely
screwed—scared him witless. He was more than likely going to die here.
“Fuck!” he
yelled again, his hands frantically pawing at his naked chest as another memory
hit him.
He’d been shot.
One of them raised its arm, fired a beam of light at him, and shot him—then
darkness. He took the hit in the chest. So where was the pain, the mess of
being shot, the blood? There was nothing: no hole, no burn from whatever they
shot him with, no blood. Just nothing.
A boot scraped
across the floor, and he looked up. Both aliens he’d fought with were moving
toward him. Neither had their faceguards on this time. Bryan sat stunned. They
looked amazingly human in the face.
On each side of
their necks was a thick cord of muscle that thinned as it reached their ears.
The shape of their noses was human, but flared. There was a ridge running down
the middle too. They had high foreheads and scales around the eyes. Their eyes
were human-shaped, but the sclera was red instead of white with vertically
split pupils.
In place of
eyebrows, there was a line of scales, and under the eyes were marks that looked
like small symbols. The shape of their lips was also human. Instinct kicked in.
He pulled his leg up and grabbed the knife out of his ankle sheath. If he was
going to die then, by God, he was going to go down fighting. He gripped the
knife as the smaller of the two aliens approached.
“Bryan, don’t!”
Daroshi held one hand out while he waved frantically at Ziang to stay back.
“Put that down. We’re not going to hurt you.”
Startled, the
knife wavered in Bryan’s grasp. He could understand them perfectly. “How the
hell can I understand you?”
“I implanted a
device that helps translate language. We all have one. I did it while you were
unconscious. No one’s going to harm you, so put the knife down.”
Horrified, Bryan
stared at the smaller alien. They messed around in his head? What else had they
done to him? Did they not understand consent and boundaries? “Yeah, right,
that’s not happening.”
“Bryan, you’re
on my spaceship orbiting Earth. There’s no way off this ship,” Ziang said. “I
know you’re frightened, but I give my word you’re safe. Put the weapon down.”
“Your
word—that’s supposed to mean something to me?” Bryan clutched the weapon
tighter. “If you plan to kill me, I will—”
“Kill you?”
Daroshi gasped at the direction Bryan’s thoughts had run. “Gods, no! Why would
you think that? The last thing I want is you dead. We’re not going to harm
you.”
“Not going to
harm me? Are you kidding me? Last I checked knocking me out, hauling my ass
here, and messing with my brain—shit, you put something in my damn head—falls
in the category of harming me.” Bryan shot a glance at Ziang, who stood frozen.
“Why the fuck am I here? What do you want with me? I didn’t tell anyone about
you. I went out of my way to cover for you. So what the hell?”
Daroshi took a
deep breath and moved closer. “I’ll explain everything to you, but I need you
to put the weapon down.”
“I don’t fucking
think so.”
Daroshi took a
step closer. “Bryan—”
“Stop! Don’t get
any closer. I will use this.”
“Would you
believe Shawn?” Ziang suddenly asked. Something had to be done before the
situation escalated more out of control. “Would seeing my mate help you
understand we aren’t going to hurt you? Do you understand I’m willing to put
him in harm’s way to prove we won’t hurt you?”
“But, Sir—”
Daroshi jerked his head to look at Ziang, shocked. Would he really do that to
help Bryan and him?
“Yeah.”
Daroshi’s head
snapped back around to Bryan. At this rate, he was going to have whiplash.
“Just stay calm,
and I’ll have Shawn here momentarily.” Ziang tapped on his wrist device.
Ziang opened the
com so Bryan could hear the conversation. “Blayno, I have an emergency in
Medical. I need you to contact Shawn and transport here. Now. Tell him Bryan is
here and awake.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Blayno responded, then the com when silent.
“Shawn will be
here shortly. But I will warn you, Bryan, you attempt to harm my mate, and I
will stun you.”
Daroshi growled,
the very thought of Ziang stunning Bryan triggered his protection instinct.
“Ziang, if you do—”
Bryan kept his
eyes on both aliens. What was going on? Both aliens looked ready to square off.
“Hey, I have no intention of harming Shawn—”
“Oh, only us?”
Daroshi snapped as he turned to look at Bryan.
Zing sliced his
hand through the air, trying to stop what was fast building into another
useless conversation. “Regardless—”
Bryan gripped
the knife. “He didn’t fucking ambush my ass after I went to all the trouble of
covering for you guys—”
“We couldn’t
very well have walked in the front door.” Daroshi hissed. “In case you didn’t
notice, we don’t look human.”
“—nor did he
stun me.”
“Dear gods, come
on, Shawn,” Ziang muttered.
Daroshi glared.
“You stunned my commander first—”
“I had two
big-ass aliens after me, of course I tased him. What did you expect after the
way you busted through the window? You think I was going to offer you a beer?
And fuck, my house is probably gonna burn down since I left the damn stove on!”
Bryan yelled. “Son of a bitch, I left the damn stove on.”
The door to
Medical opened and Shawn walked inside, with Blayno guarding him. He’d heard
most of the conversation from outside.
“Huh, I did tell
you he wouldn’t come without a fight.” Smirking, Shawn took in the flushed
faces of Daroshi and Bryan. “Think I also warned you to disarm him.”
Daroshi threw
his hands up in the air. “Are all humans like this?”
“Only the ones
half scared out of their minds.” Shawn turned to Bryan. “How’s it hanging,
dude?”
“Shawn?” Bryan
whispered, relieved to see another actual human. “Is that really you? They
didn’t, like, turn you into a pod person or something, did they? It’s really
you?”
Shawn choked
back a laugh. “It’s me.”
He walked closer
to Bryan, and Ziang growled loudly, the sound bouncing off the walls. “Shawn,
do not move any closer to him, he has a—”
“Chill out, E.T.
I’m not the one he’s threatening.” Shaking his head, he jumped on the medibed
and sat down next to Bryan. “Bryan, they aren’t going to hurt you, I promise.
But the knife has to go, dude.”
Shawn held out
his hand.
A nasty brew of
emotions flooded Bryan’s throat. Fear, confusion, shock, embarrassment—and
relief—spiked, and the overwhelming need to cry flooded him. No longer quite so
afraid, he handed the knife to Shawn, who quickly threw it on the floor at
Daroshi’s feet. Shawn held out his arms, and the bigger man fell into them.
“What do they
want with me, Shawn?” Bryan’s voice was quiet.
“That would be
better left to Daroshi to explain.” Shawn’s voice was just as low. “By the way,
the shorter one is Daroshi. Just listen to him and keep an open mind—a very
open mind—and I promise you won’t regret it. A whole new world is opening up.”
About
the Author:
M.A. Church is a true Southern
belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends
her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off
planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys
away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta
do it!
When not writing, she’s exploring
the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching her beloved Steelers, or
sitting glued to HGTV. That’s if she’s not on the back porch tending to the
demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very
outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two
children. She was a finalist in the Rainbow awards for 2013.
Tour giveaway
2 eBook backlist titles from ARe
Books catalog to two winners
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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