Divine Challenge Rise of the Stria Book Two
Sci-Fi Romance
Self published
August 17, 2019
240
New Release Giveaway!
Divine Challenges by Tessa McFionn
Winner #1 to receive: Print version of Divine Challenges and swag pack
Winner #2 to receive: Digital copy of Divine Challenges
Winner #3 to receive: Digital copy of Divine Challenges
**Giveaway Eligible in US Only**
January 26 thru February 1, 2020
Book blurb:
Prophetic promises make for dangerous pillow talk.
A handful of days have passed since Kahlym cal Jhuen stumbled upon the beautiful female who altered his entire existence. Strong, fierce, and willing to fight for what she loved, he is powerless against the undeniable attraction. But, the Rimmarian Emperor wants his alluring prize back and with every Thrall enforcer in the Seven Quadrants hot on their trail, Kahlym is running out of options.
Evainne Wagner never thought her Bostonian front door would lead her halfway across the galaxy. Neither did she expect to find passion in the arms of a drop dead gorgeous space captain. Guess life has a funny way of keeping things interesting. Now, all she had to do was figure out how to control the phenomenal cosmic powers spinning inside her mind without getting killed in the process.
Added to this turbulent mix is a true Rogues gallery of new allies and old enemies, and only the Goddess knows if love can survive the oncoming storm.
Excerpt:
Peeking into the room, Evainne spied only one occupant. Long black dreads draped across an ivory pillow, and the chest beneath the silvery sheet rose and fell in a relaxed rhythm. Evainne rested her shoulder against the door jamb, entranced by the sleeper’s simple action, not wanting to disrupt the peaceful scene.
“Don’t worry about waking me, learom-xahn.” The glow of the room brightened as the bed levered upwards, and Brel turned to her, a sleepy smile on his burly face. “Come in, little sister. Please. Besides, I could use some company, aside from Yhan’tu and his mothering attentions.”
She returned his grin and entered, absentmindedly lacing her fingers in front of her. “Hey,” she stammered. “I just, um…wanted to see how you were doing.”
“I am alive, thanks to you. A bit tired and sore, but that is to be expected.”
She lingered near the door, shifting her weight from foot to foot before shuffling farther into the chamber. “I guess so. I mean, you did lose a lot of blood, and I don’t know anything about how much it hurts to get healed. I’m sorta new to all this.”
“Please,” he said, “sit down. You’re making me nervous watching you hover by the door.” He motioned to the chair beside his bed, and she scooted it closer. The long skirt snagged underneath the bent metal base, and it took her a couple of tries to escape from the entanglement. Once free, she huffed in petulant frustration, dropping heavily onto the seat.
Her awkward actions deepened Brel’s grin, and his chuckle filled the mechanized silence with warmth.
“Not used to the regal robes, I take it?”
She looked up from her current task of rearranging the scads of material under her ass so it didn’t bunch uncomfortably. His sympathetic smile helped to ease her panic, and she slumped forward dejectedly, leaning her forearms against the narrow railings along the edge of the hospital bed.
“That obvious, huh? Oh, who am I kidding? I’m not all this.” She punctuated her brief tirade by plucking at one of the loose split sleeves. “I’m just a girl, Brel. I never asked for any of this.”
He wriggled his back, attempting to sit up higher, and Evainne jumped out of her seat to offer a hand. Granted, it was like trying to move a Mack truck with a feather, but between the two of them, Brel found a more comfortable position.
“Should you be moving around this much?” she asked, then halted. Meeting his eyes, she realized the medic’s words had slipped from her own mouth. They shared a laugh as she returned to the chair.
“Are you certain you are not a healer? I almost pictured Yhan’tu with that last statement.”
She shook her head. “Yeah, no. Trust me on this one. I kill fake flowers. I just stopped by to make sure you were still breathing and hadn’t grown a third arm or something.”
Brel covered her hands with one meaty mitt, a quizzically sad smile on his face. “You underestimate yourself, Evainne. You have traveled far from your home and all things familiar, and you still wear a smile. You saved my life, and you have done more than that for my brother.”
Butterflies in combat boots tromped around in her gut as the conversation drifted to the nitty-gritty, touchy-feely part. She sighed, her gaze slipping away from his golden eyes. “Are you sure?” she said. “I just feel like every time he looks at me, he’s…aw hell, I don’t know. It’s like he’s terrified I’m going to decide I’m too good for him, or some crap like that. I’m no prize catch, honest; I’m crass, I swear like a sailor, and I totally suck in social functions.”
Brel’s smile warmed as he shook his head. “Learom-xahn, all the traits you berate yourself for having are the exact reasons you are a perfect match for Kahlym. You challenge him, bringing out qualities in him I have never seen. You must understand that the females in his past believed him to be disfigured and therefore undeserving of compassion. Even his birth was put to question. Had there not been myself and our other brother, Xandar, present at the event, he would have been cast out. Only the words of prophecy cemented his right to live, in the eyes of our mother.”
Brel blinked and turned those bright gold eyes back to her. “Kahlym was born to be a pawn in a game, nothing more. But the Goddess Ishtanti had other plans for him.” He tightened his fingers around Evainne’s, his gaze boring straight into her soul. “She set his feet on an arduous path because She knew you would be there to save him.”
The once-sharp images blurred as Evainne’s emotions threatened to stream down her face. She bit the inside of her cheek to hold back the impending flood, shaking her head sadly.
“I don’t believe in any higher power, Brel.” She felt like shit for saying these words aloud, but during her hellish solitary upbringing, no god had ever listened to her pleas. Why should she put her faith in one now?
Brel lifted her hands and placed a gentlemanly kiss upon her knuckles. “You may not believe in them, Evainne, but you do not need to feel the sun to know it shines beyond the clouds.”
She squeaked out a strangled laugh. “Why does great wisdom always sound like a riddle from a fortune cookie? How come the universe doesn’t just say: ‘Here’s the map to happiness. Don’t be a douche.’”
He joined her in the mood-lightening levity. “I know not what this ‘fortune cookie’ nor this ‘douche’ is, but I do agree with your desire for straightforward answers.”
The needed tension release centered her thoughts and Evainne wiped at her eyes, telling herself the tears were from the bout of laughter and not something deeper.
“Kahlym’s lucky to have you as a brother, Brel.”
His eyes twinkled with a mischievous glint.
“And he is lucky to have you as a lover, learom-xahn.”
A dark and cold thought crept down her spine, chilling the air. She shuddered and wrapped her hands around herself, rubbing away the persistent dread. “Brel,” she confessed, “I’m afraid he’s gonna do something really stupid over me.”
Brel shrugged. “You are going to need to be more specific. My brother has a nasty habit of doing stupid things on a regular basis.”
About the Author:
Tessa McFionn is a very native Californian and has called Southern California home for most of her life, growing up in San Diego and attending college in Northern California and Orange County, only to return to San Diego to work as a teacher. Insatiably curious and imaginative, she loves to learn and discover, making her wicked knowledge of trivial facts an unwelcomed guest at many Trivial Pursuit boards.
When not writing, she can be found at the movies or at Disneyland with her husband, as well as family, friends or anyone who wants to play at the Happiest Place on Earth. She also finds her artistic soul fed through her passions for theatre, dance and music.
A proud parent of far too many high school seniors and two still living house plants, she also enjoys hockey, reading and playing Words With Friends to keep her vocabulary sharp. She is currently the treasurer of the San Diego chapter of Romance Writers of America and loves spending time working with such amazingly intelligent and creative writers.
I’d really like to be in the world of The Hallows and be friends with Rachel and Ivy.
The League – Syn
Id love to be in Hogwarts and friends with Harry Potter