Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Sacrificial Opponent

December 13, 2015 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a bunch of really awesome writers share ten sentence snippets from their work. This week I’m sharing from my upcoming release Masters and Mages 3: Curse of Salar.

This snippet is from one of my favorite scenes, where Prince Dezra finally meets his match on the shibar field. (A shibar is a 5-6 ft pole with bronze blades on each end. In this case the blades are dulled so as not to risk injuring the prince.)

***

Dezra drank the cool water offered to him and considered who his next sacrificial opponent would be. Perhaps Lanz himself. Now that Dezra had worked his edge off, he could focus on technique against his teacher.

He inspected the line of onlookers, wondering if any of the visiting attendants or military personnel might appreciate a chance to brush up their skills. Only those with the highest clearance were allowed anywhere near him, and so those present probably didn’t partake in the lowly game of shibar, a foot soldier’s weapon.

He wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and was about to call for Lanz when a new figure stepped out of the shadows of the columns with a shibar in his hands. It was Captain Nevar. Dezra’s eyes narrowed to slits against the sun. Perhaps he was hallucinating. The guards stopped Nevar immediately.

***

Blurb for Masters and Mages 3: Curse of Salar ~ Release date January 5,2016

In the desert kingdom of Jahar, the rule of mages has been overthrown and the ancient lineage of sorcerer kings wiped out. Prince Dezra and his sister are the last living members of the royal family and are held prisoners in their ancestral palace.

Prince Dezra lives a life of lies and deceit. In order to stay alive, he must pretend to be a drug-addicted wastrel, trusting no one, isolated from even his sister who has chosen to cooperate with the government that executed their parents.

Into his lonely existence comes a man who should be his sworn enemy; Captain Rayn Nevar. Dezra is irresistibly drawn to the rough soldier and his longing for a simple sexual encounter quickly morphs into a dangerous obsession.

Captain Rayn Nevar knows he should stay far away from Prince Dezra, but his desire for the beautiful young man overrides all common sense. Despite the fact that Dezra’s ancestors destroyed Rayn’s family, the captain finds himself in a position of protecting the prince from the many schemers who believe the last of the mages should be annihilated.

When treachery leads to Dezra’s escape, he is at last free to bond with the serpent god Ka’alar and develop his long repressed powers. Only the arrival of a mysterious monk with powers greater than Dezra’s stops the prince from using black sorcery to destroy all who stand in his way, including Rayn.

As Jahar edges toward another war between masters and mages, Rayn must question his devotion to his increasingly deadly lover while Dezra must decide if ultimate power is worth the ultimate sacrifice.

***

This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com

My Sexy Saturday ~ I Want To Watch

December 12, 2015 by Alexis Duran

It’s time for another round of sexy snippets here on My Sexy Saturday. This week’s theme is Her Sexy Fantasy. Well, as a writer of m/m erotica I thought I didn’t have anything to fit, but then I remembered one of my favorite minor characters, Lady Angela Thorburn from To Catch a Threeve. She’s deliciously wicked and so fun to write.

Here are seven paragraphs taken from a scene where Lady Angela attempts to blackmail the handsome but unattainable Axel Blackwood into participating in her sexy fantasy. Lady Angela speaks first.

***

“Don’t look so grim, Constable. I don’t judge you. It’s well-known among the learned that when the goddess Brigitta ruled these lands, no false strictures were placed on love. The war god and his warrior kings are the ones who condemned the love of man for man, woman for woman.”

“If you believe this of me, why are you here?” Axel unlocked his rigid muscles and moved toward the fire, compelled to drive out the chill in his blood.

“I am a connoisseur of the beautiful and the comely. You, Axel, are beautiful. I enjoyed admiring you across the feast hall tonight, and I’d like to admire you up close.”

Axel didn’t know how to respond. He was sure the lady wouldn’t be content to merely gaze languidly upon his manhood.

She moved close enough to rest a silken hand on his bicep. “Your prisoner is also beautiful.”

Axel kept his attention on her delicate fingers. “So?”

“So I want to watch. You and him. Make love.” She patted her chest with her other hand as if she’d scandalized herself.

***

Here’s the blurb for To Catch a Threeve:

Axel Blackwood catches a thief and is astounded to see that he closely resembles Liam Alloway, the love he lost seven years ago in an attack by the evil woodland folk known as threeves. Axel suspects he’s fallen prey to dark magic, but can’t help becoming infatuated with his prisoner. He’s overwhelmed with the hope that he can at last bring his lost lover home, despite everything that warns him it’s all a diabolical trick.

Bryn Darrow, the half-threeve, half human orphan sent to trick Axel and rob him of much more than a simple gem finds himself equally as fascinated with his handsome human captor and the lure of someplace to call home, but he knows deep down that the constable is in love with a dangerous illusion. When he’s commanded by the threeves to murder Axel and steal a witch’s powerful grimoire, he’s forced to decide between the only family he’s ever known and the one person who might rescue him from a life of isolation and pain.

Will Axel and Bryn be forced into a deadly confrontation before they can discover the truth?

***

Don’t forget to continue the Sexy Saturday hop. There’s a lot of sexy snippets out there for your enjoyment, only a click away.

Seductive Studs ~ This Man Is Dangerous

December 12, 2015 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Seductive Studs, the blog hop dedicated to m/m romance by the people who read, write and review it.

This week I’m sharing another excerpt from Curse of Salar, Book 3 in the Masters and Mages series, release date January 5, 2016. At an official function in the great hall, Prince Dezra’s attention (and imagination) have been captured by a stranger, Captain Rayn Nevar.

***

Dezra decided to turn his divine wrath on the rude captain and returned his stare. The rest of the hall fell away, and they might as well have been the only two people in it. Though the captain stood at least fifty feet away, his gaze penetrated Dezra’s defenses and threatened his secret thoughts. To his bemused annoyance, Dezra developed a growing erection that would not subside.

This man is dangerous, Dezra thought, but refused to look away. Finally the captain shifted his attention to his minister, who prattled on. Dezra couldn’t remember the last time he’d been aroused at a formal dinner. Probably when Lashmi had been delivered as tribute from Tovald. Dezra regretted having told Jai not to wait in his chambers. He could always send for the servant but instantly knew Jai would be a poor substitute for the fantasy catching fire in his mind.

***

Blurb for Masters and Mages 3: Curse of Salar

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Don’t forget to continue the hop at the Seductive Studs home page. Lots of steamy m/m goodness goin’ on.

Seductive Studs ~ Disturbing His Calm

December 4, 2015 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Seductive Studs, the blog hop dedicated to m/m romance by the people who read, write and review it.

This week I’m sharing another excerpt from Curse of Salar, Book 3 in the Masters and Mages series, release date January 5, 2016. In this scene Prince Dezra is being tended to by one of the many attractive servants sent to seduce and spy on him.

***

“I am most grateful for your blessing, my lord.” Jai filled the cup and bowed again. They always spoke formally, even during sex. It amused Dezra and saddened him.

Jai stood a hand taller than Dezra and was muscular for a house servant, lean with hair the color of desert sand and pale blue eyes. He had a smooth, attractive face, which was why the premier’s agents picked him. Dezra’s watchers were always trying to guess who might entrance Dezra enough to earn his trust. So far they’d failed. He trusted no one. Sometimes he pretended in order to keep the watchers content.

“How goes things beyond the palace walls?” he asked, lifting the cup to his lips and keeping his gaze on Jai’s face. The servant raised his eyes. Despite his exemplary training, he stared hungrily at Dezra, an expression of desire disturbing his calm.

***

Masters and Mages 3: Curse of Salar ~

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Don’t forget to continue the hop at the Seductive Studs home page. Lots of steamy m/m goodness goin’ on.

Seductive Studs ~ Panthers Lurking

November 27, 2015 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Seductive Studs, the blog hop dedicated to m/m romance by the people who read, write and review it.

This week I’m sharing an excerpt from Curse of Salar, Book 3 in the Masters and Mages series, due to be released in January 2016. This scene is in the POV of Captain Rayn Nevar, a soldier who’s just attended a formal ceremony in the palace as head of the escort for Minister Havran. He can’t stop thinking about Prince Dezra.

From a distance across the hall, the prince had met Rayn’s expectations of a beautiful but pampered royal. Observing the prince provided more entertainment than listening to the speeches, but a persistent erection wasn’t enough to overcome Rayn’s natural aversion to undeserving elites and sorcery, both of which were wrapped up in the person of Prince Dezra.

Despite this, Rayn hadn’t been able stop staring at the prince. Prince Dezra sat motionless most of the evening and appeared to drift in a dreamlike state. Rayn had heard he was addicted to harrar and spent his life in a luxurious fog. In his trance, Dezra’s long black lashes brushed his high cheekbones, and his wide lips curled into an amused half smile. Rayn had seen the expression on the face of many an idle courtier.

Then Rayn’s training as a scout took over, and he soon decided the prince wasn’t dozing at all but intently listening to every word. His body had the tautness of a grazing deer aware of panthers lurking at the edges of his idyll meadow.

***

Masters and Mages 3: Curse of Salar ~

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Don’t forget to confine the hop at the Seductive Studs home page. Lots of steamy m/m goodness goin’ on.

My Sexy Saturday ~ Never Him

November 7, 2015 by Alexis Duran

Happy Sexy Saturday! It’s been way too long since I played, but wow, what a crazy October I had. Anyway, I’m glad to be back. At first I thought I didn’t have anything that quite fit this week’s theme “While you were sexy” which is a play on the movie “While You Were Sleeping”. Then I remember this little tidbit from a story of mine that was supposed to be a flash piece but rapidly morphed into a novella.

Drummond Alloway is a supporting character from To Catch a Threeve. I always wanted to give him his own story. Here’s the snippet in 7 paragraphs:

~~~

“Bloody Boulders of Briggar,” Drummond muttered. What was the crown prince doing wandering about alone at night? Prince Tyran had overseen the opening solstice festivities with his usual contemptuous expression firmly in place, withdrawing in boredom hours ago. Had he snuck back out to participate in the common people’s lewd celebrations? The thought made Drummond’s breeches uncomfortably tight in the groin area. The thought of grabbing the severely underdressed princeling and giving him a bit of common discipline brought a rush of heat to Drummond’s face.

“Oh, no. Not him. Never him,” Drummond pleaded with the unfamiliar sensations taking control of his body. Tyran was a typical noble; snooty, spoiled, self-absorbed and irritatingly sharp of tongue. That he was beautiful only added to his disturbing personality.

“Men are not beautiful,” Drummond said to the prince’s back. “They are brick shaped ogres like me, or they are fey, flighty creatures like this here…” It was no good. Drummond considered leaving the prince to his nocturnal gadabout, but by now it was obvious Tyran was either sleep walking or in a trance. This was confirmed when the prince walked into the icy river without slowing. He’d chosen a place where the water was deep and the current swift. He waded in, rapidly up to his waist.

Drummond lunged after him, catching Tyran by an arm just as he was about to vanish beneath the surface. Drummond wasn’t much of a swimmer, particularly not when fully dressed in leather doublet, wool tunic, breeches and weighted down with sword and sheath on a thick belt. Prince Tyran kept trying to move forward and they both ended up under water, Drummond’s arms wrapped around the prince’s waist, his bulk pushing him deeper instead of rescuing him as he’d intended. He struggled to find purchase on the rocky bottom and burst to the surface, bringing the prince along with him.

The prince awakened from his trance spitting, thrashing and flailing. “Where am I? What are you…? Help! Help! I’m being murdered!”

“Oh, shut up. I’m saving your silly ass, Your Highness!”

Despite the thrashing bundle of muscles in his arms, Drummond managed to drag the prince out of the water and collapse with him in the shallows along the shore. As soon as Drummond relaxed his grip, Tyran scrambled away on all fours, coughing and cursing. Drummond couldn’t help but observe the tight royal ass flex and ripple as the sodden fabric of his nightshirt clung to every curve and crevice. This is my reward for saving it, Drummond thought, giving in to the small pleasure now the prince was out of danger.

~~~

Poor Drummond. If only he could find a nice boy to settle down with.

Don’t forget to continue the Sexy Saturday hop. There’s a lot of sexy snippets out there for your enjoyment, only a click away.