Embracing Ember (20 page)
Authors: Astrid Cielo
• Anna
: Earth Labor and Delivery Nurse claimed by Kylan in Surrender Serenity. Best friend of Serenity.
• Kylan
: Son of a counselor. Sent to Earth with Eon to determine Earth females’ viability as mates. Serves as a Healer and Scientist on Salin. Anna’s mate.
• Ceylon
: Healer on Salin that is chosen as part of the diplomatic team sent to Earth to entice females to become mates. Suffered loss of his mate, Ashwin and became apathetic until meeting Ember in Embracing Ember.
• Ember
: Earth artist. Abused by husband and saved by Ceylon. She is Ceylon’s mate
• Silvius
: Apprentice pilot to Cedwin. Has his sight set on Maria.
Has dark red skin almost scarlet with blue eyes and hair that is straight hanging in layers to his chin that is blue-black. He has a lean muscular body.
• Maria
: Latina Army Nurse on Earth. Drafted by US government to spy on visiting diplomats, Salinians. She runs in Embracing Ember because of the secrets she learns that she doesn’t want to divulge.
• Lindsay
: Earth female who is a counselor to abused females. Works in the local Women’s shelter. The crew of “
V
olucris
I
gnem
” literally translated to mean Bird of Fire, immediately recognize her as a seer of souls, one who delves into others souls and knows their secrets and dreams instantly. Is very short with blonde hair that is cut into a pixie cut.
• Secundus
: Chief Scientist on Ceylon’s ship crew. Often times considered ornery and doesn’t play well with others. He scared Maria upon their first meeting, but Maria holds him in esteem for an unknown reason.
He possesses grey eyes and pale red skin with hair that is short and close to his scalp
• Dais
: Part of diplomatic team and another ship crew. Eerie eyes and hair mark him as a tracker, making him able to find things that are considered lost. He is also a seer of souls, very rare for a male. His coloring is indicative of an albino Earthling, (White hair and Pale blue eyes) his deep red coloring a side – effect of the reddish minerals on Salin.
• Dr. Langston
: Chief of Staff at Trinity Heart hospital and part of the team set in place to spy on the Salinians.
• Linette
: Chief Nursing officer at Trinity Heart Hospital and part of the team set in place to spy on the Salinians
• Merrcum
: Apprenticed Healer to Ceylon.
• Lysander
: Apprentice Scientist to Secundus
• Cedwin
: Chief Pilot of
V
olucris
I
gnem
• Aurum
: A Malmunian, Prisoner keeper upon the source ship. He meets Cekayda, the only prisoner who survived the last Prisoner keeper and a Salninian female.
• Cekayda
– Salinian female who was abducted by the Malums and experimented on with the Blue Death to ensure its effectiveness. Her experimentation has left her immune to the Blue Death.
• Salin
– Planet around the size of Earth that has many of the characteristics of Earth. One of the planets the Ancestors sent refugees to when their planet was dying. Serenity states it looks like a cross between Earth and Mars from space. The reddened mineral in most of the edible plants of Salin has ensured its inhabitants turn a reddish color due to the mineral binding to their natural pigments and reddening them.
• Malum
- Home world for Malumanians. The Ancestors dispatch of these refugees was mistakenly sent to a flawed planet, effectively altering their genetics to predispose them to certain characteristics. Malumanians have an increased number of psychopaths and sociopaths and other mental disorders that are not kept in check by medications available on Earth. Their skin has become a sickly green color that reminds Serenity of pea soup due to the environment on Malum, which must have affected each individual on a genetic level since Malum has been uninhabitable for at least a century.
• Alric
– Eon’s father and High Councilor of the Council.
• Noctae
– Kylan’s father and member of the Council.
• Kaysar
– High lord of the Planet Malum
About the Author
Astrid Cielo lives in a small community in Mississippi with her family including two puppies named Alice and Baby Girl, a stray kitten named Little Bit and the spoiled kitty cat named Bella. She enjoys reading and does so at every spare opportunity. After her night shift as a nurse at the small town ER, Astrid unwinds by spilling her imagination out on paper.
You can contact Astrid at
[email protected]
.
Also by Astrid Cielo:
Surrender Serenity: Salin’s Salvation, Book 1
Their planet was dead and their race doomed…
When the elders of their civilization realized they had overtaxed the resources of their beloved planet, they sent ships with members from their race to other planets in the universe that could support life. They died with their planet with the knowledge that their people would live on.
He came across the Galaxy searching for the answer to a dying race…
Eon’s people always took care of their planet of Salin, having learned from their ancestors mistakes. When a virus ravages the female population leaving most females dead and those who survived infertile, their people search endlessly for a way to save their people from disappearing from existence, but nothing seems to work. Out of hope and desperate, a seer gives them one last hope, EARTH. Chosen by the council, Eon and his lifelong friend Kylan embark on a journey to the planet which may hold the key to their race’s continuation. He doesn’t expect to find her, a girl he dreamed of as a child.
She was just a nurse content with her job but always feeling as if she were missing something…
Serenity doesn’t understand why she is so attracted to this alien and why she isn’t hysterical when he kidnaps her and her best friend, Anna. He touches a part of her long dormant. When he takes her to his planet, the virus that their people thought had been defeated threatens to steal her life. In those moments between life and death, dreams plague her, telling her that all is not as it seems.
Enjoy an excerpt:
Serenity turned slowly then looked up into a stranger’s face. His skin was a ruddy reddish color. He stood tall. Serenity never was good at gauging size, but she knew she and Anna were around 5’ 3’’, and he was tall. If she had to guess, she would say 6’ 4’’ or taller. He had the lean muscles she associated with swimmers or basketball players, which meant for her his reflexes, were pretty damn fast. He looked human, but she had never seen such a skin color. His golden eyes were studying her, as if waiting for something. When she realized that she had been staring with her mouth open she slammed it shut. She did drool on occasion which was quite embarrassing.
She flinched when he reached for her, but to her amazement he just placed his fingers under her chin and raised her gaze to his once more. She just stared at him. She wasn’t sure why she wasn’t freaking out. Maybe it was because he hadn’t moved to hurt her. He released her chin, and spoke. She didn’t understand him, but she did think his voice was nice, soothing even. She finally found her voice when he stared at her expectantly. She cleared her throat, “I’m sorry, but, I didn’t understand what you just said. I mean, I speak English, and some passable Spanish, I even know a song in French.” She finished lamely. He appeared amused. She had a nagging suspicion he was trying not to laugh at her. She tilted her head to the side and studied him for a few seconds. When he reached behind him as if to grab something, she jumped backwards and tripped over Anna who apparently was scared stiff. She fell backwards and landed on her rear with an “oomph.” She looked over at Anna and asked, “Are you okay?” Anna looked back at Serenity like she had lost her mind and just shook her head no. Serenity got to her knees and gave Anna a hug, stating, “It’s gonna be okay, Anna Banana.” She looked up and finally noticed the male had come closer to her. He looked at them from a short distance away. He had crouched down. In his hand he had a thing that looked suspiciously like the IO drill at the hospital. She thought to herself, “He better not be thinking about drilling a needle into Anna’s or my bones. I’ve been pretty docile so far, but I’ll turn on the hellcat before he can blink.” She must have delivered one hell of a look because he just held the thing out to her. She hesitantly let go of Anna, and reached for it. When she placed her hand on it, he moved like lightning and grabbed her wrist, jerking her from the floor and holding her plastered against his chest. She flailed her legs because she couldn’t move her arms that he had pinned between their chests. She was getting pissed off. She felt his other arm place the IO drill thingy behind her ear and she went wild. She pulled her head to the side before he could depress the button. He cried out in what seemed like frustration, before he dropped her to the floor. She landed on her feet and went to punch him with her newly freed fist. He caught her fist, effortlessly. He buckled her knees easily with a slight kick from his feet and followed her down. He pinned her hands between them and used his legs to hold hers prisoner. She tried to buck, but he was immovable. With his free hand, he turned her face to the side, exposing the flesh behind her ear. When she tried to bite, he growled and placed his hand over her mouth. He carefully left her nose open for breathing. She began to cry with fear and anger, the tears pooling on the floor. He gently pulled the hair away from her neck and placed the IO drill against the skin behind her ear. She closed her eyes waiting for the pain. When she felt a small pinch then felt him remove his hand from her mouth, she turned her face to look up at him. He smiled at her, and then said, “Now, that was not so bad was it?”
She burst into tears, sobbing loudly. He carefully picked her up and put her in his lap and held her while she cried. He hugged her to his chest, soothing her with soothing circles on her back. She looked up at him and said, “I thought you were trying to kill me. That damn thing looked like an IO drill. I’m sorry I tried to kick your ass.”
He chuckled, and then said. “I apologize for not making sure this was done while you were unconscious.” At that she looked over at Anna, who was huddled into a ball in a corner. She could tell by how she shook that she was sobbing. Apparently, Anna had reached her breaking point. She slid from the strange alien’s lap over to Anna and pulled her into her embrace. “Anna, it’s okay. He didn’t hurt me. Sweetie, look at me.” After several seconds, Anna displayed her face for Serenity to see. The tears were still flowing. “Anna, sweetie, look at me, I’m okay. He didn’t hurt me. I don’t think he wants to hurt us. I know it seems like he does, but just trust me I have this feeling. When have you ever known my feelings to be wrong?”
Anna shakily said, “Never.”
Serenity looked over to the male who was quietly crouched beside them and stated, “Now, what the hell are we doing here and where exactly is here?”
Eon took a deep breath, then said, “You are on board our exploration ship known as the
Fission
and we come from a planet known as Salin. We were sent here to ….”
Anna whimpered and finally found her voice to say, “Serenity, what is going on?”
Serenity looked at Anna, and said, “Sweetie, he is trying to tell me what’s going on. I am trying to figure out why we are here.”
Anna nodded, but then said, “How do you understand him?”
