Welcome to the fantastical side of romance with magic and myth, ,
If you missed it, Dragons won the poll for the next freebie book on this newsletter! A sneak peek of chapter one is at the bottom of this email. And because of your votes, you helped decide what our MMC's name will be, and the top vote was LACHLAN!
Thank you everyone for helping make this process more fun and participating in bringing the next book to life by naming the MMC dragon!
Check out the indie temptations today from a Secret Garden romantasy retelling, sword and sorcery, dark elves, orcs, and what is that? Aliens?
My pen name Sky Robert just launched my newest book with an older FMC finding her fated mate alien warrior with Her Alien Warrior, available in Kindle Unlimited. If you like alien romances, go ahead and slip between those fresh pages today and help support future books in the universe.
https://www.amazon.com/Her-Alien-Warrior-Romance-Warriors-ebook/dp/B0CSSWSKVC
With Her Alien Warrior launched, my next focus is on completing Her Alien Insurgent for the month of April because technically I was supposed to launch that one the whole time and got distracted with writing Her Alien Warrior and now it's crunch time to meet deadlines! Self-imposed chaos.
Once that one is finished, May, June, July, August, September I've kept open to work on Breaking Fate, and the Dragon Freebie! I know summer can be hectic on keeping to any sort of normal scheduling, so that's why I've given myself plenty of wiggle room to not feel stressed. At least, not stressed AFTER April...
Breaking Fate, book two of Taking Medusa where Medusa is in the Underworld is planned for October 2024, you can grab your pre-ordered copy from Amazon here: https://books.steviemarie.com/breakingfate (Sneak Peek at the bottom of the email, then after is the sneak peek at the dragon book.)
Breaking Fate is already at 50,000 words completed so around half-way written. I'm confident in being able to finish it up early and for those of you on my ARC team, will see it before summer is over. (That's my goal!)
Check out a sneak peek at Breaking Fate after the Temptations!
Check out this romantic retelling of the Secret Garden, An Island Strange and Wild
Check out this sword and sorcery Ruins on Stone Hill
Check out Coveted by the Dark Elf in Kindle Unlimited!
Check out Orc Lord on Kindle Unlimited
Her Alien Warrior is newly launched! If you're not familiar with my pen name, Sky Robert just released Her Alien Warrior and it is now available on Kindle Unlimited! Have you met your next alien book boyfriend?
Check out indie Romantasy reads with BookFunnel: https://books.bookfunnel.com/romantasyreads-apr/iczeg3dh4t
Enter to win a sci-fi & fantasy book giveaway and discover new authors! Win a Bundle of Sci-Fi and Fantasy! - BookSweeps
Books By S.M.McCoy! Romantasy Taking Medusa Available in Kindle Unlimited!
https://books.steviemarie.com/takingmedusa
https://books.steviemarie.com/breakingfate
Thank you for being part of my author journey, (DRAGON sneak peek is after Breaking Fate!)
Stevie
xoxo
Loved Taking Medusa and want a signed Paperback with exclusive artwork included?
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This is the monthly Newsletter, all readers on the regular weekly newsletter on Thursdays and the monthly around the 15th are on this email.
Sneak Peek at Breaking Fate:
(Warning Spoilers, please read Taking Medusa first! Available on Kindle Unlimited here: https://books.steviemarie.com/takingmedusa )
Gatekeeper
The River Styx was too wide to see the other side that you'd think it was an ocean, disappearing into a mist-filled fog. It was too long that the vanishing point seemed never-ending, and even if it did end, I was certain it wasn't something many knew existed. The only direction I got was that following the river would lead me to Cerberus.
A tingle lifted through my arms, prickling my skin with an awareness that I wasn't alone. The water sparkled like it swallowed the very stars. Transfixed, I found myself taking a step closer before I heard an echoing hiss that thundered in my chest, reverberating to my bones.
Tearing my gaze from the river, I dropped down to hide because I didn't trust anything Hades said about being invisible. Did he mean I was invisible to anyone in the Underworld? Or perhaps, only hidden until I brought attention to myself? I followed the noise to what appeared to be a cave on a mountain that I hadn't noticed was there seconds before. It was like I blinked and what was a desert turned into a mountain, and up ahead a mirage of a cave came into view. Being in the Underworld was disorientating to say the least.
The loud hiss came again, and I clutched at my chest to ease the ache growing there. From the cave I watched as a three-headed giant snake emerged, with the body of a black lion, backing out with its snake tail staring at me. The end of it hissed, but it was unmistakable that it saw me, its beady golden eyes unmoving from where I crouched. A strand of my blonde hair fell in my face. No, not hair… a snake. Fuck, were they talking to each other? So much for being hidden. Out of all the beings to run into that weren't affected by the invisibility of the crown attached to my arm, it had to be a giant, hydra-snake monster backing out of a cave.
Its black suede hindlegs were moving backwards, towards me. A flash of light seared across the sand. My arm went up to block the intense white blast that heated the hairs on my knuckles, even making the snakes in my hair tug back on my scalp in withdrawal. When my vision cleared, I saw spots and through the haze the large beast was writhing on the ground, fangs bared through each large black snake's head.
"I did give you a choice, Rucyr. Just tell me where she's hiding. I have no intention of killing my brother's mate. He may not listen to me, but I only want to give them both a proper union and a place at my side," a silky voice commanded through the angry hissing of the subdued three-headed snake.
"I wasn't born yesterday, Zeus. I've been guarding the Underworld since the first dead escaped Tartarus, and my parents gifted me to Hades. Everything you say can be the truth for a different situation and manipulated for your benefit. You're purposefully vague. Which brother? Poseidon or Hades? Who were the both in this scenario? Are you referring to your brother's union with whoever you deem fit, or who we know we're talking about? A place at your side in chains? Or a place of honor? Need I go on?" The snake called Rucyr hissed out lazily afterward. The king of gods? That was Zeus? A man stood to the side of the massive snake, barely as tall as one of the large snake heads lying on the ground. One snap of that mouth and it could eat Zeus whole. His hair was brown with soft curls, not white like most of myth's depictions, and his beard was well groomed. He was wearing a fashionable V-neck sweater over a buttoned collared shirt, with the top button undone, like he came straight from a men's magazine.
"You wound me," Zeus feigned heartbreak. "I may be a selfish bastard, but I do care about my brothers. Both of them," he added absently while plucking non-existent lint from his cuff.
"I don't doubt that, but that doesn't magically produce a vote of confidence for you," the snake quipped back while resting a head on top of the one lying on the ground before him. Two heads now stared at Zeus, but my eyes were still on the tail with its golden eyes on me. Did it know I was here, or was I just being paranoid… we were still in the Underworld and the power of the invisibility was supposed to be absolute here. Zeus certainly hadn't noticed me.
"Must we go through this every time? You know I can't enter without my brother's permission, and Hermes is off doing some errand for Athena—"
Rucyr cut him off, "You're here because you don't want Hera to find out what you're doing. Why would I trust anything you say since you stole my niece?"
Zeus scoffed at the implication. "Believe what you will. I've been trying to get a divorce for ages, and I have no intentions of having my future wife be queen, but yes, you're right, Hera doesn't see it that way. She thinks any future mate of mine would try to take her place like she did with my last wife, and the one before that." He stopped and put a hand to his chin in thought. "I haven't really thought about that in a while, but can you blame me for wanting to have a relationship that isn't sabotaged by that vindictive bitch?"
The snake had a strange rumble from his chest that, if I wasn't mistaken, was a laugh. Was he mocking the king of the gods?
"You can work out your marriage issues with a counselor. Even if that's the truth, it doesn't make me want to help you, and I won't be giving you any accidental invitation into the Underworld. Stealing a mate based on the old laws only works if you have permission from their parents," he explained, but why would he need to if Zeus already knew? Was the snake doing that for me, knowing that I was listening? "As you already know, her mother would never agree to it, and you may never return from trying to find her father."
Zeus laughed, a deep and throaty sound that echoed through the cave. "A guardian's permission and bringing her to my home is all that is required."
"A guardian…" his voice trailed off as a few of his snake's heads recoiled with a new realization.
"Anyone who has claim to her may bless my intentions," Zeus explained.
"That's what you wanted with my niece, you sick bastard," Rucyr hissed out, cursing under his breath. "Hera will find out."
"So, what if she does? Hera is bound to sanctify any legitimate union under the old laws."
"But you're married…" he said what I was thinking.
"By what right? The moment she tried to take my throne by force, she had by all accounts returned her marriage to whence it came. She hasn't been my wife since that day. Queen of Olympus, sure… My wife, I do not reclaim her, and she knows this. It was my love for her that she is still alive. I owe her nothing else, and I've waited long enough to be matched once more, and with your permission, I will have just that."
"Mine?"
Zeus clucked his tongue like he was schooling a disobedient child.
"You didn't just come here to steal her…" Rucyr surmised, he shook his head as his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"I came for you, Cerberus."
I gasped. My eyes widening at what was happening. Zeus took a step forward and caressed the jaw one of the large snakes. Why wasn't he biting his hand off? If Rucyr was Cerberus, then he was my brother. I was expecting a three-headed dog… not a snake, but nothing was as I imagined it would be.
"Don't call me that," he hissed, "You have no right to use that name after what you did."
"Right… you stopped being called that after your involvement with my son, Perseus. No matter," the king of gods replied flippantly. "You know as well as I do, that you went with Perseus that day for the same reason you'll come with me today. I have something you care about. You may not give your permission now, but I am nothing if not patient. Impulsive perhaps, but we can't all be as unfeeling as Hades."
"He has the seven princes to feel for him, and my absence will be noticed sooner than you think," the three-headed snake spat back.
Zeus shook his head and smirked. "I'm counting on it. You were always his favorite, and you aren't the only guardian that can give permission to claim what is mine. Hades will come for you. Can't leave the gates of the Underworld vulnerable, can we?"
He's using Cerberus, or Rucyr, to lure Hades into a trap, one that I would be sacrificed to for his favorite hell's gate guardian. Did being indebted to Hades give him permission to be considered my guardian? Did Cerberus have any authority as my half-brother to give me away to a god? Did that mean my sister Theo had the same kind of authority if they caught her?
I cowered within the protection of the helm of invisibility melded to my arm. What could I do against a King of Gods? Zeus? The very god who overthrew titans and ruled over powerful entities for so long he's considered a myth. The only thing I could think to do was either follow them, and hope this invisibility held, or crawl back to Hades as a messenger of bad news. Neither was appealing, but my brother was a dark god, and Hades tricked me into being a protector of beings that were more capable of saving themselves than I was of keeping them safe.
What good was I now, watching as Zeus' fingers glowed and sizzled with lightning before releasing that energy on the giant snake heads attached to a black lion's body. I winced at the screech of pain deafening my ears before the creature shrank in size, appearing human.
"No need to make this a scene, Rucyr. All you need to do is give your permission to marry your charge and the location of Medusa, Queen of the Sea, or come with me and I can have a conversation with my brother."
Rucyr struggled to speak, heaving as he replied, "You could just wait for Hermes and arrange a chat. The only fucker making a scene here is you."
"I'd say my side of the conversation is winning either way, don't you think? Everyone in Olympus knows the weakness of the great Keeper of the Underworld Gates. You were caught by my mortal son Alcides and heralded around the realms for being one of his heroic labors. Cerberus willingly leaves his duties for a contract, and I have a particular contract you'll be interested in."
"You forget I was given permission to leave if Hercules convinced me, and 'captured' was an overstatement. When the time of our deal was up, I returned.
You can't take me from here, Zeus."
He tutted with a twinkle in his eyes. "Can't I?"
"Not unless... Have you got mad?"
I didn't understand what was happening, but Rucyr appeared panicked when his head snapped over to where I was and back to Zeus. He made it seem like he was looking for someone to witness and prevent whatever plans were unraveling. He shook his head in denial before hissing, "This won't change his mind, or mine."
"We'll see," Zeus says with a shrug. "You, Cerberus, are granted the status of Olympian and are hereby reclaimed by the sky to serve as the gatekeeper of Olympus."
"Fuck," Rucyr swore as his body began to brighten like the sun, and his black skin turned golden. "This won't last," it was a promise, not a statement.
"I think you'll grow to appreciate your new role," he said while turning his back on him, an unsaid command lingered in the air for Rucyr to follow. "You know the laws. Hades stole something from me, and I have my right to claim it, or seek a replacement."
"He has every right to claim Medusa for the Underworld," he gritted with venom.
"Not Medusa," Zeus replied without turning back, "Poseidon. He'll get the message eventually. Return Poseidon to Atlantis, allow me to banish him to Cronos, or trade you for Medusa, either one works for now."
With a huff, Rucyr rolled his shoulders back and said, "I've been needing a vacation anyways. You better hope none of the souls escape to the mortal realm or you'll be looking at a debt you'll have trouble repaying."
"I pity the souls that leave without a deal with my brother, that is a fate worse than death."
A shiver rolled down the back of my legs at the implications of Zeus' words. Without Cerberus as the gatekeeper of the Underworld, what would happen to the souls that do escape? Would they haunt the living? Or would they fade into nothing without something tethering themselves to this realm?
Was I a soul now? I didn't feel dead, but I distinctly remembered being pulled from my own stone corpse by Hade's hand. Did I even have a body to leave here with? If I was a spirit, then what good would taking me from the Underworld do?
"I'll go with you!" I called out to them, not wanting to find out what chaos would come from taking Cerberus.
A hiss vibrated across the distance at Rucyr's annoyance.
"Changed your mind, Rucyr?" Zeus asked, stopping in his tracks, like he hadn't heard me at all. Perhaps he didn't?
"Have you?" he snarked back.
Not even Zeus could see or hear me? And the fear I felt moments before melted, solidifying what I was going to do. I was following them and helping Cerberus escape. With more confidence that I was safe, I jogged over to see them both climb onto a cloud, inside the cave. In front of them was a waterfall, and they floated right into it, disappearing. Not wanting them to get away from me, I rushed into the water. Torrents crashed down on me and when I came out the other side, soaked, gasping for air, I was right where I started...
I went into the waterfall and when I came out, it wasn't on the other side to where they disappeared, it was where I ran into the cave in the first place. Staring at the entrance of the cave as an unwelcomed view. I'd lost them. My knees fell to the crumbled ground in shock.
Why had I thought I could follow a god? On a fucking cloud, no less?
What did I think was going to happen, that my wings would come out and I'd suddenly know how to fly with them? I had little to no control over when I transformed.
I sat there staring at the cave entrance, because my only other option was finding my way back to Hades to let him know Cerberus was captured. Nothing good ever came from being the messenger of bad news to a god. I think the only person who ever got away with that was Hermes. What was so special about him?
Please support Breaking Fate and the Taking Medusa Universe by pre-ordering the book on Amazon here: https://books.steviemarie.com/breakingfate
Were you looking for Dragons?
You've come to the right place! And because of you and your votes, this dragon's name is LACHLAN! Thank you to everyone who helped vote!
Sneak Peek:
"Why the bookstore?" Avery asked while pulling a printed tree corpse from a shelf. I glanced over to see him flip through a fiction book on dragons, which seemed fitting for the occasion.
My focus was on finding the right mate, and he was distracting me with his unusual interest in how I found a suitable human to bring back to Gratenkav. There were a number of things these humans didn't get right about our species, one of them being that we were fictional.
Gratenkav was very real, and this planet's myth and legend of our kind only happened because of their slow scientific advancement to be able to help repair broken ships, and a slight misunderstanding of our mating customs. We were hunted, killed, and now we relied on these flightless worms to give us female dragons.
"Quiet," I hissed, dismissing his curiosity.
"How are you supposed to f--k a human here?" He whispered as if that was what quiet meant to him. I should have said silence instead, but I doubted that would have stopped him. Why he decided to tag along was of no concern of mine, but he was sure to tell me regardless of if I didn't answer a few of his questions.
I sighed with annoyance. "This whole section of books is about humans f--king us, so we wait until we find a suitable human to seduce that has obvious interest in our kind."
"Uh, and you think that will work? No one seems to be interacting here. I was going to pick one from a coffee shop, they seem to be addicted to the beverage and they talk more."
"I'm not trying to find a mate to make my ears bleed, you do a fine enough job of that," I retorted, "I wish for her to be less afraid of what I am and willing to learn about our planet."
"Seems like a hard sell," he didn't agree, "introverts are less likely to be risk takers and we don't get the luxury of courting them properly until after we completely uproot their lives."
"And your coffee shop humans are any different?" I challenged.
"You're on," he accepted with a twinkle of mischief in his black eyes. He knew I was goading him to leave me alone, but the challenge was probably what he was waiting for to help him push through his anxiety about finding a mate, and quickly.
Now, something as serious as a mate hunt was a game. It lifted a heavy weight from my chest and helped me breathe easier with the levity. Perhaps, he did it for me and not simply for himself.
Many hours passed, having purchased one of their books and then sitting at the chair pointing at the aisle of romance stories, I waited. Several prospects browsed the selection, and I grew weary with not having any of them spark interest. With boredom, I began reading the book I held and found myself worried that my mate would not forgive me for claiming her without a chance to make the decision herself.
I groaned, slamming the book shut at how a human might not feel the pull and resent me for answering it.
"F--k," I grumbled, and a musical chuckle answered in return. My eyes snapped over to see a pair of grey stars watching me with amusement. When she realized she'd been caught, she averted her gaze and pretended like she was coughing, while reaching for a book on the shelf to read the back cover.
She wore tight leggings and an oversized sweater that was a sin to know her curves were hiding beneath a cozy layer of thick fabric. I sniffed the air to make sure she had an appropriate blood compatibility to survive a mating transition before I approached. She had pulled a romance that was about the fae, perhaps not dragon lore, but a good sign she was open to new lands.
"Have you read this one?" I asked while holding up the book called, A Reluctant Dragon's Bride.
She answered my question with a question of her own, "Which part were you upset about? The fact that you aren't a dragon, or that his monster dong is unrealistic?"
I practically choked on my own spit before laughing at the blunt unfiltered acknowledgment about the kind of book I was reading. My laughter fueled her own and my heart seemed suspended midbeat as I felt the way her sound filled my chest with heat. She was mine. This human was my mate.
I settled my joy to reply to her, "Anything is considered unrealistic if you haven't experienced it yourself."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience, So, either you're a dragon, or you've seen a dong for the world record's book."
"You caught me," I said with my hands up in surrender. It pleased me that I wouldn't have to waste time pretending to be human, and this would go favorably in her acceptance within my clan to tell them that she found out I was a dragon within moments of meeting and held no fear. "I'd show you my horns, but I'm under strict guidelines not to be documented, and the store has cameras."
She laughed and I couldn't help but be charmed by the sound. This was what my father spoke of when finding a compatible mate, how I would know by how being around her calms the fire inside when she is happy and ignites it with her touch. I had yet to feel her touch, but I had no doubts I would burn for her as my c--k was already half mass simply staring at her.
"Right," she whispered conspiratorially while looking up at where one camera dome watched us, "Can't let us mortals find out your secret or you'll have a whole horde of romance nerds clamoring to ride your d--k."
I lifted a brow. Was it really that simple? Show a human my horns and admit I was a dragon and I would have many mate offerings? I shook my head of the thought since I didn't need a horde of humans, just the one.
What do we think? Are we excited for the dragons of Gratenkav?
This was just a snicky snack of Chapter One.
Chat soon!
xoxo
Stevie
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