BEYOND REACH
by Jessica E. Subject
Release date: October 3, 2016
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Sensual
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Sensual
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-988428-01-7
Cover artist: Fantasia Frog Designs
# of pages: 75 ebook
# of words: 23,250
BLURB:
Abandoned by her parents…
Born on Earth, Nixie was left on the planet Schedar when her parents returned home. Growing up on the pleasure planet, she follows in the footsteps of the woman who raised her, and learns the art of erotic massage. But Nixie yearns for a different life, one where she receives as much pleasure as she gives.
A runaway prince…
In an attempt to escape his arranged marriage, Prince Mekai flees to Schedar. For, he could never love his betrothed when he already loves another, a fantasy woman who invades his dreams every night. When the woman he seeks carnal pleasure from turns out to be the same one in his fantasies, he believes fate brought them together.
Fated lovers or forever enemies?
Just when Nixie and Mekai believe they have a chance at happiness with each other, they find out why their races are at war, and why they can never be together.
Please note: Beyond Reach was previously published with another publisher. It has been revised into a darker story than the original, and expanded to give the hero and heroine a harder, but much more satisfying happily ever after.
EXCERPT:
Benignus eyed him, as if confident he would change his mind. “Mekai, are you certain you want to go through with this?”
Grinning at his fair-haired friend, Mekai had no doubt. He’d made his decision long ago. “Yes, go in there and enjoy the woman you have craved for more than two star cycles. I have no use for her.”
“And when the king comes in?” Benignus scanned the tapestry-rich corridors of the castle’s west wing. “I know he’s going to send me to Tenebrae.”
“He’s not going to send you to the prison colony.” No one had been sent there from Carbae, ever. The planet was simply used as an idle threat to misbehaving children. Mekai placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders. “I give you permission to deflower my betrothed. She will be yours, as it should have always been. Just be sure she is on top when we come into the room.”
He slid open the door to his grand suite, a place he would not return to any time soon, not before experiencing what the universe had to offer. “She waits for you. Now, go in there and take her.”
His friend and gentleman of the bedchamber patted him on the back. “Thank you, Mekai, and star’s speed.”
After shoving Benignus through the door, Mekai waited in the hollow silence—usual for this part of the castle—for some indication his plan had worked before leaving to search for his father. Through the darkness engulfing his room, he couldn’t see a thing, but the sounds of wet lips in action caught his attention.
His cock stirred. Almost there.
Rubbing his hands down his arms, he tried to escape the chill common to the kingdom. The sun didn’t shine underground and fires only burned in the kitchen and the north wing, where his parents slept.
“Oh, Mekai, I’m so glad you decided to deflower me before our wedding night. Take me this instant.”
Don’t fail me now, Ben.
“No, Madelia. It’s me, Ben. Don’t worry. No one will know.”
“Oh, even better. Will Mekai be joining us?”
A threesome? Oh, gods. Could he get any harder? He and Ben often discussed sex, what their first time would be like, and whom they wanted to lose their virginity to. He’d had plenty of offers from fair maidens, those he could never have any affection for. Not with the strange woman invading his dreams every night. A woman he cherished and had made love to in the fantasia world for as long as he knew the definition of sex. Though, he had yet to meet her, and never would if he didn’t leave Carbae.
Ben, though, had always been fond of Madelia. She had never shown any interest in him before tonight, but Mekai, betrothed or not, refused to betray his best friend.
He’d plotted this night ever since his wedding date had been set, for no matter how hard he tried, he could never care for Madelia. Watching his parents pretend to love each other over the years had been enough for him. No way in Tenebrae did he want the same kind of relationship for himself. And then, he’d heard rumors from the bajulus who brought supplies to the kingdom about a planet in the Wopavian system where visitors paid to receive sexual pleasure from the revered Suavitas. That was where he planned to travel. He wanted to experience every sensation before he settled down with anyone. And maybe, if he proved lucky, he could forget about the fantasy woman. Once his marriage was called off, he planned to sneak away from Carbae and get busy living.
A whimper broke the silence. “Oh, Benignus, how you fill me so.”
His cock jumped, demanding attention. He’d love no more than to watch them fuck, stroking himself while thinking of the woman of his dreams. But then he’d never get a chance to leave.
Rushing down the corridor, he ignored the lavish silks of purple and gold hanging on the walls, for the extravagance did not suit him. He wanted to rule his father’s kingdom on Carbae, the moon of Ubetron, no more than he wanted Madelia as his queen. Not until he was ready to settle down. The excessiveness of this lifestyle had never held any appeal to him anyway. Even as a child, he’d preferred to explore the caves of Carbae with the common children, or stow away on a supply ship to visit other planets, only to be dragged back home by his guard.
Reaching his father’s study, he burst through the door. The warmth hit him like a brick wall. He drew in a quick breath. “Father, I need your help. Benignus is very ill. He’s been in the lavatory with the sickness. I believe he ate some tainted food.”
The king peered up, examining him. “No one else has shown any signs of the sickness. Seriously, at twenty-one star cycles, I would expect the two of you to have outgrown your antics. What kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?”
“No trouble at all, sir. Please help him. I have him resting in my bed now, but he is too ill to move to his own quarters.”
“Thornton!”
The stout man—and the only Terran friendly with his father—entered the room as soon as the king beckoned. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Fetch the doctor and bring him up to the prince’s quarters.” The king stood up, his purple robe billowing behind him. “Let’s go.”
Mekai hurried to follow his father, hoping Benignus had stuck to the plan and would last long enough to get caught.
“Were you in those caves again? You know the black magic there causes the sickness.”
He sighed. The humid caves were filled with bacteria, occasionally causing visitors to become sick if they didn’t wash after returning from them. His father, though, preferred to live in his own fantasy world. “No, Father, we went directly to my quarters after dinner.”
“Honestly, you two cause more trouble than any common child.”
His father reached his suite first. The lights flashed on and in an instant, they were treated to a view of Madelia, who sat on top of Benignus, speared by his cock.
“What is the meaning of this?” The king’s face turned from its usual shade of blue to bright red, heat radiating from his body even in the cooler part of the castle.
Benignus scrambled out from under Madelia. He held his stomach. “I was there lying on the bed and she climbed on top of me. I was too weak to push her off.”
Smirking behind his father, Mekai winked at his friend.
Madelia chose that moment to turn around and glare at him.
“And you, woman?” the king asked.
She cowered under his father’s glare. “I thought he was…. Oh, fuck. I was set up.”
“No one talks like that to me or anyone while on my land.”
Everyone cringed. His father hadn’t been born into a kingdom, but had given himself the title after settling on Carbae. He’d been the president of Ubetron, and when he and his followers left for the moon, he’d changed his title to king, and declared the state a monarchy. Though Mekai had never understood why his father left in the first place. Every picture he’d seen of his birth planet, the luscious forests and open sky, had left him with an ache to flee from Carbae.
But oh gods, his childhood had been hell, growing up in the cold-climate underworld. He’d been a toddler when his father moved him there. He grew up speaking in the “proper manner,” yet his schoolmates spoke in the old world way. He’d learned the rough dialect and every curse word, yet he took care to revert back to the royal tongue when at home in the castle. He couldn’t wait to leave.
“Mekai.” His father pulled him forward. “Since she is your betrothed, you must decide her fate.”
Just as he’d hoped.
He stuck out his chest, attempting to appear noble while his insides jumped for joy. “Since Madelia deflowered herself with my gentleman of the bedchamber, she shall be bound to him for the rest of her life.”
“Then let it be so,” the king proclaimed.
Benignus grinned. He finally had the woman he’d always wanted. Mekai yearned to find an ounce of his friend’s happiness.
“Gentleman of the bedchamber, my ass. More like jack-off partner,” Madelia muttered. “At least he knows how to fuck,” she said, tossing her comment in Mekai’s direction.
Thornton and the doctor appeared at the door, panting like Terran dogs. “Is everything all right, Your Majesty?”
Time to go. Mekai refused to stick around for Ben’s betrothal ceremony, for surely they would have another woman for him by then, too.
“Prince Mekai, where are you going?”
Shit! He refused to turn around and acknowledge his father’s question, for the king would never chase after him. And the two men who would still had to catch their breath.
Mekai rushed to the south wing and down a flight of stairs, toward his waiting Personal Space Transport Vehicle. He’d already packed clothing appropriate for Schedar’s warmer climate and enough nourishment to last his entire journey inside the PSTV.
He climbed in. After starting the engines, Mekai steered the ship up the narrow rock tunnel and out into space. The fold that would take him to the Wopavian system lay straight ahead.
So long, Carbae. I’m off to live my life.
Grinning at his fair-haired friend, Mekai had no doubt. He’d made his decision long ago. “Yes, go in there and enjoy the woman you have craved for more than two star cycles. I have no use for her.”
“And when the king comes in?” Benignus scanned the tapestry-rich corridors of the castle’s west wing. “I know he’s going to send me to Tenebrae.”
“He’s not going to send you to the prison colony.” No one had been sent there from Carbae, ever. The planet was simply used as an idle threat to misbehaving children. Mekai placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders. “I give you permission to deflower my betrothed. She will be yours, as it should have always been. Just be sure she is on top when we come into the room.”
He slid open the door to his grand suite, a place he would not return to any time soon, not before experiencing what the universe had to offer. “She waits for you. Now, go in there and take her.”
His friend and gentleman of the bedchamber patted him on the back. “Thank you, Mekai, and star’s speed.”
After shoving Benignus through the door, Mekai waited in the hollow silence—usual for this part of the castle—for some indication his plan had worked before leaving to search for his father. Through the darkness engulfing his room, he couldn’t see a thing, but the sounds of wet lips in action caught his attention.
His cock stirred. Almost there.
Rubbing his hands down his arms, he tried to escape the chill common to the kingdom. The sun didn’t shine underground and fires only burned in the kitchen and the north wing, where his parents slept.
“Oh, Mekai, I’m so glad you decided to deflower me before our wedding night. Take me this instant.”
Don’t fail me now, Ben.
“No, Madelia. It’s me, Ben. Don’t worry. No one will know.”
“Oh, even better. Will Mekai be joining us?”
A threesome? Oh, gods. Could he get any harder? He and Ben often discussed sex, what their first time would be like, and whom they wanted to lose their virginity to. He’d had plenty of offers from fair maidens, those he could never have any affection for. Not with the strange woman invading his dreams every night. A woman he cherished and had made love to in the fantasia world for as long as he knew the definition of sex. Though, he had yet to meet her, and never would if he didn’t leave Carbae.
Ben, though, had always been fond of Madelia. She had never shown any interest in him before tonight, but Mekai, betrothed or not, refused to betray his best friend.
He’d plotted this night ever since his wedding date had been set, for no matter how hard he tried, he could never care for Madelia. Watching his parents pretend to love each other over the years had been enough for him. No way in Tenebrae did he want the same kind of relationship for himself. And then, he’d heard rumors from the bajulus who brought supplies to the kingdom about a planet in the Wopavian system where visitors paid to receive sexual pleasure from the revered Suavitas. That was where he planned to travel. He wanted to experience every sensation before he settled down with anyone. And maybe, if he proved lucky, he could forget about the fantasy woman. Once his marriage was called off, he planned to sneak away from Carbae and get busy living.
A whimper broke the silence. “Oh, Benignus, how you fill me so.”
His cock jumped, demanding attention. He’d love no more than to watch them fuck, stroking himself while thinking of the woman of his dreams. But then he’d never get a chance to leave.
Rushing down the corridor, he ignored the lavish silks of purple and gold hanging on the walls, for the extravagance did not suit him. He wanted to rule his father’s kingdom on Carbae, the moon of Ubetron, no more than he wanted Madelia as his queen. Not until he was ready to settle down. The excessiveness of this lifestyle had never held any appeal to him anyway. Even as a child, he’d preferred to explore the caves of Carbae with the common children, or stow away on a supply ship to visit other planets, only to be dragged back home by his guard.
Reaching his father’s study, he burst through the door. The warmth hit him like a brick wall. He drew in a quick breath. “Father, I need your help. Benignus is very ill. He’s been in the lavatory with the sickness. I believe he ate some tainted food.”
The king peered up, examining him. “No one else has shown any signs of the sickness. Seriously, at twenty-one star cycles, I would expect the two of you to have outgrown your antics. What kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?”
“No trouble at all, sir. Please help him. I have him resting in my bed now, but he is too ill to move to his own quarters.”
“Thornton!”
The stout man—and the only Terran friendly with his father—entered the room as soon as the king beckoned. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Fetch the doctor and bring him up to the prince’s quarters.” The king stood up, his purple robe billowing behind him. “Let’s go.”
Mekai hurried to follow his father, hoping Benignus had stuck to the plan and would last long enough to get caught.
“Were you in those caves again? You know the black magic there causes the sickness.”
He sighed. The humid caves were filled with bacteria, occasionally causing visitors to become sick if they didn’t wash after returning from them. His father, though, preferred to live in his own fantasy world. “No, Father, we went directly to my quarters after dinner.”
“Honestly, you two cause more trouble than any common child.”
His father reached his suite first. The lights flashed on and in an instant, they were treated to a view of Madelia, who sat on top of Benignus, speared by his cock.
“What is the meaning of this?” The king’s face turned from its usual shade of blue to bright red, heat radiating from his body even in the cooler part of the castle.
Benignus scrambled out from under Madelia. He held his stomach. “I was there lying on the bed and she climbed on top of me. I was too weak to push her off.”
Smirking behind his father, Mekai winked at his friend.
Madelia chose that moment to turn around and glare at him.
“And you, woman?” the king asked.
She cowered under his father’s glare. “I thought he was…. Oh, fuck. I was set up.”
“No one talks like that to me or anyone while on my land.”
Everyone cringed. His father hadn’t been born into a kingdom, but had given himself the title after settling on Carbae. He’d been the president of Ubetron, and when he and his followers left for the moon, he’d changed his title to king, and declared the state a monarchy. Though Mekai had never understood why his father left in the first place. Every picture he’d seen of his birth planet, the luscious forests and open sky, had left him with an ache to flee from Carbae.
But oh gods, his childhood had been hell, growing up in the cold-climate underworld. He’d been a toddler when his father moved him there. He grew up speaking in the “proper manner,” yet his schoolmates spoke in the old world way. He’d learned the rough dialect and every curse word, yet he took care to revert back to the royal tongue when at home in the castle. He couldn’t wait to leave.
“Mekai.” His father pulled him forward. “Since she is your betrothed, you must decide her fate.”
Just as he’d hoped.
He stuck out his chest, attempting to appear noble while his insides jumped for joy. “Since Madelia deflowered herself with my gentleman of the bedchamber, she shall be bound to him for the rest of her life.”
“Then let it be so,” the king proclaimed.
Benignus grinned. He finally had the woman he’d always wanted. Mekai yearned to find an ounce of his friend’s happiness.
“Gentleman of the bedchamber, my ass. More like jack-off partner,” Madelia muttered. “At least he knows how to fuck,” she said, tossing her comment in Mekai’s direction.
Thornton and the doctor appeared at the door, panting like Terran dogs. “Is everything all right, Your Majesty?”
Time to go. Mekai refused to stick around for Ben’s betrothal ceremony, for surely they would have another woman for him by then, too.
“Prince Mekai, where are you going?”
Shit! He refused to turn around and acknowledge his father’s question, for the king would never chase after him. And the two men who would still had to catch their breath.
Mekai rushed to the south wing and down a flight of stairs, toward his waiting Personal Space Transport Vehicle. He’d already packed clothing appropriate for Schedar’s warmer climate and enough nourishment to last his entire journey inside the PSTV.
He climbed in. After starting the engines, Mekai steered the ship up the narrow rock tunnel and out into space. The fold that would take him to the Wopavian system lay straight ahead.
So long, Carbae. I’m off to live my life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jessica E. Subject is the author of science fiction romance, mostly alien romances, ranging from sweet to super hot. Sometimes she dabbles in paranormal and contemporary as well, bringing to life a wide variety of characters. In her stories, you could not only meet a sexy alien or two, but also clones and androids. You may be transported to a dystopian world where rebels are fighting to live and love, or to another planet for a romantic rendezvous.
When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk with her giant, hairy dog her family adopted from the local animal shelter.
Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers.
AUTHOR LINKS:
BEYOND REACH TOUR CONTEST
In celebration of Jessica’s new release, she is hosting a contest.
What it up for grabs?
ONE winner will receive the following:
$10 e-gift to Amazon.com or Amazon.ca or AllRomanceeBooks.com
Signed print book of COSMIC DESIRES by Jessica E. Subject
E-book of Sinful Surrender by Houston Havens
E-book of Switched by Diane Burton
E-book by Kali Willows
E-book of Every Single Part of Me by London Saint James
E-book of The Hotter the Love by Lea Bronsen
E-book of Fighting For Honor by Kacey Hammell
Contest is international, except where prohibited by law. Must be 18 or older to enter. No substitutions will be made. Contest will close at the end of the day October 19, and winners will be notified by email. Good luck!
TWEETS/HEADLINES:
#99cents ~ SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE for BEYOND REACH by @jsubject http://www.markofthestars.com/wp/my-writing/single-titles/beyond-reach/ #sfr #scifirom #romance
Fated lovers or forever enemies? BEYOND REACH #newrelease from @jsubject http://www.markofthestars.com/wp/my-writing/single-titles/beyond-reach/ #sfr #scifirom #romanceNixie was born on Earth, but raised on the pleasure planet. BEYOND REACH #newrelease from @jsubject http://www.markofthestars.com/wp/my-writing/single-titles/beyond-reach/ #books #romance
Will the runaway prince find love on the pleasure planet? BEYOND REACH #newrelease from @jsubject http://www.markofthestars.com/wp/my-writing/single-titles/beyond-reach/ #sfr #scifirom
