Fallen Star

Fallen Star

By
Cyndi Friberg

ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED

Smashwords Edition

Copyright ©
2014 Cyndi Friberg

Cover art by
Dar Albert

Editor: Mary
Moran

Electronic Book Publication,
May 2014

Trade
Paperback Publication,
May 2014

Smashwords
Edition, License Notes

This eBook is
licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be
re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share
this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy
for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not
purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please
return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for
respecting the hard work of this author.

Praise for
Beyond Ontariese

Taken by
Storm

“
Taken by Storm
had it all–tense action, suspense, erotic sex, humor and a
wildly imaginative plot.”
The Romance Studio

“
Unplug
the phone and put the kids to bed; once you start reading
Taken by
Storm
you won’t want any
interruptions!”
Fallen Angel Reviews

“For a story that will
delight, entertain, and keep you on the edge of your seat, I highly
recommend
Taken by Storm
and award it
RRT's
Perfect 10
.”
Romance Reviews Today

Operation
Hydra

“I highly recommend
Operation
Hydra
…
it’s one of the best science fiction romances I’ve
ever read
.” Perfect 10!
Romance Reviews Today

“Outstanding! This segment only whetted my
appetite for more. The heat between Kyrsta and Trey could cause a
nuclear meltdown
”
Simply Romance Reviews

City of
Tears

“
WOW!
City of Tears
by
Cyndi Friberg is one amazing blend of science fiction at its best
and romance at its hottest…”
eCata Reviews

This is book four in a six-book series, so I
figured it was time to offer a quick review. Shadow Assassins are
genetically enhanced super soldiers who were created at the height
of the Ontarian Great Conflict. The war on Ontariese ends and the
Shadow Assassins are forced to disband. Most of the men transition
well into Ontarian society, but the hunters, powerful leaders who
are used to making their own rules, find this new way of life
intolerable. So they make an alliance with Sevrin Keire, a ruthless
royal from the planet Rodymia.

Sevrin brings the hunters to Earth,
promising them everything they had on Ontariese and more. However,
they are merely pawns in her much larger plan. Sevrin is obsessed
with the possibility of being able to manipulate magic and she
believes Shadow Assassins are the key to her long-awaited success.
Each Shadow Assassin triggers a metamorphosis in his female when he
claims her as mate. Sevrin believes this change can also be used to
transfer the Shadow Assassin’s paranormal abilities to the female.
If she can identify then reproduce the trigger mechanism, it will
bring her one step closer to her ultimate goal of controlling
magic.

A team called the Mystic Militia is sent
from Ontariese to apprehend the Shadow Assassins. They soon network
with a human taskforce, but Sevrin and her hunters remain one step
ahead of the Ontarians and their human allies.

As
Fallen Star
begins, five of the
Shadow Assassins have been captured and returned to Ontariese. The
Mystic Militia has learned of the Rodyte involvement and a notebook
filled with information about potential mates for the hunters has
been recovered. Unfortunately, there are over two hundred women
listed in the notebook so the Mystic Militia can’t possibly protect
them all.

The hunters are restless and frustrated by
Sevrin’s broken promises. They came to Earth in search of freedom
and to preserve the only life they’ve ever known. Tension mounts
within the alliance and the Mystic Militia draws closer every
day.

I can’t say more without revealing what
happens in this book. I hope the mini-review helps and that you
enjoy Odintar and Jillian’s story. Have fun!

Sevrin Keire shifted her weight from one
foot to the other and slid her hands down her thighs. Had she
always been a voyeur or had the demands of her massive project
created this hunger in her? The couple she observed sprawled on a
rumpled bed in the shabby motel room adjacent to hers. Their
wrestling match had finally ended and the man was enthusiastically
claiming his prize. The woman was on her stomach, hips elevated by
a stack of pillows. Her hands were bound by a velvet rope as the
man thrust into her from behind. She looked dazed, flushed, utterly
conquered, yet each of his strokes dragged a louder cry of pleasure
from her throat.

Glancing at her companion, Sevrin felt a
fresh wave of heat pass through her body. Nazerel watched the scene
with stoic detachment. His tall muscular body remained tense and
alert while his rugged features revealed nothing. As usual. She’d
never encountered a more closely guarded person in her life.

“Did you install the observation window or
was it here when you leased the complex?” His deep voice was as
expressionless as his face. The “complex” was an aging motel in an
unsavory part of downtown Las Vegas. But if things went as planned,
she wouldn’t be trapped in this hovel for much longer. She had
better, much more comfortable accommodations lined up. They just
weren’t quite ready yet.

“We found the rooms just like this. You can
see in from this side, but it looks like a large mirror from the
other side.” He only nodded, so she shifted her gaze back to the
entwined couple as a different sort of question echoed through her
mind. What would it feel like to be pinned beneath Nazerel, a
willing captive to his aggressive desires? Her pulse quickened
every time she thought about being the focus of Nazerel’s need, his
obsessive passion. He was the strongest, most powerful Shadow
Assassin and she was project leader, not to mention a member of
Rodymia’s royal family. A match between them had seemed obvious, at
least to her. Yet he’d made it clear from the start that he had no
intention of sharing her bed. Even after two months, and several
lovers, the rejection still stung.

Shrugging aside the tangent, she returned
her focus to the couple in the adjacent room. It had taken four
days of continual seduction for the Shadow Assassin to subdue his
potential mate. He’d wooed her with a dizzying combination of
forceful control and tenderness until she’d finally succumb to his
will. He’d used every trick in the book and some Sevrin had never
imagined, but one thing had been clear from the beginning. He would
not stop until he attained his goal. It had just been a matter of
time.

Shadow Assassins were predators, bred for,
and conditioned with, ruthless focus to accomplish any given task.
And Sevrin was responsible for the Shadow Assassins. Not for their
existence or their remarkable abilities, but for their presence
here on Earth.

After their underground hideout had been
found and their secret society dismantled, the Shadow Assassins had
grown restless and discontent on their home world of Ontariese.
They wanted to live by their own rules and hunt for their mates as
they had for generations. Sevrin simply brought a select few to a
place where that was still possible. All she asked in return was
that they allowed her to study their unique ability to trigger
metamorphosis in their potential mates.

It had been her original hope to identify
the various components of the physiological process then replicate
it in a lab. Unfortunately, her scientists hadn’t been able to
duplicate the reaction, so she was stuck with live test subjects.
At least for now. She’d had to contend with multiple setbacks, but
she would never surrender her dream. One day she would possess
paranormal abilities or she would die trying to attain them.

“When was she captured?” Nazerel looked at
her, lust making his dark eyes shine. He wasn’t as unaffected by
this as he appeared. She started to answer then he made a strangled
sound and staggered back a step. “What the—” He shook his head,
eyes tightly shut as he muttered something under his breath.

She looked around, unsure what had caused
the odd reaction. They were alone in the motel room and the scene
they were observing was nothing they hadn’t seen before,
repeatedly. “Are you all right?”

Before Nazerel could answer, Lor dar Joon,
leader of the Mystic Militia, and one of his men materialized right
in front of them. Without warning, the unfamiliar Mystic launched
an energy pulse directly into Nazerel’s face. He screamed,
frantically blinking and shaking his head. Lor lunged for Nazerel,
but Nazerel anticipated the attack and twisted out of reach. Then
Nazerel shoved the first Mystic out of his way and grabbed her so
fast and hard that she cried out.

Reality exploded in a burst of acceleration.
Her breath escaped in a useless whoosh as they materialized in the
desert. She didn’t even have time to inhale before Nazerel set them
in motion again.

The second jump was longer, yet smoother,
easier to tolerate. Images focused for an instant then stretched
into distorted, shadowy shapes. It didn’t matter where he was
taking her. Without his quick reflexes and exceptional range, she
would be a prisoner of Lor dar Joon and his Mystic Militia right
now.

That had been close, way too close.

Trembling with excitement and fear, Sevrin
clung to Nazerel. His arms felt strong, his body long and lean
pressed against hers. Many nights in the past two months she’d
imagined what it would feel like to be embraced by him, touched and
tasted by him. He would be a fierce lover, no tender seduction for
Nazerel. No, he would stalk his mate with obsessive intensity and
then claim her with consuming heat. And she wanted to be his prey
so badly it was driving her insane!

They materialized in the darkened corner of
her warehouse headquarters. He’d effortlessly teleported through
the shields, a feat of which she hadn’t realized he was capable.
How often had he let himself in and nosed around without her being
aware of his presence? This breach should have set off alarms and
brought guards running from all directions.

His face was red, especially around his
eyes. “Are you all right?” Despite her annoyance, the question
slipped out in a breathy whisper. Other than the mild
discoloration, he seemed unharmed. “How did they find us?”

He released her so suddenly she stumbled
back. “Angie was in my head,” he growled out the statement, clearly
agitated by the realization. His features were naturally strong,
but he looked deadly right now. “How did she acquire such skill in
so short a time?”

“How did you flash past my safeguards?” she
countered, all thoughts of sex evaporating beneath the heat of her
temper. “Have you done this before?” Having a reluctant ally was
one thing. She would not tolerate betrayal of any kind.

“She was in my head.” He stressed each word
as if she hadn’t heard him the first time. “How did a human develop
Mystic abilities in a few short days?”

“She’s only half human. You knew she had
latent abilities; that’s why you wanted her so badly. Why are you
surprised?” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at
him. “Now answer my—”

“
Latent
abilities. Abilities that
should have taken months, even years, to cultivate.” He began to
pace, obviously having no intention of indulging her curiosity.

“We need to send backup for the others.
There had to have been more than just the two we saw. Lor would
never attack without his entire team. He’s not that reckless.”

“It’s too late,” Nazerel dismissed. “Anyone
who didn’t flash out by now is beyond our reach.”

He was probably right, but she was annoyed
by his callous attitude. “I’m going to send a car over just in case
someone managed to hide and avoid—”

“Shadow Assassins don’t hide. We don’t
retreat. We meet danger head-on.”

Rather than argue with him, she tried to
step past him. He blocked her path.

“This is the second time the Mystics have
almost instantaneously turned a helpless human into a threat.” He
collared her throat with one long-fingered hand, exerting just
enough pressure to restrain her without cutting off her air. “Tell
me how they’re doing it.”