Strange Little Band – Dark, edgy sci-fi romance

“Svetlana! You look pretty!” Ashlynn crowed. The girl barreled at Svetlana, wrapping her little arms around one of Svetlana’s skirt-covered legs. Svetlana patted Ashlynn’s back. “Thank you, dear. You look pretty, too.” And she did. The frilly purple and lavender dress, while not Ashlynn’s favorite, practically screamed “I’m a cute little girl. How could you [...]

The videophone’s chime startled Shane awake. He bolted upright, disoriented. A glance showed that he’d been sprawled on the couch in his quarters. The artificial lights were mid-day bright. His dress shirt and slacks were rumpled, and his shoes were still on. The digitized chime sounded again. “What?” Shane snapped. “‘What?’” Addison’s voice echoed. The [...]

Daniel willed himself to ignore the smoke permeating his office and stand calmly behind his desk. The scene playing out on his dual-monitor display was bad enough. Worse was the petite, smooth-faced woman occupying his leather chair. Carlyle cocked her head, making her red curls bounce. “Is that his… What does Myers call it?” “Prism, [...]

Shane’s mental presence reassured Addison more than she cared to admit. When the next contraction came she recalled the seemingly ridiculous breathing exercises. They didn’t take away the pain, but that wasn’t their purpose. Breathing gave her a focus to ride the torrent more easily. Panting against the pillow, Addison barely heard the doctors’ announcement [...]

“How. Much. Longer,” Addison growled through gritted teeth. She tried and failed to toss a sweat-soaked lock of hair off her face, then glared at the poncy-arsed male nurse standing against the wall of the private delivery room. He hurried up to Addison, brushed the drenched hair back with a cool cloth, then scurried back [...]