A Free Galactic Gladiators Christmas Short Story

If you’ve been celebrating the holidays, I hope you’ve been having a wonderful time. I took a few days off to eat, drink, and build way too much Lego with my boys (my fingers are numb!)

But during that time, I also jotted down a short Galactic Gladiators story! More about that in a second.

Farewell to 2018

In 2018, I was so incredibly fortunate to have so many wonderful readers enjoying all my books. I released 11 short novels, an one novella as part of an anthology. Those books came out across five different series AND I launched two new series (Team 52 and Eon Warriors). I also had 13 books come out as audiobooks this year. That all adds up to over half a million words written and over 65 hours of audio 😀

I’ve seen some people write that authors today are forced to write fast and are burning out, but I love what I do! Sitting down every day to write (even when it is hard work) brings me so much joy. Knowing that I have readers waiting for the next book in their favorite series leaves me inspired.

Hello to 2019

I’m so excited for the new year! I have lots more stories in my head — so expect books from Hell Squad, Eon Warriors, Team 52, and more Galactic Gladiators! Also expect more audiobooks. More Hell Squad audiobooks are on the way, as well as the continuation of Team 52 and Treasure Hunter Security, plus the launch of Eon Warriors in audio.

You can keep up to date on what books I have coming on the horizon on my Coming Soon page.

I always have a couple of new stories and series brewing in the back of my head. Whether any manage to sneak in during 2019…well, we’ll just have to wait and see.

I wish you all the best for 2019 and hope it is a great year for you. I am a big goal setter, and at the beginning of the year, I set all my goals and then split them into quarterly, monthly, and weekly chunks. Life, of course, likes to throw a few curve balls in there, but having a plan helps me stay on course. Taking small actions daily — whether it is exercise, writing, reading, or whatever your goal is — is absolutely vital. Those small steps add up over time.

2019 will kick off with the next Eon Warriors book, Touch of Eon. That’s just over 10 days away!!

Touch of Eon

Eon Warriors #2

Release Date: Tuesday January 8th

Special Forces Space Marine Lara Traynor will do anything to free her sister and save the Earth from invasion…even if she’s blackmailed into stealing sacred Eon artifacts. And even if a dark, deadly warrior is sent to hunt her down.

Excerpt from Edge of Eon (Eon Warriors #1) featuring Lara

Lara Traynor squeezed out of the narrow tunnel and came out on top of the wall. She crouched there, balanced high above the temple forecourt.

The temple was sturdy. It had a masculine feel, with lots of straight lines, blocky towers, and large, regular columns. She liked it a lot. The Eon were good at more than just creating badass warriors and technology.

And here she was, sneaking into another Eon temple. Not exactly how she’d seen her career going, but Lara liked getting her missions done—no matter what.

She swiveled, and pressed her special climbing gloves and boots to the slick rock. She started making her way down the stone wall.

She already had one of the sacred Eon gems in her possession. The gorgeous, seafoam-colored stone, the Ston gem, was hidden on her stealth ship. The amazing jewel actually had a live, alien symbiont inside it. Incredible.

Now she was after her second target—the Alqin gem.

As she climbed down the wall, her thoughts turned to her sister.

Was Eve still alive? Heat shot through Lara, leaving a bad taste in her mouth. Fucking Space Corps. They’d fucked her family over so many times, and now they’d sent Eve on a suicide mission. It made Lara want to punch someone in the face. Preferably an admiral or two.

And here she was, blackmailed into this insane mission.

Her boots touched stone, and she turned away from the wall. She crouched down and held her breath, studying the shadowed courtyard and listening for any sound.

Just the tinkle of a water fountain and the faint glow from lights inside. After she had gem number two, she just needed the third and final one, then she was going to find out what the hell had happened to Eve.

She rose, heading toward the statue in the very center of the courtyard. The gem rested on the crown of the god.

“Bad choice, Terran.”

The deep voice made her spin. It was cold and dark, and sent shivers up her spine.

She flipped one arm out, her blade dropping from her forearm holder and into her hand. She scanned the darkness but couldn’t see him.

Then he stepped out of the shadows.

Holy cow. He was huge. An Eon warrior wearing full, black-scale armor.

He had a raw, masculine face with a hard edge. It looked like it had been carved from granite. And cold eyes.

Their gazes locked, and tension wound between them. His eyes were black as night, with thin threads of silver through them.

At the same time, they launched at each other.

Lara slashed out with her knife. He blocked her blow, and she veered away. Then, he swung a punch at her, and she ducked. She kicked, aiming for his legs, but he jumped, leaping over her leg.

They both spun away, circling each other. She watched as a long, blue sword formed on his arm. Oh, man. She’d heard about the symbiont-formed weapons. Damn thing was gorgeous. She wanted one.

He charged and Lara rushed to meet him.

They traded hits and kicks. She put all her effort into avoiding that glowing sword. The warrior was big, strong, and well-trained, but Lara had been born to fight, and her job had honed her abilities.

She leaped up and kicked. Her boot connected with his strong jaw, and his head snapped back.

Lara smirked. “Like that?”

The warrior growled and swung out with his sword. She dodged, the blade slamming into a pillar.

She lifted her head and laughed. “What was that? A love tap?”

Now, she felt a throb of annoyance and anger off Mr. Cool. They launched into another deadly dance. They passed the pond, and Lara leaped over the water and its lily pads. The warrior followed her.

It didn’t take her long to see he wasn’t using his full strength against her. That pissed her off.

“You’re holding back,” she snapped.

“Eve asked me not to hurt you.”

Lara stilled. “Eve?” A flood of emotion tightened Lara’s throat. “She’s alive?”

“Yes.” One cool word.

If that was true, then she was a prisoner of the Eon. Could she trust this deadly warrior?

Lara stroked her blade, working through all the scenarios. This changed nothing. She still needed to complete her mission.

Lara quickly snatched a StrikeBolt off her belt. She tossed it through the air.

It made a small whistling sound and the warrior dodged. But he was a shade too slow, and the small device caught his side. Small prongs flared, digging into him.

Blue electricity raced over his body. She saw his jaw lock and he dropped to his knees.

Lara sauntered over and snatched up the gem of Alqin.

“It’s been a good time, warrior.”

“I’ll… Come for you.” He pushed the words out through gritted teeth.

Lara had felt the effects of the StrikeBolt in training. She’d passed out within seconds. She’d never seen anyone stay conscious this long.

“You’ll…feel my breath… Back of your neck. I’ll hunt you to the end of the galaxy.”

Lara felt a cold shiver. “You can try.”

With the electricity holding him still, she raced across the courtyard and back to the wall. She braced a hand against the stone and glanced back.

His black-and-silver eyes were locked on her.

She tossed him a salute and started climbing.

Now, she needed to get off this planet and head to the temple on a small moon of Ath. Two gems down, one to go.

She needed to finish her mission, and save Earth and her sisters.

And on top of that, she also now needed to avoid one very angry Eon warrior.

Lara smiled grimly. Should be child’s play.

Free Galactic Gladiators Christmas Short Story

Like I mentioned, on my days off I couldn’t help visiting with the Galactic Gladiators and seeing what they were up to! The short story is from the point of view of Imperator Magnus Rone as the survivors of Earth show him and all the gladiators of the House of Galen the meaning of Christmas. Warning: if you haven’t read all the Galactic Gladiators books, there are spoilers in the story. It fits in after the novella Desert Hunter from the Embrace the Passion anthology.

To read the story, head over to my Galactic Gladiators Extras page.

Galactic Gladiators Extras

Happy New Year to you!