Ayla Ruse: A Purrrfect Alien Male

Hi all you blog hoppers out there. And if you just happened to stumble upon my blog - welcome!

This post is part of the Purrfectly Giftastic Christmas Blog Hop from the Blog Hop Spot. Drea does a bang-up job organizing these hops. Make sure to drop her a line and say thanks! On another note regarding the hop, be sure to leave a comment with your email for a chance to win great prizes from me. Details (please read) are on yesterday's post. And to see all the other great authors participating in this hop, simply click on the picture to the left or anywhere you see Purrrfectly highlighted. Have fun!

Now then, today I'd like to introduce you to an alien friend of mine. His name is Camden. He's from my story, Malathix Soul: Jagged. He's from the planet of Malathix and an unfortunate event caused him to be stranded on Earth. He's...wait. I'll let you read more about him and his issues in a minute. First, let me give you a visual. See, he's torn between the way he believes his relationship should continue, and the way his woman - Deidre - wants their relationship to develop. It's not only humans who experience problems.

Malathix Soul: Jagged

Author: Ayla Ruse

Genres and Themes: Erotic Romance, Novella, Futuristic, Paranormal

Is it possible to repair two damaged hearts?

Camden Royst lives by a code of honesty and logic. When he bonds with his human, it’s without the emotional upheavals his crewmates suffer. But instead of making his life easier, everything falls to pieces. His female isn’t happy, and for the life of him he can’t understand why.

Deidre Parker always dreamed of being swept off her feet by a tall, handsome alien. When Camden walks into her life, she thinks he’s her dream come true. Except he won’t open up to her, and he picks and chooses what parts of his life she can see. Frustrated, she knows she can’t live with a half-sided arrangement. Even if her heart’s breaking without him.

Camden and Deidre finally decide to lay all their cards on the table, but when all is said and done, will what they reveal be enough to repair their damaged hearts, or will it leave them separate, with jagged ends?

Excerpt:

The ensuing silence pricked at Deidre until she gave up the struggle she’d wrestled with since the moment she’d realized he was in her bed. She asked, “Why are you here?”

“I… missed you.”

She might have believed him if he hadn’t hesitated. As it was, she heard through his flat, almost questioning tone. He’d lied. If he’d truly missed her, he’d have come for her long before now.

His soul, fused within every part of her body, shifted inside her and defended him, even as her own thoughts hardened.

“Really, Camden?”

He didn’t answer.

She squeezed her eyes shut, pushed down the hurt, and embraced the simmering anger. “Now tell me the truth. Why are you here? What do you need?”

Another long silence passed before Camden got up and made his way to her bathroom. Deidre thumped her hands on the bed, once. She shouldn’t be surprised at this retreat. After all, wasn’t this what he’d done to her only six months before?

Going to the extra bathroom to shower, she argued with his soul. Even though his soul had no real voice, it sure as hell could do a number on her mental state, flooding her mind with images to vent its opinion.

Right now, his soul was kicking her ass for not falling all gooey-eyed over seeing Camden again.

“Listen, you,” Deidre scolded under her breath. “I already let him fuck me, okay? As long as I remember he only wants sex, and maybe whatever my job as an astronomer can bring him, I’ll be okay. No. Don’t go throwing those pictures to me of a lonely Camden. Everybody has moments they stare into space. Doesn’t mean he’s lonely. Besides, if I’m the answer to his loneliness, you’d think he’d tell me, wouldn’t you?”

When his soul replayed Camden’s recent declaration of missing her, she scoffed, loudly. “Yeah, you’d want to take his side.”

…..

(con't.)

Camden scolded himself, pissed as hell he couldn’t seem to say anything right around Deidre. He’d been sincere when he’d told her he’d missed her. Missed her so much it hurt, but she didn’t believe him, and he was clueless as to how to make her see his sincerity.

He turned his face into the shower spray and let the water pour over his closed lids. He didn’t know what to do. She was harder than a Malathix rock to break, and for the second time in his life, he wondered if he wasn’t cut out to be in a relationship. Seeing his captain, Theradon, and his soul bearer, Laya, then Thorn with his soul bearer, Yvette, made Camden crave more. He envied those close relationships. How easily each couple moved together and how affectionate they were with one another. He’d even noticed it with other crewmembers who’d found their soul bearers.

Shit.

He locked his arms against the wall in front of him, dipped his head and let the warm water beat on the back of his neck. He’d never wanted to be involved with anyone. Then he’d met Deidre. Looking back, he knew bonding with her had saved his life, but he would want her anyway, life or death notwithstanding.

With a short grumble, he pushed away from the tile, turned off the water and quickly toweled dry. Stalking into the bedroom, he wasn’t surprised to find it empty. His sensitive hearing picked up the second shower turning off, so he pulled on his jeans and tossed his towel into her hamper. Hands low on his hips, he paced the room, increasingly irritated at how much he wanted her, how easily she turned her back on him and how fucking hard it was to keep himself in control of his beast. They were bonded, damn it. That should have given him a greater measure of control. It used to, but not lately.

He heard her before he saw her. He’d decided he’d had enough of their avoidance games. He knew she wanted more from him, but he had nothing else he was willing to share. There was no choice. She’d have to take him as he was. It was as simple as that.

Malathix Soul: Jagged, can be purchased from Changeling Press (URL: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?upt=book&ubid=1697

Or from any other major book retailer.