SFR Brigade: Looks Can Be Deceiving by @SirenAllen

by Siren Allen

It’s true what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. However, sometimes it’s what you can’t see that tells the real story. When deciding what image to go with for the cover of Claimed By The Succubus, I was torn between showing the world my characters inhabit as it truly is or as it pretends to be.

Since my hero is lying to my heroine and pretending to be someone he isn’t in order to get her to his homeworld, I decided to go with an image of what the world pretends to be. Izeria thinks Shun is taking her to Earth to rescue her friends. Really, he’s taking her to the Northern Territory of planet Shyftdehn.

From the outside, Shyftdehn and its neighboring planets appear peaceful. However, the blue and green planets outsiders see are just a mirage, a façade to hide what dwells within. When you see blue, you may think of drinkable water, clear skies… life. When you see green, you think of vegetation and well, life. These colors are peaceful, welcoming.

The colors of Shun’s homeworld are meant to lure in unsuspecting travelers who’ve been thrown off course or who seek refuge. They may think they’ve found a safe place to dock. However, those familiar with Shyftdehn know that it’s far from what it seems.

There’s nothing peaceful about the world or the beings who inhabit it. Those peaceful colors hide the monsters who lurk within. Yet, what Shun doesn’t realize is that Izeria isn’t as weak and naïve as she seems. Soon he’ll witness the monster that lives behind her beautiful smile. Question is, will their monsters play nicely together? Or will they tear each other apart?

You can learn all about Izzie’s journey to Shyftdehn in, Claimed By The Succubus. It will be available April 22^nd. Preorder price is only 0.99 cents.

Claimed By The Succubus

~The Half-Breed~

She is Izeria’Ahzul, the long-lost daughter of my king. She was raised away from our people and knows nothing of her heritage. Our kind are a myth to her. She doesn’t believe we exist and there’s no way she’ll believe she’s one of us.

~The Beast~

I am Shun’Uhl, the soldier ordered to return her to my king’s side so she can marry a royal and produce an heir to save our people. To get her to trust me, I shed my beastly form and take on the form of someone she knows. I choose unwisely. The form I’ve selected is a male she despises.

~The Forbidden~

The more time I spend with her, the more she comes to like me. And though I’ve tried to resist, I find myself falling for her also. Her feelings for me will change once she learns of my deception and sees how I really look. Part of me wants to complete my mission and return her to her father. Another part of me wants to remain in this form forever and spend my life with Izeria.

I have a choice to make: be honest with the female I love and risk losing her or continue lying to her for the rest of our lives. Unfortunately, the choice is made for me when we come under attack and I have to release my beast to protect her.

Now it is she who has to make a choice: Me and my beast or a kingdom?

Excerpt

My beast is trying to take over.

Even now, as I escort Izeria to the dining hall, he’s pushing against the barrier that separates drahken from dragon. He’s clawing at the barricade that keeps him inside. Moments ago, he came close to breaking free.

Not only did I hear his growl, so did Izeria. She assumed it was my stomach growling in hunger. Luckily, she’s too naïve to think the worst of me. She senses something is wrong, yet, she doesn’t want to believe me capable of deceiving her, of hurting her.

I should feel guilty for what I’m doing. I don’t. I can’t. Too much is riding on me getting her to my territory. My beast snorts his displeasure, unhappy with our current mission. It’s funny how he can kill viciously, yet he frowns upon lying to our half-breed princess.

I can feel him pacing the recesses of my mind. In this form, he cannot speak to me. Right now, that’s a good thing. I don’t want to hear his thoughts on what is happening. He knew what we’d have to do when we found her.

He knew we’d have to lie or maybe even kidnap her to achieve our goal. His feelings for her can’t change that. Nothing can change what has to be done. The lives of our people are more important than Izeria’s opinion of us.

When we arrive in the dining hall, I step to the side so she and her rodent can enter the room before me. I’m glad I did. The look on her face as she walks into the dining hall is priceless. It’s almost like she’s never been on a spacecraft before.

“This is the biggest dining hall I’ve ever been in. Not only on a ship, but on land also.”

She turns to me and smiles. For a moment, I forget how to breathe. I sense my beast’s pleasure, or is that my own? The line between what I want and what he wants is starting to blur.

Preorder price only 0.99 cents.