Too many years of hunting psychotic vampires night after night have left Rachel with a desperate need for change. So when the opportunity to travel across the galaxy aboard a Lasaran warship to a utopian planet arises, the powerful Immortal Guardian jumps at the chance. Rachel eagerly looks forward to making a fresh startโฆ until an enemy attacks and she ends up alone in an escape pod so far from alliance-occupied space that no one can hear her communications. No one except a renegade cyborg who shouldnโt exist.
After a grueling, hard-fought rebellion, Wonick and his cyborg brethren settled on a distant planet, where theyโve finally carved out a peaceful existence. The AldebarianAlliance believes every Akseli cyborg died long ago. And battle-weary cyborg leader Wonick is determined to prevent anyone from discovering otherwise, knowing such would spark the fiercest manhunt in the galaxy. Yet when he hears Rachelโs communications, temptation drives him to speak to her, sparking friendship and a longing for a very different future.
Rachel finds Wonick even more appealing when she meets him in person, and the friendship theyโve formed soon deepens into love as the cyborgsโno more immune to her fun-loving, laughter-inducing nature than Wonickโcautiously welcome her into the fold. But the warriorsโ unbridled ability to collect intel uncovers a secret the enemy has guarded for decades, one that compels them to embark upon a mission fraught with danger.
If they succeed, they may end the enemyโs attempts to conquer the galaxy once and for all.
If they fail, it could cost Wonick and Rachel everything.
Rachel stifled another yawn. โThank you.โ More of her weight settled against his side as a comfortable silence blanketed them. Soon slumber claimed her.
Wonick activated the implant that enabled him to interface remotely with all electronics in their settlement and lowered the lighting in the room until it matched that of a night illuminated only by a pale sliver of a moon. Speakers ushered in nocturnal sounds from the forests outside. Cyborgs had spent so many years in infirmaries, recovering from excruciatingly painful surgeries and injuries, that all loathed the places now. When Taavion had refused to treat them in their homes, they had made this compromise to make any time spent here more bearable. The regular recovery rooms and treatment rooms went even further with at least one wall displaying the forest outside.
Now insects chirped. Amphibians croaked and twanged. Nocturnal birds sang.
The pleasure Wonick took in it paled in comparison to that he found in Rachelโs presence. Her form was warm against his, the pressure soothing.
Memories of his boyhood surfaced. He could recall his parents sitting like this after a long day spent working the family farm while he and his brothers wrestled and played on the floor in front of them. Hands linked, they would speak in low tones and share weary but loving smiles the boys paid little attention to.
Wonick glanced down.
One of Rachelโs hands rested on the mattress beside her. The other hand lay in her lap, palm up, fingers curled as though waiting to hold something.
In painstakingly slow increments, Wonick reached over and gently clasped that hand.
His eyes shot to her face.
Still sleeping.
Splaying her hand on his, he studied it. Soft, pale skin covered faint blue veins. Her slender fingers ended in short, rounded nails. In comparison, his hand was tanned from years spent working in the sun with the reddish hue characteristic of Akselis and a network of fine scars. It was also so much larger than hers that, when he lined up the base of their hands, her fingertips barely extended beyond his palm.
Wonick traced her fingers, one by one. They seemed alarmingly fragile, easily broken compared to his, which were thicker and reinforced with alavinin. Yet when she had poked him in the chest during their initial confrontation, it had felt as though she were stabbing him with a dull blade and had nearly made him stumble back a step.
Finished with his curious examination, he twined his long fingers through hers and settled their hands on his thigh, mimicking the pose of his father and mother.
Wondrous peace suffused him as he rested his head against the wall behind them and imagined ending every evening in such a way.
Was this what Janwar had found with Simone? This tantalizing contentment that seemed to fill all the hollow spaces spawned by years of isolation?
If so, Wonick couldnโt blame his friend for succumbing to the allure.
A sigh replete with pleasure escaped him as he closed his eyes. Then he, too, let sleep claim him.
Dianne Duvall is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series, the Aldebarian Alliance sciโfi romance series, and The Gifted Ones medieval and timeโtravel romance series. The Lasaran, the first book in the Aldebarian Alliance Series, was a #1 Audible Mover & Shaker. The Segonian, the second book in the AldebarianAlliance Series, was a Barnes&Noble Top Indie Favorite. Audible chose Awaken the Darkness as one of the Top 5 Best Paranormal Romance Audiobooks of 2018. Reviewers have called Dianne’s books “fast-paced and humorous” (Publishers Weekly), “utterly addictive” (RT Book Reviews), โextraordinary” (Long and Short Reviews), and “wonderfully imaginative” (The Romance Reviews). Dianne’s books have twice been nominated for RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards. And her audiobooks have been awarded the AudioFile Earphones Award for Excellence.
Dianne’s books have all appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and/or Kobo Bestseller lists. The first book in Dianne’s The Gifted Ones series, A Sorceress of His Own, is a prequel of sorts to Darkness Dawns. A USA Today bestseller, A Sorceress of His Own is a medieval romance with paranormal elements that was awarded the AudioFileEarphones Award for Excellence and was an Audie Finalist. The second book in the series, Rendezvous WithYesterday, is a time travel romance that won the GraveTells Readers’ Choice Award for Best Historical Romance.
In addition to writing romance, Dianne has completed a one-act play (comedy) and teamed up with an award-winning screenwriter to write a spec script for a new situation comedy. Several of her poems have also been published in anthologies.
When she isn’t writing, Dianne is very active in the independent film industry and has even appeared on-screen, crawling out of a moonlit grave and wielding a machete like some of the psychotic vampires she creates in her books.
For the latest news on upcoming releases, contests, and more, please visit DianneDuvall.com or sign up for her Newsletter.
To celebrate the release of The Renegade Akseli Cyborg, Dianne Duvall will be giving away a Aldebarian Alliance SwagPack* to (2) two separate readers (US only please) AND a $25 Amazon Gift Card to (2) two separate readers! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form found in this post. Follow along with the Tour at DianneDuvall.com for more chances to win daily. Good luck!
*Substitutions may be made at the author’s discretion
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Thank you for sharing Dianneโs newest release in the Aldebarian Alliance series. I hope that you and your readers enjoy The Renegade Akseli Cyborg, out now!
Book Loving Pixies 
I am so excited to read this!
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This book keeps you wanting more. I laughed and cried through the book and really enjoyed the story. Looking forward to more from Dianne Duvall.
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Thank you for sharing Dianneโs newest release in the Aldebarian Alliance series. I hope that you and your readers enjoy The Renegade Akseli Cyborg, out now!
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Such an awesome book!
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