Now on Sale: Irene

 

Queen of the stage

Sherv’s head bobbed violently as he made the uferliss wail. The Plasian instrument’s eerie air might have sounded delicate, but it wove over the thunderous boom of percussion and trasbu bass in a brilliant counterpoint. The club was full and rocking hard. The crew had set up a barrier between the audience and the stage, unheard of at lemanthev shows, but necessary to allow Parlek to move from side to side to capture the band on vid as it played.

Their would-be manager was shooting the footage, but he hadn’t stopped gaping since they’d taken the stage, one at a time, adding instruments in staggered syncopation. The men wore black-padded outfits, flex-steel armor exposed in places. Their stage clothing had been cut to display their most impressive attributes in a silent statement of power. Even Jemi looked like pure strength in a body-hugging armored getup.

Their instruments had been painted matte black, adding to the threatening aura they’d decided to emulate. The music wasn’t the wall of howls and brutality of lemanthev, but Sherv thought they looked every bit as impressive. More so, perhaps. The customers had gawped as they took in the trio.

Then Irene had stepped onto the stage, her arms wide, as if to declare “look at me.” As if anyone would be able to tear their eyes off her. Before she sang the first note, the customers had left their tables, drawing as close as Taru, Anez, and Lorj had allowed, their awe apparent.

Irene still sported black hair, darker skin, and purple eyes, though her lenses had been upgraded so she could actually see. But she wore no gown typical of a Kalquorian woman. Her outfit had been pulled together from the same tight material as the men’s, embellishments added to accentuate her already imposing figure and presence.

Black leather straps had been added to the bodice of her top, to give it what she termed a corset-look. She’d also added a tiered skirt, but only at the back. It framed her long, strong legs in their tight pants and knee-high boots, the heels of which made her as tall as Jemi. Metallic chrome studs outlined her breasts and accented the trim of her clothing.

Her waist-length hair framed her shoulders and face. She’d lined her eyes in black and painted her lips to match. She was stunning, cool, and rather intimidating.

She sang, and the crowd lost its collective mind. Even Sherv, who’d rehearsed and heard her for weeks now, was newly astonished. She attained vocal heights that sent chills over his body, then she surpassed herself on the following song. Her glissandos were as smooth as glass, no hitching over any notes. She ranged from a growl in one breath to head voice the next, without seeming effort. When she belted full-throated, she saturated the room.

Whenever Sherv glanced at his clanmates, they were grinning from ear to ear, as he did. They sounded good too, there was no denying it. But Irene as frontwoman owned the stage, and the crowd eagerly obeyed her exhortations to clap or shout along. When she whipped her hair to the beat, those who had hair or manes did too. They hung on every instant, every movement she performed.

Had he been in love with her before? Sherv was utterly lost in her, hanging on to her presence as desperately as their audience. She was everything.

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She searched for freedom and found a Kalquorian clan.

Irene Jonson is a rising star in opera, thanks to Earth forcing her to leave her parents as a teen to join a prestigious opera company. Years later, she loves music, but she wants the freedom to forge her own path as a performer and be reunited with her family.

Sherv, Rusp, and Jemi are a clan and band playing hard, driving music. Success means more than fame and fortune; it would show their disapproving families they’ve chosen the lives they were meant to live. Encountering Irene, creating a new and exciting sound, gives them that opportunity…and a chance at love.

Two worlds on the brink of war threaten everything Irene and Clan Sherv have built and everything they dream of. Two worlds are bent on snatching Irene from the men and music she loves. What chance do four misfit musicians possibly have against Earth and the Kalquorian Empire?

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Make sure to check the blog next Wednesday for news. Something new, something exciting, something dark, is coming soon to the Kalquorian universe.