I scheduled this #RainbowSnippet earlier in the week then came back to check my edits only to discover the post’s entire content missing. &$%@! Back to square one.

For this week’s #RainbowSnippet*, I am again working from Surrogate: Hunted,  which still rests in editor hands. I’m trying so hard to be patient in that regard, but I’m anxious to see what she suggests.

Feel free to read and comment, but when you’re done head over to the RainbowSnippets Facebook Page and read snippets from other LGBTQ+ authors.

Those of you following along have met the Surrogate Series’ protagonist, Etain Ixtii and some of her circle including Merch, her imma, and Leigheas, her autalaci, so this week let’s meet Amna Dresh, Etain’s ottonol. An ottonol’s job is to protect and help an Alyward woman through eja, a difficult task, but one that only comes around every forty-five days until a woman gets to be Etain’s age, when things go haywire and she-beasts (the term for the Alyward female breeding instinct) rise more often and are very difficult to control. Amna Dresh is Takla career military so she possesses the skill set necessary to control Etain’s she-beast. Amna’s one tough cookie, but even she’s having difficulty controlling Etain’s she-beast when this Rainbowsnippet begins.

Why doesn’t Leigheas take care of the problem? 1) He’s a Takla like Amna Dresh, a different species than Etain, so he can’t father her children, something She-Beast knows. 2) While Leigheas loves Etain, he thoroughly despises She-Beast and finds no pleasure in what’s required to keep her at bay, so he willingly turns things over to Amna Dresh, who will do whatever it takes to help Etain stay faithful to her circle… and Amna rather enjoys the task.

Setup: Brigit, (Merch’s daughter) Merch, and Leigheas have left Etain and Amna Dresh alone in the gymnasium to deal with She-Beast.

Note: Remember that while Etain and She-Beast are technically the same person, Etain is logical and nurturing, and She-Beast is instinct-driven, deceitful, and anything but nice.

     “Shell shard in my ass, but that’s nothing new.” Amna hissed when She-Beast slipped from her arms, rolling toward the door and the Human male guards posted on the other side. “Where do you think you’re– you got to help me, Etain!”

     “Deathly dreads to you!” She-Beast screamed when Etain stood and walked toward Amna in slow, dragging steps. Don’t do it, don’t–

     I need time with my family without you, so you’ve given me no choice.

     “Gotcha!” Amna threw Etain’s beast to the mat, secured her hands behind her back, then flipped her over, a leer leaching onto her lean face as she watched She-Beast thrash. “Thanks, Etain, you’ve made things easier, but I still need your permission before this goes any further.”

Catch up by reading:

RainbowSnippet One: Confusion

RainbowSnippet Two: Bad Dreams

RainbowSnippet Three: Sand and Water

*Rainbow Snippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!