Elise twisted just in time to catch a muscle at the back of Tate’s jaw twitch. The impact whenever she saw him was always a punch. Sandy-blond hair to his shoulders with a wave to it that made him look like he’d just ambled in from a day at the beach, a full, but well-trimmed beard slightly darker than the rest of his hair that made her wonder what his kiss would feel like and a lean, but muscled body that always crackled with a lethal energy. Dressed in a black T-shirt and faded jeans, he looked like the predator he was, and the way he was holding his body made it appear he was a nanosecond from tackling his primo. Which was insane. He’d barely spoken to her. Barely looked her in the eye since the first day they’d met. But here he was, trading some silent but deadly man-to-man communication she couldn’t translate. Given the amused expressions from Katy, Jade and Sara, she was the only one in need of subtitles. Tate’s nostrils flared, and he edged closer to Alek, shifting as he did to put himself between Alek and Elise. When he spoke, his words came out…

As Knox sprinted across the frozen tundra, he summoned a thick cover of shadows. In seconds, total blackness shrouded him, hiding him—and Vale—from the view of others. “Can’t see,” she said, her teeth chattering. “So dark.” “You don’t need to see.” The urge to return to the prison and pick off survivors bombarded him, but his desire to save the little Terran proved stronger. One minute had ticked into another, more and more of her strength drained, until she stopped fighting entirely. She even lost her grip on her bag. Earlier she’d mentioned medicine. He doubled back, grabbed the pack and hefted it over his shoulder, but she offered no thanks. The feisty mortal had grown quiet, as well. At this rate, she would freeze to death before he reached his bunker. Rifters? He glanced at his right hand. Good to go. Rifters were made of a crystal-metal hybrid and resembled open-ended thimbles. They fit over the first, second and third fingers, and stretched from the nail bed to the middle knuckle. When you clinked them together, they vibrated. When they vibrated, you could wave them through the air to cut a doorway to somewhere else on Terra. You had…

One of the early reviews of THE ARROWS OF THE HEART notes that the heroine, Karyn—while appearing to have been the meek and obedient daughter—has actually always been a square peg in a round hole. When I asked my fan group on Facebook (Jeffe’s Closet) what they’d like me to talk about, one reader suggested Karyn’s unconventional upbringing. It’s true that, in my fantasy world society known for its oppressive conventions, especially regarding the role of women, Karyn af Hardie has grown up in an unusual way. On the surface—especially when she appears in earlier books in the series—Karyn has always seemed like a conventional Dasnarian woman. Her rank in the Dasnarian Empire is very important to her. She clings to her arranged marriage with tenacity because, for a Dasnarian woman, her husband is everything. Since women in this culture cannot handle money, and usually aren’t taught to read or count, having a husband, or father or brothers, to protect and care for them is critical. It’s a matter of survival. Also, like all women of her station and upbringing, Karyn has been carefully taught to defer to men in every way. Defiance is not an option. See again: a…