FREE The Beast and I Full-length Audiobook and Mason to Haru Pre-Order
Hello, my lovelies. It has been a while since I last wrote a post. I hope everyone is doing well.
Here are some updates on my part.
AUDIOBOOKS!
The full-length audiobook, including the steamy scenes, of The Beast and I is now up on my youtube channel. You can check that out HERE.
A Demon's Wrath (Cecelia and Drake the Demon King's love story) and The Magic of the Aurora Light (Alfie and the Seven Demon Lords' love story) audiobooks are coming soon to my youtube channel. Please subscribe to the channel HERE so you don't miss out when the episodes are released.
For BL fans, Haru to Aiden audiobook is coming soon in early 2021. The production will be underway in October. I've picked a male narrator that has a deep, sexy voice, so yes, I'm looking forward to the audiobook, and I hope you do, too. LOL! Please subscribe to the channel at Author Alexia X. so you don't miss out when the episodes are released.
THE BROTHERS SERIES
(Steamy Stepbrothers BL Harem)
I've received a few requests for Haru's books covers to be changed to the manga or illustration art style instead of the generic ones (current). Good and bad news. Bad news first. I've contacted the previous illustrator, but she can't continue drawing the illustrations for me as she is very busy with a long-term contract for another work. The good news is that I have gotten in contact with another illustration (a friend of the previous one), and even though she is super busy with her long-term contract as well, she will do her best to draw me the illustrations for The Brothers Series. However, I will not be getting those illustrations until next year. I will keep everyone updated as this goes along.
MASON TO HARU PRE-ORDER
The Brothers Series Book 3, Mason to Haru is coming out in early October. The pre-order on most ebook stores (Apple iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble) are up. Pre-order on Amazon will be available closer to the release date. I will do another post when the link to Amazon is ready.
To Pre-Order Mason to Haru, please click HERE.
MASON TO HARU
Blurb
After the unexpected passionate whirlwind with Noah, Haru is looking forward to having a four-day vacation and spending quality time with the brothers and their friends on St. Joseph Island. Problems, however, arise when Mason confesses his feelings to Haru and Mason’s crush challenges Haru’s love and his sincerity toward Aiden, Noah, and Mason.
While Haru is sorting out his feelings and poly relationship with his stepbrothers, Mason is digging into the past, leading to the cause of their parents’ deaths—a past that could destroy Haru and his relationship with all the brothers.
Mason to Haru is a stepbrothers BL harem. Expect angst, drama, and lots of mm harem smuts.
EXCERPT
Haru
Dreams were like a mixture of reality and fantasy. Nothing seemed or felt real, yet there you were, seeing and experiencing everything. It was like you were in a movie theatre and watching a film, only this one you were part of the film, interacting with the characters.
In my dream, I saw some very beautiful colors, bright and vibrant, of an assortment of flowers, bushes, and cherry blossom and magnolia trees. I saw an array and layers of kimono silks wrapping around a slender body. I saw long, silky dark hair framing a delicate, beautiful face; a face that was gazing at me, at a mirror.
I was staring at myself, and I looked like a dolled-up young lady back in the Heian era of Japan. To say she was breathtakingly beautiful was an understatement. I didn’t have any doubt most men would fall at her feet, for sure.
The scene changed and shifted and I saw a pair of hands—fair, delicate, and slender—holding a black cat. They were my hands, and I was stroking the cat. The feline raised its head and looked at me. Then it licked at my hand, and I chuckled.
My view shifted again and I saw a man with long golden hair fluttering in the wind. The man was standing there and looking into the distance, his back to me. Something about him, the way he stood, his broad back and his presence made me feel at ease. He reminded me of someone dear to me, someone I loved with my heart and soul.
I reached out, wanting to grab on to the sleeve of his kimono, but all I touched was air. Why couldn’t I touch him? Ah, that was right. This was merely a dream, so of course, I couldn’t touch him.
As if sensing me behind him, the man turned. His hazel-green eyes were twinkling as he smiled down at me. “Haru,” he greeted me. “Ohayo.”
“Hazuki,” I found myself saying, staring at his beautiful face; a face that made my heart ache with longing. “Will you take me to see Shiro and Eiichi again today?”
His smile widened. “Of course.”
The scene shifted again, and I found myself playing with a beautiful white fox, me chasing after him, laughing and enjoying myself. Sleeping soundly not too far away was a large snake and next to that snake was Hazuki, stroking the black cat on his lap.
The fox was fast, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t catch him. Then I tripped, and I found myself falling, and instead of forward, I was falling backward, like I was falling down a cliff’s edge into the endless darkness down below. Above me, I saw the fox shouting to me, “Haru!”
I screamed in panic and fear, “Shiro!”
I found myself landing hard on the ground, and before me, fire was raging, burning down everything within its path: the forest, the houses in the village, and people running about in a panicky state, screaming. I saw Hazuki within the fire, and fear loomed over me like an inferno. I scrambled up and raced toward him, crying out his name. “Hazuki! Hazuki!”
In the mist of the fire, I saw me as little Haru having fun and playing with Aiden, Noah, Reo, Mason, and Isaac. I saw Mom and Dad laughing merrily.
Mom turned and saw the current me watching them. She smiled and called out to me, “Haru, come here.”
I felt my heart soar with happiness, and I mindlessly raced toward her, Hazuki forgotten. I couldn’t wait to be with her again and hug her tight against me. I couldn’t believe it! She was alive.
I was so happy that the disaster fulminating around me didn’t matter, that Hazuki patiently waiting for me in the fire on the other side to go to him didn’t matter. In fact, I paid no heed to my surroundings nor Hazuki. I simply wanted to be with Mom, as she was everything to me.
There she was, standing there, waiting for me to join her, a bright smile playing across her lips.
Mom, I’m coming, I thought, but then as I got close, her image started to fade, along with the others: people, forest, the houses in the village, and the fire. Hazuki, too. Surrounding me now was a street with buildings and cars. A modern-day environment.
It felt like everything had frozen in place, as if time had stopped, and I just stood there, staring at a car in front of me. Mom and Dad were inside it.
I suddenly felt paralyzed as I stared at them, and I went into a cold sweat when it started moving in an agonizingly slow motion along with everything else that surrounded me. Then it sped up and another vehicle came slamming into Mom and Dad’s car, veering it to the side of the road, and I watched in horror as I screamed on the inside.
I woke up with start, panting and sweating and shaking.
“Haru! Haru!”
Aiden’s voice was soft but urgent as he called out to me. For a moment, I stared blindly into space, shocked and freaked out as hell. Then I shifted my gaze to Aiden and said, my voice trembling, “Aiden?”
I touched him, just to make sure he was real, just to make sure this wasn’t just a dream. Because in dreams, you couldn’t touch. In reality, you could.
He felt hard and warm against my palms. He was real, and I relaxed, sighing a breath of relief.
Aiden cupped my face and looked deep into my eyes for a moment. He must have seen the terror within me, and he hugged me tightly. I gladly accepted the comfort and closed my eyes, just savoring the moment.
When he moved back, he asked, “You okay?”
I mutely nodded. “It was just a dream,” I said softly. “Nothing more. Just a dream.”
“Hmm...” Aiden said softly. “It was just a dream. It’s better to forget about it.”
I nodded again. “Mm-hmm. Better to forget about it. Just a dream.” I sighed and then closed my eyes again. Soon, I fell into a deep slumber. This time, there was no dream, and I was glad.
Aiden
It happened once every blue moon, Haru waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, heaving and whimpering, and Aiden knew the boy was having a nightmare again. It was likely about their parents’ deaths. It had been quite frequent just after the accident, but as time passed, the occurrence lessened, so much so that Aiden had thought it had stopped completely. That was until he had gotten into a relationship with the boy and they began sharing a bed. That was when Aiden came to realize the nightmare hadn’t subsided completely.
When it did occur, the nightmare, it was usually due to a trigger, like seeing a mother doting on her child as with that evening, for example.
Aiden sighed as he gazed at the boy who was soundly asleep. He looked peaceful and beautiful in his sleep, and Aiden felt his heart ache.
He stroked the back of his fingers against Haru’s cheek fondly and then leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on the boy’s forehead.
Come tomorrow, he knew Haru would have forgotten about that nightmare already, which in Aiden’s opinion was a blessing.
He gathered the boy into his arms again and closed his eyes, falling asleep again in an instant. When he woke up, it was seven in the morning and Haru was sitting there, watching him.
He moved and then reached out to touch the boy’s face, which made Haru smile.
“Morning,” Haru said, his eyes twinkling.
Ah, what a beautiful smile. Not a hint of that nightmare haunting him. Good.
“Morning,” he replied.
“So what do you want to do today?” Haru asked. “It’s just going to be the two of us.”
“Hmm... How about touring the town and driving around the island?”
Haru clasped his hands together, nodding his head. “Sounds like a plan.” He moved out of bed as he said, “I’m going to get ready first.”
Aiden nodded.
It was an hour later when they came down for breakfast and met Noah at the buffet restaurant. While Haru was busy going around and filling up his plate, Noah asked, “Was Haru okay last night?”
Aiden said, “He had a nightmare.”
Noah frowned. “I thought that stopped.”
“I thought the same, but when we started sharing a bed, I found it didn’t. It rarely happens though, only when there’s a trigger.”
Noah sighed. “And he just forgets about it the next morning, huh?”
“A defense mechanism, no doubt,” Aiden said.
Noah leaned back against his seat as he eyed Haru on the other side of the restaurant, grinning brightly as he picked up some bacon and put that onto his plate.
He said, “Mason called me last night asking about that day. Shit, I don’t why he had to call and ask me that so suddenly, but...” He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair.
“You mean he asked you about that day our parents died?” Aiden asked.
Noah nodded. “Yeah. It seemed like we, as in all of us, never talked about it, you know, get things cleared up so to speak. Mason wanted to know what happened on my side. He specifically wanted to know what I know, which is...strange. More importantly, he wanted to know if I know a woman named Rebecca McKinnon.” His expression darkened as he mentioned the name.
“And do you know her?” Aiden asked.
Noah nodded.
Aiden said, “Why would Mason bring her up? And what did you tell him?”
Noah shifted his gaze to Aiden again. “I told him that yes, I knew of her. He told me he met her and she wanted to...catch up, or something along that line. He said she has...Dad’s stuff and she wants us to have it back.”
“Fuck!” Aiden swore under his breath.
Noah leaned forward and said, “Look, Aiden, I know it’s been six years since our parents passed, but don’t you think it’s time we clear things up? Sit down as a family and talk it out? I know you know things I don’t and...” He sighed, his expression pained. “And I have things I don’t tell anyone about that day.”
“You were with Haru that day, weren’t you?” Aiden asked.
Noah nodded. “He was sick, and I can only guess the reason why. He was pretty out of it that day and...” He leaned back again and swore softly under his breath.
“Noah, you look horrible,” Haru’s voice came their way.
Both Noah and Aiden turned in surprise to see Haru standing before them. The boy put his filled plate on the table and then slid onto his seat. He chuckled as he said, “What? Just because I’m spending the night with Aiden, you got restless and couldn’t sleep last night?”
Noah narrowed his eyes dangerously at the boy and leaned forward. He roughly ruffled the boy’s hair as he said, “You brat. Is that any way to greet your boyfriend in the morning?”
Haru looked at him for a moment and then said, “Morning, Noah.” Then he inched closer and kissed the man on the lips. When he moved back, his face was bright red. He looked damn embarrassed.
Embarrassed and yet he did that—kissed Noah on the lips right in front of other people in public.
Fucking adorable! Noah thought. The endearing action made his heart ache and he swore, “Fuck!”
Aiden chuckled. “Linger any longer and you’ll be late to that meeting with Nicolas.”
“You’re right. I better get going,” Noah said, reluctantly drawing his attention away from Haru. He shuffled out of his booth seat, and on his way, he patted Haru’s head. “See you later, Haru.”
“Mm-hmm,” Haru responded.