This week I’m featuring another talented author from the USA Today Bestselling Pets In Space 4 Anthology. Welcome, Regine Abel!

It’s such an honor to have been invited to participate in the Pets in Space Anthology this year alongside such a fabulous line up of sci-fi romance authors. Coming up with which story to write has been instantly clear to me.

I had always wished to write my own spin on the transfer of consciousness theme found in The Matrix, but I wanted the whole thing happening in the real world. This led to the creation of the Xian Warriors and their Soulcatchers: the psychic women of the Vanguard capable of holding the souls of fallen warriors until their rebirth. Ever since I published Legion, the first book in my Xian Warriors series, I knew that I needed to write the origin story of the human Soulcatchers. It only made sense to seize this opportunity to introduce Doom and his woman, Victoria, the very first alien and human female couple in Earth’s history. Seeing how most of my sci-fi romance novels have epic battles, and how Doom is a badass, genetically engineered super warrior, my pet in space was bound to be some kind of war creature.

Stran is a Creckel, a warrior beast that resembles a pangolin with a dragon head. Bigger than a Tibetan mastiff, he’s covered with thick, dark scales that protect him from almost any form of damage when he rolls up into a ball. As Doom’s lifelong friend and war companion, he has come to Earth to help free humanity from the Kryptid invaders who had also previously attacked his homeworld. Though he cannot speak, Stran is extremely smart and can communicate through telepathic imagery. The minute he sees Victoria, he recognizes her as his best friend’s soulmate and becomes extremely protective of her.

Here’s a little snippet from Doom featuring Victoria and Stran, shortly after they first meet amidst a massive Kryptid invasion:

Although his companions fought as savagely as he, I couldn’t take my eyes off Doom. I couldn’t say if it was because he’d been the one to talk to me, or the gentle, respectful tone of his voice when he’d addressed me. All I knew was that for the first time in two weeks, since the beginning of the dreadful invasion, I felt a sliver of hope.

A cold wetness on my hand startled me. I looked down to see Stran rubbing his dragon snout on my palm then lowering his head so that my hand would rest atop it. While I’d been busy gaping at his friend, the Creckel had closed the distance between us.

“Thank you for saving me, Stran,” I said in a gentle voice while caressing the top of his head, careful not to cut myself on the sharp horns fanning across his forehead.

He emitted a deep sound, halfway between a growl and a purr, then lifted his chin, exposing the leathery underside of his neck. I grinned and scratched his neck. The Creckel rewarded me with an even louder purr. Although he clearly enjoyed getting petted, he pulled away from my touch, licked my hand with his forked, lizard tongue, then looked around us, keeping watch for possible aggressors.

At last, a sense of safety washed over me. Humans weren’t alone. And maybe, just maybe, we had a chance after all.

Grab your copy of Pets in Space® 4 today! For a limited time, Pets in Space® 4 brings together today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors to help Hero-Dogs.org, a non-profit charity that helps our service veterans and first responders.

CLICK this link for all the Buy Links: https://www.petsinspaceantho.com/books/pets-in-space-4/

Author Website: https://www.regineabel.com