Title: The Power of Love
Author: Sydney Blackburn, Lina Langley
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: March 26, 2018
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 88300
Genre: Science Fiction, LGBT, superheroes, action, romance, science fiction
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Synopsis
The #1 rule of superhero training camp
is you don’t talk about superhero training camp.
Or your parents.
Or their powers, which is the only thing
saving Vince’s life—he’s the son of a notorious supervillain. But the secret
could become a deadly deception when he falls into a super-powered entanglement
with gorgeously heroic cabinmate Locke.
When their instructor disappears,
Vince’s father may be to blame. Torn between loyalties, Vince’s greatest fear
is that his father’s taint will corrupt him and poison his heart against Locke.
Excerpt
The Power of Love
Lina Langley and Sydney Blackburn © 2018
All Rights Reserved
Chapter One
Vincent Silva breathed a sigh of relief
when he saw his grade posted on the bulletin board. He’d already passed the
entrance exams to be at Camp Hologram, but the on-site test was vital.
He didn’t recognize the names of the
three other guys in Cabin One, but he never expected he would. Kids with
power-gifted parents were raised to protect their identities, for everyone’s
safety. He didn’t want anyone to know who his father and stepmother were.
Especially his stepmother, though he hated to use that word. It went the other
way as well—he used his mother’s maiden name on his application so his father
and alleged stepmother wouldn’t know he was at the camp.
A sharp lack of noise brought his
attention to a classroom that reminded him too much of high school—being
lectured by Mister Mister, who used to be somebody. His power was mimicry—for a
few hours he could have the power of any gifted person he touched. Five years
ago, he’d run afoul of the villain Chameleon. Vince wasn’t sure exactly what
had happened—the media reported only that somehow his stepmother had managed to
defeat Mister Mister, after which he’d retired from active duty.
The resemblance to high school ended
with Mister Mister, who didn’t look anything like a teacher. For a start, his
gray hair, still thick and wavy, was shoulder length, and he wore an olive drab
T-shirt the same color as his canvas pants. He had tattoos down his arms and
over the backs of his hands. He was also more physically fit than any of
Vince’s high school teachers had ever been.
“Welcome to Camp Hologram, gentlemen.
You wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t mastered a general control over your powers,
so the focus of your training will be learning independence and teamwork. How
to maximize your strengths, minimize your weaknesses. How to survive without
any powers at all.
“It takes strength of will, and
discipline….”
Vince tuned out the boring “why you’re
all here” speech. He knew why he was there. He was born with powers and a
determination to never be the kind of person his father was. Being the son of a
villain didn’t mean that was his only choice.
“Weekend leave is in the city of
Guilford, but don’t get too excited. There’s a volunteer element to your
grades. I believe most of you have ignored the pamphlet of rules you received
before arriving so let me reiterate: booze, drugs, and gambling are not
permitted here at Camp Hologram. Lights out is at 10:00 p.m. Reveille is at 5:00
a.m. sharp. You are expected to make up your bunks and keep your gear in your
lockers. This afternoon you’re to stow your gear and get to know your cabin
mates. When you hear the klaxon, get to the mess hall or go hungry. Now grab
your packs and go to your assigned cabin.”
Finally! Vince leaned down to grab his
duffle, a heavy canvas bag almost as long as he was tall and stuffed with
everything he owned. Whatever he did at Camp Hologram, fail or graduate
qualified to be an official hero, he wasn’t going back home. Guilt made him
flinch as he thought of his mother. She deserved a chance to make a life
without his father screwing it up, and that meant a place with immaculate
security. The kind only money could buy. Money popular heroes earned through
sponsorships and licensing fees.
The first step was to ace his training.
He listened to the other guys grumble as
they shuffled out, most of them with much less luggage.
“This is so lame,” someone said.
“Piece of cake,” someone else said.
Vince didn’t say anything. He followed
the others out of the administration building. It was a large complex, holding
the showers, the shitters, the kitchen, and the dining hall, along with the
lecture room and who knew what else. Stuff the trainees didn’t need to know. Might
be in the paperwork Mister Mister rightly guessed he hadn’t read.
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Meet the Author
Lina
L. M. Langley has a postgraduate degree
from Newcastle University in Creative Writing and a B.A (Hons) in English
Literature and Creative Writing from Northumbria University.
She grew up in Colombia and currently
lives in Gainesville, FL with her husband.
Sydney
Sydney Blackburn is a binary star
system. Always a voracious reader, she began to write when she couldn’t find the
stories she wanted to read. She likes candlelit dinners and long walks on the
beach… Oh wait, wrong profile. She’s a snarky introvert and admits to having a
past full of casual sex and dubious hookups, which she uses for her stories.
She likes word play and puns and
science-y things. And green curry.
Her dislikes include talking on the
phone, people trying to talk to her before she’s had coffee, and filling out
the “about me” fields in social media.
Besides writing, she also designs book
covers for poor people.
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