These segments may end or begin a little abruptly or clumsily at times, as I tried to split them in such a way that no one section would be to long and cumbersome for a single stop on the blog tour. If my nebulous thoughts on how to continue the Strain universe ever take shape, it’s very possible a lot of material in this short story will be folded into a larger plot with Kal and Billie as the protagonists, and if that happens, you’ll find the smut there.Įach day, at least one stop on the blog tour will contain a section of the story. It’s a completely sex-free story, so you’re safe reading it at work. Refuge introduces us to three new characters, Kal, Billie, and perhaps my favorite, Zeus. Obviously, though, it will be best enjoyed if you’ve read Bane already (and Bane, of course, is best enjoyed after Juggernaut and Strain. Some developments that happen in Bane are referenced, but not in any great detail, which means the reader should only encounter a few very broad, non-specific spoilers. How far post- Bane ? Well, you’ll have to read and see. Over the course of the Bane blog tour, I’ll be sharing a free post- Bane short story, Refuge. Altogether, it gave me a beautiful opportunity to bring closure and an HEA ending (or at least as close to one as you get at the end of the world) for both sets of protagonists. The plot also required Rhys to have matured a great deal since the end of Strain. They needed developments that would only make sense to happen after the events of Strain.

Already by that point I was brainstorming the pre- and peri-apocalyptic story that would become Juggernaut, but the further along I got on that, the more I realized the situation Zach and Nico were in couldn’t be r esolved in the timeframe of Juggernaut. I don’t think it’s any secret that a lot of readers, in the wake of reading Strain, wanted more of Darius and Rhys.

Unexpected Mate by Toni Griffin