Born of Defiance

You know better than to listen to those.

The heartless monster they’d warned her about wouldn’t have gone to this length to make her comfortable and safe.

Tears filled her eyes as she looked around the massive condo he’d provided for her. Housing in Eris was so expensive, and that included the cheapest sections. Not even in her wildest dreams had she ever allowed herself to envision such a place as her residence. She’d expected something small, hopefully clean, and without vermin.

This…

Laughing, she ran through the huge open rooms, amazed at how beautiful they were. How elegant.

Until she came to the master bedroom.

Her jaw went slack at the humongous bed that faced the most incredible view of the city she’d ever seen. She could even see the outline of her school from here.

The tray ceiling above was trimmed in gold and painted to look like a celestial sky. An ebony ceiling fan was suspended over an ornate, hand-carved platform bed. A matching settee was to the right of an elaborate dresser. But more intriguing than that was a huge bouquet of flowers, and a wrapped present on the bed that had her name on it.

Almost afraid to see what it contained, she approached the flowers first and took the card from the small envelope.



Felicia,

There’s a wallet in the dressing room table with charge accounts for your use. If you don’t like the decor of the rooms, please let the manager know and they’ll redesign the condo for you. Don’t hesitate to make it yours. Your happiness, safety, and comfort are my priority.





~T





Her heart pounded at the beautiful, masculine script. No, he wasn’t the beast they called him.

Biting her lip, she set the card aside and opened the box to find a beautiful thick bathrobe and slippers. Along with a stuffed lorina.

A lorina with a diamond bracelet attached to its neck. Gasping, she could tell by the workmanship that it was real. And very costly.

Her breath caught in her throat. Before she could stop herself, she picked up the link and called Talyn.

“Major Batur.”

She savored the rich, deep baritone of his voice. “Talyn?”

There was a brief pause. “Is something wrong?”

She sniffed back her tears at his honest concern for her. “No. I found the presents you left… Thank you.”

“My pleasure. I hope you like them.”

“They’re wonderful. I just wish you were here for me to thank you in person.”

“You don’t have to do that. I only want you to enjoy them, not feel obligated because of them. They are freely given… Beautiful females deserve beautiful things.”

Felicia closed her eyes as she savored those precious words. “You’re very sweet.”

He snorted. “Don’t say that out loud. You’ll ruin my ferocious reputation.”

Laughing, she shook her head. “Ferocious, huh?”

“Absolutely. How you think I got my rank at this age?”

“Your sexy sweetness?”

His warm laughter filled her ear. “Yeah, sure,” he said drily. “That always works for rank advancement. You sweet-talk the enemy. They fall over, laughing at you.”

“See. I knew it.” She switched on the video feed and waited for him to accept it or deny her request. To her delight, he turned it on. From the looks of it, he was riding an airbike through traffic. All she could see was his helmeted head and the sky over his shoulders, until he lightened the shield on his helmet so that his handsome face was showing through it. “Is there really no way for me to see you sooner than five days?”

“Between training and work, no. They keep a really tight leash on me.”

Funny how that was what she’d wanted in a patron, especially after her friends had told her what a beast he was. Now… “Can I come visit you at work?”

“This is my normal lunch time. I have an hour and a half for it.”

“What about dinner?”

“I only have fifteen to thirty minutes for that.”

She pouted at him. “That’s not long.” Barely enough time to eat anything at all.

“It comes at shift change when I’m on duty, and the married soldiers take precedence over those of us without. The rest of the time, I have to catch something fast at the gym before practice.”

“Oh.” She tried to imagine what his life was like. To protect his privacy, there hadn’t been much on his profile sheet. While the agency saw the full family, psychological, and financial forms he’d submitted, they only gave companions part of the personality portion to evaluate.

She hadn’t even known his family name until they signed the contract. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“No. You?”

She bit her lip. “I had three half brothers and two half sisters, but we’re not close. It’s mostly me and my mother.”

“Same here.”

That made sense then as to why he was so concerned for her safety. He must look after his mom like she did hers. “So what does your mother do?” she asked.

“She’s a deputy commander for the armada.”