Born of Defiance

Again, she was shocked by his answer. How could a champion fighter’s mother not attend his events? “Never?”


He shook his head as if it was totally normal. “She doesn’t like to see me bleed.” His mood lightened a bit as he winked at her. “What kind of selfish mom is she, right?”

She laughed at his warped humor. “So who goes for you?”

“My trainer and manager.”

“And?” she asked.

“My trainer and manager.” He said that so emotionlessly that she knew he didn’t expect anyone else. The loneliness of his life made her ache. He truly had no one. No wonder he didn’t treat her like other patrons treated their companions. He had no real understanding of Andarion relationships.

Or even family, it seemed.

Felicia pulled his head down until his forehead touched hers. “I will be there for you, Talyn.”

He inclined his head respectfully to her. “I shall leave a family pass for you at the box office. It’ll get you in the back with me, before and after the fight.” He cupped her face in his hand. “May I kiss you?”

“Of course.”

He brushed his hand through her curls before he slowly lowered his lips to hers.

Felicia trembled at the gentleness of his kiss. She shivered as his tongue swept against hers. When he pulled back, she smiled up at him. “I’m glad you’re my first kiss.”

“And I’m glad you’re mine.”

It wasn’t until he’d walked away that she realized he meant that she was his first kiss, too. Not that she was his mistress. Warmth spread through her, even though a part of her was still a little scared of him. He was so much more than she’d ever hoped to find.

Like him, because of her parents’ actions, she had limited options for a spouse and career. The only reason she’d been allowed into med school was because her mother was a distant cousin to the former tadar, and her father was a very high-ranking advisor to the current tadara, and while her parents were unmarried, her father did acknowledge her as his.

At least on occasion.

That allowed her many more options for careers, but it put her at an extreme disadvantage when negotiating marriage. It was why she’d followed her mother into companionship. At least as a companion, she had some control over her future.

Normally, companions were sought by older males whose wives had died or were injured, and they didn’t want to damage or complicate the lineages of their existing children with a new marriage.

Or they wanted companions for things, usually perverse, their wives refused to do for them. Sadly, those males treated their companions like paid whores. Expected them to be at their beck and call, and completely subservient and submissive.

Physical and verbal abuse had been her worst fear. She’d grown up with horror stories from her mother and her mother’s friends.

But as the cost for school had risen, and the reality set in that no decent male her age would ever do right by her, she’d finally accepted the inevitable.

And almost made the worst mistake imaginable. She still shivered as she remembered the male she’d interviewed with right before Talyn. On paper, Arux had appeared the most perfect patron imaginable. She’d thought him a dream come true.

But he’d been so demanding and rude to her when they met that she’d started to pass on Talyn’s proposal without even reviewing it. If an elder male was so condescending and repulsive, she’d imagined that a younger male, who had options for a wife, would be twice as bad.

She couldn’t have been more wrong.

And for the first time in her life, she was actually looking forward to losing her virginity.



“Batur! Point twelve! Now!”

Talyn bit back an insult at his CO’s sharp bark as he ran to fall in line. He really hated the bastard. As an Anatole, his CO was the grandnephew of their tadara, and he thought he owned the entire armada.

“Sir, yes sir.” He saluted Anatole and took position in front of him.

The colonel glanced to where Felicia had just vanished. “So who’s the trim?”

Talyn ground his teeth at the derogatory term that reduced Felicia to nothing more than mindless arm candy. “My female, sir.”

He moved to stand right in Talyn’s face. “Bullshit. No self-respecting female would be seen in public with a mongrel dog like you. Did you bring a whore on base, Batur?”

“No, sir.”

The colonel sneered at him. “You did, didn’t you? What? Did you have her suck you off for lunch?”

His breathing ragged, Talyn had to force himself not to strike the bastard. It wouldn’t just be a court-martial. Anatole was a direct member of the royal house… fifth in line to the throne.

Death sentence.

But it was so tempting right now. He could actually taste Anatole’s blood on his face as he ripped out the bastard’s carotid. He physically ached to do it.

Ferrick would be so happy to know that he really did have these fantasies.