Born of Defiance

Talyn frowned at her strange question. “Not intentionally. Why?”


“I watch the news. I see how bloody the royal family can be. Especially now with this whole new group that’s been working against them.”

“You mean WAR?”

She nodded.

Talyn could understand her fear. Warriors Against Royalty was the latest group to try and overthrow a monarchy that was drunk on its own power. And given what his mother had told him about the eton Anatoles and what he’d experienced with Chrisen, he could understand why. The gods knew he was no fan of the current reigning order that held him down with a crushing foot on his throat. He sure wouldn’t weep to see the royal house overthrown and a new system of government put in place.

But that being said…

“I’m not a terrorist, Felicia. I have no intention of committing treason, especially not after I’ve taken oaths to uphold the monarchy and laws of Andaria. My mind doesn’t work that way. Besides, I wouldn’t be the only one who’d pay for it. Given my mother’s rank, any military action I might take against the crown could blow back on her, and I’m not about to risk that. As you’ve seen, I’m a male of simple needs. All I want is to keep you and my mother safe and happy. That’s it.”

“Okay. Just remember that when you’re at the palace and all those gorgeous, scantily clad females are throwing themselves at you.”

He laughed bitterly. “Trust me. They won’t, and even if they did, I’d have no interest in them. At all. The only female I want in my bed is currently in my bed.”

Felicia’s breath caught as she felt him hardening against her hip. As she saw the hooded expression on his face, and his breathing changed. Gone was her playful male and in his place was the fierce predator that truthfully scared her a little. It was too easy to forget just how large and dangerous her male was while he was being playful and sweet with her. But at the end of the day, Talyn was a trained killer. In the Ring and outside it. Every part of him was honed by battle and hardened by life.

His gaze holding hers, he pushed her skirt up and pulled her panties down her legs. With an astounding gentleness, he fingered her until she was slick and panting. Only then did he slide himself inside her and thrust against her hips. This time, he was almost feral as he made love to her. Yet even so, he took care not to hurt her and to make sure that she came first.

Talyn growled as he felt her release and saw the ecstasy on her face. He loved the way she said his name whenever he was inside her. Loved how she clutched at him and gently clawed his back with her nails.

Best of all, he adored the scent of her skin and hair. It was as if she’d been made solely for him. He could forgive the gods everything they’d done to him if they allowed her to stay in his life.

And yet as he came in her arms, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to happen. Something that would tear her out of his world and leave him coldly solo again.

He buried his face in her hair and tried to tell himself it was an unfounded fear. But the past wouldn’t leave him alone. It tormented him with memories he didn’t want.



Tay-lyn No-kin,

Born in sin,

No matter what, you’ll never win!





Grinding his teeth, he tried to blot out the memory of the rhyme other kids had used to torment him when he’d been a child in school. He’d hated his mother for giving him a name that was so easy for Hyshians to mispronounce and rhyme with his bastard status.

While Felicia didn’t seem to mind the fact that he wasn’t Vested right now, sooner or later, that would change. She wouldn’t be in med school unless she wanted to better her caste for unification. One day, she’d want children – she’d said as much on her agency questionnaire. Something he could never legally give her.

They couldn’t even adopt.

And here he was stralen for a female he knew he couldn’t keep. Ever.

Damn them. His classmates had been right, after all. He couldn’t win. Even though thirteen members of his father’s family had once held back an invading alien army and saved this planet from the Oksanans, they hadn’t done it single-handedly.

They’d had each other to rely on.

Someone at their back.

One single Andarion couldn’t change anything. He’d stood strong his whole life against storm after storm. Vowing with each one that he would not be broken.

That was never supposed to change.

But as he looked down at the female in his arms, he knew that it had. And Felicia was the one thing that would ultimately break him. He was sure of it. In a life he’d carefully, meticulously carved in blood and stone, she was his only vulnerable spot.

The gods had never shown him mercy. Not once. There was no way they’d have sent her to him and turned him stralen for her unless they were planning to use her against him somehow.

That made sense.

Like some mindless pawn, he’d allowed her inside his heart. Now it was too late.