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.
“Why don’t you call your female back for me and let me show her what it’s like to screw a real male? One with lineage.”
Talyn clenched his fists at his side. No other officer would have to tolerate this from the colonel. But he had no one to appeal to. If he tried to report Anatole, it would only get worse for him.
Or, worst case scenario, it might rebound and harm his mother and her rank.
“What? Does that make you angry, mongrel? You dare look at me with rage in your eyes?”
Talyn quickly averted his gaze.
“Go on, dog. Call your whore. I’ll even let you watch her suck my dick.”
When he didn’t pull his link out, the colonel arched a brow. “Are you refusing a direct order?”
“I can’t order a civ, sir. If you want your cock sucked, guess I’ll have to do it.”
The colonel backhanded him.
Talyn didn’t budge. Honestly? His mother hit harder.
What it did do, though, was make him yearn for the day Anatole’s testicles descended and the bastard found enough backbone to face him like a true Andarion.
In the Ring.
Warrior to warrior.
“You think you’re something special? Iron Hammer,” he sneered. “I’ve got a year’s salary riding on your opponent tomorrow night. What say we start your training early? Huh? Let’s get you seasoned for your opponent. Report to the Ring. Immediately.”
“Yes, sir. Looking forward to the day when you’re Andarion enough to join me there.”
That had the desired effect. Anatole’s eyes flared with hatred. “Insubordination, Major?”
You think? But Talyn wasn’t quite stupid enough to say that out loud. “No, sir. Just thinking that it might do the morale good to see one of our leaders in the Ring.” Talyn saluted him and headed for the company gym. And with every step he took, he knew what would be waiting.
What forever waited for him there.
Because the odds were with Talyn winning, Anatole always bet against him, hoping for a bigger payout. But Talyn couldn’t throw a fight. It would literally mean his life if he did.
So the colonel handicapped him. Or so he thought.
What the idiot couldn’t figure out was that these meager little fights didn’t hurt Talyn.
At all.
Andarion soldiers, while fierce, were not the same caliber as a pro Ring fighter. Vested brats, they’d never had to walk