Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Avvel was born to be a bodyguard but when she is given away as a bride, she has to consider that fate is playing a game, and she just might be a winner.
Living as a bodyguard for a Whichan noble, Avvel is shocked and betrayed when her charge trades her for an Asku bodyguard willing to be his lover. She must take on her new position with dignity or shame her people, but life in the arms of an Asku is beyond what she expected.
Druin wanted the trainer of the elite Whichan guard to come and help the Asku retain a fading art. The trainer is a woman with a mystery surrounding her and there is nothing that Druin enjoys more than getting to the bottom of the woman who can kick his men into heaps on the ground. It’s love at first sight.
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Called by Honour
Copyright © 2013 Zenina Masters
ISBN: 978-1-77111-429-5
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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Called by Honour
Darkest Star Saga 5
By
Zenina Masters
Chapter One
Avvel checked the tight braid of her hair and wove it into her signature bun. With the lines of her tunic straight, she left her quarters and went to the guard briefing.
“So, as most of you know, we are expecting the Asku here today. I want you to be alert and give off an aura of competence.” Avvel placed her hands on the table and glared at the guards who were seated.
“What are you going to be doing when we are acting competent?” Andros asked her.
“I am going to be keeping Lord Wester out of trouble.” Avvel sighed and looked at the clock. “And I am already late getting him out of bed.”
Avvel dismissed the guard and walked through the palace on her way to Lord Wester’s private chamber. As she paused outside the door she could hear moans and groans and sighs coming from within. Steeling herself, she took her courage into her own hands and opened the door.
Wester was occupied with his plaything of the moment. The gorgeous blonde was on his knees before his lordship and was currently unable to comment on her sudden appearance in the room.
“Lord Wester, it’s time for breakfast. The Asku contingent will be here within the hour. Please make yourself presentable and make sure that your companion has something more substantial to consume before he leaves.”
Wester groaned and shuddered as he came with his fingers woven in his lover’s hair. He spoke through gritted teeth, “Avvel, if you engaged in more of this sort of thing, you wouldn’t be nearly so uptight.”
“Lord Wester, if I engaged in this particular type of activity, I would not be the head of your guard and you will have been dead three times over in the last year.”
Wester’s cock emerged from his companion’s lips with a soft pop. He gingerly tucked it back into his trousers and straightened with a smile. “I will be ready to receive them in twenty minutes, go and make sure the guard is presentable. I want every tunic straight and every trouser pressed.”
“It has been taken care of. I am simply worried about you making the right impression. This is your first meeting with the Asku, and you want to make sure that they take you seriously.” She grimaced as she looked him over.
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“You have cum in your hair and across your neck. Go take a shower, and I will help you get ready.” When his companion moved to follow him, Avvel gripped his shoulder. “You stay here, sport. I need Wester to concentrate.”
The blond pouted. “He needs me to wash his back.”
“Unless you want to see why I am the deadliest woman on Whichan, you will remain here and take a shower once I get Lord Wester out to the reception hall.”
He frowned. “Lord Wester will want me at his side.”
Avvel grinned, “You want to face down the most dangerous warriors in the sector because you want to maintain status from your one-night stand? Good luck with that. You don’t have clearance for it.”
He scowled. “Who says I don’t?”
“I do.”
“I don’t take orders from you, bitch.” He got to his feet and tried to intimidate her.
Avvel gripped his elbow, found the pressure point and squeezed. He went down to his knees, and she brought her own knee up to snap his head back, causing him to fall in a boneless heap.
Wester came out of the shower, towelling his hair dry. “What happened here?”
She scowled and crossed her arms.
Wester laughed. “They should really listen to me and not call you a bitch. I know you hate that word.”
Shrugging, she went to his wardrobe and picked out his clothing. “You have to stop having these one-night stands. You need a steady man and someone you can depend on.”
Wester grimaced. “If only you were a man, we would be living happily ever after already.”
She snorted. “And you would be dead. I wouldn’t put up with any of your crap.”
Avvel handed the snappy blue tunic and tight trousers to him. “Here, it will highlight your eyes.”
His grey eyes crinkled in amusement. “You are always trying to make me be my best.”
“You are your best. You just need to embrace it out of the bedroom.” She sighed. “Brush your hair and meet me in the dining hall. The Asku ships are entering the atmosphere.”
He sighed. “How do you know that?”
She just gave him a knowing look. “It’s a gift.”
Wester grimaced and pulled the tunic on over his head, covering his impressive musculature and the breadth of his shoulders.
Avvel left him and checked on the guards at the end of the hall. They were at the end of their shift. The last duty of the day was to deliver Lord Wester to the dining hall for breakfast, when Avvel officially took over.
Avvel sat at the table and was served her tea by one of the dozens of indentured servants that ran Lord Wester’s home.
Her morning routine consisted of prying Lord Wester out of whatever companion he had seduced for the night and getting him ready for affairs of state. He rarely slept with the same man twice and many straight men would allow him his way with them if it led to the possibility of power or favour. He didn’t often take a straight man to his bed. The thrill of seduction was rarely worth the effort. Wester had a preference for partners who knew what they were doing and were in it for the pleasure.
The next part of her morning routine involved organizing his calendar so that his day was brok
en into small sections with plenty of breaks for walks to work off his normal nervous energy.
It was during his walks in the garden that two assassination attempts occurred, and Avvel had earned her keep. The Akenfar family had bought her when she was ten, and she and Wester grew up side by side. His first act as ruler had been to grant her complete freedom, and she had remained at his side as his bodyguard and confidant.
Since neither of them had any sexual interest in the other, it was a perfect partnership.
Avvel looked up from the screen next to her plate and smiled as Lord Wester came in.
A troupe of servers walked through, placing items on their plates before they returned to the kitchens.
Avvel took a look at her food and laughed. “Your lover from last night works in the kitchens?”
Wester shrugged. “I don’t know. He was willing, and I didn’t enquire beyond that.”
Avvel pushed away her massacred food with unidentifiable eggs, and she pressed the bell. “What was his name?”
“Coros.”
Avvel turned to the butler and smiled. “I need some poached eggs and toast. Make sure Coros doesn’t get near them, or he will learn how much of a bitch I really am.”
His eyes widened, and he bowed. “Yes, miss.”
Tellar returned to the kitchen with the offending plate in hand.
Avvel groaned. “This is not a great way to start the day.”
Wester spread some eggs on a slice of toast and handed it over. “Here, Avvie. This will keep you until your breakfast gets here. Sorry about Coros. Should I send him elsewhere?”
She shook her head. “No, but you might want to find him another lover. If he gets this way with any of the other lords, you might just have a fight on your hands.”
Wester shrugged. “He didn’t seem the jealous type, but it appears he has an axe to grind where you are concerned.”
She shrugged and munched the eggs and toast while she finished looking through his schedule. Most of the day was dedicated to the Asku commander. It was a good thing that most of the events were being held outside, plenty of room for Wester to move.
Her food arrived unscathed, and she quickly ate before Wester finished. The moment he was done, he was on the move and she was beside him, rattling off his schedule and trying not to belch. It was going to be a stressful morning.
Chapter Two
The Asku came into the courtyard on a glider. Twenty men stepped off, their tattooed faces serious.
Wester was fascinated by their appearance. It was obvious in every line of his body.
“Keep calm, Wester, they are watching you.”
The commander of the Asku was definitely sizing up Wester. Wester was tall for a Whichan noble, and he topped her by six inches. The Asku was taller than Wester by a head.
Wester suddenly shifted into host mode. “Commander of the Asku, welcome to my home. I am Lord Wester.”
“Thank you for your welcome, Lord Wester. I am Commander Druin Velu of the Asku. This is my assistant, Private Nordin Lash.”
Wester blushed at his own rudeness. “This is my assistant and bodyguard, Avvel.”
Avvel inclined her head.
Druin looked her over from head to toe. “Bodyguard?”
She smiled slightly. “Yes.”
Lord Wester came to her defense. “Do not sneer at her size. When Avvel is defending her own, she is the most brutal of all of my guard. There have been over thirteen attempts on my life, some when I was a child and two since I came to power. She deflected them all.”
Commander Druin Velu cocked his head as if a thought just occurred to him.
Avvel moved in to smooth the gap. “We have arranged a display of guard procedures if you wish to watch it.”
He inclined his head. “I am willing to follow where you lead.”
Private Lash looked at his commander in surprise and a grin flirted around his lips. He was strong, blond and while his facial tattoos made him fierce, he seemed much more approachable with his deep blue eyes than his commander was with the solid black gaze.
Avvel gestured, and they all trooped down the pathways toward the exercise yard.
A table, chairs and several cups for beverages were waiting for Lord Wester and Commander Velu.
The guards of the palace marched out and began a series of training manoeuvres that Avvel watched with relief. She had trained the guards of the Akenfar home to move the same way Avvel had learned when she was a child, before she was captured and sold. The movements made for a graceful attack and complete control of their bodies. It made the guards formidable.
Commander Velu nodded. “Very nice. Would you care to pit one of your men against mine?”
Lord Wester scowled. “No. They do not fight for our entertainment. It is an honour to be served by men who would lay down their lives for me. However, if there are volunteers they can engage in a demonstration of technique.”
Commander Velu grinned. “Very acceptable.” He raised his hand and one of his men stepped forward.
Avvel whistled sharply and three men stepped out. Two sharp whistles and there was one man standing.
The Asku faced off against the guard, and Avvel let out another whistle. They collided, but the guard slipped away from the Asku after delivering his blow. Over and over, they met, and the guard moved away while the Asku began to stagger.
Two more strikes and the Asku was on his knees, his companions murmured in shock as the guard prepared to deliver a final blow.
Avvel whistled sharply and the guard backed off, bowed and returned to the ranks with only his dusty uniform marking him from the crowd around him.
Commander Velu slowly clapped. “Well done. I commend your combat trainer.”
Lord Wester grinned, “You just got a compliment, Avvie.”
Avvel blushed as all gazes focussed on her. “Thank you for the compliment, Commander Velu.”
“Call me Druin or Commander Druin if we must stand on ceremony.” He winked. “I come from a large family, and there are several Commander Velus.”
She bowed. “Commander Druin, then.”
Commander Druin turned to Lord Wester. “I have heard of the effectiveness of your guard, and I propose an exchange program. I will give you fifteen of my men and you train them, and I will take fifteen and train them in the Asku battle techniques.”
Lord Wester looked to Avvel for counsel, but she had nothing. This was an honourable offer, and it would gain Wester’s reign a lot of respect.
Commander Druin said something that filled Avvel with resignation. “I have heard of something called a chant. What is that precisely?”
Avvel whistled again and Captain Thule tossed her a staff. “Do you want to see it?”
Druin shrugged. “Please. I confess that I could not get the image in my mind when it was described.”
She gestured for one of the guard, and he took her position next to Wester. She hadn’t dressed for a chant, but she would simply have to change when this was over.
She walked into a circle of guards, and they nodded and quickly obtained weapons. She started to sing, low and steady, and the men took up the chant with her. Avvel held the staff at waist height and concentrated, shifting aside as the first guard attacked. They kept up the song as she fought them one by one, dodging stun blasts, swords, daggers and two arrows that fortunately buried themselves in the ground when she swatted them down.
The many voices of the chant dwindled until there was only one. Sweat and blood dripped in her eyes, a cut on her forehead early on had almost blinded her but honed her focus the way nothing else could. She finished the song and helped some of the prone guards to their feet.
She wiped the blood off her skin and returned to the spectators.
The Asku troops were staring at her, and Commander Druin was on his feet. “I did not mean for you to fight.”
“I am the only one who can do a chant, so there was very little option. Also, it is good to remind them that I can still
kick their asses.” She bowed low to him and Wester.
Wester sighed. “Go and change your clothing, and get someone to look at that cut.”
Druin whistled sharply and one of his men came forward with a medical kit. “Have a seat, Avvel.”
She had nowhere to sit, so she knelt in front of Commander Druin as he brushed her hair away from the cut and set about cleaning the wound.
Lord Wester was in soft conversation with Private Lash, and Avvel recognized his tone. The surprisingly thing was that the private seemed to be reciprocating.
Druin frowned as he worked on her forehead. “I cannot believe that you just jumped into battle.”
“It is in my blood. I don’t know who my people are, but the fight is all I crave. That and it works off stress.” She winced, and he gentled his hands.
“I thought you would have a line of men for your attentions.” Druin began sealing her cut.
Lord Wester snorted. “I keep telling her that she needs to get laid, but she doesn’t trust herself or others when it comes to affairs of the heart. She is as pure as the day she was born.”
“You don’t say. That is a very desirable trait in certain circles.” Druin finished sealing her cut, and he pressed a thin membrane over it.
She looked up into his black-on-black eyes and there was a speculative gleam that she was not used to seeing in men who had watched her fight.
He caressed her cheek and smiled.
Lord Wester cleared his throat. “What is going on?”
Druin helped Avvel to her feet but kept one of her hands in his grip. “I propose another trade…”
Chapter Three
Avvel turned her hand in Druin’s and pressed on the pressure point near his thumb, numbing his grip. “I will not be traded.” She pulled her hand free and crossed her arms over her torn tunic.
Lord Wester scowled. “This is not a public matter. Have your men do whatever they normally do in a day and we will adjourn inside.”
Avvel knew that Wester was serious when he wanted to go inside. There was little that he disliked more than being cooped up inside the stone walls.
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