Rory never wanted to do anything other than tend his family's horses. All that changed when he was kidnapped from his homeland and shoved into the middle of the bloodiest conflict the Thiian Empire would see for generations. Lives hang in the balance as he and his unlikely companions help wage a futile war against an invasion bent on extermination. To succeed, Rory and company will have to push themselves above and beyond laws, expectations, inhibitions, and duties for the singleminded purpose of protecting those they hold dear.

“It’s the only way I’ll ever fuck you,” he had said.

Of the entire night I spent with the man, it just had to be those words that stuck with me. I couldn’t remember how the pepper steak tasted, or the strong odour of the bottle of Mouton Rothchild smelled like, or the name of the restaurant I had so painstaking selected. I couldn’t even remember how I had gotten up into his apartment, aside from remembering feeling slightly giddy knowing I was about to get some action with a guy, for the first time in my life. Maybe I didn’t remember any of the details, but I remembered what he had said. I remember how he shattered my illusions. It was burned into my mind, it repeated over and over until I was sure my head was ready to split. His mellow baritone wasn’t mocking or jeering, it was just a bland statement of fact. I wasn’t even worth the effort to put a little emotion into his voice. I had never felt so low.

“Put the bag over your head Jordan, it’s the only way I’ll ever fuck you.”