Iara lives her life for calm, partnered with a species she despises. She has to fight for what she brings so easily to others.

Iara was a Kozue whose talent was peace and tranquility. Her parents sold her as a bodyguard to a royal house when she was just nine years old. Twelve years as a bondservant gave her an education that the Citadel continued when she escaped from a fate worse than death.

Partnered with Lock of the Sector Guard, she stifles her urge to scream. There is one man guaranteed to shake the calm she brings to others and she is stuck in a ship with him.

Lock admires Iara for her skill, her poise and her beauty. Finding a female Kozue without family or clan to protect her makes her a target, but her talent makes her formidable and very sexy to his senses.

Excerpt:

The court was fussy, so the prefect ushered her into the king’s private chambers. The elderly man looked at her with surprise. “Is this the creature that caused so much fuss on the Kozue ships?”

Iara frowned. “I am not a creature, Your Majesty. I am a girl. A Kozue girl but a girl nonetheless.”

She curtseyed as an afterthought.

He chuckled. “A girl then. My name is King Learith. What is yours?”

“Iara Hanikada of the Kozue.” She inclined her head, the weird wrap of braids on her scalp felt strange, but her mother had insisted that if she was going to live at court, she needed to get used to it.

She looked around at the opulent surroundings and nodded.

The king got up and examined her.

“Good long hair, strangely pale skin. Your eyes meet mine too freely but that is a small issue that can be dealt with in time. You need a court dress suitable to your age. How old are you?”

A servant who had apparently been standing behind her and next to the door scuttled out.

“Nine, Your Majesty.”

He blinked. “You are nine and your family has abandoned you here?”

“They have not abandoned me. They sold me. To you. There is no place for calm and harmony on a Kozue vessel. It is like playing an instrument under water. The sound disappears the moment you touch the strings.”

He crouched until they were eye to eye. “That is a very profound way of looking at things.”

“I am peace born to warriors. I have to have my own way of looking at things.” Iara looked into his brown and gold eyes, the corners weathered with creases and his snow-white hair neatly combed against his skull. A ranking mask was tattooed on his face, showing any and all that he was king. There were grooves around his mouth that said he smiled a lot and that gave her a feeling of comfort. His emotions were tension, not turbulence.

His skin had a pink and yellow highlight that she found interesting. It made him glow in the bright light coming in through the windows.

“Can you sense hostility before it manifests?” His expression was calm and he stared into her eyes.

“I can. There is a difference between hostility and violence, but I know what it is.” She kept her hands folded in front of her, as her mother had instructed.

A knock on the door preceded the servant with a dress made of white layers and silver stones. It was a little big for her, but it was far fancier than the leather dress she was wearing.

“Can I keep my Kozue dress? I know I will outgrow it soon, but it is my heritage.”

King Learith smiled. “I will have it preserved and placed in your chambers.”

A woman bustled in with a frown on her face that smoothed into an impassive expression the moment she saw the king. “Reporting as requested, Your Majesty.”

“Iara, this is Lona. She will be your lady’s maid until we can arrange something more permanent. Lona, we need her in this dress right away. The court is waiting.”

Lona snagged the dress, grabbed Iara’s hand and hauled her into an anteroom on the left side of the king’s study.

Lona yanked at the unfamiliar fastenings and pushed Iara’s hands away when she tried to help. “Damn, I will have to cut you out of it.”

“No. King Learith said I could keep it. Let me get out of it. I got into it on my own.”

Iara moved away, and with two tugs, she had loosened the bodice and the dress peeled away from her.

Lona kicked her dress aside and lifted the court gown. “Why are you here, child? A pet for the king’s granddaughter?”

“No, Lona. I am here as a bodyguard.” She kept her head high as she was laced into the gown.

Lona laughed and continued to yank and twist at her with misplaced aggression. Finally, Iara got tired of it. She gripped Lona’s hand and filled her with peace.

The rest of the dressing went along without any pain.

Lona lifted the Kozue dress and folded it neatly over one arm. “I will have it delivered to your room, miss.”

“Thank you, Lona.”

The woman headed back into the king’s study, but she paused, “Miss?”

“Yes, Lona?”

“How long will this calm last?”

“As little as two hours and as long as you wish it to. Do you object to it?”

Lona smiled and there was relief in her eyes. “No, I like it, miss. I will see you after your time in the court.”

Iara trailed after her maid, lifting the edge of the gown to keep her from tripping.

The sleeves were long and it felt like she was wrapped in the gauze that she had used to practice medic treatment on her dollies.

King Learith and the prefect smiled at her.

The king said, “Ideal. Now, the prefect will bring you in before me and there is a small stool next to my throne where you will sit. I need you to keep everyone calm and level-headed while the petitions are read. Can you do that?”

Iara nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The prefect took her hand once again and led her through the halls. “Once you are at the throne, wait until the king sits down before you take your seat.”

She nodded. Protocol. Her life was about to become protocol.