by
All of his life, Caden DeMott’s mismatched eyes have made him the target of superstition and scorn. Though he is the son of a nobleman, he’s been allowed to run free over the hills and moors, mostly ignored by his family. No one ever thought to inform him that he had been betrothed since infancy, until the day his fiancé, Prince Rhys Gwyther arrived to marry him.
Rhys is the prince of the small island country of Mauritania, a land rich in gems, rose oil, and pearls, but poor in skilled artisans and seeds to grow crops. In order to further cement the trade route to the mainland, he’s been sent to marry a man he’s never met and bring him back to Mauritania. Unfortunately, an accident years before has left Rhys with a lot of emotional baggage and very little trust in strangers.
But trust is exactly what Caden and Rhys are going to need if they are to make a life together and help unravel the mystery of who’s been smuggling valuable gems and pearls off the island. Add in the realization that Caden’s stepmother, Mildred and her island representative, Maxwell, have been importing inferior goods for years, forcing Mauritania to become more dependent on them, and trust becomes even more difficult.
Caden possesses the knowledge to finally allow Rhys’ father to unravel the plot to ruin Mauritania, but only if the king and his son are willing to put their faith in Caden’s loyalty to his new home. Something that is difficult to do after Caden is accused of cheating on his marriage vows to Rhys with his guard, Luc. Will Rhys believe him innocent? Or will their marriage be over before it truly has a chance to begin?
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Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 2
Romantic Content: 3
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 2 Age: 26-35
Word Count: 107,103
Languages Available: English
“Have you told him yet?”
“No.”
“Why the hell not!”
Jackson DeMott turned toward the cold, haughty voice of his wife, Mildred, and resisted the urge to shudder at the sight of her pale, pinched face. Dark, heavy eye makeup only served to make her appear sick and bruised, despite her insistence that it was the height of fashion. Her thin, mousy brown hair was pinned elaborately on the top of her head, hiding the places where her scalp had begun to show. Her arms were crossed over her almost non-existent bosom, and judging from the way she frowned, she was only moments away from throwing another of her infamous fits.
“Jackson, I asked you a question. Why haven’t you told him, and why aren’t you dressed properly? Those clothes are more suited for a funeral than a wedding!”
“On the contrary, how could I possibly wear anything else on the day that I’m being forced to give my first born son away?”
READ MORE“You’ve known this day was coming since the day he was born. Why you’ve insisted on keeping it from him and coddling the boy I will never understand, but it stops here and now. Caden is one and twenty, no longer a child, and Prince Rhys will be here any time now. I will not have that beastly little devil spawn of yours shaming this family.”
Jackson ran a tired hand over his face, feeling far older than his forty-seven years. “I’d hoped that one day you could see it in your heart to love him as if he were your own son, but I’ve come to realize over the years that you are nothing more than a vain, cruel, heartless woman. That boy has done nothing to you save from having the misfortune of not being of your blood. I loathe the day I ever allowed you to talk me into making this agreement, but more than that, I loathe you with every fiber of my being.”
Mildred sneered, appearing unmoved by his outburst. “Would you have preferred to lose this manor as well as your estates? Your father’s gambling, coupled with your ineptitude, left us on the cusp of ruin, and it was my swift thinking and my father’s brilliance that saved us. It is only right that Caden, as the eldest, be the first to marry.”
“Would you have been so quick to offer up Tristan or Glenn had one of them been the only option?”
“I would have offered them you had the circumstances dictated that as the only solution,” Mildred spat.
“Why you selfish, grasping—”
Mildred stomped her foot loudly on the marble floor, the echo of her shoe like a rifle shot. “Enough! Hate me if you will, but that changes nothing. Now go and get that little bastard of yours ready for his wedding day, and so help me, Jackson, if either of you messes this up, you’ll suffer in ways you cannot possibly imagine.”
“Someday I can only hope to see you suffer in ways that have not even been dreamed up yet,” Jackson growled with hatred in his eyes as he pushed past his wife. His steps were heavy with anger as he ascended the stairs to the second floor, fists clenched so tightly that half crescent indents were forming on his palms. Outside his eldest son’s chamber, he paused and took several deep breaths, desperately seeking some small measure of calm before delivering the life-altering news. If only there were a way to be certain Rhys would be kind and understanding of Caden’s odd, distracting behaviors, but sadly, few had ever truly given the young man a fair chance. If he could, Jackson would have spared his son the kind of bitter, miserable marriage he himself endured, but he held little hope that Rhys would be any different from those who had ridiculed Caden in the past.
COLLAPSE
