Live forever, not trust forever. When covert alignments, mistrust, mistakes, and regrets dominate everyday life, you need a CHOSEN. While it's good to trust, you must also trust the right person.
My heroes live forever, and need trustworthy Chosen companions. But what if one of them was not what you thought? What if the person you loved didn't love you? Would you want to live forever surrounded by traitors? Who wants to live forever -- all alone? No one. Therefore, you must only choose someone you can trust.
What it means to be CHOSEN
Called to serve
Honored to protect
Obedient to the vow
Safeguards of the truth
Enablers of life
Neutralizers of threats
In the secret society of the Chosen, a group of mortals who serve the immortal Sempervians, being gay or straight is no different from being brown-eyed or blue-eyed. No one notices or cares. But disloyalty among the Chosen is punishable by death, and in this trilogy, everyone's loyalty is questioned.
Covert alignments, mistrust, mistakes, and regrets pepper the playing field. Both the Chosen and the Sempervians harbor enemies and spies within their ranks -- some known and tolerated, others concealed behind layers so convoluted eternity isn't long enough to figure them out. When you factor in multiple allegiances and aliases, knowing who to trust takes on a whole new level of danger -- especially if you live forever.
Excerpt
In this scene from Alitus, Tales of the Chosen, the spymaster Alitus visits the Stable, a harem of male pleasure slaves called Jades kept by the Empress, whom he serves. The night before, the Empress suggested Rudy, one of the Jades, could fill in for Alitus. Having the "normal" Rudy replace him set off the temper of the usually placid Alitus. This moment takes place the next day.
Imperial Palace, the Stable
Keeper Wing
Alitus presented himself at the Stable groom's office.
Byrin oversaw the literal army of identical androids involved in caring for the Jades. The middle-aged human was handsome enough to be a Jade himself, yet Byrin's relationship with the Empress always seemed professional. She'd never shown the least interest in him. The man welcomed him and gestured to a chair in the small office.
"Great to see you again, Alitus. Is this imperial business?"
"Personal." He started to strip off his gloves, decided against it, and smoothed them back over his fingers. "I came to see Rudolf Brakovsky."
Byrin perched against the edge of a compact desk. Monitors filled the opposite wall, revealing the Jades in various activities. "If this is about the bloody nose from the other night it's my duty to remind you that any provocation between Jades is prohibited. I know you're no longer a Jade." He held up a hand to prevent interruption. "But Rudy is. I don't want to put him in a compromising situation."
"I won't touch him." Alitus crossed his legs. "I owe him an apology."
Byrin studied him a moment, his expression grave. "If you didn't represent Her Majesty the way you do, I wouldn't permit this. Rudy's a good guy."
He resisted the urge to hang his head and instead, met the man's unflinching gaze. "Yes, he is. Which is why this is important."
"I never expected violence from you, Alitus. When you lived in the Stable, you were the one everyone looked up to, even though you were the youngest. From the first day you entered the Stable, they called you 'Mr. Perfect.' When you were out of earshot, of course, but the guys like you despite the fact you were special to Her Majesty."
"I..." Alitus tugged his gloves on a little tighter. Liking him was an after-effect of his pheromones, but Byrin didn't need to know that.
Would Alitus ever have a true friend without being influenced?
Byrin stared as if waiting for a reply.
Alitus cleared his throat. "Thank you. I don't know what to say."
"Hell, man." Byrin threw out his arms. "She created the 'Lover' level so she could put you above the Keepers. No one else has ever been in it. You know how crazy that makes these guys? Yet not one of them would say a single bad thing about you. And that isn't because of the rules here. You know that?"
Alitus lowered his lashes.
"What the hell got into you?"
"I'd rather not discuss it, Byrin." Alitus smoothed the crease in a pant leg. "Consider it a momentary lapse of reason and let it go, please. Her Majesty has. I'm here to ask Rudy for forgiveness. Isn't that enough?"
Byrin glared as if about to argue, but then brushed off his pants, and stood. "All right. Suit yourself. Take it easy while I go find him. At this hour, he's working out." Byrin searched the bank of monitors for a moment before he excused himself and left.
Alitus thrust himself to his feet and paced. He could do this. Get it over with and get back to work. For two days, he'd done nothing but argue with himself about coming here. Time to put it in the past and move on. How could he have doubted Her Majesty's intentions?
She had not chided him. Although she had not told him to apologize, she had to expect it. "Jealousy does not become you, Alitus. You know you have my respect. You know that. I would never dishonor you."
Clasping his hands before his mouth, he tapped them against his lips. He must control himself. He was going to need Rudy's help.
It's 1911, and the Montague estate is aflutter with anticipation – the second daughter of the Earl of Carran is about to announce her engagement to Lord Henry, the youngest son of the Marquess of Cliffe. Family and servants are in London to celebrate the big announcement at a grand soiree during this year's season.
Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative blog hop hosted by members of Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
