All of his life, CadenDeMott’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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Excerpt
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.
Knocking on the door, Jackson mentally prepared his speech
while waiting for Caden to answer. When he did not, Jackson pushed open the
door and let his eyes drift around the dimly lit chamber until they came to
rest on the figure curled upon the bearskin rug by the hearth, two large hounds
on either side of him. Jackson couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the trio
before a sudden thought abruptly wiped the smile from his face.
Would Rhys allowCaden to keep the animals, or would his son be
forced to leave his two closest companions behind? Jackson crossed the chamber
quietly, stopping near the hearth. When one of the hounds growled low and
raised his head, the white splotch of fur around his left eye identified him as
Titus. When Titus saw that it was Jackson he laid his head back on his paws and
closed his eyes again while the other hound, Brutes, snored on.
With a sigh, Jackson knelt and placed a hand on his son’s
shoulder, gently shaking him awake. Caden blinked sleepy, mismatched eyes up at
his father, and as his son sat up, Jackson wondered what Rhys’ reaction to
seeing Caden’s eyes would be and whether the prince was yet another
superstitious fool who believed Caden’s one green eye and one white were a sign
that he was devil-touched.
Fools, Jackson through to himself as Caden reached out and
placed his hand on Brutes’ head, rubbing the dog’s ears. Caden’s head was
cocked to one side, and he made a soft, clicking sound with his tongue that let
Jackson know he was listening. While his son could speak, Caden used words
sparingly and only after careful thought. It was one of the many things that
made the boy so endearing in his father’s eyes. In another’s eyes, however,
Jackson knew it was just another sign that Caden was different from others his
age.
“I’m sorry I had to wake you. Were you up late wandering the
moors again?”
Caden grinned and nodded, mismatched eyes lighting up and
darting to the heavy curtains that were blocking out much of the sun and the
moors that lay just beyond the window.
About the author
LAYLA DORINE lives among the sprawling prairies of
Midwestern America, in a house with more cats than people. She loves hiking,
fishing, swimming, martial arts, camping out, photography, cooking, and
dabbling with several artistic mediums. In addition, she loves to travel and
visit museums, historic, and haunted places.
Layla got hooked on writing as a child, starting with poetry
and then branching out, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. Hard times,
troubled times, the lives of her characters are never easy, but then what life
is? The story is in the struggle, the journey, the triumphs and the falls. She
writes about artists, musicians, loners, drifters, dreamers, hippies, bikers,
truckers, hunters and all the other folks that she’s met and fallen in love
with over the years. Sometimes she writes urban romance and sometimes its
aliens crash landing near a roadside bar. When she isn’t writing, or wandering
somewhere outdoors, she can often be found curled up with a good book and a
kitty on her lap.
Layla Dorine can be found
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