As Drexan Thalos’s cousin, Vedian was on Drexan’s radar from an early age. Because of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his cousin, Vedian has an almost overwhelming sense of right and wrong. When he finds out about Tyne and Aran, finding them, protecting them from his cousin, becomes a reason to get up in the morning, even in the face of his own memories as a prisoner of war and the torture he suffered at the hands of his captors.
Vedian is a natural protector. Joining the Amaran military was just one in a long list of ways he used to stand up for those weaker than he is and do his duty to his people, because, for Vedian, it’s all about people.
When I wrote this story I was thinking about the unproven stories we used to hear of American prisoners of war still kept in Vietnam and what it would be like to be one of those forgotten people. Even through his years of isolation, Vedian never forgot who he was or his principles and growing up with Drexan as a cousin had a lot to do with that. When the book starts, he just wants to put things right. He never expects it will lead to him finding his mates.
Excerpt
He couldn’t leave a single one of them here. Vedian knew it the moment he walked into the brothel.
There were several brothels on the small station, but this was the only one that bragged that customers could do anything they wanted, bar death, to the slaves. The place reeked of desperation and every scar Vedian saw felt like it was seared onto his own skin. Every whip mark and he felt it strike against his back.
These people were as hopeless as slaves, as he’d been as a prisoner.
Then there was Aran.
The adalan confused him. From the moment he’d seen him, Vedian’s body had reacted to Aran the way it did to Tyne. He felt sparks of attraction to him even as he helped him out of the room and up the hall. He felt a deep well of guilt, like he was cheating on Tyne which was ridiculous. Amarans were very open about sex and took multiple partners. It was customary for groups to come together for mutual pleasure, though Vedian had done none of that since his release from capture.
There were some cultures out there that romanticised monogamy, Amarans were not like that. But during his time in that cell, something inside Vedian had changed. When it was confirmed Tyne was his mate something possessive took over and Vedian knew that Tyne would be the only adalan he’d ever touch again.
His reaction to Aran confused him.