Book excerpt: Gaven grew up a bastard without a father...until the day his noble-born sire came to claim him, destroying his home and killing everyone around him. But Gaven's suffering has only just begun. Because his father has given him to a legendary warrior named Vlar to train him, both in battle and in bed. Both are terrifying to Gaven, as the worlds of warfare and of men loving men seem equally alien to him. Vlar, one of the infamous Finnarian race known for drinking blood, is as ruthless and powerful as he is unforgettable. Now Gaven faces a future without hope, his former life lost, given to be bonded to a frightening stranger... Vlar is a being of legend. He is powerful and utterly without mercy. Gaven has no choice but to submit to him. But when the chance comes to flee, Gaven takes it. Only Vlar is not a man who ever gives up what is his. There is a hidden side to Vlar, the opposite of the merciless warrior so deadly with a blade. This Vlar is surprisingly caring to Gaven, training him for bonding...and that care upends everything Gaven thought he knew of the warrior. Gaven's old life has been destroyed, but Vlar may just make him a mate...if only he can survive until then. Reader note: Previously released. Reader discretion advised: contains intense emotional elements, gay fantasy romance, and male male love