1. Jaega

"Leave me alone!" The fear in the young man's distant voice sent icy dread through Jaega. His army had captured the castle in Shadron after a fierce battle, and it sounded like one of his men was about to commit a heinous crime that the general couldn't abide. "Don't touch me!"

He sprinted toward the disturbance, arriving to discover a disturbing scene of a naked man cowering against a wall next to a bed from an aggressive jaguar shifter who was part of Jaega's ranks. "Torval!" He withdrew his sword, ready to use it if need be. Jaega wouldn't tolerate anyone in his army breaking his strict moral code of ethics.

The corporal flinched at the booming voice and from being caught in a compromising situation. "General, I was just?—"

"About to make a huge mistake?" Jaega glared at him with an angry fire burning in his amber eyes. It did not pay to anger a powerful dragon shifter who controlled an entire army. "Agreed. Return to camp to await your punishment. Now."

The command in his voice left no room for negotiation. Torval hung his head with a defeated sigh. "Yes, General." He bowed, then exited before his commanding officer could change his mind about letting him live.

The naked man standing in front of Jaega was fearful but defiant. "You may as well kill me. I'd rather be dead than be your whore."

He was dirty and shackled, with both his hands and feet bound with heavy chains. His long white hair was badly matted. There was the faintest trace of shifter markings on his pale skin, but they were a dull silver and not vibrant like they should be. Even under the filth, he appeared to be very handsome. What was strange was that Jaega could smell the taint of neglect on him, but there was no hint of the man's scent. It was an oddity, considering dragon shifters were renowned for their powerful sense of smell.

"I did not save you from one beast to inflict myself upon you in such a dishonorable way." Jaega sheathed his sword to put the man at ease. "I am Jaega Ariake, the head general of Valzerna's army, under the command of my oldest brother, King Tatsuki Ariake. You have nothing to fear from me."

The man watched him warily. "So you say. Everyone knows military men rape and pillage as they please."

"Not in my army. I would sooner strike one of my men down than allow that." Jaega held his hands out in surrender. "Will you let me help free you? Now that King Decius of Shadron has been dethroned, you can return home."

The man's brow wrinkled with distrust. "You're not going to keep me for yourself as a war trophy?"

Jaega shook his head. "I have never claimed any person as a war trophy, and I am certainly not about to start doing that now." He sensed the man wavering in his resolve to stay distrustful. "What is your name?"

The man hesitated for a moment. "Fersen Rohesia."

"Please allow me to undo the grievous wrong that has been done to you by a cruel king."

"You can't." The despair in his voice tugged at Jaega's heart. "These are enchanted to electrocute me if anyone tries to use magic on them."

"Then I will not use magic." Jaega took a step closer to Fersen, who stood his ground.

The chains between the wrist shackles were also connected to the ankle ones. Jaega made quick work of breaking off the adjoined chains and the ones that bound Fersen to the wall. However, the cuffs themselves were impossible to pull apart, even with Jaega's considerable brute strength. He frowned with frustration as he came up with a different plan.

"Since I cannot remove these, I would suggest you come back to camp with me so that one of our lock pickers can free you from these."

"So you are taking me as a war trophy," Fersen said in a flat voice.

"No, I am merely suggesting that you accompany me as a guest to my quarters. You will be fed, clothed, and you can bathe. After a good night of rest, you will be better prepared to start your journey home tomorrow." When Fersen still didn't seem convinced, Jaega spoke more directly. "On the honor of my royal family, I will not lay a hand on you, nor will I allow anyone else to. You will be treated the same as any honored guest of the royal clan of Ariake."

"Why would you do that for me, though? You don't know me or owe me anything."

Jaega took off his jacket and draped it over Fersen's thin shoulders. It dwarfed his smaller body, but it at least covered his dignity. "Because it is the right thing to do. No one deserves to be kept like a caged animal, especially not you."

Fersen looked down at the floor as he held the coat tighter around him. He was clearly struggling with what decision to make.

But Jaega was good at waiting. He didn't know what drew him to Fersen, but something told him the young man would be worth the effort.