Protecting His Mistress...Book 24 in the Kindred Tales Series Read online

  Protecting His Mistress

  A Kindred Tales Novel

  Evangeline Anderson

  www.evangelineanderson.com

  Protecting His Mistress, 1st Edition,

  A Kindred Tales Novel

  Copyright © 2020 by Evangeline Anderson

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Art Design © 2020 by Reese Dante

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writers’ imagination or have been used factiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to a retailer of your choice or evangelineanderson.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Cover content is for illustrative purposes only.

  Any person depicted on the cover is a model.

  Contents

  Protecting His Mistress

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Epilogue

  The End?

  Unleashed by the Defender

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Give a Hot Kindred Warrior to a Friend!

  Sign up for my Newsletter!

  Do you love Audiobooks?

  Also by Evangeline Anderson

  About the Author

  Protecting His Mistress

  A Kindred Tales Novel

  He's undercover and she's naive, what happens when they find each other?

  When Karn, a member of the Kindred Elite Espionage Corps, is given the assignment to go undercover as a bodyslave at the home of a cruel Mistress, he doesn't hesitate to take the job. After all, lives are on the line and he has to find the list of Kindred warriors who have been taken prisoner. But to his surprise, he is bought by Mistress Maribella, not for herself, but for her innocent daughter, Lilli.

  Lilli has never owned a bodyslave before. She was raised in a convent, far from the hedonistic excesses of her native culture and she knows very little about the world. She does know, however, that she's not supposed to fall in love with her tall, muscular bodyslave. But how can she help herself when Karn is so patient and gentle with her? He teaches her things about pleasure she never knew were possible. Best of all, he's a Hybrid Kindred, which means he can't bond her to him or get her pregnant, which leads to what would be extremely risky behavior with any other male. But when her mother insists that Lilli take fertility hormones in order to bear an heir for their family, complications arise...

  Will their love survive the test?

  You'll have to read Protecting His Mistress to find out.

  Author’s Note

  In my previous Kindred Tales book, Dark and Light, I promised you the story of Imani and the Nightwalker Kindred. But once I started writing that book, Unleashed by the Defender, I only got three chapters into it before I realized there was another book—a kind of prequel—which had to be written first. That was this book, Protecting His Mistress. I promise that Imani's story is coming—in fact, I'm writing it now. In the meantime, please enjoy Protecting His Mistress.

  Hugs and Happy Reading,

  Evangeline

  July 2020

  One

  “Are you certain you’re up for this assignment, Commander Karn?”

  Commander Sylvan, head of the Kindred High Council and Karn’s Commanding Officer, raised his eyebrows inquiringly. “Knowing your stellar record in the Elite Espionage Corps, I wouldn’t ask, but it’s not every male who can stand to be treated the way they treat males where you’re going.”

  Karn inclined his head, indicating he knew what Sylvan was talking about.

  “So I understand,” he rumbled, running a hand through his thick, brownish-gold hair. He was a Hybrid—half Beast and half Blood Kindred—and he had the mismatched eyes to prove it. His left eye was sky blue and the right was blazing gold. But it was his status as a half-breed that allowed him not only to excel in the Elite Corps, but also to take the difficult and dangerous mission his commanding officer was offering him now.

  As a Hybrid, Karn knew his chances of bonding to any females and starting a family were almost nil—which honestly didn’t bother him. He had always known it, so he didn’t allow himself to long for a mate as most Kindred did. Instead, he threw himself into his work. And the fact that he had no expectations or hopes for the future made him a formidable agent—ready to try anything.

  Even posing as a bodyslave on the notorious Yonnie Six.

  “I can handle it,” he told Commander Sylvan with certainty. “You know I don’t shy away from difficult or dangerous missions, Commander.”

  “Yes, I know. And I’m grateful you’re willing to take this one on.” Commander Sylvan looked pleased. “Very well, let me give you the details.” He settled behind his desk and indicated a chair across from him for Karn. “Please, have a seat.”

  Karn settled his muscular bulk in the chair gingerly. As a Hybrid, he was also slightly larger than most Kindred warriors—over seven feet tall. No doubt it was one of the reasons Commander Sylvan had chosen him for this assignment. It was well known the Mistresses of Yonnie Six liked to have the biggest, most muscular, terrifying-looking bodyslaves they could get. It was a status symbol for them.

  Well, Karn could stand to be a status symbol for a little while. After all, this wasn’t a permanent assignment. He was up for anything.

  Or so he thought at the time.

  “All right,” Commander Sylvan said. “Well, lately we’ve had reports of more and more Kindred warriors of all kinds from all areas of the galaxy being kidnapped by the Yonnites and taken as bodyslaves. I’m afraid our race has come into ‘fashion’ and we’re now the
preferred males for such service.”

  Karn winced.

  “Ouch. That’s a hell of a thing to be singled out for.”

  “It’s becoming a real problem,” Sylvan said seriously. “And the difficulty is finding exactly where each warrior has been taken. Once they get sucked into the Yonnite system, they can be traded and bought and sold so many times, it can be almost impossible to locate them.”

  “But I’m guessing you found a solution to that particular problem?” Karn raised one eyebrow.

  “We think we have, yes.” Sylvan nodded. “There has been a shake-up in the Sacred Seven—the ruling body of Yonnie Six. Reports of corruption resulted in a complete rearrangement and replacement of several members. And one of the new members is Mistress Mirabella. She’s new to the power structure and she’s been given the job of Archivist for the Sacred Seven. And, as Archivist, she ought to have a listing of all registered bodyslaves, their places of origin, their sale records, and their current locations.”

  Karn gave a long, low whistle.

  “Whoever could get into her records could find every single one of the warriors who’ve been taken.”

  “Exactly.” Sylvan nodded. “And that’s where you come in.”

  “I’ll be happy to infiltrate her household and get into those records,” Karn assured him. “But how can you be certain she’ll buy me?”

  “We have an in at the private auction house where Lady Mirabella has bought her last six bodyslaves,” Sylvan said. “A Lady Tikka—a lower tier Mistress with huge gambling debts. Creditors are breathing down her neck, which is the only reason she’s willing to work with us. For the right price, she’s willing to make certain you end up as Mistress Mirabella’s newest bodyslave. And word on the street is that she’s about to buy a new one since she got tired of her oldest one and sent him to the Diluthian Mines.”

  Karn frowned.

  “Seven Hells, that’s a death sentence!”

  Diluthian was a toxic mineral which released deadly fumes when it was unearthed. It was useful in the refining process of Dream Gas—a product Yonnie Six was famous for. But workers that went to the mines, didn’t last long.

  “Yes, I know,” Sylvan said blandly. “That’s another reason I want you to be sure you want this assignment. It could turn deadly if you’re not able to please Mistress Mirabella sufficiently.”

  Karn shrugged and grinned.

  “I have yet to meet the female I can’t please, Commander.” As a Hybrid, he didn’t have to worry about bonding anyone to him. So he’d had his fair share of amorous encounters, though he took care never to become emotionally involved with any of them.

  “So I hear,” Commander Sylvan said dryly. “It’s yet another reason why I thought of you when this assignment came up.”

  “I’ll do it,” Karn said without hesitation. “I know there are risks but hell, there always are.” That was part of the excitement of working in the Espionage Corps—you never knew what was coming next.

  Sylvan smiled.

  “You’ll be doing your kinsmen a great favor, Commander. I know there are many in bondage right now, who need to be discovered and rescued.”

  “We’ll find them, Commander Sylvan,” Karn vowed. Both males rose and Sylvan offered his arm for a warrior’s clasp. “We’ll find every last one and bring them home,” Karn said as he took the offered arm.

  “I pray the Goddess will bless your mission,” Sylvan said formally. “And I thank you for taking this risk.”

  Karn smiled. “Happy to do it, Commander.”

  Of course, at the time he had no idea he would be risking much more than his life—he would be risking his heart.

  But by the time he found that out, it was too late…

  Two

  “Just stand still on the pedestal and try to look menacing,” Mistress Tikka snarled under her breath. “Mistress Mirabella likes big, scary bodyslaves. They enhance her status.”

  “I can do that.” Karn pasted a glare on his face and tensed, making his muscles bulge. He did wish he didn’t have to be displayed naked—it really wasn’t his preference to stand around with his shaft hanging out. But apparently those were the rules of the private auction house, since the minute Lady Tikka had met him, the first words out of her mouth had been an order to strip.

  Not that she had much else to say to him, Karn thought, eyeing the sour look on her narrow face. She had bright green hair which went badly with her sallow complexion and seemed to hate her role, working for the Kindred. And no wonder, since all Yonnites considered males to be inferior. But apparently her huge gambling debts were more pressing than her hatred of men. So though she clearly despised what she was doing, at least she was doing a fairly professional job of it.

  He was trying to be professional too—though posing naked wasn’t his usual line of work, he thought dryly. Well, mostly naked. He was wearing a thick black pain collar around his neck, as did almost all bodyslaves on Yonnie Six. It was a fake, though—thoughtfully provided by Commander Sylvan. It looked extremely real and even had a remote that went with it. Karn just had to remember to ‘writhe in agony’ when the pain button on the remote was pressed, which shouldn’t be a problem.

  The fake collar, of course, was absolutely vital to his getting out of this assignment in one piece. If he had been wearing a real pain collar, he would have been as trapped here as the other Kindred warriors which had been captured and enslaved.

  As he stood there looking menacing, several of the Mistresses shopping for bodyslaves passed by the pedestal where he was standing. They all stopped to admire his physique and ask how much. But Mistress Tikka just shook her head.

  “Sorry—he’s already spoken for.”

  This happened three or four times and Karn was just beginning to wonder if Lady Mirabella was even there when the thin Mistress beside him hissed,

  “Get ready—here she comes!”

  Looking down the rows of displayed males, all naked and wearing pain collars like the fake one he had on, he saw a tall, thin, middle-aged woman coming around the corner. She had brassy gold hair the color and texture of the Christmas tinsel Karn had seen on decorated trees down on Earth, a long nose, and thin lips which she pursed in apparent disapproval of almost everything she saw.

  Beside the forbidding-looking Mistress and walking a half step behind her was a much younger girl who appeared to be barely in her twenties. She was both shorter and plumper than Mistress Mirabella with softly rounded curves Karn found immensely appealing. Her honey-blonde hair hung in lose ringlets around her oval face and her big brown eyes were wide as she looked from side to side at the massive naked males on display.

  “Come along, Lilliana,” Mistress Mirabella snapped at her. “Don’t shilly-shally so! I know you’ve never been to a bodyslave market before but there’s no excuse to lag behind.”

  “I…I’ve just never seen so many males. And…and all without their clothes.” The girl’s voice was soft and uncertain. “I never knew what they looked like with no clothes on before!”

  “Honestly!” Mistress Mirabella blew out a breath impatiently. “I knew I should have picked a more liberal place to have you raised until I was ready to make you my heir. But the Sisters of Chastity and Honor came so highly recommended.” She frowned at the girl who must be her daughter—though they looked nothing alike to Karn. “Do stop staring at their shafts! It’s not like they have any use to us—a bodyslave’s shaft is only useful for display purposes. And we don’t use that part of them for anything else!”

  “But…but they’re so big,” Lilli murmured and Karn saw—with some discomfort—that her big brown eyes were now fixed on him. She was staring right between his legs.

  “Yes, well. That’s to be expected with this kind of slave. Kindred, is he?” Mistress Mirabella said to Lady Tikka as they came to a stop before Karn’s pedestal.

  “Indeed he is, Lady Mirabella.” Mistress Tikka raised her chin. “And a prime specimen as you can tell. Are you looking fo
r a protector or simply a big, frightening showpiece male to increase your status?”

  Karn snarled menacingly to show that he was well able to fulfill either function. The expression showed off his fangs to best advantage, which were his heritage from the Blood Kindred side of his family.

  “Both,” Mistress Mirabella said shortly. “But not for me—for my daughter. She’s only just come of age and this will be her first bodyslave. As such, he will have to be both protective and attentive as she’s very inexperienced.”

  Karn quickly wiped off the menacing snarl he’d pasted on his face. If he was going to make the sale it was clear he would have to appeal to the girl, who was looking up at him with a mixture of fear and uncertainty on her lovely face.

  “The Kindred can do that,” Mistress Tikka said quickly. On top of her fee, she had been promised that she could keep whatever credit Karn’s sale made her, so she was motivated to ‘move the merchandise’ as it were.