Pardon. Julia Payton

      Prologue

      In a land ruined by military strife, and with a virus which has plagued the nations and affected the fertility of all remaining people, the Colonel (Maxim) rules the eastern half of what used to be the United States, now known as the Ruins. He rules with complete control, having with him a small panel of soldiers who group by his side: Tiberius, his second in command, a giant of a man with no need for love or companionship; Zahir, a soldier from another land who fights with honor and a cool exterior; Kal, a man with a smile on his face but torment in his heart.

      With a genetic immunity against the virus, some honored women remain fertile. They are known as Pure. One of these women, Iolanthe, has been watched over and protected unknowingly since childhood by the Colonel who’s been waiting until she was of age and ready to be his. When she reaches maturity, Maxim brings her to his home to be his. She resists him, even while she wants him.

      In Maxim’s home lives a man who professes to be the Colonel’s servant, Jonathan. Jonathan instigates trouble, inviting seduction, and eventually has Iolanthe put from the house. Maxim assigns Kal and Zahir as Iolanthe’s guards and they go with her back to the warehouse and streets where she grew up. Their job is to keep her safe until Maxim decides he’s ready to forgive and take her back.

      Meanwhile there is a rebellion beginning, led by Ryva, the Elysium queen, who rules the western side of the decrepit nations. She has taken the ruined states and unified them, strengthening and readying the Resistance for warfare against the Colonel. It’s clear what she wants: she wants to have his nation. And she wants him in her bed.

      As Iolanthe wallows in the streets with her guards, she begins to form a friendship with the taciturn Zahir. Kal, who is unable to control his hormones that cause an elevated sex drive, attacks her and is driven away. Iolanthe goes with Zahir to his home, where Maxim finds her.

      Punishing the both of them, Zahir is given to Ryva as her slave as part of a bargain struck between the Colonel and Iolanthe. Iolanthe is once again taken into Maxim’s home, but this time she has no options. She must be his, with no recourse. She agrees to be totally compliant in order to save Zahir’s life.

      During a standard military trial in the Ruins, the Citadel is attacked. Maxim and Iolanthe flee to one of his safe houses deep in the mountains of the Appalachians. He seduces her, and she finally acquiesces. He then cruelly leaves her behind, choosing to battle with Ryva over loving her.

      In Elysium, Zahir has been given to Ryva as her personal slave. He’s bound by an oath and kept in shackles by a deviant queen who wants nothing more than to learn all the secrets he holds by using his body against him. But what she doesn’t know will bring down Elysium when Zahir is finally done with her.

      Tiberius is left in charge to clean up the mess after the attack on the Citadel. One of his captives is a woman named Sophie. He suspects she is a Resistance spy, but regardless, he is immediately drawn to her. His lust drives him to take her as his own, and they later embark on a journey to save her adopted children, who have been kidnapped and taken to the Hillside by a ruthless Kal.

      The Hillside is a commune deep in the mountains, a place known to have fetishes and dark secrets, and where they must go to save her children. Tiberius never thought he would care for anyone; now he’s traveling with a woman who is likely a rebel against the nation he serves so faithfully…