Ethan's Freedom

By Jade Archer

A cat shifter from another world who has spent his entire life as a sex slave and an emotional battered male nurse, these two men couldn't be more different or more perfect for each other, if only the past will leave them alone long enough to have a future.

Ethan is a wild, adventurous soul trapped in the life of a sex slave. For as long as he can remember he has been destined to be part of a harem dedicated to powering his master's spell casting.

But Ethan has dreams. Dreams that won't be denied. When a mysterious gift allows him the opportunity to escape, he grabs hold of it with both hands. But the realities of a life of freedom are nothing like what he had envisioned. Soon he is confused, hungry and running for his life.

Luck is with him, however, when he meets Michael Barnes. With the help of this warm, caring, emotionally bruised man, Ethan finally begins his journey to understanding the strange world and customs he has been thrust into and takes his first tentative steps to true freedom.

But there are those that would take back everything Ethan has gained. People that would like nothing more than to drag him back to his life as a harem slave.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Nov 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9780857153258

Jade Archer

Jade Archer was born in 2010 after a prolonged pregnancy and labour of over 34 years! I've decided she is about 24, enjoys long walks in the country because she does not have five kids and a husband to care for, eats as much chocolate as she wants because she never has to worry about putting on weight (must be all those long walks!) and can often be found planning her next whirlwind world tour or endlessly typing away (without any interruptions) on another hot and steamy erotic romance. It might be space pirates; it might be shifters or a lonely vampire with a hunger for the girl next door, one thing is for sure, she loves variety and cannot wait to meet the next characters destined to fall in love.

Book preview

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Ethan’s Freedom

ISBN # 978-0-85715-325-8

©Copyright Jade Archer 2010

Cover Art by Natalie Winters ©Copyright November 2010

Edited by Andrea Grimm

Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2010 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.

Portals

ETHAN’S FREEDOM

Jade Archer

Dedication

For AC, KD, BG, AK and XR. Because I adore each and every one of you.

Prologue

Ethan! Ethan, come back you’re going to get in trouble.

Ethan could hear his twin’s urgent, slightly panicky whisper behind him as he crept forward and scanned the hall, but he chose to ignore it. This was far too good an opportunity to waste listening to his timid, obsessively obedient brother.

All around them the castle was silent and still, everyone having hurried outside to complete the chores that needed doing there before the heat of the day became intolerable. Already the pale, yellow light of Rigial’s primary sun, only newly risen over the horizon, was pouring in warm and strong through the windows mounted high on the external walls. But while Ethan knew the foot-thick, strogram-insulated barrier was there to protect them from the harsh, unforgiving climate that was all part of living in a binary system, having spent a lifetime cooped up in a tiny nursery, he was desperate to see what lay beyond them.

Edging forward, he hugged the pale, rendered wall and hoped the shadows created by the overhead light would hide them from any prying eyes that had remained inside. It was fate, he assured himself, that they should find their door unlocked this morning. In just a few days they were scheduled to be moved and start the intensive training that would make them fully fledged pleasure cats. Once that happened and they were inside the harem with its constant demands and endless monitoring, there would be no hope of them ever getting out and exploring the world.

No. This was meant to be, he reassured himself. For this one brief moment, this one tiny window of time, they would be free. They would lose themselves in their exploration and forget all about the heavy, restricting mantel that was about to descend on them. He just wanted to enjoy the moment, to rejoice in a little spontaneous youthful exuberance and freedom before it was all taken away from them.

Pausing to get his bearings, he could hear the sound of his own breathing as it rushed in and out of his lungs in excited pants. It was so loud in his ears, and his lean, lanky, fifteen-year-old body vibrated with anticipation. This was going to be fantastic. The adventure of a lifetime, he promised himself. He was going to see, touch, taste and smell everything there was to discover out here in the big, wide world of the castle. No. Not just the castle, the whole grounds. Now was the moment. Quite possibly their one and only moment of freedom.

Everything looked so much brighter out here, he realised in awe. More vivid. More alive and vital. He gazed around wide-eyed at the high vaulted ceilings and the ornate stonework columns of the massive halls. He wished he could get closer to the tapestries he saw lining the walls. Their stunning colours and interesting depictions drew his eye at every turn, but he didn’t quite dare to leave the shadows he was hiding in.

With sheer willpower he managed to rein himself in. But it was hard. He felt like every pore of his body was thirsty for sensation and stimulation. On the other hand, he knew if someone came along and spotted them out here they would stop them from exploring any further. They would take them back to that dreary, boring, all too familiar room he and his brother had spent their whole lives in. And that just wasn’t acceptable. Not after he had seen all this. He wanted more. He needed to see everything there was to see. And he was determined that they were going to do it.

Behind him, he could hear Devon scrambling over the slippery marble floor as he struggled to catch up. Ethan smiled wickedly, his bright, emerald green eyes twinkling with mischief. He knew Devon would follow him. His twin would always follow him. He was devoted and loyal to a fault. Of course, he was just as dedicated to his brother, but sometimes Devon needed a little push.

We are going to get in so much trouble when the Master catches us. Devon gasped as he struggled to catch his breath after his mad dash down the hall. Trepidation danced in his pale blue eyes.

If we get caught, brother. Ethan emphasised confidently, "If. We’ll just have to make sure we don’t, that’s all. Now come on, I want to see outside."

Devon groaned as Ethan moved on down the hall, but he noticed that his brother didn’t turn back. Together they cautiously continued on their once in a lifetime escapade.

Thinking back, he couldn’t remember ever being allowed out into the castle gardens before. They could see them from their room through the tall, lattice covered arches of their windows, but they’d never been able to truly experience them. The beautiful flowering shrubs and majestic walkways lined with careful clipped trees. The clear, trickling stream that meandered through the grounds. They called to him now, just as they always had. He wanted to climb up into one of the graceful willows that arched over the water and feel the rough bark under his palms and feet. He wanted to scent the cool breeze as it whispered over his face. He wanted to paddle in the little stream and chase the tiny silvery fish that darted through it. Then he…

I want to go back, Ethan, Devon whined, tugging on his hand imploringly.

Ethan huffed impatiently. Sometimes his brother could be such a pain.

Look! Go back if you want to, I won’t try to stop you, but I’m going outside. If you don’t want to come, fine.

He pulled his hand free irritably and quickly moved farther down the corridor, hugging the wall and hunched over to make himself as small and inconspicuous as possible. He didn’t want to leave his brother behind, but he would. This adventure was just too important to him. He couldn’t stop now. Not now, when he was so close to realising his dream.

At the end of the hall he came to an intersection. He wasn’t sure which way would lead him out. He looked left and right uncertainly, then felt Devon slide into place beside him, pressing up against his body nervously. Forcing himself to stand up straight and squaring his shoulders confidently, he chose a direction at random. He didn’t want Devon seeing his indecision, so he headed to the left and hoped his natural feline instincts would stand him in good stead.

Slowly, he moved along the corridor, feeling very exposed and vulnerable in the crisp morning light that poured in to greet them. The farther along the corridor they went, the closer Devon shadowed him. Finally, he took pity on his brother and reached back to take his hand. He would never admit, even to himself, that it gave him comfort as well.

He was just starting to relax into the thrill of it all again when he heard loud voices drifting down the corridor towards them. The echoing sound filled the hall, getting closer and closer to them with each passing second. Both of them froze in terror when they recognised their Master voice amongst the cacophony.

Ethan’s eyes widened in horror while Devon began to tremble uncontrollably beside him. Ethan couldn’t agree more with the sense of terror he felt rolling of his brother in waves. They couldn’t be found out here by their Master. Even he had to admit that would be a bad thing. A very, very bad thing.

Quick! Hide in here, he whispered urgently, reaching for the closest door and pulling Devon in behind him.

Closing the heavy door as quietly as possible, Ethan stared around with growing alarm at the opulent room they found themselves in. He noticed in dismay that it looked like a study.

Please, he prayed silently. Please don’t let this be the room that Master is leading his guests to.

Bookshelves filled with heavy leather bound tomes lined the wall all the way to the ceiling. Plush carpets covered the floor. A number of very expensive ornaments, heavy wooden furniture and a huge globe of their world filled the space. It was a very impressive room, only the sheer size of it prevented it from feeling claustrophobic, but he really couldn’t appreciate any of it. All he was interested in was finding a place for Devon and himself to hide.

In front of a huge bank of windows sat a solid wooden desk with various documents spread out across its surface. The centre of the room was taken up by a circle of six overstuffed wingback chairs in dark leather. None of it looked terribly promising as a hiding place, but as the voices outside got close enough to hear through the thick wooden door, he made a slit second decision and sprinted for the far chair, pulling Devon in behind him just as the door was thrown open and the noisy group entered.

Devon burrowed into his neck in terror, and Ethan felt a cold sense of dread settle in his own belly as he wrapped his arms protectively around his frightened twin.

This was bad. Closing his eyes, he held his breath and prayed to all the gods for a miracle.

Something has to be done about these rebellions starting to crop up all over the place, their Master bellowed. This kind of thing starts off as simply annoying, but if it’s not crushed soon, word will start getting around, and they’ll all start thinking they can break free of our control.

He could hear the barely controlled rage in his Master’s voice as the man crossed the floor and sat down in the very chair they were cowering behind.

Ethan stifled a groan of despair. How much worse was this going to get? Now, Master Nevin was only inches away from them. If he found them in here, in this mood… Not good. So not good.

I agree, Nevin, but we’ve seen this kind of thing before. Fellin was lazy. If he’d maintained tighter control of his slaves, this would never have happened. Cat shifters can be a wilful bunch. If you don’t constantly let them know who’s boss, you’re asking for trouble. But none of us here would ever let that happen.

Exactly, Drellin, a pompous voice added. Fellin stopped thinking with the head on his shoulders years ago. The mage lower his voice to an excited whisper, obviously tantalised by the prospect of spreading some juicy gossip. "I heard that towards the end he was almost insensible with the madness. You know what happens when a tantric mage gives into his cravings. Apparently he was completely taken over by the need for sex. I even heard he had more than

Reviews for Ethan's Freedom

[serenayates · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed reading this story about two men who seem so different, yet are more similar than I first thought. It was a delight to see Ethan and Michael meet, explore who they are and what they really want in a relationship, and figure out how much they need each other.

Ethan has been a sex slave his whole life, but he is so playful and curious once he escapes his former master, that I sometimes forgot where he came from. So did he. But when events remind him, he quickly reverts to his old self, and I really felt for him. The depth of understanding Jade Archer manages to convey, allowing me to feel what Ethan felt, kept me hooked.

Michael seems to be the stronger of the two, and physically, he is. His emotions have had a severe beating, though, so meeting the playful Ethan does him a world of good. I loved how open he was to accepting Ethan's differences, surprising even himself. His character is just as well developed as Ethan's, which made watching the two of them interact a joy.

This is a great start to a new series. The world building is only just starting, I feel, and there will hopefully be much more to discover in the next volumes. One of them will hopefully deal with Ethan's twin brother, who was in real trouble at the end of this book. I really look forward t the next installment!



Note: This book was provided by TEB for the purpose of a review.