Serenading her Knight: Lokaran Knights, #1

By MaryAnn Burnett

Step into a world of passion, magic, and a brotherhood bound by honor. From the moment Mayali locks eyes with Zikaran, her brother's best friend, she knows he is her first and only love. But does knightly honor outweigh the irrefutable pull of a love that defies society, time, and even magic itself?

Zikaran, an alpha warrior with a reputation for unfailing loyalty and unwavering duty, has returned from a perilous quest. Haunted by the weight of his knightly honor, he is torn between his unspoken pact of brotherhood with Tivarn and the uncontrollable, smoldering desire he feels for Tivarn's sister.

Mayali, all grown up and endowed with a mystical voice that can calm those listening, finds her heart ensnared by the only man she's ever loved. A man who is her brother's best friend. As they navigate love and loyalty, a gift may light their way.

Will Zikaran and Mayali defy the age-old codes of knightly honor and brotherhood for a love as eternal as it is forbidden?

Enjoy this Sweet and Steamy Instalove romance with a Happily Ever After ending and no cliffhangers.

Serenading the Knight is Book 1 of Lokaran Knights. A series that can be read in any order but is more fun when read from first book to last. You never know who may visit later books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spanielhill Publishing
• Release date: Oct 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223066965

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Istep through the door of the Relfaire Tavern, the chill that clung to my cloak and boots melts away, vanquished by the hearth-warmed interior. But the bone weariness of a long journey does not fully unfurl in the tavern's warm embrace. I feel the lingering discomfort of a half-day's walk from the nearest waystone on the ancient, spell-woven road. Those mystical waypoints have always fascinated me. Carved from a single stone but imbued with an arcane energy, they can propel a traveler great distance in the blink of an eye. Yet despite their wonder, the waystones have their limits. They have a limited range and only linked specific locations of importance. Relfaire was not deemed to be of importance. A thought my friend Tivarn would likely disagree with.

Relfaire, small and tucked away in the folds of rolling hills, was beyond the quickened pulse of the Lokara’s magical arteries, nestled in a place that even arcane currents hesitated to flow. Traveling to such a remote location required the slower, more taxing effort of walking. I had often wondered if the isolation had contributed to making Tivarn the powerful Mage Knight he is.

I push my woolgathering aside as my eyes adjust to the dimly lit interior, taking in the worn wooden furnishings and flickering lights that cast dancing shadows across the walls.

The tavern smells pleasantly of old wood and yeast from freshly baked bread. I inhale deeply, savoring the mingling scents of smoke and roasted meat that saturate the air. My stomach growls at the promise of food not stale from being wrapped in oiled cloth for days on the road. I once again regret not buying that stay-fresh spell stone when I had the chance.

As mugs clink together in toasts or careless movements, the tangy undertone of ale wafts through the air. The familiar warmth and comfort of a tavern envelopes me, a soothing balm for a weary soul. The murmur of conversation, the clink of tankards, the occasional burst of laughter all welcomes me with a steadiness that only a tavern can. I feel immediately at home, grateful to be in a place that offers much-need rest and solace.

The last time I was in the village of Relfaire had been before the pass to Void Mountain had rupture to spill monsters over our borders. There had been years of constant battles that kept all of us Mage Knights constantly on alert and fighting with a blur of steel and sorcery. Now that the breach was closed, each of us who had sealed it vowed to ensure the stability of the other mountain passes. On my shoulders, I feel the weight of five years of protecting our people. Such evil as we have battled will not be long deterred.

Since my journey took me past the village of Relfaire, I had agreed to a side trip to check on Tivarn’s little sister for him.

My thoughts drift to that long-ago summer, sandwiched between the end of our squiring and the beginning of full-fledged knighthood. I had accompanied Tivarn back to his family home, a brief respite as we awaited new orders that would determine our paths.

Mayali had been just a child then, her hair tied back in playful pigtails. She was a radiant bundle of energy, trailing behind