Corin’s Chance By Hannah Walker
Author Name: Hannah Walker
Book Name: Corin’s Chance
Series: Avanti Chronicles
Book: One
Release Date: October 30, 2015
Blurb:
Posted to some stars awful cruiser, Dr. Corin Talovich hoped to serve his time quietly and get on with his life, but fate stepped in and decided otherwise.
Crashing into an unknown planet was the last thing Corin expected. With only his friend, Lieutenant Commander Tate Riven, by his side, they face the unexplored world and new enemies bravely, leading them to the Derin Clan, where they’re welcomed by the leader’s son.
Kel isn’t sure about the strange men, but he isn’t about to send them away, especially when the bond between Corin and himself is something he can’t ignore.
When another clan wages an attack, Kel is forced to make some hard choices which nearly costs him everything he holds dear. Together, with their allies, Corin and Kel fight, focusing on the future they desire, knowing failure not only dooms their love, but also those around them. Side by side, they work to destroy the evil threatening to keep them apart and becoming the family both men desire.
Pages or Words: 140,000 words
Categories: Alternate universe, Fantasy, Fiction, Gay fiction, M/M romance, Romance, Science fiction (with a little space opera feel)
Excerpt:
With a nod to one of the four guards at the door’s entrance, Carn led them into the room. Following behind him, they walked right up to the massive table sat at the end. Around the table were stood six men, they must have ranged in ages from late teens to mid-sixties. They all looked weary and haggard, their bodies drooping where they stood. Maps, paperwork and cups littered the table in front of them.
One of them turned to Carn who was standing at the front of Corin’s group. “Damn it, Carn, I told you we weren’t to be disturbed for anything. I don’t care who the latest bloody delegate from the Alliance is. Now is not the time.” A huge frown accompanied the man’s words.
“Laird Kel, these aren’t delegates. I think you are going to want to hear this. They came asking for you as Kel, saying it was about a young girl named Eliya,” Carn cautiously spoke, wary of upsetting any of the men around the table.
All around them heads shot up from what they were focused on. Suddenly every pair of eyes in the room was focused on them with a laser like intensity.
“What do you know about Eliya?” The man named Kel demanded.
Corin watched as he stalked towards them. His movements, while predatory, were graceful. He was close to seven feet of solid planes and hard muscles. His skin was a golden bronze which seemed to glisten in the lights around him. His hair was a mid-blonde, and flowed to just past his shoulders. Leather bracers covered his forearms while second, smaller leather circlets were wrapped around each bicep. Leather trousers were moulded to his thighs. Corin’s heart began to beat faster. Never had a first glance at someone affected him as it did now.
Laird Kelin was rugged in appearance. While still young, his face had a slightly rugged visage which was likely due to many hours spent outdoors. His eyes were both brown and green, with the green bleeding into the brown on the outer edges. He had a strong nose, coupled with a square jaw, and a dusting of facial hair, that just added to his overall ruggedness.
Corin’s cock went from soft, to rock hard and aching instantly. Damn this was a man he would happily have under him, over him, inside him. In fact, he would take him any which way he could. Tate shot Corin a questioning glance and Corin realised he hadn’t been able to hide his reaction from his friend.
Shooting a glance at Tate and shaking his head, Corin boldly stepped forward. “I need to know who you are to Eliya before I can say anything.”
A second later one of the other men stood around the table jumped over it, and was hurtling towards Corin with a look of murderous intent on his face. Just as he got to Corin, he threw a punch that never landed. Instead, Tate stepped between Corin and Eliya, who was still asleep in the sling, and this new man. The punch hit him square in the abdomen, the pain was instantaneous, he staggered back, all the air gone from his lungs. Tate could feel his stitches rip open from the impact. Trying to suck in a deep breath, he called on all his years of training with the Avanti and pushed the pain into the recesses of his mind and forced his body back to standing whilst simultaneously pulling his knife from the sheath at his side.
“Make another move towards him again and I’ll kill you. You want him? You have to go through me first, and I promise you, I. Will. Win. You have no idea what you nearly did there.” Tate growled at the man, his stance wide, both aggressive and defensive at the same time.
“Do you know who I am?” The new man demanded as he bared his teeth at Tate.
“No,” Tate replied. “And frankly, I don’t care. Now. Back. The. Fuck. Off.”
They watched as the man named Kel placed a restraining arm across the other man’s chest. “Leave it, Tir, let me deal with this. I mean it. We won’t find anything out if we beat them. They came to us willingly, give them a chance to explain.”
They all watched the man called Tir run his hands over his face before he gave a small nod and took two small steps back.
Kel raised an eyebrow at him, sighed and then turned back to Corin. There were several emotions swirling through his gaze, but his voice was calm when he spoke again. “I am Laird Kelin Tharn, son of the Chieftain of this clan and Eliya is my niece, Laird Tirathon Tharn is her father. She was kidnapped two weeks ago with her nurse when they were walking the grounds. We have heard nothing since. There has been no ransom demands, no sightings, nothing. We have searched and searched and no trace has yet been found. The entire clan is grief stricken. As you can see, my brother is barely holding it together. Now. What. Do. You. Know.” His voice rose slightly as he struggled not to let his impatience show.
Corin looked at Tate, his eyes registering the fact the Tate looked clammy once again, they nodded to one another and Corin reached up to slowly untie the cloak from around him. He gently lifted the sleeping form of Eliya from the sling before looking up at Kel and quietly asking, “is this her?”
Gasps echoed all round, a choked sob came from Tir’s direction before he quickly lifted her from Corin’s arm, tears streaming down his face. Smiles shone around the room as a small voice whispered, “Papi?”
Quickly a group surrounded the reunited father and daughter, cheers echoed around the room. A wave of happiness ran through the chamber and out the doors as word passed from one guard to another. Shouts of joy could be heard from the hallways as the news spread. A soft whimper from beside Corin saw him snapping his head to look at Tate.
Interview:
What are you most proud of about your life? (If they answer with something other than a personal statement, like a business achievement, ask “What about on a personal level?”)
How I’ve helped my clan. It’s what I was brought up to do. To support the clan chieftain, whether that was my father, or brother, who was in the role. The role of a laird is a more practical one than the chieftain. We tend to move about the clans fostering relations as well as spending more time training with the warriors. I like to think that I’ve achieved a lot in both of those roles.
On a personal level, I am most proud of my family. I am blessed with a truemate, something I never expected. He was a surprise when he came barreling into my life, and the surprises haven’t stopped yet. I hope they don’t for a long time to come.
Do you think you’ve turned out the way your parents expected?
No I don’t, at least I’ve not met my father’s expectations. I know that my father is disappointed with the fact that I like men. The way he sees it, this is a passing phase that I will grow out of. He thinks I just need the love of a good woman to knock me out of my rebellious phase. Of course that isn’t true, but he won’t hear anything differently. It’s a constant bone of contention between the two of us. My father certainly makes his displeasure known. Because of that he tends not to see any of my other achievements. He’s simply ambivalent to all that I do now.
Would my mother be proud? I like to think she would. She always cared deeply about our happiness. She championed for us to have as normal a life as possible. She didn’t want either Tir or myself bogged down by clan duties at an early age. I think she would have been pleased that we were both happy despite the many setbacks we have suffered.
Is there anything you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done? What would happen if you did it?
I have always wanted to travel the stars. It isn’t something Landrans do. We are quite insular as a race, preferring to keep to ourselves. I’ve always wanted to meet new people, new races and learn from them. If you had asked me a year ago I would have said it wasn’t possible, nor was it ever likely to happen. Now the Avanti are here— who knows? If I did get the opportunity, I think I would love to take a galactic year to simply explore the wonders of all seven known universes. Not really doable in a year, but hey it’s a dream, so I might as well dream big!
What’s the worst thing that’s happened in your life? What did you learn from it?
That would have to be the death of my mother. It was a hard time for all of us. It happened when I was a young lad and my memories of her are not as numerous as I would like them to be, but I do have some.
The one thing I learned is that every life is precious to someone. Every person be they Laird, warrior or maid is loved by someone. No life should ever be taken easily and without good reason.
What would you like it to say on your tombstone?
We don’t use tombstones in the same way that most races do. Instead we have plagues on a family wall. I would like mine to say –
Kelin Tharn
Loved and respected Laird of the Derin.
A truemate, brother and father who will be sadly missed.
Clan Pride.
Corin rolled his eyes. Stupid idiots. He was sitting on the bank of grass beside the training grounds watching the Avanti set up an unarmed sparing competition. Somehow Dax had managed to persuade Carn and Naris, the Derin Masters at Arms and Dariux, the Estrivian Master at Arms to allow him to have some fun. Well fun with a serious twist.
Dax and the Masters had decided it would be good to see how the warriors were doing with all the new training. Dax had decided what better way than to hold a competition. The winner would get a week off from all his normal duties, the two runners-up would each get two days off.
Corin knew that days off had been a rarity since everything had happened with Martellon and his clan, so for the warriors it was a great opportunity. Of course, what everyone had forgotten was that it would make Corin’s life and that of his assistants harder. With such prizes on offer, there would be no holding back, no pulled punches. Which, of course, meant more injuries for him to deal with. His lead assistant, Molina sat beside him, both of them ready to step in, med bags at their sides.
Dax patted Corin on the back, laughing at the scowl sent his way. “Doc, you know it will be good for them.” He nodded at all the warriors dotted around, all of them in high spirits at the thought of earning bragging rights amongst the other warriors.
“I know,” Corin blew out a frustrated breath, “I just fancied a quiet few days. This is the first time we haven’t had any guests in the med unit and you have to go and spoil it. Shame on you.”
Dax threw back his head and laughed, long and deep. “Come on, Doc. You know you love fixing people up.”
Corin’s only response was a narrowing of his eyes before he caught sight of Kel walking towards him. His face broke into a wide grin and the sight of his truemate. He was somewhat surprised when Kel did nothing more than give him a quick kiss on the lips before starting to back away.
“Wish me luck, babe.” Kel cracked his knuckles.
“Why do you need luck?” Corin watched as Kel started to walk backwards down the bank of grass.
“For the competition.”
“Oh, for the love of…” Corin shook his head. Damn stupid man, idiot. Muttering to himself, he kept up a litany of remarks as Kel simply laughed before turning and jogging to join his brother Tir.
“Want me to get the other assistants?” Molina’s soft, yet resigned, voice broke into his muttering.
“I think you’d better, we’re going to have a busy day, I’m guessing.”
Corin wasn’t wrong.
The competition had been going since early morning. So far they had dealt with two broken bones and too many split knuckles, strained muscles and black eyes to count. He was thankful this grand idea of Dax’s was only hand-to-hand combat. The last thing he needed was to deal with more serious injuries. He had to admit that the warriors were improving. The Estrivian warriors were marginally better than the Derin warriors, but then again, they’d had the advantage of training alongside the Avanti for longer.
By the time the afternoon rolled round there were less than twenty warriors left. Twelve from Estrivia and seven from the Derin. While there may have been less warriors fighting, it didn’t mean less work for his med team. The fighting was definitely heating up as each of the warriors got closer to overall victory, each one more determined than the last to achieve victory.
Dariux gingerly lowered himself to the grass beside Corin. He felt a slight pull in his abdomen and groaned as pain lanced through his stomach.
Corin whipped his head around, his gaze immediately assessing Dariux. “Need a pain shot?”
“No, it will fade in a minute.” Dariux grimaced as the aftershocks rippled across the healing muscles.
Corin raised a brow, but nodded. “Let me know if you need one.” He given up trying to persuade stubborn assed warriors that accepting pain meds wasn’t them being weak.
“I will do, Doc, but I have a feeling you are about to get busier.”
“Why?”
“Look.” Dariux gestured to the sparring circle to see Bray had stepped into the ring, paired off against one of the smallest Derin warriors.
Bray’s copper hair was shining bright in the afternoon sun, his grin slightly wicked. As the quietest and most serious of the Avanti, the warriors were always slightly hesitant around him. Oh, the evil man was most definitely using it to his advantage today. The warrior facing off with him, Salin, looked beyond wary.
Corin didn’t know which fight to watch. On the one hand, there was Bray’s match, on the other Tir and Bell were facing off in the ring next to them. Now that was going to be an interesting match. Bell’s reactions were especially quick. His shifter nature meant faster reflexes, more agility and heightened senses. Add in his Avanti training and there was little doubt who would be the victor in the match. Yet Tir seemed determined to give as good as he got. A shout from the other fight had his head whipping round. With a weary resignation, he grabbed his med bag and jogged down to the warrior who lay on the floor groaning.
Bray was crouched beside Salin, his own medical training had already assessed Salin, glad to see it was nothing serious. “He twisted badly on a patch of mud. I don’t think it’s anything worse than a strained ankle.”
Corin nodded his agreement, having already come to the same conclusion. The two of them hauled Salin to his feet, helping him out of the sparring ring. He quickly strapped Salin’s ankle and had him sit with the other warriors recovering. Salin was greeted with good-natured ribbing from his fellow warriors and even injured they were all still attempting to play fight. He shook his head and looked up to see that Kel had taken Salin’s place. His mate was now facing off against Bray. All thoughts of the other match slipped from his mind as he watched his man limber up, taking advantage of his bare chest to ogle the muscles on display, much to Dariux’s amusement.
It wasn’t long before Hunter shouted, “Begin.”
Kel kept a wary eye on Bray as he circled around, not letting Bray back him up to the edge of the ring drawn into the earth. One step outside of the line and he would concede the match. He feinted to the left, smiling when Bray simply quirked a brow and stayed calmly where he was. Next he feinted to the right, before jumping back in front of Bray, who just shook his head at Kel’s antics.
“Is that all you can manage, lad?” Bray taunted.
“Lad?” Kel spluttered. “I don’t see any lad in this ring.”
“I do. You.”
Kel smirked refusing to rise to the bait. He once again feinted left.
Bray’s face tilted down, even as he barked out a laugh. “Really?” It was a mistake. His concentration broke for a spilt second.
Kel took the opportunity and dropped to the ground in a crouch. Swinging one leg wide he took Bray’s knees out from under him.
A look of shock slammed across Bray’s features as he dropped to the floor. “Oft.” All the air rushed out of his lungs on impact. He had been so surprised at the attack, he hadn’t braced himself for impact.
Kel pounced. He was on Bray in seconds. Straddling him and attempting to gain control of his arms. Locking his legs around Bray’s he tried to maintain his balance, even as Bray was attempting to reverse their positions. Arms grappled with each other as each of them attempted to gain the upper hand. The now muddy ground underneath them was making it difficult for both of them and the frustration was evident on both their faces.
All around them the warriors were cheering them on. For once all the warriors were cheering the same man, Kel. He was one of their own, and they were desperate to see a Landran native beat one of the Avanti. Most of the fights against the Avanti had been over in a matter of seconds, Kel was the first one to have been able to take one of the Avanti to the ground.
Kel couldn’t believe just how strong Bray actually was, it was taking everything he had to keep his hold on the man. At the same moment Kel was coming to the conclusion he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer, Bray bucked his hips high. He simultaneously twisted one of Kel’s arms behind his back, the shock of movement had Kel flat on his front in a second. With both arms pinned against his shoulder blades, Kel was in trouble. Attempting to buck his friend off was proving impossible and he was growing more and more frustrated by the second.
“Do you cede?” Bray’s voice rang around the ring.
Kel thought about it for a minute, he didn’t want to look weak in front of his men, but logic told him this fight was over. Grudgingly, he nodded. “I cede.” He scowled, more annoyed at himself than Bray. He had wanted to last longer, to prove his worth as a warrior.
Bell hauled him to his feet, a quick back slap followed. “Look at it this way, you lasted longer than your men.”
Kel shook his head in resignation, it wasn’t really much consolation. “Any more room in your sessions for another student?”
“Always, my friend, always.”
Kel huffed out a laugh, “You’d better sign me up then.”
Bray simply smiled and slung his arm around Kel as they turned to watch the last match play out. “Do you know what my Avanti specialty is?”
Kel shook his head. He noticed the grin on Bray’s face. Narrowing his eyes, he simply waited.
Bray’s grin was deep and infectious, Tate and Hunter sniggering away on the edge of the ring. “Hand to hand combat.”
Kel groaned. “Fuck!”
Bray’s grin was infectious though, and soon enough they were both laughing as they watched two of the Estrivian warriors face off in one of the final matches. The Avanti, Kel, Tir and Carn, had taken part just for fun. None of them wanting to take away a single achievement of the warriors under their commands.
The last few matches had been entertaining and a display of good natured rivalry. Clear clan lines were drawn, the Estrivians on one side of the ring, the Derin on the other. The Avanti and clan leaders being diplomatic and staying in the middle.
Frenkie, the last Derin warrior standing was now facing off against Oster, the last Estrivian warrior. The match was intense, more than personal honor was at stake, clan pride was on the line. Neither warrior was prepared to back down. The first few minutes of the fight had been tentative and wary as each man tried to work out a strategy. What seemed like every warrior in the keep was there cheering them on, the noise deafening.
Beads of sweat dripped down the faces of both men. Numerous bruises were beginning to mottle their skin and if Corin wasn’t mistaken, Oster was favoring his left side slightly. Corin knew that he should stop the fight, yet he also knew he couldn’t take this away from either man. He didn’t want to be the man who put paid to the warriors achievements. Instead, he simply prepared to heal and attend to whatever wounds were headed his way.
The fight was so evenly matched that neither man could gain any advantage. Both men were panting, the exertion obvious to all. Corin shot Kel a slightly concerned look.
Kel nodded slightly and beckoned Dax over. After a quick conversation there were nods all round.
“Give them a few more minutes, then I’ll call it.” Dax wanted to get one last good look at the skill these men were showcasing, especially as he knew both men were being considered for officer roles. The fight was also letting the other warriors get a true idea of just how far they had all come.
The next few minutes saw the men grappling on the ground, almost as if they were too tired to hold themselves up, yet too determined to stop. Both had numerous cuts, in addition to their bruises and Dax eventually called for a ceasefire. Walking into the middle of the ring he helped both men to stand. Looking out among the sea of faces he smiled.
“You can all see just how much every single warrior here has improved in a short amount of time. Frenkie and Oster have done themselves and their clans proud today. So closely matched, it is impossible to tell who would gain victory. It is not our intention to cause any lasting injuries so with that in mind, I declare both men winners.”
A chorus of cheers echoed around the keep, the warriors swarming their friends and teammates.
Dax rejoined his friends, all of them smiling at the friendships forming across clan lines. They had watched the competition with a critical eye, noting how the warriors were focused and intent. All concentration had been on the fights, not one warrior allowed a single distraction to worm its way into their minds. The improvements had been astounding. If they continued this way there shouldn’t be too many problems the next time they ended up in a clan battle. Because there would be a next time, of that Dax was sure.
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Meet the author:
Hannah Walker is a full-time mum to two gorgeous teenage sons, and shares her home with them and a very supportive husband, who has always encouraged her to follow her dreams.
She has always loved books from her childhood years reading alongside her father. She has inherited her father’s love of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. She has combined this with her love of MM romance to write her series Avanti Chronicles. She loves writing about a complex world where the men love and live hard.
Welcome to the world of MM Sci-fi.
Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009788113663
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009788113663
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AvantiHannah
Blog: http://nuttieprof.wix.com/author-blog
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26791703-corin-s-chance
Publisher: Hannah Walker
Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis @ Book Cover by Design
Tour Dates & Stops:
26-Oct: Bayou Book Junkie, Reviews by Jessewave, Kathymac Reviews, QUEERcentric Books, Jessie G. Books
27-Oct: Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, BFD Book Blog, Three Books Over the Rainbow
28-Oct: Dawn’s Reading Nook, Happily Ever Chapter, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
29-Oct: Divine Magazine, Love Bytes, Velvet Panic, MM Good Book Reviews, Inked Rainbow Reads
30-Oct: Molly Lolly, Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Bonkers About Books, Rainbow Gold Reviews, It’s Raining Men, Parker Williams
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