An Officer’s Duty
Authors: Jean Johnson
PRAISE FOR JEAN JOHNSON
AND THE SONS OF DESTINY NOVELS
“Jean Johnson’s writing is fabulously fresh, thoroughly romantic, and wildly entertaining. Terrific—fast, sexy, charming, and utterly engaging. I loved it!”
—Jayne Ann Krentz,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Cursed brothers, fated mates, prophecies, yum! A fresh new voice in fantasy romance, Jean Johnson spins an intriguing tale of destiny and magic.”
—Robin D. Owens, RITA Award–winning author
“A must-read for those who enjoy fantasy and romance. I…eagerly look forward to each of the other brothers’ stories. Jean Johnson can’t write them fast enough for me!”
—
The Best Reviews
“[It] has everything—love, humor, danger, excitement, trickery, hope, and even sizzling hot…sex.”
—
Errant Dreams Reviews
“Enchantments, amusement, and eight hunks and one bewitching woman make for a fun romantic fantasy…humorous and magical…a delightful charmer.”
—
Midwest Book Review
“A paranormal adventure series that will appeal to fantasy and historical fans, plus time-travel lovers as well…Jean Johnson has created a mystical world of lessons taught, very much like the great folktales we love to hear over and over. It’s like
Alice in Wonderland
meets the
Knights of the Round Table
, and you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen next. Delightful entertainment…An enchanting tale with old-world charm,
The Sword
will leave you dreaming of a sexy mage for yourself.”
—
Romance Junkies
“An intriguing new fantasy romance series…a unique combination of magic, time travel, and fantasy that will have readers looking toward the next book. Think
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
, but add one more and give them magic, with curses and fantasy thrown in for fun. Cunning…creative…Lovers of magic and fantasy will enjoy this fun, fresh, and very romantic offering.”
—
Time Travel Romance Writers
“The writing is sharp and witty, and the story is charming. [Johnson] makes everything perfectly believable. She has created an enchanting situation and characters that are irascible at times and lovable at others. Jean Johnson…is off to a flying start. She tells her story with a lively zest that transports a reader to the place of action. I can hardly wait for the next one. It is a must-read.”
—
Romance Reviews Today
“A fun story. I look forward to seeing how these alpha males find their soul mates in the remaining books.”
—
The Eternal Night
“An intriguing world…an enjoyable hero…an enjoyable showcase for an inventive new author. Jean Johnson brings a welcome voice to the romance genre, and she’s assured of a warm welcome.”
—
The Romance Reader
“An intriguing and entertaining tale of another dimension. It will be fun to see how the prophecy turns out for the rest of the brothers.”
—
Fresh Fiction
Titles by Jean Johnson
Theirs Not to Reason Why
A SOLDIER’S DUTY
AN OFFICER’S DUTY
The Sons of Destiny
THE SWORD
THE WOLF
THE MASTER
THE SONG
THE CAT
THE STORM
THE FLAME
THE MAGE
SHIFTING PLAINS
BEDTIME STORIES
FINDING DESTINY
THE SHIFTER
JEAN JOHNSON
ACE BOOKS, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
AN OFFICER’S DUTY
An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Ace mass-market edition / August 2012
Copyright © 2012 by G. Jean Johnson.
Cover art by Gene Mollica.
Cover design by Annette Fiore DeFex.
Interior text design by Laura K. Corless.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-58116-2
ACE
Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ACE and the “A” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to thank my beta editors Alexandra, Stormi, NotSoSaintly, and Buzzy for putting up with my manuscript delays; Mysti and Lanzlo for their insights; my friends and family for occasionally putting up with my plot-bunny-driven insanities (or at least inanities); and my editor, Cindy, for insisting so very firmly on my behalf that this series is
not
a romance series. (
Psst
, it isn’t!) I would also like to thank you, my readers, for knowing that authors
can
write engaging stories in different genres. Any errors or oddities in procedures and so forth are my own creation.
This book is a continuation of the events in
Theirs Not to Reason Why: A Soldier’s Duty
. I have done my best to make sure it can be read and enjoyed without having access to the first book. Still, to fully understand what’s going on, if you haven’t read the first novel, you might want to buy it online or at your local bookstore, or check your nearest public library for a spare copy.
As always, this series is dedicated to the many men and women out there who risk their lives for their countries in willing military service. It doesn’t matter what post you hold or what country you defend; it only matters that you are willing to hold and defend it. On behalf of those you protect and defend, I thank you.
Jean
CHAPTER 1
Thank you for letting me take that quick break from this interview. It wasn’t anything serious, just some new orders and a course correction. I do appreciate the opportunity to share some of this background information with everyone, though of course much of it is Classified and you are
—ah,
forgive me, I’m starting to use “military-speak” and “military-think” again, aren’t I?
During my first trip back home after enlisting, I had that same problem with my family. The military has counselors for this sort of thing, they give you lectures and advice, but…For a soldier who’s been away for months, even years like myself, it can be a bit of a system shock to come back to civilian life. Things are organized almost down to the minute in a military setting, because they have to get done at a certain time in a certain way, or everything descends into chaos. Things don’t always get done in civilian life, because they often can be “done later” or “done some other way.”
A lot of soldiers have difficulty making that transition back to civilian life. Even those of us who merely go home for a short visit sometimes have difficulties. Both sides need to remember to slow down, take it easy, and readjust to each other. Don’t throw a pot of cold water on the cooker and expect it to instantly boil; even in this day and age,
that won’t happen right away. There’s always a period of readjustment. Sometimes it’s quick, and sometimes it’s slow, but it’s always necessary.
~Ia
JULY 18, 2492 TERRAN STANDARD
OUR BLESSED MOTHER
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