Checkmate Series by K.D. Tabith

Would you betray your kingdom for your soulmate? Shapeshifter Theodori Hunter Wolfborn must conquer the kingdom of Siacchi to prove his worth. To do so, he kidnaps a man known for his strategic genius – a champion in the much-revered and ancient game of dominance and submission, Cesse. A man who will help Theo secure a clean, bloodless victory.Only, Theo has kidnapped the wrong person... moreWould you betray your kingdom for your soulmate? Shapeshifter Theodori Hunter Wolfborn must conquer the kingdom of Siacchi to prove his worth. To do so, he kidnaps a man known for his strategic genius – a champion in the much-revered and ancient game of dominance and submission, Cesse. A man who will help Theo secure a clean, bloodless victory.Only, Theo has kidnapped the wrong person.Luka Lockehart, renowned Cesse player, has trained all his life to hide his stigmatized abilities to shapeshift, guided by the unwavering hand of his mother. He never expected he would have to put his training into practice when he is kidnapped by a northern warlord – and he certainly didn’t expect to find this man – this monster – so attractive. Now he must hide his feelings and his identity, for if Theo finds out that he is not the man he says he is, it is not only Luka’s life that is forfeit, but his entire country.Luka and Theo are locked in a deadly game. As the secrets between them only continue to grow, so does the unmistakable pull they feel toward each other, even when such feelings might very well ruin all they’ve ever hoped to achieve.Something has to break. It will be their kingdoms – or their hearts. less

FROM CAPTIVE TO CONSORT. Luka Lockehart, reeling with betrayal and ignorant to the fact that he and Theo are mates, is stuck with his captor. He has less than a year to secure the powerful allies he needs to return to the city that betrayed him and to save his brother’s life.FROM WARLORD TO EXILE. Shapeshifter Theodori Hunter Wolfborn and his once-captive turned reluctant ally, Luka Lockehart, have escaped the disaster of Cesscounthe... moreFROM CAPTIVE TO CONSORT. Luka Lockehart, reeling with betrayal and ignorant to the fact that he and Theo are mates, is stuck with his captor. He has less than a year to secure the powerful allies he needs to return to the city that betrayed him and to save his brother’s life.FROM WARLORD TO EXILE. Shapeshifter Theodori Hunter Wolfborn and his once-captive turned reluctant ally, Luka Lockehart, have escaped the disaster of Cesscounthe. Theo, desperate to recover his title, needs allies just as badly as Luka. Together, they flee to the place their enemies will least to the kingdom of Balivartia, home of the demon princes and Theo’s greatest enemy, the Snake of the South. There, Luka’s previous connections should gain them favor – assuming Theo’s reputation as a war lord doesn’t ruin everything.Things go south. Quickly. When Theo is captured, Luka realizes that the only way to gain the allies he needs is to seduce his way into the palace of the Snake of the South himself, competing to be the new king’s potential consort – but at the cost of Theo. Why choose love when you can have power? less

HAVING WED HIMSELF TO THE DEMON PRINCE…Luka Lockehart, trapped in marriage and psychically bound to the Snake of the South, rides for northern Kitera. There, he hopes to find the allies he needs to return home and save his brother from his mother’s claws.HAVING TRADED HIS LOVER’S KINGDOM FOR FREEDOM…Theodori Hunter escaped captivity – but only after promising to retake Luka’s home country in the name of the demon prince-turned king... moreHAVING WED HIMSELF TO THE DEMON PRINCE…Luka Lockehart, trapped in marriage and psychically bound to the Snake of the South, rides for northern Kitera. There, he hopes to find the allies he needs to return home and save his brother from his mother’s claws.HAVING TRADED HIS LOVER’S KINGDOM FOR FREEDOM…Theodori Hunter escaped captivity – but only after promising to retake Luka’s home country in the name of the demon prince-turned king. He will need help to do so, but he doesn’t know if he will find it in this homecoming to Kitera. Kitera, where if Luka and Theo’s mating bond is discovered, Theo’s people will finally have the leverage they’ve always wanted.But when Luka and Theo arrive at the northern capital, the return of an old enemy ruins their plans.One execution and prison break later, Luka and Theo are left fleeing the capital into the winter. Luka, desperate to save his brother, and Theo, terrified to break his promise, must turn adversaries into allies to survive. Their only constant is their ever-growing, undeniable need for each other – and the demon king in their way.CAN LOVE SURVIVE A REVOLUTION? less