Commander Chellak Rai has just defeated High Ruler Votigern and his son Vorel Vedek. He has also freed all the slaves on the planet per Federation request. Votigern demands the Bruter, but Chellak wants the Bruter for himself. He doesn’t know what the Bruter is, but if Votigern wants it, he doesn’t want to him to have it.

It turns out that the Bruter is a gorgeous man who is slave to Votigern. And if Chellak wants him, he must be his new master. If he refuses, Votigern gets him. In order to save the Bruter from Votigern, Chellak takes him as his own, breaking the rules of the federation by owning a slave, one he hopes to treat fairly and teach to be a free person. Demyan, or the Bruter as he is called, wants nothing more than to please his new master. But he cannot speak, and doesn’t always understand what Chellak wants from him. Can these two find a common ground and love before the Federation finds out Chellak is breaking their most sacred law?  

Stormy Glenn has written a space odyssey with a twist you won’t see coming in The Katzman’s Mate. Chellak is a hardened commander, but when he meets Demyan, he finds his mate...finally. He knows him just from his smell. What can he do with a mate that is his slave?  How can he teach Demyan that he wants him as an equal, not a slave?  Demyan is used to being beaten if he doesn’t obey his master fast enough. So he does anything he can think of to make Chellak’s life better, but miscommunication and being unable to talk makes for a rocky relationship.

For me, the emotional thread and electricity arcing between Demyan and Chellak kept me glued to the pages of this story. I was cheering for the gentle souled Demyan as he found a way to bring out his own person and spirit that had been so badly beaten down. Chellak isn’t the most romantic of characters, but he grows to love and care deeply for Demyan.  And that was beautiful to see unfold.  I would love to see more from the Katzman’s universe.   I found that The Katzman’s Mate is going to be one for my keeper shelf.