darkest highlander; a dark sword novel

832019 Darkest Highlander A Dark Sword Novel

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldarkest-highlander-a-dark-sword-novel 112



NOTE If you purchased this book without a cover you should beaware that this book is stolen property It was reported as ldquounsoldand destroyedrdquo to the publisher and neither the author nor thepublisher has received any payment for this ldquostripped bookrdquo

This is a work of 1047297ction All of the characters organizations and eventsportrayed in this novel are either products of the authorrsquos imagination orare used 1047297ctitiously

983140983137983154983147983141983155983156 983144983145983143983144983148983137983150983140983141983154

Copyright copy 2012 by Donna GrantExcerpt from Midnightrsquos Master copyright copy 2012 by Donna Grant

All rights reserved

For information address St Martinrsquos Press 175 Fifth Avenue New YorkNY 10010

ISBN 978-0-312-53349-6

Printed in the United States of America

St Martinrsquos Paperbacks edition February 2012

St Martinrsquos Paperbacks are published by St Martinrsquos Press 175 Fifth

Avenue New York NY 10010

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



It was the growl the low menacing rumble that implieddoom for her

Sonya sucked in a ragged breath and lifted her headfrom the damp ground of the forest 1047298oor Her spirit wasbroken her body fading rapidly

She raged with fever a fever she couldnrsquot heal Just

as she couldnrsquot heal the cut that sliced open her palmAt one time the barest of thoughts would have propelledher magic to take care of such injuries

But that magic had failed her Nay you failedSonya squeezed her eyes closed to shut out the loud

and persistent voice in her head She was nothing with-out her magic How could she help the others at Mac-Leod Castle How could she look each of them in theeye day after day knowing her magic was gone

Vanished Disappeared LostEverything she was everything she had been was no

longer there Her life had been de1047297ned as a Druid With-out magic she could no longer call herself a Druid

And that tormented her far worse than her slicedpalm

Another growl this one closer more looming She

tried to gain her feet but she was weak from lack offood

ONE



Sonya had been dodging the wolf for days Or was itweeks She had lost track of time after her 1047298ight fromMacLeod Castle She no longer knew where she was andeven if she wanted to return to the castle she couldnrsquotget there

If you want to live get up RunSonya wasnrsquot ready to die She didnrsquot give up easily Liar You never try for the things you want Like Broc

A tear slipped down Sonyarsquos cheek at the thought ofBroc Each time she closed her eyes she could see theWarrior kneeling in the midst of the bloody battle at thecastle holding Anice in his arms as he bellowed forSonya to heal her sister

A sister who had known him Broc the one manSonya had wanted for herself The one thing she hadnrsquothad the courage to make her feelings known about

Sonya shoved aside thoughts of Broc as she grabbedhold of the nearest tree with her good hand and pulledherself to her feet She leaned against the trunk andglanced around the forest for the wolf

Nowhere did she see the creature but she knew hewas near The black beast was large and ravenous Itwould take just one bite from its huge teeth to end herlife

Sonya cradled her wounded hand against her chestand wondered how much longer she could evade thewolf It was a cunning animal

The trees swayed above Sonya reminding her of themagic that used to allow her to commune with themHow she missed their knowledge their words Theirmagic Being among the trees had always soothed her butno longer Not since her own magic had abandoned her

Sonya knew she had to move if she wanted a chance

at survival Remaining meant certain death After a deep



breath she stepped away from the tree and turned onlyto freeze in place as the wolf stood in front of her

It growled again lifting its lips to show large fangsthat dripped with saliva The animal crouched with itsears back against its head its muscles tensed ready tospring at her

Time slowed to a standstill With her heart poundingslow and hard Sonya knew she had only once chance to

get away She lifted her skirts and ran to her leftHer feet slipped on the dried leaves and pine nettles

coating the forest 1047298oor but she kept moving Behind hershe could hear the wolf as it crashed through the treeschasing her

And rapidly gaining groundWith hair tangling about her sweat-soaked face Sonya

glanced back and saw the wolf almost upon her A

scream lodged in her throat but before the sound couldbe released the ground fell from beneath herSuddenly the earth rose up to meet her face Sonya

grunted as her head slammed into the ground and shebegan to roll She tried without success to grab hold ofanything that would slow her descent The sky fusedwith the ground to become a whirl of colors that spunaround her as she continued her brutal tumble

When she 1047297nally came to a grinding halt it was withher body wrapped around the trunk of a young elm Thebreath left her lungs in a whoosh her body wracked withblinding pain She tried to stay calm and suck in air butthe more she tried to breathe the more her body refusedto obey such a simple request

When breath 1047297nally 1047297lled her lungs Sonya drew itin deep and winced at the agony that exploded throughher She opened her eyes but her world had yet to stop

spinning



And then she heard the familiar growl Much closerthan ever before

Broc clenched his hands urgency and fear 1047297lling hisstomach as he 1047298ew across the sky in his search forSonya Not even concern about discovery by mortalscould keep him to the thick rain clouds above him

He knew in his gut Sonya was in trouble Her leav-

ing the castle was so unlike anything she would do butthen again he had yelled at her blamed her for Anicersquosdeath

Broc regretted his words more than Sonya couldpossibly know Hersquod been angry at himselfmdashwas stilloutragedmdashfor failing to keep Anice safe as he hadpromised the girls when he found them as babies

It proved to him yet again that anyone who got close

to him died His grandmother had called it a curse Andit had followed him into his immortalityFor a while he had thought the curse was gone but

then Anice died But he wouldnrsquot allow anything to hap-pen to Sonya Even if it took him leaving her life foreverhersquod do it just to keep her safe And alive

He 1047298ew faster his wings beating loudly in his earsAs a Warrior a Highlander with a primeval god boundinside him he had special abilities Each god had apower and his was the capability to 1047297nd anyone any-where

It was just one of the reasons he had gone in searchof Sonya Even if his god hadnrsquot given him the power to1047297nd her hersquod still have looked for her Because he hadbeen connected to her since the moment he lifted her inhis arms so many years ago

Broc was close to her He could feel it

A smile pulled at his lips but it died almost immedi-ately as lightning lit the sky and it began to rain



ldquoShiterdquo he murmured and tucked his wings to 1047298yabove the canopy of trees

Brocrsquos claws scraped the leaves atop an ancient oakas the rain dripped down his face and into his eyes Headjusted the satchel strap that lay on his back betweenhis wings and over one shoulder

The strap chafed against his wings but inside he car-ried food coin and clothing for both him and Sonya The

pain was a minor inconvenience as long as he found herInside Broc Poraxus the god of manipulation roared

with anticipation It was a signal they were very closeto Sonya Every time Broc hunted someone he couldfeel them when he neared Their heartbeat the 1047298ow ofblood in their veins Their life essence

It was no different now Except this was Sonya Hehad saved her as an infant watched over her as she

grew He would not fail her nowBroc clutched his chest as he felt fear spike throughSonya The closer he came to his target the more hefelt it If the terror now coursing through him was anyindication he was too late

Just thinking she might be in danger sent rage 1047298ow-ing through his veins His god roared againmdashthis timefor blood And vengeance

Broc reined in his god Sonya might need him andhe couldnrsquot allow himself to reach the edge and his godto gain any control The more he fought against Poraxusthe more his god struggled to take over

It was because his god knew how much Sonya meantto him Even if Broc refused to admit it to himself

Broc peered through the dense canopy of trees to tryto see her but it was near impossible even with his supe-rior sight Broc then maneuvered between two trees

He hated 1047298ying in forests He wasnrsquot able to spread hiswings as he needed to in order to 1047298y or glide



So he rode the air currents with his wings stretched asfar as he could get them Several times the wings scrapedagainst a tree and its branches tearing the leathery wingsThanks to his immortality he began to heal almost im-mediately

And then he saw herNot even the rain could hamper his enhanced vision

Broc tucked his wings and dove for Sonya who lay un-

moving on the ground curled around a treeDread spurred Broc to her side He knew she wasnrsquot

dead He could still feel Sonyarsquos heartbeat though nowthat he had found her it was fading from his senses

His gaze scanned the area for whatever caused herfear and spotted the lone wolf approaching Broc spreadhis wings and landed on his feet between Sonya and thewolf

The wolf snarled its anger palpable Broc peeledback his lips to show his own set of fangs and growledHe didnrsquot want to kill the wolf but he would if it con-tinued to threaten Sonya

After several tense moments the wolf sensed it wasbeaten and reluctantly backed away Broc stayed wherehe was listening long after the wolf was out of sight tomake sure the creature didnrsquot circle around to attackagain

Once Broc was certain the wolf had departed heturned to Sonya He was so unprepared for what he sawthat for a moment he couldnrsquot move For one heartbeatthen two he could only stare at the woman who was theone thing he wanted above all else

Sonyarsquos vibrant red hair which was always securedin a single thick plait was now wild and free in a tangleof curls about her Her dark green gown was coated in

dirt and drenched from the rain One sleeve was torn atthe shoulder and she had another tear at her hem



But what made Brocrsquos stomach plummet to his feetwas the wound he saw on her palm She had wrapped aportion of her chemise around it but the thin materialhad already fallen away leaving the ragged injury ex-posed

Broc fell to his knees beside her He was afraid totouch her but he needed to feel her at the same timeHe spread a wing to shield her from the rain and leaned

close Only then did he realize she was unconsciousCareful that his claws didnrsquot cut her delicate skin he

gently caressed a 1047297nger from her temple down her cheekto her jaw He longed to have her open her eyes so hecould look into their amber depths

Her skin was smooth and luminous She had a highforehead where 1047297nely arched eyebrows the same vividred as her hair curved above her eyes Her nose was

aristocratic and her chin stubborn Her lips howeverwere those of a sirenmdashwide and fullAnd tempting as sinTenderly Broc lifted her hand in his to inspect the

wound The cut went from her index 1047297nger across herpalm to end at her wrist The slice was deep and theskin around the wound was blackening

The dark yellow pus that oozed from the gash pro-pelled Broc He gathered Sonya in his arms and spreadhis wings ready to jump into the air and 1047298y to MacLeodCastle

It was the lightning bolts that forked across the sky ina vivid and dramatic display of power that halted him Ifhe 1047298ew there was a chance he could be hit by the light-ning Though it would pain him he would survive

Sonya wouldnrsquot be so luckyHe couldnrsquot put her in that kind of danger Reluctantly

Broc set her down long enough to remove the satcheland search through it for a cloak



Once he found one and had secured it around SonyaBroc tamped down his god He watched the indigo skinof his Warrior form along with his claws fade fromsight Nothing showed of his wings or his fangs Whenhe wasnrsquot in his Warrior form no one could tell himapart from a mortal man

It was a small blessing having an ancient god insidehim And it had all begun with the invasion of Rome

on Britainrsquos shores The Celts had battled the Romansfor years before going to the Druids for help

The mies Druids with pure magic could offer onlyguidance However the droughs Druids with their blackmagic had an answermdashcall up primeval gods from Hellto inhabit the strongest warriors

And it worked The men became Warriors and soondrove Rome from Britain Yet their need for blood and

death didnrsquot end and soon they were killing any whocrossed their pathsIt took both the mies and the droughs combining

their magic to end the Warriors No matter how hardthey tried they couldnrsquot make the gods return to HellInstead they bound them inside the men

But the gods took their revenge by passing throughthe bloodline to the next strongest warrior of that familyThey were unable to get free until a drough Deirdrefound an ancient scroll that told her how to unbind thegods

Ever since Deirdre had been relentless in 1047297ndingthe gods and unbinding them Broc was one of severalat MacLeod Castle intent on putting an end to Deirdrefor good

Broc jerked on a tunic before he slung the strap ofthe satchel over his head Once more he took Sonya into

his arms and stood There was a village several leagues



away There he could get Sonya out of the weather andtend to her hand

Then he would beg her forgiveness for driving heraway and hopefully convince her to return to MacLeodCastle Everyone needed her there No one more so thanhim

He cradled her gently but securely against his chestshielding her face from as much of the rain as he could

He rested his chin on her forehead and felt her skinblazing with fever

Broc looked down into her oval face a face that hadhaunted his dreams and every waking moment of hislife since she had come into womanhood and he hadbeen tempted beyond his control

ldquoLive Sonya I refuse to let you dierdquoWhy hadnrsquot she healed herself as he knew she could

She was a Druid with powerful healing magic TheDruids at MacLeod Castle had put an incredible amountof strain on Sonya for her healing but as a mie nothingshould have restricted that magic

Even Quinn MacLeod another Warrior once hadneed of Sonyarsquos healing because of Deirdrersquos magic

Broc growled just thinking about his enemy Alldroughs gave their blood and their lives to Satan inexchange for black magic but Deirdre had gone be-yond that She worked in league with the Devil Deir-dre had lived nearly a thousand years and during thattime she had destroyed many lives

Broc cursed Deirdre with every step he took but hecursed himself even more From the day he had deliv-ered Sonya and Anice to the Druids he had sworn toprotect them

He had failed Anice and if he didnrsquot get Sonya to

cover quickly he would fail her as well



The thunder had become almost a constant boom itsounded so close together The storm was right overthem as was evident by the lightning striking closerand the wind howling around them

One lightning bolt landed on a tree just in front ofthem and caused the pine to burst into 1047298ames and splitin half Broc turned away before being crushed as partof the tree fell and landed in front of him

He lifted his face to the sky and roared his angerHis rage fed his god and it was all Broc could do tokeep him tamped down It had taken too many of histwo hundred and seventy-1047297ve years learning to restrainPoraxus for Broc to lose control now

But when it came to Sonya his emotions always ranhigh

Broc had to get out of the storm He took a deep

breath and leapt the burning tree He held Sonya tightand ran using the incredible speed his god gave himHe didnrsquot slow until he spotted the village



NOTE If you purchased this book without a cover you should beaware that this book is stolen property It was reported as ldquounsoldand destroyedrdquo to the publisher and neither the author nor thepublisher has received any payment for this ldquostripped bookrdquo

This is a work of 1047297ction All of the characters organizations and eventsportrayed in this novel are either products of the authorrsquos imagination orare used 1047297ctitiously

983140983137983154983147983141983155983156 983144983145983143983144983148983137983150983140983141983154

Copyright copy 2012 by Donna GrantExcerpt from Midnightrsquos Master copyright copy 2012 by Donna Grant

All rights reserved

For information address St Martinrsquos Press 175 Fifth Avenue New YorkNY 10010

ISBN 978-0-312-53349-6

Printed in the United States of America

St Martinrsquos Paperbacks edition February 2012

St Martinrsquos Paperbacks are published by St Martinrsquos Press 175 Fifth

Avenue New York NY 10010

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1














ONE


























spinning







































































































ONE


























spinning



















































































































spinning


























































































darkest highlander; a dark sword novel

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