Read Darkest Highlander Online
Authors: Donna Grant
Tags: #Paranormal, #General, #Romance, #Historical, #Erotica, #Fiction
Darkest Highlander
For Steve.
I love you.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to my wonderful editor, Monique Patterson, for simply everything. I’m blessed beyond words to be able to work with you. I love your ideas. You help me become a better writer, and for that, I’ll never be able to thank you enough.
To Holly Blanck—you rock! To Jessica Preeg—for being so ready and willing to help me. And to everyone else at St. Martin’s who helped get this book ready.
To my amazing, brilliant agent, Amy Moore-Benson.
A special note to Leagh Christensen and Melissa Bradley. I’d be lost without the both of you. I cannot express how much I appreciate you both.
To my street team, Donna’s Dolls. What can I say? I’ve got the greatest readers ever! Y’all are the absolute best! ::smooches::
Steve, my wonderful, marvelous husband. I love you. Thank you for your support, battle scene concepts, and just for being you. I found my real-life hero.
To my kiddos, who are the best support team a mom could ever ask for. I’m so proud of both of you!
To my parents and brother—thank you!
CONTENTS
Praise for the Dark Sword novels by Donna Grant
ONE
It was the growl, the low, menacing rumble that implied doom for her.
Sonya sucked in a ragged breath and lifted her head from the damp ground of the forest floor. Her spirit was broken, her body fading rapidly.
She raged with fever, a fever she couldn’t heal. Just as she couldn’t heal the cut that sliced open her palm. At one time, the barest of thoughts would have propelled her magic to take care of such injuries.
But that magic had failed her.
Nay, you failed.
Sonya squeezed her eyes closed to shut out the loud and persistent voice in her head. She was nothing without her magic. How could she help the others at MacLeod Castle? How could she look each of them in the eye day after day, knowing her magic was gone?
Vanished. Disappeared. Lost.
Everything she was, everything she had been, was no longer there. Her life had been defined as a Druid. Without magic she could no longer call herself a Druid.
And that tormented her far worse than her sliced palm.
Another growl, this one closer, more looming. She tried to gain her feet, but she was weak from lack of food.
Sonya had been dodging the wolf for days. Or was it weeks? She had lost track of time after her flight from MacLeod Castle. She no longer knew where she was, and even if she wanted to return to the castle, she couldn’t get there.
If you want to live, get up. Run!
Sonya wasn’t ready to die. She didn’t give up easily.
Liar. You never try for the things you want. Like Broc.
A tear slipped down Sonya’s cheek at the thought of Broc. Each time she closed her eyes, she could see the Warrior kneeling in the midst of the bloody battle at the castle, holding Anice in his arms as he bellowed for Sonya to heal her sister.
A sister who had known him. Broc, the one man Sonya had wanted for herself. The one thing she hadn’t had the courage to make her feelings known about.
Sonya shoved aside thoughts of Broc as she grabbed hold of the nearest tree with her good hand and pulled herself to her feet. She leaned against the trunk and glanced around the forest for the wolf.
Nowhere did she see the creature, but she knew he was near. The black beast was large and ravenous. It would take just one bite from its huge teeth to end her life.
Sonya cradled her wounded hand against her chest and wondered how much longer she could evade the wolf. It was a cunning animal.
The trees swayed above Sonya, reminding her of the magic that used to allow her to commune with them. How she missed their knowledge, their words. Their magic. Being among the trees had always soothed her, but no 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, only to freeze in place as the wolf stood in front of her.
It growled again, lifting its lips to show large fangs that dripped with saliva. The animal crouched with its ears back against its head, its muscles tensed, ready to spring at her.
Time slowed to a standstill. With her heart pounding slow and hard, Sonya knew she had only once chance to get away. She lifted her skirts and ran to her left.
Her feet slipped on the dried leaves and pine nettles coating the forest floor, but she kept moving. Behind her, she could hear the wolf as it crashed through the trees, chasing her.
And rapidly gaining ground.
With 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 could be released, the ground fell from beneath her.
Suddenly the earth rose up to meet her face. Sonya grunted as her head slammed into the ground and she began to roll. She tried without success to grab hold of anything that would slow her descent. The sky fused with the ground to become a whirl of colors that spun around her as she continued her brutal tumble.
When she finally came to a grinding halt, it was with her body wrapped around the trunk of a young elm. The breath left her lungs in a whoosh, her body wracked with blinding pain. She tried to stay calm and suck in air, but the more she tried to breathe, the more her body refused to obey such a simple request.
When breath finally filled her lungs, Sonya drew it in deep and winced at the agony that exploded through her. She opened her eyes, but her world had yet to stop spinning.
And then she heard the familiar growl. Much closer than ever before.
* * *
Broc clenched his hands, urgency and fear filling his stomach as he flew across the sky in his search for Sonya. Not even concern about discovery by mortals could keep him to the thick rain clouds above him.
He knew in his gut Sonya was in trouble. Her leaving the castle was so unlike anything she would do, but then again, he had yelled at her, blamed her for Anice’s death.
Broc regretted his words more than Sonya could possibly know. He’d been angry at himself—was still outraged—for failing to keep Anice safe, as he had promised 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. And it had followed him into his immortality.
For a while he had thought the curse was gone, but then Anice died. But he wouldn’t allow anything to happen to Sonya. Even if it took him leaving her life forever, he’d do it just to keep her safe. And alive.
He flew faster, his wings beating loudly in his ears. As a Warrior, a Highlander with a primeval god bound inside him, he had special abilities. Each god had a power, and his was the capability to find anyone, anywhere.
It was just one of the reasons he had gone in search of Sonya. Even if his god hadn’t given him the power to find her, he’d still have looked for her. Because he had been connected to her since the moment he lifted her in his arms so many years ago.
Broc was close to her. He could feel it.
A smile pulled at his lips, but it died almost immediately as lightning lit the sky and it began to rain.
“Shite,” he murmured and tucked his wings to fly above the canopy of trees.
Broc’s claws scraped the leaves atop an ancient oak as the rain dripped down his face and into his eyes. He adjusted the satchel strap that lay on his back between his wings and over one shoulder.
The strap chafed against his wings, but inside he carried food, coin, and clothing for both him and Sonya. The pain was a minor inconvenience as long as he found her.
Inside Broc, Poraxus, the god of manipulation, roared with anticipation. It was a signal they were very close to Sonya. Every time Broc hunted someone, he could feel them when he neared. Their heartbeat, the flow of blood in their veins. Their life essence.
It was no different now. Except this was Sonya. He had saved her as an infant, watched over her as she grew. He would not fail her now.
Broc clutched his chest as he felt fear spike through Sonya. The closer he came to his target, the more he felt it. If the terror now coursing through him was any indication, he was too late.
Just thinking she might be in danger sent rage flowing through his veins. His god roared again—this time for blood. And vengeance.
Broc reined in his god. Sonya might need him, and he couldn’t allow himself to reach the edge and his god to gain any control. The more he fought against Poraxus, the more his god struggled to take over.
It was because his god knew how much Sonya meant to him. Even if Broc refused to admit it to himself.
Broc peered through the dense canopy of trees to try to see her, but it was near impossible, even with his superior sight. Broc then maneuvered between two trees. He hated flying in forests. He wasn’t able to spread his wings as he needed to in order to fly or glide.
So he rode the air currents with his wings stretched as far as he could get them. Several times the wings scraped against a tree and its branches, tearing the leathery wings. Thanks to his immortality, he began to heal almost immediately.
And then he saw her.
Not even the rain could hamper his enhanced vision. Broc tucked his wings and dove for Sonya, who lay unmoving on the ground, curled around a tree.
Dread spurred Broc to her side. He knew she wasn’t dead. He could still feel Sonya’s heartbeat, though now that he had found her, it was fading from his senses.
His gaze scanned the area for whatever caused her fear and spotted the lone wolf approaching. Broc spread his wings and landed on his feet between Sonya and the wolf.
The wolf snarled, its anger palpable. Broc peeled back his lips to show his own set of fangs and growled. He didn’t want to kill the wolf, but he would if it continued to threaten Sonya.
After several tense moments, the wolf sensed it was beaten and reluctantly backed away. Broc stayed where he was, listening long after the wolf was out of sight to make sure the creature didn’t circle around to attack again.
Once Broc was certain the wolf had departed, he turned to Sonya. He was so unprepared for what he saw that, for a moment, he couldn’t move. For one heartbeat, then two, he could only stare at the woman who was the one thing he wanted above all else.