“It wasn’t just me,” he said, closing his eyes, savoring her touch—but not for long, not when she was within reach and he could pull her atop him again. “Up on the mountain? I told you it wasn’t just about us—the Sentinels, the Core. When I needed help, I had it. The Navajo mountain spirit, the Hopi Kachina spirits, the Apache soul…they saved the mountain, and they gave me a place to hide. And then you came along, and you…” He opened his eyes, found her big, dark gaze, the smudged edges that spoke of her ocelot. “You saved me.”
“No,” she told him, and did what he’d been waiting for all this time, settling over him, so they both gasped and wiggled in suddenly trembling, anticipating, readiness. “We saved each other.”
“Okay,” he said, his voice gone ragged and needy. “Let’s do it again.”
“Always,” she agreed, and bent close to his lips. Always and forever.
GLOSSARY
Adjutant—A consul’s executive officer.
Aeternus Contego—The strongest possible ward, tied to the life force of the one who sets it and broken only at that person’s death.
Atrum Core—An ethnic group founded by and sired by the Roman’s son, their basic goal is to acquire power in as many forms as possible, none of which is natively their own; they claim to monitor and control the “nefarious” activities of the Sentinels.
Brevis Regional—Headquarters for each of the Sentinel regions.
Consul—The leader of a brevis region.
Drozhar—An Atrum Core regional prince.
Monitio—A Sentinel warning call.
Sceleratus Vis—Forbidden ancient workings based on power drawn from blood, once used by the Atrum Core.
Sentinels—An organization of power-linked individuals whose driving purpose is to protect and nurture the earth—as befitting their Druid origins—while also keeping watch on the activities of the Atrum Core. Many Sentinels can shape-shift.
Septs Prince—The Atrum Core prince of princes.
Vigilia—The original Latin name for the Sentinels, discarded in recent centuries under Western influence.
Vigilia Adveho—A Sentinel telepathic long-distance call for help.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3816-3
SENTINELS: LION HEART
Copyright © 2009 by Doranna Durgin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either 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.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Books S.A., used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.silhouettenocturne.com
*Sentinels
*Sentinels
Sentinels: Lion Heart Page 24