Settled for their trip, the wagon rolled and bumped out the manor gate and up the long drive that snaked its way to the top of rise. Arik glanced over his shoulder for a final look at home. “To hearth and home,” he said silently to himself. His chest tightened, great sobs welled up causing a knot in his throat so large it threatened to choke him. He dare not turn around for the others to see him. He took one deep breath after another while he blinked his eyes and bit his lip. He refused to let Maximilian or his father witness him cry.
Bran, still looking forward, covered Arik’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I’m glad we’re going together and that we’ll be there for each other.”
Arik nodded, afraid if he spoke the dam he held back would burst. Bran understood him better than he realized. It wasn’t what he said but the quiet strength he gave him. He too was glad his brother was with him.
“Oh Great Mother I swear no strife,
I pledge to protect my brother Bran with my life.
So mote it be,” he said silently.
Arik and Bran looked back over the back of the wagon. Their family was gathered together waving good-bye. “We will always be together,” Arik said.
“Always,” Bran replied.
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See what happens when Arik and Bran return after their five years of training in Whispers on the Wind, a short story in Timeless Treasures, on sale now www.RuthACasie.com/books.html
About…
Ruth started reading romance books while traveling the world for business. Traveling alone can be daunting but she found a book in hand could see her through long waits at the airport as well as being good company at dinner for one. For some of her longer treks, she pared down what she packed to make room for books. Her favorite genres are romance and adventure.
A seasoned professional with more than twenty-five years of writing experience in communications and marketing for a large financial institution, she gave way to her inner muse and began writing a series of historical fantasy romance novels. Ruth is published by Carina Press and Harlequin Books.
When not writing you can find her home in Teaneck, New Jersey, reading, cooking, doing Sudoku and counted cross-stitch. Together with her husband, Paul, they enjoy ballroom dancing and going to the theater. Ruth and Paul have three grown children and two grandchildren. They all thrive on spending time together. It’s certainly a lively dinner table and they wouldn’t change it for the world.
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You can read more about Ruth online at www.RuthACasie.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/RuthACasie, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RuthACasie.
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Want to read more about Bran, Arik and Rebeka? Knight of Rapture, Book II ~ A Druid Knight Tale available March 30, 2015.
Knight of Rapture
He crossed the centuries to find her…
For months Lord Arik has been trying to find the right combination of runes to create the precise spell to rescue his wife, Rebeka, but the druid knight will soon discover that reaching her four hundred years in the future is only the beginning of his quest. He arrives in the 21st century to find her memory of him erased, his legacy on the brink of destruction, and traces of dark magick at every turn.
A threat has followed to take away all they hold dear—forever…
Bran, the dark druid, is more determined than ever to get his revenge. His evil has spread across the centuries. Arik will lose all. Time is his weapon, and Bran’s made sure his plan leaves no one dear to Arik, in past or present, safe from the destruction.
But their enemy has overlooked the strongest magick of all…
Professor Rebeka Tyler is dealing with more than just a faulty memory. Ownership of Fayne Manor, her home, has been called into question. Convenient accidents begin happening putting those she cares for in the line of fire. And then there’s the unexpected arrival of a strange man dressed like he belonged in a medieval fair—a man who somehow is always around when needed, and always on her mind. She doesn’t know who to trust. But one thing is certain. Her family line and manor have survived for over eleven centuries. She won’t let them fall, not on her watch… in any century.
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Want to read more about Max and Ellyn’s daughter, Rebeka, and Fendrel and Dimia’s son, Arik? Look no further than Knight of Runes, Book I ~ A Druid Knight Tale available now! www.RuthACasie.com/books.html
Knight of Runes
England, 1605
When Lord Arik, a druid knight, finds Rebeka Tyler wandering his lands without protection, he swears to keep her safe. But Rebeka can take care of herself. When Arik sees her clash with a group of attackers using a strange fighting style, he’s intrigued.
Rebeka is no ordinary seventeenth-century woman—she’s traveled back from the year 2011, and she desperately wants to return to her own time. She poses as a scholar sent by the king to find out what’s killing Arik’s land. But as she works to decode the ancient runes that are the key to solving this mystery and sending her home, she finds herself drawn to the charismatic and powerful Arik.
As Arik and Rebeka fall in love, someone in Arik’s household schemes to keep them apart, and a dark druid with a grudge prepares his revenge. Soon Rebeka will have to decide whether to return to the future or trust Arik with the secret of her time travel and her heart.
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In the mood for more historical fantasy romance with a touch of paranormal by Ruth A. Casie? Check out, The Guardian’s Witch, part of The Stelton Legacy series, available now! www.RuthACasie.com/books.html
The Guardian’s Witch
England, 1290
Lord Alex Stelton can’t resist a challenge, especially one with a prize like this: protect a castle on the Scottish border for a year, and it’s his. Desperate for land of his own, he’ll do anything to win the estate—even enter a proxy marriage to Lady Lisbeth Reynolds, the rumored witch who lives there.
Feared and scorned for her second sight, Lisbeth swore she’d never marry, but she is drawn to the handsome, confident Alex. She sees great love with him but fears what he would think of her gift and her visions of a traitor in their midst.
Despite his own vow never to fall in love, Alex can’t get the alluring Lisbeth out of his mind and is driven to protect her when attacks begin on the border. But as her visions of danger intensify, Lisbeth knows it is she who must protect him. Realizing they’ll secure their future only by facing the threat together, she must choose between keeping her magic a secret and losing the man she loves.
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Druid Knights 1.5: The Druid Knight Tales Page 6