Epologue
“What did you find? Report.” The deep voice came out smooth, dangerous in its softness.
The melodious sound sent a shiver down his spine, and it was all he could do to stand without quaking. “They have a child. A boy.”
“Keep watch. See if the boy has inherited her powers.”
“They’re cautious. It’ll be hard to get close.”
“Do what you must. Accidents happen.” The man leaned back in the shadows of the carriage and shrugged. “The child will be in a powerful position as a peer of the realm. More vulnerable. We may be able to use him later.” A hacking cough erupted from him. “Meet him. Become his friend. Train him.”
“And the parents? The others of their kind?”
The man leaned forward. Old, faded blue eyes pinned him to the spot, the bitter cold in them whispering of horrible things they’d seen and done to get what he wanted. “They’re none of your concern. Watch the boy and be prepared to act.”
The Watcher took an instinctive step back, shaken as if a cold hand had grabbed hold of his soul. He only worked for them to avoid being murdered with all the rest. Once his usefulness was over, he would join the others who had died, and no one would ever find his body.
And his greatest concern? He’d begun to care for the courageous girl who had saved his life. A sure death sentence if the others ever found out. He couldn’t be replaced, he couldn’t take the chance someone would hurt Brighid and her new family.
The girl had unwittingly saved his life when the factory exploded. She could have let him die. She could have let the boy die. She risked everything to save them both, and he wouldn’t forget.
He repaid his debts. He killed the man who threatened his girl, took satisfaction in breaking the bastard’s neck. He felt her power brush up against him for a moment. Both fear and awe had filled him as her magic had held him in its grip, but it left him alone.
He was alive for a reason, and one reason only.
To protect her child.
He wouldn’t let his two charges down.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Druid Surrender is one of the first books I wrote.
Over the years, it has gone through many reincarnations.
When I finally decided to publish it, my editor, Faith Freewoman, pushed me to make this book the best it could be. Thank you!
A special thanks to my readers.
I wouldn’t be here without you.
To Rosie, Lucy and Pete—
Thank you for all your encouragement and reading everything I write.
Finally, to my husband—
Thanks for putting up with all my quirks and foibles.
I couldn’t do this without you.
About the Author
Stacey Brutger lives in a small town in Minnesota with her husband and an assortment of animals. When she’s not reading, she enjoys creating stories about exotic worlds and grand adventures…then shoving in her characters to see how they’d survive. She enjoys writing anything paranormal from contemporary to historical.
Visit Stacey online to find out more at www.StaceyBrutger.com
Or click here to join her newsletter.
OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR:
Paranormal Romance
BloodSworn
Coveted
A Druid Quest Novel
Druid Surrender (Book 1)
A PeaceKeeper Novel
The Demon Within (Book1)
A Raven Investigations Novel
Electric Storm (Book 1)
Electric Moon (Book 2)
Electric Heat (Book 3)
Electric Legend (Book 4)
Electric Bundle (Books 1-3)
Coming Soon:
Druid Temptation (Book 2)
Electric Night (Book 5)
Citadel
Watch for her first dystopian novel called Citadel
or her next historical fantasy called Druid Temptation.
~ COVETED ~
Discover what happens when a woman stumbles across a Scottish werewolf imprisoned in a thousand-year old dungeon. Magic and mayhem, not to mention a lot of kick-ass action and some sexy hijinks, of course.
Pack alpha Aiden vows to do whatever necessary to protect his people. When he discovers a plot to harvest blood from his wolves to create the ultimate drug, he’s determined to stop them at any cost. And quickly finds himself taken captive. After months in prison, Aiden barely manages to hang onto his sanity. The last thing he expects is a shapely little human to come to his rescue and bring out all his protective instincts.
Shayla is being stalked because of her abilities as a seeker. When offered a job in Scotland, she leaps at the chance to escape. With danger pursuing her at every turn, she must decide if she could give up her magic in order to live a safe, ordinary life. Never in her wildest fantasies did she expect to find a feral-looking man imprisoned in a thousand-year-old dungeon…or be so wildly attracted to him. She didn’t need more trouble, but when fate presents the means to help him escape, she doesn’t hesitate.
Now they are both being hunted, and Aiden is determined to do everything in his power to protect Shayla…and seduce her into becoming his mate. As the danger intensifies, Aiden begins to suspect that Shayla might be the key to saving not only his people but also the future of his race…if he could keep her alive long enough.
~ BLOODSWORN ~
Ten years after they bound her powers and banished her, Trina Weyebridge had successfully carved out a new existence in the human world. She put her life as a witch behind her. But, her magic would not be denied, the bindings holding them in check are weakening. Vampires who crave a taste of the powers stored in her blood are hunting her with deadly force and have kidnapped her sister to lure her out. In a desperate bid to free her sister and gain her own freedom, Trina bargains with the all-too-tempting lion shifter who calls out the long forgotten wild side in her...she would be his concubine in return for pack protection. She’d be safe…until they found out the truth.
UNDENIABLE DESIRE. FORBIDDEN LOVE. INESCAPABLE DESTINY.
When Merrick spots a female intruder living on his property, he’s intrigued by her daring. Curious to find out more, he follows her and comes to her aid when she falls prey to an attack. After weeks of unnatural silence, his beast awakens at her touch, and he suspects that she might be the only one able to save his race from a disease killing his kind. Not willing to take the chance of losing her, he binds her to him the only way he knows how…by claiming her as his own. All he has to do to save her is uncover the secrets of her past, stop a pack revolt, convince her that she’s desperately in love with him in return, and prevent a war.
~ THE DEMON WITHIN ~
As a punishment for failing his duty as an angel, Ruman finds himself encased in stone in the form of a guardian statue. Every few decades he is given a chance to repent. And fails. Until the totally unsuitable Caly Sawyer accidentally brings him back to life. Nothing is going to prevent him from gaining his freedom, especially some willfully stubborn human determined to kill him.
Caly doesn’t trust the mysterious stranger who came out of nowhere and risked his life for hers. As a demon hunter, she knows there is something not quite human about the sexy bastard. Her ability to detect demons is infallible. She should know. She used to be one.
War is brewing between demons and humans. The demon infection that Caly had always considered a curse might just be the key to their survival…if Ruman can keep her alive long enough. Despite the volatile attraction between her and her sexy protector, Caly’s determined to do whatever it takes to keep everyone alive. The more Ruman learns about his beautiful charge, the more he questions his duty and loyalty...and dreads the call to return home. If they can’t learn to trust each other in time, one of them will die.
~ ELECTRIC STORM ~
A WOMAN WITH TOO MANY SECRETS DARES TO RISK EVERYTHING TO CLAIM THE PACK DESTINED TO BER HERS.
Everything
changed when Raven, a natural born conduit, accidentally walks in on a slave auction. She only wants a night out with her friends before her next case as a paranormal liaison with the police. Instead, she ends up in possession of a shifter and his guardian. When your touch can kill, living with two touchy-feely shifters is a disaster waiting to happen.
POWER ALWAYS COMES WITH A PRICE…
To make matters worse, a vicious killer is on the loose. As mutilated bodies turn up, she can't help fear that her new acquisitions are keeping secrets from her. The strain of keeping everyone alive, not to mention catching the killer, pushes her tenuous control of her gift and her emotions to their limits. If they hope to survive, they must work together as a pack or risk becoming hunted themselves.
A Raven Investigations Novel : Book 1
~ ELECTRIC MOON ~
WHILE THE MOON’S CALL RIPS THROUGH THE SHIFTER COMMUNITY, A KILLER STALKS FOR PREY AMONGST THEM. TEMPERS RISE, LUST EXPLODES, AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF EITHER CAN PROVE TO BE DEADLY.
Raven’s very private life explodes into the spotlight when she is nominated as a Region on the paranormal police force. The secrets of her past are slowly being exposed. With the safety of the pack paramount, she will do whatever is necessary to protect them. In return, they are teaching her how to navigate the shifter community and control the moon’s call where even the most innocent touch could destroy her carefully crafted world.
SURVIVAL WILL DEMAND THE ULTIMATE PRICE…
As she juggles the demands of pack life and police work, the lines between duty and loyalty blur. Shifters are dying in mysterious ways. Raven suspects something sinister is destroying the pack from within. She must dig into the dark corners of the paranormal world, secrets that they would kill to protect, and find the reason behind the deaths before her pack becomes the next target.
A Raven Investigations Novel: Book 2
~ ELECTRIC HEAT ~
ANCIENT MAGIC HAS BEEN UNLEASHED INTO THE WORLD. IT’S WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO SURVIVE, EVEN IF IT MEANS WAR. ONLY ONE WOMAN CAN KILL IT…OR SET IT FREE.
The local witches’ coven offers Raven a trade: Surrender herself to them for one week or give up a member of her pack. She thought they wanted to study her, but Raven discovers something far worse—murder. To save her pack, Raven must make the ultimate sacrifice…her freedom.
WHEN DARKNESS IS UNLEASHED…NO ONE IS SAFE.
Witches are being drained of power and killed using a wild magic that’s been dormant for centuries. Tasked with locating the one responsible for releasing it, Raven soon finds herself the prey rather than the hunter. The more lives the magic claims, the stronger the killer becomes. As she and her pack scramble to unravel the secrets of the coven, her own beast starts to wake, and she begins to wonder which is more dangerous…the killer or her beast. But one thing is sure, if the coven and pack don’t learn to work together, none of them will survive the coming storm.
A Raven Investigations Novel: Book 3
~ ELECTRIC LEGEND ~
SOMETHING MALEVOLENT HAS INFECTED THE FREAK SHOW, SPREADING TERROR AND DEATH WHEREVER THE CIRCUS TRAVELS. ONE VISIT WILL ENCHANT YOU, BUT DON’T DARE STAY PAST DARK OR YOU MIGHT NEVER LEAVE.
After her recent nearly-fatal case as a paranormal consultant, Raven decides to take a much-needed vacation with her pack. They stop at a freak show, a circus owned by the paranormal, and stumble upon a case…or to be more precise, the pack is kidnapped and held hostage.
WHAT WOULD YOU RISK FOR LOVE…
Raven plots their escape, knowing that if even one thing goes wrong the circus would vanish overnight without a trace, taking her pack with them. When her newly awakened dragon sabotages their every attempt to leave, Raven must depend on her wits alone to discover who is terrorizing and killing the shifters in the circus before her pack becomes the next target. Her situation only grows more precarious when the bonds between her pack begin to unravel. To save them all before it’s too late, Raven will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.
A Raven Investigations Novel: Book 4
Druid Surrender (A Druid Quest Novel Book 1) Page 33