ALSO BY ANITA CLENNEY
Awaken the Highland Warrior
Embrace the Highland Warrior
Faelan: A Highland Warrior Brief
Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers)
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2013 Anita Clenney
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Montlake Romance
PO Box 400818
Las Vegas, NV 89140
ISBN-10: 147780868X
ISBN-13: 9781477858684
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013906196
This book is dedicated to my mom and dad, two of the kindest, gentlest souls I know, whose presence reminds me that in spite of my love of mystery and adventure, nothing is more grand or amazing than real life.
CONTENTS
Start Reading
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“Never do outrage nor murder, and always flee treason; also, by no means to be cruel, but to give mercy unto him that asketh mercy, upon pain of forfeiture of their worship and lordship of King Arthur forevermore; and always to do ladies, damsels, and gentlewomen succor, upon pain of death. Also, that no man do battle in a wrongful quarrel for no law, nor for the world’s goods.”
“To ride abroad redressing wrongs, To speak no slander, no, nor listen to it, To honor his own words as if his God’s.”
“To love one maiden only, cleave to her, and worship her by years of noble deeds, until they won her.”
—The Knights of the Round Table
PROLOGUE
WAKE UP!” THE young girl shook her friend’s shoulder. He woke with a gasp, his forehead covered with sweat. “You’re dreaming.”
“Do you have some water? I’m thirsty.”
She brought her cup. “It’s almost gone. There’s just a little left.”
He drained the water, his heart still pounding with visions of swords and battles… and the other part that made no sense. The grave.
“Was it the same one again?” the girl asked.
He nodded. “I wish I knew what it meant.”
“It means you’re special,” she said.
Special. How could he be special if no one wanted him?
CHAPTER ONE
IT WAS THE roar that woke her. Kendall lay for a moment trying to figure out if it was real or a dream. Her ability to sense things was sometimes a curse. She eased out of bed and walked to the door of her bedroom at Nathan’s mansion. He had insisted they stay here when they returned from Italy two days ago. He and Jake were trying to assess the threat level since the Reaper was obviously still out there.
She opened her door and stepped into the hallway. Another door opened near hers and Jake stepped out, disheveled dark hair hugging his neck, a bare chest that would make a nun lust, and, of course, underwear. She darted back into her room, hoping he hadn’t seen her. At least he hadn’t been naked, which according to him was how he preferred to sleep.
Dismissing the roar as part of her dream, since all the guards hadn’t come running, she lay down and tried to go back to sleep, but the image of Jake half naked burned behind her closed lids. She’d been avoiding him for the past two days. She didn’t have flings with coworkers, and for now they were both employed by Nathan, whether Jake wanted it or not. But avoiding Jake wasn’t easy. He appeared around every corner, tempting her with just a look.
Nathan, on the other hand, was more secretive than ever, which was disappointing since all three of them had bonded over their bizarre experiences in Italy. Those kinds of experiences tended to bring people together or make them steer clear. Nathan appeared to be steering clear.
Giving up on sleep for the moment, she found her bag and pulled out her relics log. For as long as she could remember, she had kept a record of the relics she discovered. Other girls had diaries and boys. She had her log, her relics, and Adam. Kendall opened the log and grabbed a pen from her nightstand.
Relic—The Spear of Destiny…
She paused there, letting the words she had written sink in. The Spear of Destiny. Unbelievable. But it was real.
Location—Umbria, Italy, hidden inside a monk’s coffin in catacombs.
Nathan recently discovered the existence of a secret order in Italy called the Protettori, a group that protects powerful relics along with vast amounts of treasure. He sent me, along with Jake Stone, a bodyguard/mercenary…
Her pen was poised over the paper… Hot guy? No, that wouldn’t do… to Italy to investigate the claims and search for a mysterious box, which we later discovered held the Spear of Destiny. We found a castle hidden in an isolated area, surrounded by large statues that seemed to function as a sort of electric fence. There was a guard named Raphael who didn’t want us there, but who reluctantly played host. He put us in the tower room, which turned out to be our prison. We escaped and found hidden catacombs underneath the castle grounds where the Spear of Destiny was hidden with one of the monks inside his coffin. Three thieves followed us and stole the spear. From what we can determine, the thieves were hired by a man known as the Reaper, as in the Grim Reaper of relics. He steals collections and kills the owners. He appears to be rich and well connected, not to mention impossible to find. A man named Edward Romano was also working for the Reaper, but he was trying to double-cross his boss and take the spear for himself. He’s dead now as well, killed by a ghost. Yet another unbelievable thing, but there were three witnesses, including myself. Ghosts, mystical statues, and creepy guards. Lots of strange things about this place.
And strange people. There was another man at the castle, Marco. He seemed to know me from when I was a child. He said I came to the castle with my father and Adam. I remember only bits and pieces, but I have to wonder at the remarkable coincidence. At first, Jake believed Nathan must have known about the castle and sent me there on purpose, but I don’t think so. Although Nathan is hiding things. Something is strange about him. He has these episodes that are brought on by a surge of adrenaline. He’s almost inhumanly strong and fast, and, most bizarre, his eyes glow as if on fire. It was terrifying, but impressive, watching him fight the Reaper’s men who attacked us at the castle. Fergus and Marco fought as well. Marco was shot trying to protect me and was in a coma until yesterday. He still spends most of his time sleeping but should recover. Nathan has the spear now. He hasn’t told us where he’s keeping it, and I suspect he won’t. We still have to figure out what to do with the treasure hidden at the
castle. Too many people know about the place.
One of the threats is a woman named Brandi who’s trying to destroy the relics and the Reaper because he killed her family. Her brother was the last to die. He had been working undercover for the Reaper, while trying to find out his true identity. Edward killed her brother, but Brandi still blamed the Reaper. She’s more desperate now. I expect we haven’t seen the last of her.
I don’t know how much longer we can wait for Marco to recover enough to tell us what to do with the treasure. I’m sure the Reaper still wants it, as well as the Spear of Destiny and the other three relics that the Protettori are protecting. We have to find them before the Reaper does. And I need to find out why Marco keeps mentioning Adam. I have begun to believe that either Nathan or Jake could be him, but I haven’t found enough evidence yet.
Kendall closed the log and put it aside. With a yawn, she turned off the light and lay down, staring at the blackness of the room. Was Marco just confused? He remembered Adam coming to the castle with her, but he had mentioned him as if he were still alive. There were other things troubling her. The Protettori’s crosses weren’t just necklaces; they were keys, but she was certain she was missing something. She tossed and turned well into the night. When morning came, she was gritty eyed and grumpy. She’d slept too long after a night of unrest and dreams. After a late breakfast, which Fergus had thoughtfully kept warm on the sideboard in the breakfast room, she stopped by Nathan’s office to ask for a closer look at the crosses. He wasn’t in.
She checked the library and the other parts of the mansion, but she couldn’t find him. The Mercedes he’d been driving all month was still in the garage. He changed cars like she changed earrings. She hated to disturb him in his private rooms, but she needed to see the crosses. She walked upstairs to the far end of the third floor where his bedroom and study were located. She knew this because Fergus had once asked her to deliver a document to Nathan. He wasn’t in the study, but the small velvet bag that held the crosses lay on top of his desk. The moment she picked up the bag, she heard gasping from Nathan’s bedroom next door. It sounded like someone was choking. She shoved the bag into her pocket and hurried to his room. She rapped against the heavy wood, but he didn’t answer. The gasping continued.
“Nathan? Are you OK?” Worried, Kendall turned the knob and the door opened. Nathan thrashed on the bed, body straining as if he had been chained, eyes closed. Kendall hurried to him, leaned down, and touched his arm. “Nathan, wake up!”
His eyes flew open. This close, the amber looked like a flame. She started to jump back, but he grabbed her arm. Trapped, she stared into his eyes, apprehensive, yet mesmerized by the glow. It was beautiful. His head moved closer, and she wasn’t sure if he was going to kiss her or bite her. “Nathan,” she whispered, “let me go.”
“Kendall?” He dropped her arm and quickly sat up.
There was enough light from the hall to see that he had a tattoo on one shoulder. Nathan with a tattoo? That was almost as shocking as his glowing eyes. And it was obvious that he slept naked. She averted her gaze as he pulled the sheet higher.
“I’m sorry you saw that.” He was still breathing hard, but his eyes were normal now.
“I wouldn’t have come in, but I thought you were choking. I’ll leave.”
“Don’t go.” He reached for her but drew his hand back, clutching the sheet instead.
She didn’t leave, but she did take a step away from the bed. “What is it like when it happens? Does it hurt?”
He rubbed his tattooed shoulder as if he were cold. “Some. It feels like an animal is inside, trying to get out.”
“You’re not an animal.”
“Is that one of your hunches?”
The question might have been sarcastic except for the desperate hope in his eyes. She knew Nathan trusted her sixth sense, even more than she did at times. “It’s common sense. You’re not… bad. You’ve never hurt anyone.”
“I did at the castle.”
“That was self-defense. You had to.”
“I think I hurt someone before, when I was a kid. I can’t remember my childhood, but I have this dream. I’m young. There’s a man with me. He’s injured, bleeding. Dying, then the dream stops. I can’t remember anything before or after. But I feel as if it’s my fault he died.” His British accent wasn’t strong, but it was more pronounced when he was tired.
“I’m sure it wasn’t, if you were just a kid. You don’t know the man?”
“I should, but I don’t. It’s frustrating.”
“You don’t remember anything about your childhood? Your mother, your father?”
“No. My mother died when I was a baby.”
Just like hers. And Adam’s. That might be a clue.
“My father died later,” Nathan said. “I don’t remember him. Sometimes I get glimpses, not even a face, just a feeling.”
She knew that sensation well. “How did he die?” She didn’t want to ask if it had been in a plane crash. Her suspicions felt ridiculous, but Marco had looked right at Nathan and Jake when he said he saw Adam.
“He was in some kind of witness protection program, but he was killed.”
That didn’t sound like Adam. Could Uncle John have been in witness protection? Maybe she should be looking at Jake, not Nathan. “I had no idea.” She was stunned that they were actually discussing it now. She had thought he just didn’t want to talk about it with her. “Fergus has been with you since you were a boy, hasn’t he?”
Nathan nodded. “He’s been like a father to me.”
“It must be hard to not remember anything.” Her memories were wonderful and painful, but they were hers.
The look he gave her was far from the usual serious stare. There was hurt behind his eyes. “It’s empty. But maybe it’s best. I might be forgetting something I wouldn’t want to remember.”
“Cozy,” a hard voice said. Jake stood in the doorway, hands shoved in his pockets, face tight.
“What’re you doing here?” Nathan asked. He started to get up, then looked at his sheet and stopped.
“Not having as much fun as you.”
“We weren’t doing anything.” Nathan scowled. “What do you want?”
“Hank’s looking for you. He said it’s important. Looked like the veins in his neck might explode.”
“Bloody hell. I’m late. I need to get dressed.” He slid to the edge of the bed.
“I’m going to my apartment,” Kendall said. “I haven’t been since we got back.”
“Fine,” Nathan said, starting to rise.
Jake took Kendall’s arm and pulled her from the room. He shut the door firmly behind them. “Now I know why you’ve been avoiding me. You’re in bed with the boss.”
Kendall slapped his arm. “Sometimes I want to hit you.”
“You just did.”
“I want to hit you harder. There’s nothing going on between Nathan and me, and if there were, it’s none of your business.”
“You slept with me. Maybe it’s a guy thing, but that feels like it makes it my business.”
“You make it sound as if we had sex. I slept in your bed out of necessity, not choice.” Kendall stalked off toward her room without looking back. She was going to go home and get away from men for a while. Good-looking ones, mysterious ones, evil ones. She was tired of them all.
She was surprised Nathan hadn’t told her not to leave since he’d been so insistent that they stay here until now. After all, as he kept reminding her when they’d first returned from Italy and she insisted she needed to go home, the Reaper was still alive, and he still wanted the Spear of Destiny, and there had been several attempts to kill or kidnap her.
As she drove the winding road toward Charlottesville, she kept thinking about her conversation with Nathan. They’d never talked about their childhoods, and now that they had, she felt even more connected to him. But how could he be Adam if his father was in a witness protection program? Uncle John hadn’t been in a pro
gram. Had he? She had been just a kid. They wouldn’t have told her if he had. But Adam would have told her. Maybe Adam hadn’t known. Or maybe she was an idiot and Nathan had absolutely no connection to Adam. Marco was just an old man with a wandering mind.
She stopped at the ATM to get cash and then found a sporting goods store to replace her flashlight and thermal blanket. When she got out of the car to go inside, she felt the bag in her pocket. The crosses. She had forgotten about them. Occasionally, she took objects home to study, but Nathan always knew beforehand. She stuck the crosses in her purse. When she got back to the mansion she would return them. In the meantime, this was a perfect opportunity to see if she could discover the secrets they were hiding.
After fighting traffic and getting stuck behind an accident, she drove toward her apartment, which was in a nice, upscale area. Not as upscale as Nathan’s estate in Albemarle County. He was hiding in a place where everyone had money. Old money, new money, inherited money, but money, and lots of it. His mansion and gated entrance didn’t stand out so much among all the fancy horse farms and vineyards.
Kendall parked her Volkswagen in front of her brick, Tudor-style building. It was nice and quiet. Most of the tenants were old. Kendall was rarely here except to sleep or pick up a change of clothing. More often than not, she ended up staying at the mansion.
She grabbed her purse, which held the leather pouch, and got out of the car. A large black SUV crept into a parking place farther up the street. She couldn’t see the driver through the tinted window, but she’d bet money he was one of Nathan’s guards. She had mixed feelings about that. It was nice, but irritating. Especially now. She and Nathan had a deep trust when it came to relics and responsibility. She felt guilty knowing he was watching out for her when she’d just borrowed something valuable without permission. Clutching her purse close to her side, she hurried up the sidewalk. If she was lucky, she could find out what she needed to know and get the bag back before Nathan discovered it missing.
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