by Donna Grant
“It is,” she insisted, putting her hand on his legs to keep him sitting. “Finish. Please.”
Morcant frowned, unsure if she wanted to hear what he had to say, or if she just wanted him to get it over with. He parted his lips to speak when Leana held up a finger.
“Wait.” She quickly and effortlessly finished cleaning his leg before winding a strip of material around it with fresh leaves. “I don’t think this one needs stitching. Let me see your back.”
He shifted so she could reach him. A smile formed when she grabbed a knife and sliced off his ruined shirt. With a grunt, she set a bowl of water and a towel in front of him.
“Wipe your face and arms,” she ordered as she got to work on his back.
Morcant didn’t say a word as she worked and he cleaned himself. He was mystified, baffled by her, and yet he couldn’t get enough.
In no time at all, she stood in front of him expectantly. Morcant blinked, anxiety taking him again now that it was time to say the words. He took her hands and got to his feet.
“You were saying you didn’t know you were looking for me,” she urged, her eyes bright and expectant.
The iron grip of nerves loosened their hold. “Aye, I didna know I looked for you, but I was. Now that I have found you, I doona want to let you go. Ever.” Morcant swallowed hard. “I’ve never said these words to another woman. I love you, Leana.”
Her lids closed over her eyes as she stood still. A heartbeat later, she leaned forward and rested her head on his chest as Morcant wrapped his arms around her. “I love you,” she whispered.
Morcant held her tight. “It’s all right, my love. I’ve got you, and I willna ever let you go.”
“You’ll need to say that every day.”
“Thrice a day at the verra least,” he said with a grin. He rested his chin on her head and took in a deep breath. “Is this what peace feels like?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never felt it before. It’s a little scary.”
“Aye, but we’ve each other.”
Leana lifted her head to look into his face. “I like the sound of that.”
“Then how does forever sound?”
“Amazing.”
Morcant felt as if his heart would burst from his chest he was so ecstatic. He wanted to shout and dance, and at the same time he wanted to make love to Leana. A few days ago he was in Hell.
Then an angel found him and showed him heaven.
EPILOGUE
One month later…
Leana hid her grin as Morcant paced the solar of Ravensclyde as he had been doing for the past ten minutes waiting on Ronan. “You know he wouldn’t leave you waiting if there weren’t a reason.”
“Aye,” Morcant said testily. “Where the devil is he?”
“Right here,” Ronan said as he entered the solar with Meg on his arm. “I apologize for the wait, my friend. I was dealing with some matters about the castle.”
Leana wondered at the way Meg was grinning widely and looking between her and Morcant. Leana’s gaze returned to Morcant to find his gaze narrowed on Ronan.
“Why did you call me here?” Morcant asked.
Ronan nodded a greeting at Leana. “I wanted to talk to you the day I found you, but Meg insisted the two of you needed some time alone.”
“Thank you,” Morcant said with a bow of his head to Meg. “Leana and I appreciate that.”
Leana stood when Morcant walked to her and threaded his fingers with hers. In the month they had been together, their love had deepened. She found not only a lover, but also a friend, someone she could share her deepest desires with.
Ronan cleared his throat. “Morcant, Leana, Meg and I want to offer you both positions here as family.”
Leana expected Ronan to want Morcant with him, but she hadn’t expected to be included in the offer. She looked at Morcant to find him staring at her. She squeezed his hand to let him know she would support whatever decision he made.
“Morcant,” Ronan said into the silence. “You know we were brothers without the bond of blood. I know you always wanted to be laird, but there’s no other man I’d rather have at my back in battle.”
Morcant turned to her. “What do you think?”
The fact he asked her opinion was one of the many reasons she loved him. “I want you to be happy.”
“And you?”
“I’m happy wherever I am. As long as I have you.”
Morcant’s gaze turned dark with desire as he pulled her against him. “Ah, my bonny, Leana. To be separated by centuries, and yet we found each other – against all odds.”
Leana had tears of joy filling her eyes when Morcant turned his head to Ronan and said, “We accept. Right after Leana marries me.”
She laughed through her tears. “Name the place.”
“Here. Now,” Morcant replied with a grin. “Marry me this day, Leana.”
“Aye.”
Ronan’s bellow for the priest was drowned out as Morcant kissed Leana completely, thoroughly, as though eternity was theirs for the taking.
Look for the next Rogues of Scotland story – THE TEMPTED – Coming January 2015!
Until then, read on for the sneak peek at HOT BLOODED, the fourth book in the Dark King series…
Laith leaned back in the chair with his hands behind his head as he looked around Constantine’s office. There were only a handful of Dragon Kings in the large room. Some were on various missions regarding the Dark Fae, Ulrik, and others that only Con knew about.
Still other Kings were on the sixty thousand acres of Dreagan property tending to livestock, overseeing their famous Dreagan whisky, and patrolling their borders. Because even though their dragon magic kept most humans and other beings out, some still tried to gain entrance.
As a race of shape-shifting immortals who had been around since the dawn of time, the Dragon Kings weren’t without their share of enemies. And the list kept growing as the months went by.
Each King was powerful in his own right or he would never have been chosen to rule his dragons, but there was one who was King of Kings—Constantine.
Con with his surfer boy golden blond hair and soulless black eyes could be a cold son of a bitch. He did what was necessary, regardless of who was hurt, in order to keep the secret of Dreagan from leaking to the humans.
While turning the gold dragon-head cuff links at his wrist, Con sat patiently behind his desk staring at a file folder while everyone took their seats.
“What’s up?” Ryder leaned over to whisper before promptly taking a bite of a jelly-filled donut.
Laith shrugged. It could be anything, and he learned long ago not to try and guess what was going on in Con’s head or try to figure out Con’s thinking when he did something. The fact Con wouldn’t look up from the folder meant that whatever was inside was troubling indeed.
Kellan was the last to enter Con’s office. After a quick look around, Kellan closed the door behind him. The Keeper of the History remained as he was, leaning against the door instead of taking a chair.
Another sign that something bad had happened. Laith took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Besides Ryder, Con, and Kellan there was Rhys, Warrick, Hal, and Tristan. Everyone looked at ease. Except for Rhys.
There was something going on with his friend, but so far Rhys hadn’t shared it with anyone. The lines of strain around Rhys’s mouth said that whatever bothered him was taking a hard toll.
Rhys ran a hand through his long dark hair, his gaze meeting Laith’s. A heartbeat later, Rhys’s gaze skated away. Laith scratched his chin, the two-day’s growth of beard itching, as he considered how hard to push to get Rhys to tell him—or someone—what was wrong.
“Come on, Con,” Tristan said as he bent a leg to set his ankle atop his knee. “Stop stalling. Why did you call us in here?”
Con’s black eyes slowly lifted to meet Tristan’s. He let the silence lengthen before Con leaned forward and stabbed a finger on the file folder. “This.”
“And what is that?” Hal’s voice was calm, but as one of six Kings who had taken mates, he was anything but. His gaze was riveted on Con, his bearing anxious and worried.
Con sighed and got to his feet. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his navy slacks. “I’d hoped we would have a reprieve. I’d hoped that Kiril and Shara would have more time to themselves being newly mated.”
“For the love of all that’s holy, spit it out,” Ryder stated, unable to wait any longer.
A muscle in Con’s jaw jumped. “John Campbell was found dead this morning.”
Everyone stilled, their faces expressing shock, surprise, and disbelief as Con’s words penetrated. No one said a word as they comprehended what John’s death meant to Dreagan.
Laith closed his eyes, feeling remorse for John’s death. The Campbells had owned the fifty acres bordering Dreagan for countless generations. It began shortly after the war with the humans, once the Kings sent the dragons to another realm. There was a doorway onto Dreagan, it was hidden, but could be used by their enemies. Since no Dragon King’s magic could touch the area around the doorway, it became apparent that they would have to trust a human to do it for them.
The Campbells, one of the few groups of humans who didn’t wage war on Dreagan stepped forward. And so the watch of the Campbells had begun.
Only the head of the family, the one responsible for ensuring no one accidentally stumbled upon the doorway, knew the secret of Dreagan and what it was being guarded. It continued in that vein for thousands of years through wars and invasions. The Campbells kept the Dragon Kings’ secret, and the Kings, in turn, protected them.
How Laith was going to miss John’s laughter and his jokes. John hadn’t just protected Dreagan, he’d become a friend.
“Who’s going to guard the land?” Laith asked.
Kellan glanced at Con. “John has a daughter, Iona.”
“That’s right. I forgot about her,” Rhys said.
Hal frowned as he sat forward and rested his arms on his legs. “She’s been gone for a while, aye?”
“A verra long while,” Con said. “Twenty years in fact.”
Laith shifted to get comfortable in the chair. “John often talked of Iona. He showed me her photographs when he’d come into the pub. For as long as I knew him, and as often as we chatted, he never told me what happened with his wife.”
Con stood and walked behind his tall chair, leaning his arms upon the back. “One of John’s responsibilities was to remain on the land.”
“He remained when his wife left and took Iona,” Hal said softly.
Laith shifted his gaze back to Con. “He could’ve left for that.”
“He took his oath to us seriously,” Kellan explained. “To help with the pain of his loss, he buried himself in his writing after that.”
Warrick nodded slowly. “He was an excellent writer.”
“That he was.” Con looked at the file folder again.
Laith dropped his arms to his lap. “What’s in the file, Con? If it was only a matter of ensuring his daughter take up her father’s duties, we wouldna been called here.”
“Iona stepping into her duties is another matter entirely. I’ll get to that in a moment. What’s in the folder is a report. John didna die by natural causes,” Con said as he locked his gaze on Laith’s. “He was murdered.”
Thank you for reading The Hunger. I hope you enjoyed it! If you liked this book – or any of my other releases – please consider rating the book at the online retailer of your choice. Your ratings and reviews help other readers find new favorites, and of course there is no better or more appreciated support for an author than word of mouth recommendations from happy readers. Thanks again for your interest in my books!
Donna Grant
www.DonnaGrant.com
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Don’t miss these other spellbinding novels by
DONNA GRANT
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant has been praised for her “totally addictive” and “unique and sensual” stories. She’s written more than thirty novels spanning multiple genres of romance including the bestselling Dark King stories, Dark Craving, Night’s Awakening, and Dawn’s Desire. Her acclaimed series, Dark Warriors, feature a thrilling combination of Druids, primeval gods, and immortal Highlanders who are dark, dangerous, and irresistible. She lives with her husband, two children, a dog, and four cats in Texas.
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Table of Contents
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
Excerpt for HOT BLOODED
Thank You
Newsletter
Donna Grant Novels
About the Author
Donna Grant, The Hunger (Rogues of Scotland #2)