Historical Romance
Brutal
Assassin
Trained
to kill swiftly and emotionlessly, Damien has lived his life in darkness,
desiring only one thing, to be free.
When his master offers him his freedom for the completion of one last
mission, Damien doesn’t hesitate. He has
no doubt that he will be free. Until he
sees the woman he is to kill. She is
his…
Beautiful
Angel
Compassionate
and kind, Aurora of Acquitaine is the epitome of goodness. She lives her life trying to atone for her
mother’s cruelty by being fair and just to her people. But when she is attacked by an assassin, she
fears her mother’s killer has returned for her.
Will
Damien find redemption in Aurora’s kindness or will his
darkness consume her?
Teaser Excerpt:
Aurora
climbed to her feet.
“Where is my sword?” Damien
demanded, searching the forest floor. He
could not look at her.
“Here.” It had been hidden beneath the flare of her
dress when she was lying down.
Damien nodded in satisfaction. He picked it up, pausing as he looked into
her eyes. They sparkled a pale blue in
the moonlight.
Aurora
stared at him for a long, pensive moment.
Then, she dipped her head in thought.
The furrows of her brow deepened as her gaze stopped at his thigh,
lingering on his wound. “How do you
feel?” she asked.
“Well enough to see you back to
your castle.” He sheathed his weapon and
took a step toward Acquitaine.
“Damien,” she called.
He hesitated. He didn’t want her to fear him. Would she condemn him now for his
violence? The silence stretched. Finally, he turned to her and his breath
caught in his throat.
She stood in middle of the forest,
bathed in a pool of moonlight. Her
blonde hair, loose from any constraints, fell to her waist in thick waves. Her back was straight, her tiny body alluring
and curvy and delectable. But it was her
eyes that captured his attention. He saw
no fear in her eyes. It was
concern. Had he mistaken fear for
concern?
Damien had never felt such an
overwhelming need for anything in his life.
He trembled with his want of her.
A swirl of emotions played over her
face. Concern, regret, helplessness.
It took all Damien’s willpower not
to go to her and sweep her into his embrace.
He didn’t want to scare her. He
didn’t want to harm her. He didn’t want
to taint her.
“I will never leave you,” she
finally confessed and tears entered her eyes.
Damien came toward her then, like a
tumultuous storm cloud. “You don’t know
what you are saying,” he warned in a savage whisper.
Aurora
did not run for cover; she did not shrink from his approach. She stared up into his face with those damned
clear orbs. And for the briefest of
moments, Damien saw himself reflected as she saw him. A hero, a good man. A man worthy of all he could attain.
He stood before her, stunned.
The sound of horses thundering
through the clearing pounded a warning through the ground.
Damien grabbed Aurora’s
hand in one hand, and drew his sword in the other. He watched the group of men approach through
the forest, clumsily maneuvering their steeds through the tight trees. He pulled Aurora
behind him.
These men were no brigands. They wore heraldry, and while Damien couldn’t
be sure, he suspected they were from Acquitaine.
As they drew closer, his suspicions
were confirmed. One of them called out,
“Lady Aurora!”
Damien refused to relinquish
her. For just one moment, she had been
his. And it had been the most glorious
moment of his life.
“Lady Aurora!” another called.
His time alone with her was over.
“I am here,” Aurora
called out, a reluctance in her tone.
Four men came forward, three of
whom wore red tunics with a white dove embroidered onto it, the symbol of
Acquitaine. But the leader wore a
different crest. A black lion on a white
background. He reached them first,
reining his horse to a stop before them.
His blonde hair waved gently in the breeze. His dark eyes swept them. “Lady Aurora,” he gasped, dismounting. He brushed his blonde hair aside and knelt
before her. Practiced, polished. Fake.
Damien hated him on sight.
Aurora
stiffened. She released Damien’s hand
and stepped toward the knight. “Count
Ormand,” she greeted.
Ormand stood and his gaze shifted
to Damien with just the right disdainful curl of his lip, then back to Aurora. “I came to rescue you as soon as I heard an
attempt was made on your life. Imagine
my surprise at finding you gone.”
“We were attacked by an
assassin. Damien was struck by a poison
arrow.”
One of Ormand’s eyebrows rose. “Another assassin?” He looked at Damien, then back at Aurora. “Were you hurt, m’lady?”
“No,” she said. “Damien saved me. Again.”
Ormand looked at Damien. “This must be the amazing Damien.”
Aurora
nodded. “Ormand, this is Damien. Damien, this is Count Ormand.”
“I am Aurora’s
betrothed,” Ormand stated with a slight lifting of his chin so he could stare
down at Damien.
Betrothed. The word rang in Damien’s head like a
thunderous bell and his teeth clenched.
Betrothed. Betrothed. What did it matter? But the word did not stop clanging in his
thoughts. Betrothed.
Ormand’s pompous stare swept Damien
suspiciously from head to foot. “Why is
he half naked? And what in heaven’s name
were you doing out in the forest knowing that your life is in danger?”
Buy links:
Amazon - http://amzn.com/B008F4F47M
Smashwords - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/177487
Laurel
O’Donnell lives in Illinois with her husband, four children and five cats. She has always enjoyed escaping into the
medieval era, including spending a summer interning at the renaissance faire in
Wisconsin where she learned to sword fight and recite Shakespeare. Now, she spends her time reading a good book,
or swimming or, of course, writing.
Author links:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/laurelodonnell
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/medievaljack
Linked In - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/laurel-o-donnell/33/773/b8b
1 comment:
Hi Dawn -
Thanks so much for letting me post a bit about my medieval romance, Angel's Assassin. Hope you enjoy it.
Laurel
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