Rhi stumbled and then fell. On the ground, she dropped her chin to her chest. Try as she might to hold them back, the tears came anyway.
“Oh, Balladyn,” she whispered as she cried for her friend.
For the man who had been with her for most of her life, the man who had loved her from afar, the man who had been betrayed because he loved her. He had suffered terribly.
Because of her.
And how had she repaid him? She had made him believe that they had a future together, then ended it. She was worse than Usaeil because she had given him hope.
If anyone knew how badly unrequited love could cut, it was her. And yet, she had done the same thing to Balladyn.
She covered her face with her hands and let the tears fall. She cried, the sobs wracking her body. She thought of nothing but the pain that consumed her.
“It will make you stronger,” the darkness whispered.
Rhi was tired of being weak. She wanted to be strong, to be able to control her emotions instead of having them control her.
“I can give you that.”
It was an offer too good to pass up.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Melisse opened her eyes and took a deep breath. She rose from the bed and walked to the window of the Balmoral Hotel to look down at the city streets teeming with tourists.
She was bolstered by the fact that Bernadette had listened to her and fought against the Others. But things were just getting started. It wouldn’t take long for the Others to realize that she was involved.
It was as if she wanted the Dragon Kings to win. In fact, Melisse didn’t care what happened to the Kings. But she wanted the Others to fail. And she would do whatever it took to make sure that happened.
Henry North would help her—though he didn’t know it yet. She hadn’t been able to believe her luck when she’d seen him outside of Dreagan. Unfortunately, their discussion in Madrid had been cut short. Partly because his sister was looking for him, but also because she hadn’t been prepared for his line of questioning.
She should’ve been, though. After everything she knew of Henry, she should have known that he would confront her directly. It was her mistake in thinking that she could lead him down a particular path of questions.
He was smart. And very observant. Of course, that’s what spies were, but he was … more so. It was no wonder he’d been so good at his job. It was a shame he no longer worked for MI5, but she understood why his attention had shifted to the Dragon Kings even before his sister became involved.
“We shall meet again soon, Henry,” Melisse said before turning from the window.
DON’T MISS THESE OTHER SPELLBINDING
NOVELS BY DONNA GRANT
THE DARK KING SERIES
Dark Heat
Darkest Flame
Fire Rising
Burning Desire
Hot Blooded
Night’s Blaze
Soul Scorched
Passion Ignites
Smoldering Hunger
Smoke And Fire
Firestorm
Blaze
Heat
Torched
Dragonfire
Ignite
THE HEART OF TEXAS SERIES
The Christmas Cowboy Hero
Cowboy, Cross My Heart
My Favorite Cowboy
THE SONS OF TEXAS SERIES
The Legend
The Hero
The Protector
Midnight’s Master
Midnight’s Lover
Midnight’s Seduction
Midnight’s Warrior
Midnight’s Kiss
Midnight’s Captive
Midnight’s Temptation
Midnight’s Promise
THE DARK SWORD SERIES
Dangerous Highlander
Forbidden Highlander
Wicked Highlander
Untamed Highlander
Shadow Highlander
Darkest Highlander
THE REAPERS E-NOVELLA SERIES
Dark Alpha’s Claim
Dark Alpha’s Embrace
Dark Alpha’s Demand
Dark Alpha’s Lover
Dark Alpha’s Night
Dark Alpha’s Hunger
Dark Alhpa’s Awakening
Dark Alpha’s Redemption
From St. Martin’s Paperbacks
HeroesandHeartbreakers.com
Original Stories, Sneak Peeks,
Exclusive Content, and
Much More!
Praise for Donna Grant
The Dark King series
“Loaded with subtle emotions, sizzling chemistry, and some provocative thoughts on the real choices [Grant’s] characters are forced to make as they choose their loves for eternity.”
—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
“Vivid images, intense details, and enchanting characters grab the reader’s attention and [don’t] let go.”
—Night Owl Reviews (Top Pick)
The Dark Warrior series
“The world of the Immortal Warriors is a thoroughly engaging one, blending powerful ancient gods, fiery desire, and touchingly human love, which readers will surely want to revisit.”
—RT Book Reviews
“[Grant] blends ancient gods, love, desire, and evildoers into a world you will want to revisit over and over again.”
—Night Owl Reviews
“Sizzling love scenes and engaging characters.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Ms. Grant mixes adventure, magic, and sweet love to create the perfect romance[s].”
—Single Title Reviews
The Dark Sword series
—RT Book Reviews
“Another fantastic series that melds the paranormal with the historical life of the Scottish highlander in this arousing and exciting adventure.”
—Bitten By Books
“These are some of the hottest brothers around in paranormal fiction.”
—Nocturne Romance Reads
“Will keep readers spellbound.”
—Romance Reviews Today
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant has penned ninety novels, novelettes, novellas, and short stories spanning multiple genres of romance, including the exhilarating Dark King and Reaper paranormal series, the romantic suspense Sons of Texas series, the historical paranormal Kindred series, and the contemporary Heart of Texas series. She lives with her two children, a dog, and three cats in Texas.
Want to know when Donna’s next book is available? You can sign up for her newsletter at www.DonnaGrant.com, follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/AuthorDonnaGrant, and Instagram @dgauthor. And don’t forget to check out the entire Dark World of Dragon Kings, Reapers, Druids, and Fae at www.MotherofDragonsBooks.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Cha
pter 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
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Epilogue
Don’t Miss These Other Spellbinding Novels by Donna Grant
Praise for Donna Grant
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
FEVER
Copyright © 2019 by Donna Grant.
All rights reserved.
For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
ISBN: 978-1-250-18291-3
eISBN: 9781250182920
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St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / October 2019