After The Storm (32 page)

“Yes, my brother said some have escaped to England,
and he went after them this morning …” she stuck in, hoping to
show that she was in fact concerned about the situation.

“Indeed, and we are even working with the Milesians,
one in particular, Chancemont LeBlanc …” The queen inclined
her lovely head. “I know that you have heard something of
that
tragic story.”

“Yes, Trevor has just left me to join the Milesian in
the effort of tracking and capturing Pestale.”

“Precisely, my Princess.” The queen rose from her
seat and took a turn in place. Royce watched her with dread.
Here it comes
, she thought.

“As it happens, Princess Royce, I have decided to
make you a part of
their team
. You have specific and
extraordinary abilities that they might find useful.”

“
Me
 … my punishment is to team with
Trevor?” Now this was beyond wonderful, Royce thought, almost
clasping her hands together.
Is this what she calls
punishment?

The queen’s iridescent eyes narrowed, and one
delicate brow rose. “Do not think you have gotten away with your
misbehavior. Indeed, little one, I am putting you in grave danger.
It is time you stopped playing mother to these humans and began the
business of being who you are—a Seelie Fae princess.” She waved off
Royce’s objection and silenced her with a glare. “This is a mission
that you must execute with purpose and determination. It is time
you wake up and realize your duty to your own kind. I need you to
open your lovely eyes and recognize what is important in the large
scope of things.” The queen sighed and then added, “This will not
be easy, child. Chancemont will not want you to accompany them, and
he will not welcome you. If you wish to carry out your Queen’s
orders, you will have to prove yourself to him, and I expect that
you will find a way to do so.”

Royce was so relieved that the queen was not
relegating her to the middle of a mountain without power to get
out—she had heard enough stories to worry about this— that she
almost jumped up and hugged Queen Aaibhe. However, she checked
herself and bowed her head. “Yes, my Queen … I will do as you
ask.”

About Claudy Conn

Claudy Conn, a native New Yorker, now lives with her
husband, Bob; their wolf, Cherokee; and Cherokee’s son, Rocky Man,
who weighs in presently at 190 pounds.

She loves horses and riding and raised her
ten-year-old gelding Southern Pride from the moment he was born.
She also loves gardening, swimming, skiing, hiking, and travel—and
of course, reading, writing, but no, she says, no arithmetic!

To get her monthly news, her reviews for all her new
paranormal romances, and excerpts, come on and visit her at her
website:
http://www.claudyconn.com

To see pictures of Cherokee—and her shepherd-wolf
son!—have a look at her Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Claudy-Conn-Paranormal-Romance-Author/135826686471445

Discover this and other titles by Claudy Conn at
Smashwords.com:

Risqué Regencies

Oh, Cherry Ripe
–
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/135532

Myriah Fire
–
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/109011

Rogues, Rakes & Jewels
–
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/171997

Taffeta and Hotspur –
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/179452

Wildfire Kiss
–
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/221331

Runaway Heart
–
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/239110

Netherby Halls
–
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272171

Legend Series

Prince Prelude—Legend
–
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159840

Spellbound—Legend
–
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/96103

Aaibhe—Shee Queen
–
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/110252

Shee Willow—Legend
–
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/103389

Prince in the Mist
–
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/104045

Trapped—Legend
–
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/112028

Free Falling—Legend
–
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92368

Catch & Hold—Legend
–
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/124602

Shadow Series

ShadowLove—Stalkers
–
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/63037

ShadowHeart—Slayer
–
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/84350

ShadowLife—Hybrid
–
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/143173

Through Time Series

Through Time-Pursuit
–
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/210166

Hungry Moon Series

Hungry Moon: Quicksivler
–
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/257284

Read more about Claudy Conn’s books

Myriah Fire

Myriah Whitney wants thunder and lightning, not a
proper courtship and a sensible marriage. Then circumstances lead
to an encounter with the mysterious Lord Kit Wimborne—in his bed,
with both of them naked, no less!—and the meeting is an explosion
of wills that finally sets Myriah on fire …

Oh, Cherry Ripe

Cheryl Elton has been in London for three seasons
and refuses to be courted. When her mother takes matters into her
own hands, Cherry runs!

Rogues, Rakes & Jewels

What happens when an eligible marquis pretends to be
a rake and a gambler, and the woman he is supposed to be courting
disguises herself as a masked French card dealer? Find out in this
spicy, risqué Regency romance.

Taffeta and Hotspur

Hotspur wants Taffeta—how far will he go to make her
his? Taffeta has a secret—will it land her in trouble?

Wildfire Kiss

Lady Babs is a rule-breaker, but has she met her
match in Lord Wildfire?

Runaway Heart

Chelsea takes London by storm, but the only man she
wants thinks she is no more than a child.

Netherby Halls

Circumstances have forced Sassy to take on a
teaching position at Netherby Halls, a school for well-bred
orphaned girls, but her developing powers as a white witch tell her
something wrong, something evil, lurks there. And what about the
dashing marquis who keeps appearing in her life?

Prince Prelude—Legend

In this stand-alone tale and the backstory for the
Legend series, we find ourselves in 1814. Gais and the prince come
head to head over a woman. We will see Lamia DuLaine when she first
sees Julian Talbot, and we will meet the first Maxie Reigate. Come
along and see their world unfold…

Spellbound—Legend

Maxie is a reluctant heroine who travels to Scotland
to find and save herself. Julian is a Druid priest in a modern age,
and he is full of guilt—Can Maxie turn to him? Or will she turn to
Prince Breslyn, a Royal Fae hunk offering her everything?

Aaibhe—Shee Queen (Novelette)

This is a love story but it is fringed with envy,
jealousy, and bitterness—oh and more. It is laced with the havoc
those devastating emotions can bring. It is about the seeds of hate
born of love, and what havoc that hate can wantonly roar over even
immortals. This is a story of Aaibhe, Queen of the Seelie Fae,
because she deserves that it be told.

Shee Willow—Legend

Half-human, half-Fae Willow Lang has never felt she
truly fit in either world, but she’s doing her best to ignore her
Fae nature. But when she finds herself in the middle of a conflict
between the Seelie Fae and the evil Dark Fae, she must embrace her
Fae powers in order to protect the Human world.

Prince in the Mist (Novella)

Fact one: By tradition and treaty, Fae do not
interfere with the human world—it is against the rules. Fact two:
For a Royal Fae prince who suffers from the ennui of immortality,
watching and interacting with humans—especially lovely, spirited
human females—can be entertaining. Fact three: When entertainment
changes to affection, and affection becomes love, rules will be
broken.

Trapped—Legend

Magical powers, a castle, and a charming prince
sound like the ingredients for a fairy-tale life, but for BJ
Mulroy, reality turns out to be a whole lot more complicated. The
war between the Seelie and the Unseelie is heating up, BJ has been
drawn into the fray … and there’s the matter of the
seventeenth-century hunk in the painting.

Free Falling—Legend

They call her Z, and she is a handful ready to
explode. She has entered the war against Gais and the Dark Fae and
means to take him on all by herself. She is driven. Aaibhe, Queen
of the Seelie Fae, has other plans, and she sends in Prince Danté
to execute and preserve her wishes. When Z and the prince meet,
hackles go up on both sides.

Catch & Hold—Legend

Half-human/half-Daoine Fae Radzia MacDaun—Z to her
friends—finds herself in the Dark Realm, where she’ll have to fight
Gaiscioch on his own turf. Danté, Prince of the Tuatha Dé and Z’s
lover, is not about to let her face this danger alone, however, and
the two of them are thrust on a ride that takes them to the edge of
life as we know it …

ShadowLove—Stalkers

Shawna Rawley has no choice but to run when Pentim
Rawley, one of the most evil vampires who has ever lived, discovers
she is his daughter. Chad MacFare has an offer for Shawna he thinks
she can’t afford to refuse: he’ll protect her from Pentim and his
minions. But Shawna doesn’t trust the sexy immortal. She knows he
has his own agenda—he wants to kill her father, and he wants to set
her up as bait …

ShadowHeart—Slayer

Damon Drummond and Nikki Walker are on opposite
sides. He is a potent vampire—she is a skilled and powerful vampire
slayer. Problem right there … but when they look at each
other, sparks of all kinds fly. Too much stands between them: He
will live forever, she will not, and yet …

ShadowLife—Hybrid

WB and his clan have moved in, and section by
section Dublin is going dark. When the team needs help, they turn
to a shapeshifter, Roxie MacBran.

Through Time-Pursuit

Revenge is the driver. Will love be the equalizer in
Through Time-Pursuit
? Chance LeBlanc and Princess Royce are
about to find out in this contemporary fantasy romance, picking up
where
Catch & Hold—Legend
left off.

Hungry Moon: Quicksilver

Seeking a haven in which to recover from heartache
and betrayal, Ravena MacAllister returns to the Scottish Highlands
she loves. But instead of peaceful solitude, Rave discovers a
passion she had never dreamt possible and an adventure that will
change her life—if she survives. Oh, and she’s also going to have
to face a truth she has long tried to deny:
she is not exactly
human
.