White Lion's Lady Read online

  Epilogue

  June, 1190

  The sound of a child's laughter caught on the early summer breeze as Griffin of Montborne rode through the open gates of his home. He drew his white charger to a halt in the courtyard, the morning's hunt called short when one of his squires had ridden out to deliver him a letter just arrived from the Holy Land. Though he had not the skill to read it, he knew the bold handwriting could only belong to his adventurous brother, gone now some six months on crusade.

  He dismounted and headed for the keep to find Isabel. Then he heard the girlish giggle again, echoed this time by the sweet laughter of his lady wife, the lovely sounds coming from the area of the castle garden. Griff tucked the letter into his sword belt and turned away from the keep, rounding the corner of the tower where Montborne's gardens bloomed with fruit blossoms and fragrant summer flowers.

  “Look, Isabel--I caught one! I caught one!”

  Eight-year-old Maura de Lamere, a red-haired sprite with laughing blue eyes and a cherub's smile, ran from the far side of the enclosed garden to where her elder sister stood clipping roses and dropping them into a basket that hung from her arm. Isabel lifted her head as Maura came up beside her, her hands clasped together carefully as if she held a fragile egg and feared she might break it. Moving slowly, Isabel braced her free hand against the base of her spine and bent down to see Maura's prize.

  “Oh, it's beautiful,” she said, smiling as she reached out to caress the young girl's cheek.

  With a giggle, Maura opened her hands and a tiny yellow butterfly fluttered up into the air. Both of them watched it dance and climb up over their heads, their happiness seeming to beam from their eyes and their lips, filling the garden with a sweetness--a simple yet profound innocence--that Griffin thought he would never get used to. Isabel must have sensed his presence, for in that next moment, she glanced away from the butterfly and turned to meet his gaze.

  A look passed between them: part contentment, part longing. They had spent every day and night of the past six months together, but the mere sight of Isabel was still enough to set Griff's blood pounding with desire. She had never been more beautiful. He looked at her and his breath came a little faster; she smiled and his heart squeezed a little tighter. And he could tell from the smoky sparkle in her topaz gaze that she was equally affected by him.

  “Maura,” she whispered to her sister, her eyes and her slow-spreading smile yet fixed on Griffin. “Run along and ask Cook if I should bring him any peas from the garden, will you?”

  The girl bobbed her head and dashed toward the garden gate to carry out the request. She grinned up at Griffin as she approached him and he gave her a wink, reaching down to ruffle her wild red curls as she passed.

  “You shouldn't be out of the keep,” Griff gently scolded, stepping forth to take his wife's hand and help ease her onto a squat bench near the rose arbor.

  Isabel was big with his child, so big, she had been advised by the midwives and Lady Joanna to stay in her bed for the duration of her pregnancy. But she was not the sort of woman to abide orders merely for the sake of obedience, and Griffin rather enjoyed that headstrong streak in her. He leaned in and kissed her, then he kissed her belly, something he did every day with no small measure of love and complete, wordless awe.

  “Your babe is active today,” she told him when he lifted his head. “Maura got to feel it kick a short while ago. She wanted to know how the babe got in there.”

  Griffin laughed, positioning himself behind Isabel to support her back as he gathered her into his arms. “What did you tell her?”

  “I told her that love put it there.”

  She tipped her head back and Griff placed a loving kiss on her forehead. He held her against him for a long while, happy just to lose himself in the sound of her breathing, to feel her fingertips softly caressing his arms, her heartbeat pounding in time with his. She smelled of roses and warm woman, the combination made all the more arousing to a man gone some weeks without being able to make love to his wife. Not that they hadn't been creative with the problem of Isabel's condition. They had discovered many highly pleasing and erotic alternatives to satisfy their hunger for each other, and at the moment, Griffin was contemplating several of those alternatives quite seriously.

  “You know, my lady,” he whispered against the soft skin below her ear, “I would be doing you a great disservice if I were to permit you to remain out here in the garden when you have been ordered to stay in bed.”

  She drew in her breath when his mouth moved lower on her neck. “Is that so, my lord?”

  “Indeed it is.” He brought his hand up to brush her breasts, feeling the nipples rise and pucker through her bodice. Heat surged through him when she let out a little moan of pleasure. Already his desire was rampant, needful. She reached between them and placed her hand against his stiff erection, rubbing him with a maddening touch that had become far too expert for his peace of mind. “Oh, yes,” he growled, “I think I need to take you to bed at once, my lady.”

  He felt her hand shift, then heard the soft scrape of parchment as she pulled the letter from beneath his belt. “What's this?” she asked. “It's a letter from Sebastian! Shall I read it?”

  “Perhaps later.” He scooped her up, lifting her off the bench and into his arms. He carried her out of the garden and into the castle. “My brother can wait,” he said with a roguish grin. “I, however, cannot.”

  ~*~

  Thank you for reading White Lion’s Lady. I hope you enjoyed Griffin and Isabel’s story! Be sure to look for Sebastian’s story, Black Lion’s Bride, also available now. 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!

  Lara Adrian

  www.LaraAdrian.com

  About the Author

  LARA ADRIAN is the New York Times and #1 internationally best-selling author of the Midnight Breed vampire romance series, with more than 2 million books in print in the United States and translations licensed to more than 17 countries. Her books regularly appear in the top spots of all the major bestseller lists including the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Indiebound, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc. Her debut title, Kiss of Midnight, was named Borders Books bestselling debut romance of 2007. Later that year, her third title, Midnight Awakening, was named one of Amazon.com’s Top Ten Romances of the Year. Reviewers have called Lara’s books “addictively readable” (Chicago Tribune), “extraordinary” (Fresh Fiction), and “one of the best vampire series on the market” (Romantic Times).

  Writing as TINA ST. JOHN, her historical romances have won numerous awards including the National Readers Choice; Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice; Booksellers Best; and many others. She was twice named a Finalist in Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards, for Best Historical Romance (White Lion’s Lady) and Best Paranormal Romance (Heart of the Hunter). More recently, the 2011 German translation of Heart of the Hunter debuted on Der Spiegel bestseller list.

  With an ancestry stretching back to the Mayflower and the court of King Henry VIII, the author lives with her husband in New England, surrounded by centuries-old graveyards, hip urban comforts, and the endless inspiration of the broody Atlantic Ocean.

  Connect online at:

  www.LaraAdrian.com

  www.MidnightBreedSeries.com

  www.facebook.com/LaraAdrianBooks

  www.twitter.com/lara_adrian

  www.goodreads.com/lara_adrian

  www.pinterest.com/LaraAdrian

  A note from the author

  Dear Reader,

  While you may know me best as the author of the Midnight Breed series--dark, sexy contemporary vampire novels with a gritty, urban fantasy edge--I actually got my start as a published author wr
iting medieval romances. Years before Lucan, Dante, Tegan and the rest of the Order’s warriors first stormed into my imagination with fangs bared and guns blazing, there was Gunnar and Cabal, Griffin, Braedon and a few more dark knights in not-so-shiny armor who’d leapt from my keyboard and into my heart.

  As a midlist author in the late 1990s and early 2000s, my print runs were very small, which meant my books were extremely hard to find in stores, even during their first weeks on sale. And when readers can’t find your books to buy them, small print runs eventually dry up and those books disappear forever. At least, that used to be the case. Now, thanks to the Internet and independent publishing, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to resurrect my original releases and offer them to my readers with beautiful new cover treatments and great indie ebook prices, too!

  Starting with HEART OF THE HUNTER, the first in my Dragon Chalice paranormal medieval series, I will soon be reissuing all seven of my historical romances (written under the name Tina St. John). If you like my Midnight Breed series, I think you’ll find much to enjoy about the Dragon Chalice books in particular. Centered on a quest for a mythical cup forged of dark secrets and hidden powers, the Dragon Chalice series allowed me to infuse my dark medieval romances with the mystique of mythical kingdoms, dark magic and dangerous shapeshifters.

  The premise of the book you’ve just read, WHITE LION’S LADY, and its sequel, BLACK LION’S BRIDE, came to me after I read a research article about medieval attitudes toward twins--fraternal twins, in particular. At that time, it was widely believed that pregnancies resulting in two babies must have been the product of the mother’s intimate relations with two different men. This fascinating bit of information immediately made me wonder, “what if?” Thus, Griffin of Droghallow and Sebastian of Montborne were “born.” I hope you enjoyed Griff and Isabel’s story. Be sure to look for Sebastian’s happily ever after in BLACK LION’S BRIDE, available now!

  All of my books, no matter their settings or time periods, feature strong alpha heroes who are dark and dangerous on the outside, but loyal and true when it comes to the woman who eventually scales his forbidding emotional walls and conquers his heart. I’m excited to bring you these long out of print titles from my backlist, and I can’t wait to introduce you to all of the other new characters and stories still to come in my future releases.

  To stay informed of upcoming releases, please visit www.LaraAdrian.com and sign up for my private email newsletter. You can also find me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LaraAdrianBooks), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/lara_adrian), Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/lara_adrian) and Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/LaraAdrian).

  Thank you so much for reading my books!

  All best,

  Lara Adrian

  Tina St. John

  Complete list of titles by

  New York Times & #1 internationally

  best-selling author

  LARA ADRIAN

  Midnight Breed Series

  Kiss of Midnight

  Kiss of Crimson

  Midnight Awakening

  Midnight Rising

  Veil of Midnight

  Ashes of Midnight

  Shades of Midnight

  Taken by Midnight

  Deeper Than Midnight

  A Taste of Midnight (ebook novella)

  Darker After Midnight

  Edge of Dawn (hardcover release 2013)

  NightDrake (ebook novella, reissuing 2012)

  A Glimpse of Darkness (ebook collaborative novella)

  LARA ADRIAN

  writing as TINA ST. JOHN

  Dragon Chalice Series

  Heart of the Hunter

  Heart of the Flame

  Heart of the Dove

  Warrior Trilogy

  White Lion’s Lady

  Black Lion’s Bride

  Lady of Valor

  Lord of Vengeance

  ~*~

  Read on for a sampler of

  LARA ADRIAN’s

  best-selling contemporary vampire series

  and award-winning historical romances

  ~*~

  THE MIDNIGHT BREED SERIES

  (Edgy, dark contemporary vampire romance)

  KISS OF MIDNIGHT (Book 1)

  New York Times & USA Today bestseller

  “KISS OF MIDNIGHT is dark, edgy and passionate, an irresistible vampire romance.”

  --Chicago Tribune

  Insatiable desire. Endless seduction.

  One touch is just the beginning.

  He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle's deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night--or this man--is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed--a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite.

  Lucan Thorne despises the violence carried out by his lawless brethren. A vampire himself, Lucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind--and the unwitting humans existing alongside them--from the mounting threat of the Rogues. Lucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Gabrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands.

  Here, in the arms of the Breed's formidable leader, Gabrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all . . . .

  ~*~

  EXCERPT

  It was wrong to pursue the woman.

  Lucan knew this, even as he had waited on Gabrielle Maxwell's apartment steps that evening, showing her a detective's badge and photo ID card. It wasn't his. It wasn't real, in fact, only a hypnotic manipulation that made her human mind believe he was who he had presented himself to be.

  A simple trick for elders of his kind, like himself, but one he seldom stooped to use.

  Yet now, here he was again, some time past midnight, stretching his slim personal code of honor even thinner as he tried the latch on her front door and found it unlocked. He knew it would be; he'd given her the suggestion while he had talked with her that evening, when he had shown her what he wanted to do with her and read the surprised, but receptive, response in her soft brown eyes.

  He could have taken her then. She would have Hosted him willingly, he was certain, and knowing the intense pleasure they would have shared in the process had nearly been his undoing. But Lucan's first duty was to his Breed and the warriors who had banded together with him to combat the growing problem of the Rogues.

  Bad enough that Gabrielle had witnessed the nightclub slaying and reported it to the police and her friends before her memory of the event could be erased, but she had also managed to take pictures. They were grainy, almost unreadable, but damning just the same. He needed to secure the images, before she had a chance to show them to anyone else. He'd made good on that, at least. By rights, he should be back at the tech lab with Gideon, IDing the Rogue who had escaped outside La Notte, or riding shotgun around the city with Dante, Rio, Conlan, and the others as they hunted down more of their diseased brethren. And so he would be, once he finished this last bit of business with lovely Gabrielle Maxwell.

  Lucan slipped inside the old brick building on Willow Street and closed the door behind him. Gabrielle's tantalizing scent filled his nostrils, leading him to her now as it had the night outside the club and at the police station downtown. He silently navigated her apartment, through the main level and up the stairs to her bedroom loft. Skylights in the vaulted ceiling summoned the moon's pale glow, which played softly over Gabrielle's graceful curves. She slept nude, as though awaiting his arrival, her long legs wrapped in twisted sheets, her hair spread out around her head on the pillow in luxurious waves of burnt gold.

  Her scent enveloped him, sweet and sultry, making his teeth ache.

  Jasmine, he thought, curling back his lips in a smile of wry appreciation. An exotic flower that
opens its fragrant petals only under the coaxing of night.

  Open for me now, Gabrielle.

  But he wouldn't seduce her, he decided, not like this. He wanted only a taste tonight, just enough to satisfy his curiosity. That was all he'd permit himself. When he was through here, Gabrielle would have no memory of meeting him, nor of the horror she had witnessed in the alley a few nights ago.

  His own need would have to wait.

  Lucan went to her and eased his hip onto the mattress beside her. He stroked the burnished softness of her hair, brushed his fingers along the slender line of her arm.

  She stirred, moaning sweetly, rousing at his light touch. “Lucan,” she murmured sleepily, not quite awake, yet subconsciously aware that he had joined her in the room.

  “Just a dream,” he whispered, astonished to hear his name on her lips when he had used no vampire guile to place it there.

  She sighed deeply, settling against him. “I knew you would come back.”