"Get swept away by love, lore, and faerie tales"
Reviewed by Heather Lobdell
Posted April 18, 2010
Romance Paranormal | Romance Historical | Romance Series
Melissa Mayhue's Highlander's Destiny swept me away to a
place where faerie tales really do come true. Jesse - a man
on a mission. His mission is to fight to protect the mortal
world, guarding his clients with his life, as well as
finding the truth in all situations. He's a man who has
been warned of finding his Destiny. Only Jesse's Destiny
seems to be coming in a very shapely package. Destiny -- is
a woman on the run and is desperately following her dreams
to locate her missing sister. Mayhue's story kept me
wanting more and has me longing for the whole story!
SUMMARY
The Nuadian Fae have discovered a long-forgotten path to
dark powers and all that stands between them and the
helpless Mortal world is Jesse Coryell. Another failed
romance and Jesse's disillusioned. Even spending time in the
Realm of Faerie and training as a member of the Elite Guard
hasn't made him happy. Something he can't identify is
missing in his life and according to his magically gifted
niece, Rosie MacKiernan, that something is his destiny.
When Jesse intercepts a letter from Destiny Noble, a young
woman desperately searching for her missing younger sister,
life and destiny collide. Not even Destiny's Faerie heritage
and her ability to see glimpses of the future can protect
the pair from the unknown evils they'll face. But, if
they're lucky, the magic of True Love just might save them
both before it's too late...
ExcerptPROLOGUE
"Watch your step, Adira, there's another
body here at the foot of the stairs."
For a moment, Adira Ré Alyn ignored the hand Flynn Dá Anan
extended
to assist her in her descent. But that moment was long
enough to remind
him of his place. That and the haughty look she sent his
way.
"If you please, Mistress." He continued to hold his hand
out, but
he'd lowered his eyes. As he should.
"Very well." With a nod of her head, she accepted his
assistance.
It was important she maintain the distance between herself
and her servants.
It was bad enough she'd had to rely on Flynn and
Dermond so heavily
since Reynard's disappearance. Apparently that reliance
had given Flynn
the impression he was important to her. Indispensable.
He needed to be taught the fallacy of that particular
assumption. Quickly.
Neither of Reynard's lapdogs were of any consequence
when compared to
her. Not in this world. Not any longer. They were all
Faerie full bloods,
but she was also a Courtesan of Nuada and the acknowledged
Mate to Reynard
Servans. As such, in his absence she ruled their sect in
his stead.
One day, they would all acknowledge her as their queen.
She had no doubts there were some who worked behind her
back to grab
that power from her. She could feel it. But she would deal
with them
all in good time.
Somehow.
What she needed was an edge. Something to consolidate the
authority
in her hands until Reynard returned.
If he returned.
No one had seen him since he'd gone on his last foray
to find a female
descendent of the Fae. A female who could lead them back
home to the
Realm of Faerie and end their exile on the Mortal Plain.
"This way, Mistress." Flynn bowed his head, averting his
eyes.
Good. He'd gotten the message. At least for now.
Pushing an errant lock of long red hair from her face, she
followed
carefully.
"You're certain your man saw to it that the Mortals
were trapped before
the explosion?"
"Absolutely, Mistress."
Adira didn't miss Flynn's shifty sideways glance.
His loyalty wasn't
to be trusted. Not that it mattered anymore. Now that she
knew how The
Renewal was accomplished, she could handle all future
arrangements for
herself if necessary.
She had never suspected The Renewal was such a simple
process. It only
required bringing about the untimely death of a mortal to
release the
life essence she so desperately needed. Without that
essence, she would
wither and age.
But not die. She would never die.
That was the fate that hateful bitch, the Earth Mother, and
her High
Council of the Realm of Faerie had decreed for the Nuadians
when they'd
been banished to the Mortal Plain. Banished from all
contact with their
magic and the Fountain of Souls.
The thought of living for untold centuries as a creature
decrepit with
age, weak and wrinkled, was beyond any horrors Adira could
imagine.
No, that was not a fate she would willingly accept.
Better to hasten the deaths of these pitiful Mortals. Force
the life
essence from their bodies before it was fated to leave and
savor the
rich flow of power and renewal.
"Are there none left alive?" Adira grew more irritable with
each
lifeless body they found, her suspicion growing that
Flynn's puppet
had completely botched the job.
Though he didn't answer her question, the stiffening of
his back told
her she'd touched on his own concern. He needed the
life essence as
much as she.
"Down this corridor, Mistress. We must hurry. The
police will be
arriving any time now."
As if she cared about any Mortal authority figures. Thanks
to the Earth
Mother's decree, no full blooded Fae could be killed
here on the Mortal
Plain. Just as they could not harm anyone. Oh, they could
reach out
a hand to stroke, to play, to love. But let a single intent
of harming
another flit through their thoughts and their bodies became
transparent
as smoke. The Fae could neither commit nor experience
violence in the
Mortal World.
A fist sent out in anger would pass right through any
person or object.
Just as any weapon aimed at them would pass through their
bodies as
if through a shaft of light.
No, she didn't fear the police.
Still, the authorities could interfere unduly, so she
picked up her
pace. She nodded and followed Flynn's tall form through
the darkened
building, carefully stepping over the twisted metal and
body parts,
heading toward the room where the men were to have been
detained.
"Shoddy work, Flynn. Wasteful."
His lack of response was wise. What excuse could he
possibly give? He'd
been sloppy with the compulsion he'd placed on the
Mortal. Obviously
the man had needed more specific instructions than he'd
received.
Since violence was impossible for the Nuadian Fae, using
Mortals to
accomplish what they couldn't do themselves was an
inconvenient necessity.
So many Mortals possessed weak spirits and even weaker
minds. They only
needed to find one of those and with a simple mental push,
replace the
Mortal's will with their own in order to accomplish
whatever they wanted.
Easy enough to do, but it required a great expenditure of
energy, which
was why she preferred to delegate that particular task to
her subordinates.
That and the pain one could experience if the Mortal chosen
had a stronger
will and fought the compulsion.
Adira shuddered at the memory of such an experience far in
the past.
No, she much preferred to delegate.
In this case, Flynn had directed one of the weaker Mortals
to detonate
an explosive in this research facility. The location was
secluded enough
they should have had time to make their way through the
building before
anyone could arrive.
The only problem was that the Mortal Flynn had chosen had
used too large
an explosive and most people inside the building had died
instantly
or within minutes.
That did her no good at all.
Her only hope now lay in the men who had been locked in the
outer room.
Their injuries would be substantial enough that they likely
wouldn't
survive either, but their distance from the center of the
explosion
should mean it would take a bit longer for them to die.
And that was key to Adira's needs.
If she wasn't there, physically present when their
souls unwillingly
departed their bodies, she couldn't absorb the energy
of the life essence
that was given off by that process.
Ahead of her, Flynn punched a code into
the electronic lock, pressed his shoulder to the door and,
with a superhuman
effort, shoved it open.
She stepped inside to the certain knowledge that even here
the damage
was greater that it should have been.
" It appears the instructions you gave your little pet
were unclear."
How hard it was to control the disappointment, the
desperation she couldn't
allow to filter through her voice.
Flynn prodded at the rubble in the room, raising more of
the fine, powdery
dust that covered everything.
"Adira! Over here. One yet lives."
He'd found one! The news brought her such joy she chose
to ignore even
his familiar use of her name.
Nearing the Mortal, she could see it would be only a matter
of moments.
Not long to wait now. Quickly, she crouched over him, eager
to breath
in the essence which would erupt from his body as his life
force was
torn away.
But the uncooperative fool still struggled to hang onto his
miserable
life. He lifted one bloody hand to her leg, capturing the
hem of her
white designer pants in his weakening grip.
"Am I dying?" he asked through mangled lips.
"Yes, you are." She purred her response, her
excitement growing.
His eyes flickered shut and she waited impatiently for
signs of his
end. Instead he stubbornly clung to his soul a little
longer, his hand
sliding up her leg leaving a bloody trail on the expensive
fabric.
""Are you an angel?"
His voice was weaker and the knowledge of what she would
shortly receive
from him emboldened her, excited her, drawing a sharp burst
of laughter
that surprised even her.
"You may think of me as the angel of death if you
like." She
lifted his hand from her leg, taking one long finger into
her mouth,
curling her tongue around the digit, sucking.
Adira barely noticed his eyes open wide in shock, remaining
open even
when the life behind them ebbed away.
Her vision faded as her attention centered on the intense
physical sensations
gripping her body. The tang of copper and salt permeated
her senses,
sending an electric jangle through her limbs. The feeling
intensified,
as if her veins inflated inside her body, growing larger
and larger
until she felt as though she might burst, filled to
overflowing with
an unfamiliar energy coursing through her.
It felt of power, pure and simple, so concentrated she
almost missed
the Mortal's last breath and the opportunity to capture
the essence
she had waited for so impatiently.
And then it was hers.
With one deep breath she could feel her skin smoothing, her
vitality
returning, even as the strange new energy swirled through
her being.
"Are you well, Mistress?"
Adira glanced up to Flynn, surprised at the concern in his
voice. Even
in the dusty gloom of this room, the outline of his body
fairly sparkled,
as if she viewed him through foreign eyes. Eyes that saw so
sharply,
every strand of his long golden hair stood out
individually.
"Of course I'm all right," she answered, accepting
his hand to
help her stand, her legs unexpectedly shaky. She
couldn't remember anything
like this happening before.
As she rose to her feet, the first sirens sounded.
Irritation raged through her mind. The Mortals couldn't
harm her, but
it meant an inconvenience she didn't wish to
encounter.
The desire to vent her frustration was strong. She drew
back her foot
to kick the corpse of the aggravating Mortal whose pitiful,
futile struggle
to live had delayed her.
Her blow landed in the man's side with a solid thwack,
throwing her
off balance and shooting pain through her toe. She grabbed
for the wall
to steady herself, her mind reeling with the shock of what
she'd just
experienced.
It wasn't possible!
Her foot should have gone straight through the man. Where
had this new
ability come from?
Her mind raced, searching through recent memories for
something, anything,
to explain what was happening to her.
One action stood out in her mind.
Could it be the Mortal's blood? It was only after
she'd tasted the blood
she'd felt the wave of power wash over her.
"I believe we can still make it out of here through
the back unnoticed
if we hurry, Mistress." Flynn spoke from his position at
the end of
the hallway, his hand lifted to motion her forward.
He hadn't seen!
She hurried to him, following his lead mutely, her mind
otherwise occupied.
This was it, the edge she'd prayed for. She
wouldn't need to hunt weak-minded
Mortals to do her bidding any longer. She could pick up a
weapon, set
her own explosives, do whatever she wanted. She could
create an entire
army of her own faithful Fae to do her bidding, each with
the ability
to battle on the Mortal Plain.
With power such as this, no other Nuadian would ever be
able to challenge
her. She wouldn't just be queen of their sect, she
could demand the
obeisance of all the Nuadians inhabiting the Mortal world.
And all thanks to the blood of one obstinate Mortal.
She wanted to laugh out loud at the pure, blind luck of the
situation.
She had thought only to taunt the dying man and look what
she'd discovered.
What wonderful fortune smiled on her this day!
Possibilities and plans crowded her mind, each more
brilliant and compelling
than the one before until, at last she and Flynn reached
the back of
the building and slipped through the door and a new idea
pushed aside
everything else.
If a pitifully weak Mortal's blood could give her this
kind of power,
what might she receive from the blood of a Fae?
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