England, 1381
Cate Archer is a wanted woman. When her father is killed during peace negotiations with the young King Richard, Cate vows she will not rest until she sees her father’s murder avenged and his killer brought to his knees. She never imagined she would fall in love with the man sent to execute her death warrant.
Viscount Owen Grey has only one task—bring in the rebel leaders, dead or alive. His life’s duty is to the King’s Guard, and he has certain expectations to fulfill. Falling for his prisoner isn’t one of them. He understands her cause, but he cannot bring himself to risk his position and honor for an outlaw. Owen must choose between duty and his heart. The Guard is all he’s ever known. Does he stay true to his oath or find himself on the next most wanted list alongside his Cate?
Cate Archer is a wanted woman. When her father is killed during peace negotiations with the young King Richard, Cate vows she will not rest until she sees her father’s murder avenged and his killer brought to his knees. She never imagined she would fall in love with the man sent to execute her death warrant.
Viscount Owen Grey has only one task—bring in the rebel leaders, dead or alive. His life’s duty is to the King’s Guard, and he has certain expectations to fulfill. Falling for his prisoner isn’t one of them. He understands her cause, but he cannot bring himself to risk his position and honor for an outlaw. Owen must choose between duty and his heart. The Guard is all he’s ever known. Does he stay true to his oath or find himself on the next most wanted list alongside his Cate?
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Excerpt:
Guards
approached.
Honest
to God genuine guards, brandishing swords and gleaming armor atop enormous
beasts donning the royal colors. The King’s Guard. Cate’s heart
fluttered. Her chance to make an impact to her father’s cause had finally
arrived. She’d briefly counted four but was sure there had to be more. Guards
never traveled in less than six to a scouting party. These men, these nobles,
served the King directly. One of them could have been responsible for her
father’s death, making them the perfect target. If she could take to the trees,
she could kill at least four.
But
she was alone, a foolish mistake on her part. She should have allowed Colin to
accompany her, but the enemy hadn’t stepped foot in her forest in nearly a
week. She
needed
him to scout for those responsible, not check rodent traps. Sliding to her
stomach, Cate slithered away from the tree and into the cover of the brush. She
would find a vantage point further up the road and wait to strike.
Stowing
her bow and quiver across her back, Cate scaled a tree with a full canopy,
fading into its lush colors. She brushed her brow with her sleeve, wiping away
the gathered beads of sweat. Moments seemed to drag on.
There
was entirely too much waiting in the murdering profession.
Soon,
horse sweat and leather tingled inside her nostrils. The guards were near. Cate
whipped the bow from her shoulder and plucked an arrow from its sheath,
nestling it at its rightful place against the bowstring. A heated energy flowed
from deep within her, coursing through her veins to the tips of her fingers,
begging her to release the tension on the string. She did not deny it.
The
arrow shot through the air, missing its intended destination by a hairsbreadth.
Damn. She’d missed.
“Arrow!”
A warning was called.
Her
presence had been made known. Cate took a swift head count of her remaining
arrows. Five. Perfect for taking down a deer, but unfortunate against six armed
guards. A brief chill of panic threatened to take root but she pushed it aside,
willing herself to be strong. She owed it to her father. She must fight.
From
the sounds echoing below, Cate believed the guards to be readying to fight, but
from the sound of their confusion, they could not apprise from where she shot.
The thick forest canopy was a welcome friend.
She
surveyed the area to her left. Several thick branches from a nearby tree
overlapped the one she hid in. If she could get a shot off — and manage to hit
someone this time — she could change locations before the men would be able to
fire from below. Cate said a quick prayer, asking for the guards to be
ill-equipped with weaponry, or shite shots with a bow.
“Courage,
Cate.” She turned to face her opponents.
“There!
Above!” A guard pointed in her direction, raising his bow to take aim.
Cate
redirected her aim to the right, firing at the telling guard. Time for a new
plan.
Run.
An
arrow hissed through the branches, and she lurched back, nearly unseated from
her perch. Tree bark scraped her palms as she righted herself.
“Do
not harm the boy!” one guard shouted. “Hold!”
“I
am no boy!” Cate retaliated without first thinking.
“A
lass, then?”
She
silently chastised herself for her foolishness. “What else would I be, you
dolt?”
They
thought her a child — a fantastic ruse with the potential of aiding in her
escape.
“Tell
me then, girl, why have you attempted to end my life?”
The
men scattered to various points along the forest floor; some on foot, others on
horseback. A plan was in formation, but Cate had yet to gain knowledge of it.
She took a deep breath. Time to lie, Cate. Your life depends on it.
She
let out a laugh, descending from the tree. “End your life? You, sir, were
merely in the way of my arrow. I would have brought down that buck if you had
not scared it away with your loud traipsing through the trees. Now my family
will be forced to go hungry for yet another day. So I thank you… you and your
overly loud mates.” She jumped the remaining distance to the ground then dusted
the tree litter from her ill-fitting boy’s hose. She rose to her full height,
nearly measuring up to the man standing in front of her.
He
didn’t wear the King’s Guard uniform as the others in his party did, but donned
loose riding breeches paired with well-constructed boots and a matching doublet
with the finest detailing she’d ever seen. Deep greens and rich blues
intermingled in various swirls and frills amongst the soft, blackened leather.
Only the finest threads for the finest of men. He was the one she needed to
kill.
And
she’d missed.
About the Author:
Melissa grew up
surrounded by dragons, fearsome creatures, and damsels in distress from the
wonderful world of make believe. She soon found her ideas on paper, littering
her desk with hand-drawn world maps and character biographies. Study hall was
used not for homework, but for writing.
Although she later pursued a career in theater, the
written word never left her. Melissa now leads a very full life with her
husband and five children, and somehow still finds time to write in her “spare
time”… usually at soccer practice in the car. She sports a Military Wife badge
of honor, and is lucky enough to have her own knight in camo armor.
Melissa enjoys writing
everything from sexy, sword-toting heroes to spit-out-your coffee funny
romantic comedies. Her passion lies within the ancient walls of historical
romance, where anything is possible. She loves creating unforgettable stories,
where love knows no boundaries. Her current literary home resides with EsKape
Press.
Melissa is offering a giveaway of her book, The Archer's Daughter. To take part, comment below and please give your email address too.
