Deadly Heat Read online

  www.caraelliott.com

  From the desk of Amanda Scott

  Dear Reader,

  Most books grow from the seeds of isolated ideas. One reads about an unusual historical incident, or finds an odd phrase that triggers a string of thoughts, or overhears a comment on a bus or plane that stirs an idea for a situation or a character.

  I was seeking such seeds as I began to plot HIGHLAND MASTER. I’d started with a vague notion of Romeo and Juliet, simply because I always want to create a basic conflict between the hero and heroine. But I did not want the simple “Capulets think Montagues are dreadful and vice-versa”. When I found myself wondering what would happen if a Montague were dropped into a nest of Capulets with a mission to accomplish, the gray cells began churning. That is the moment when a writer begins asking herself, “What if?”

  What if my Scottish Romeo had sworn to kill Juliet’s father? In medieval Scotland, blood oaths and blood feuds were common. What if someone in authority over that Scottish Romeo, knowing nothing about his oath or the feud, sends him on a vital diplomatic mission to the Scottish Capulets?

  Then, since one also seeks to raise the stakes, what if Romeo has somehow managed to swear a second oath in direct conflict with his oath to kill Juliet’s father? What if he cannot keep either oath without breaking the other?

  What if he meets his Juliet and falls for her without realizing that her father is the man he has sworn to kill?

  Research soon drew me to the great Clan Battle of Perth in 1396, which was to all intents and purposes a trial by combat between Clan Chattan and Clan Cameron, the two largest, most powerful Highland clan confederations. Thirty “champions” from each clan fought on the North Inch of Perth before the King of Scots and his court. When I read that only one (unknown) Cameron had survived, and did so by flinging himself into the river Tay, which swept him into the Firth of Tay and most likely on into the North Sea, I knew that I had found my hero.

  In my story, Scotland’s finest swordsman, Sir Finlagh “Fin” Cameron, the last man of his clan standing against eleven men of Clan Cameron, escapes from the great clan battle, manages to avoid being swept out to sea and—calling himself simply “Fin of the Battles”—joins the service of Davy Stewart, the bedeviled heir to the Scottish throne. Seeking to ally himself with the Lord of the North and the Lord of the Isles against his scheming uncle, the Duke of Albany, Davy sends Fin of the Battles back into the Highlands to arrange for a secret meeting with the great lords, hosted by the powerful Captain of Clan Chattan, known to all and sundry as “the Mackintosh.”

  Entering Clan Chattan territory, Fin is felled by a mysterious arrow and rescued by the lady Catriona Mackintosh, granddaughter of Clan Chattan’s captain and, yes, also daughter of the clan’s war leader, Shaw Mackintosh, the very man whom Fin swore to his dying father on the battlefield that he would kill.

  I hope you enjoy HIGHLAND MASTER. In the meantime, Suas Alba!

  Sincerely,

  www.amandascottauthor.com

  Table of Contents

  Front Cover Image

  Welcome

  Dedication

  A Preview of Deadly Lies

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Epilogue

  The Dish

  Also by Cynthia Eden

  Praise for Deadly Fear

  Copyright

  ALSO BY CYNTHIA EDEN

  Deadly Fear

  PRAISE FOR

  DEADLY FEAR

  “From the very beginning, Deadly Fear will pull you in and keep you there until the last page is turned… a roller-coaster journey… Eden has written such an intricate web of suspense, the reader will be led on a highly charged pace until the climactic ending. Highly recommended!”

  —TheRomanceReadersConnection.com

  “FIVE HEARTS! HIGHEST RATING!… Nail-biting suspense, great dialogue, and unforgettable characters combine to make this a book you will not forget… With lots of twists and turns and close calls, Deadly Fear is romantic suspense at its best… one you will reread over and over!”

  —TheRomanceStudio.com

  “FOUR STARS! HIGHEST RATING!… Eden has a unique writing voice that’s demonstrated effectively here. It’s tense, dark, and disturbing, and the fantastically tight plot keeps the pages turning with breakneck speed.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Dynamic… compelling… vibrant… the pages turn quickly; the writing is spot on… a good read for passing the day away, but avoid the nights, you might be afraid to sleep… The passion is hot… Fans will enjoy this beginning of a new series.”

  —RomRevToday.com

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2010 by Cindy Roussos

  Excerpt from Deadly Lies copyright © 2010 by Cindy Roussos

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Forever

  Hachette Book Group

  237 Park Avenue

  New York, NY 10017

  Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com.

  www.twitter.com/foreverromance.

  Forever is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. The Forever name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  First eBook Edition: February 2011

  ISBN: 978-0-446-57407-5

  Table of Contents

  Front Cover Image

  Welcome

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Epilogue

  A Preview of “Deadly Lies”

  The Dish

  Table of Contents

  Also by Cynthia Eden

  Praise for Deadly Fear

  Copyright Page