Spellbound-Legend

by Claudy Conn

  How often did a girl get to flirt with a Fae prince and have a hunk looking on?

  Here was her very own royal Fae, in all his human Glamour. His silver eyes were bright and his demeanor possessive as he swept through the room to come right up to take her hand and put it to his lips. Softly he whispered as he brought his eyes down to hers, “My Lia.”

  She was enchanted by the way he spoke to her, as though no other woman in the world held his interest. His manner could waken lust in a ninety-year-old woman who had forgotten romance long ago. He was the thing of dreams for all women. Breslyn fit the hero bill—if you discounted that he was a male Fae, of another race, and an immortal race at that.

  She twinkled at her prince, and he chuckled. They made a happy sound together, but it made Julian’s mood turn blacker. He stared at Maxie, who caught his look with some surprise. Why is Mr. Broody glaring at me?

  She ignored him and said by way of introduction, “This is Breslyn, Royal Prince of Dagda.” Max nodded towards Talbot. “And this is our host, his lordship, Julian Talbot.” She stared at Julian, who was busy glaring at the prince.

  The prince spoke softly enough to make her look at his delicious mouth. “Aye then, Lia, his lordship and I have already met.”

  There was an undercurrent that she couldn’t help but feel. What? And then she realized they must have met in Faery and had perhaps not struck up the best of friendships. She could only hazard a guess as to the why.

  “Yes, indeed. We met briefly while I was being brought up to date.” Julian inclined his head at the prince.

  The prince took Maxie’s glass of wine from her without lifting his silver eyes away from hers. He sipped from her glass, and when he gave it back to her, he made sure she held it so her lips would touch where his lips had been. It was bold, and it was infinitely sexy. Maxie didn’t ordinarily allow guys to get away with stuff like that, but she thought as she bit her bottom lip, These are not ordinary circumstances, and Breslyn is no ordinary guy!

  Flirting was good, she excused herself. Flirting was fun. How often did a girl get to flirt with a Fae prince and have a hunk looking on?

  She downed her glass of wine.

  Other books by Claudy Conn

  Legend Series

  Shee Willow—Legend

  Trapped—Legend

  Free Falling—Legend

  Catch & Hold—Legend

  Prince in the Mist (Novella)

  Aaibhe—Shee Queen (Novelette)

  ~

  Shadow Series

  ShadowLove—Stalkers

  ShadowHeart—Slayer

  ShadowLife—Hybrid

  ~

  Risqué Regencies

  Myriah Fire

  Oh, Cherry Ripe

  Myriah

  Rogues, Rakes & Jewels

  Lady Bess

  Lady Runaway

  Wildfire Kiss

  Mandy

  Lady Star

  Serena

  ~

  Through Time Series

  Through Time-Pursuit

  Through Time-Whiplash

  Through Time-Slamming

  Through Time-Frankie

  Through Time-Compulsion

  ~

  Occult romances

  Dark Love

  Lady X

  Netherby Halls

  Acclaim for Spellbound—Legend

  One hot and thrilling book

  I fell for all three of the main characters, fun loving Maxie, dark and brooding Julian, and one hot Fae, Breslyn. However, it wasn’t just the characters that kept me on the edge of my seat, it was the entire involved plot that included jealously, betrayal, magic, murder, and, of course, hot passion … Like all good thrillers, it seemed as one problem was solved another would spring up. The last few pages had me hoping that this is the first of a new series that will be worth each torturous wait for the next book. The well-written out mixture of myth and legend, not to mention the characters, all in today’s world has me Joyfully Recommending Spellbound—Legend as one book you won’t want to miss.

  ~ Jo, Joyfully Reviewed

  This is one book I’ll never forget

  The author has done a magnificent job of creating the world of the Tuatha De Danaan, the Druids and the humans who interact with them. She succeeds in making them so realistic, I found myself believing they really exist—and who knows, perhaps they do … Their dangerous situations had me on the edge of my seat, while the loves scenes had me enthralled. I am excited about this book, which, apparently, is the first of a series, and will definitely begin collecting them as they become available. This author will become one of my favorites.

  ~ Jaye Leyel, The Romance Studio

  Praise for Shee Willow—Legend

  Five Stars! A Joyfully Recommended Read, June 2011

  Once again Conn ignites the page with hunk madness

  Shee Willow carries us deep into the world of Fae intrigue and danger … exciting and fast paced, this is a novel with plenty of plot twists and surprises to support the romance … Conn brings back the cast of Faery characters we fell in love with from Spellbound—Legend, deepening the Seelie intrigues, romance, and dangers in part two of the series. Conn is in high form and never shorts her heroine or her reader. Once again Conn ignites the page with hunk madness, as every which way Willow turns brings hot potential for love and misdirection. It is pure torture deciding which of the men or Fae to fantasize over, and I do so love the bad ones!

  ~ Vonnie Faroqui, Ink Slinger’s Whimsey

  A great combination of paranormal, scorching romance, and suspense!

  Ms. Conn again brings readers a different side of lore and allure surrounding the Fae. Willow and Shayne’s storyline was magical, in the sense that you knew something greater, deeper was in store for them. Then add Breslyn, the Dagda Prince, childhood crush of Willow, into the mix … just get comfy, because you are in for a heck of a rollercoaster … Thankfully, another title will be released soon. I cannot wait until the simmering conflict between the Seelie Fae and Unseelie Fae reaches its boiling point!

  ~ Monica Solomon, The Romance Readers Connection

  Rave reviews for the Shadow series

  ShadowLove—Stalkers is hot, Hot, HOT

  Avid vampire and paranormal romance enthusiasts are in for a darkly delicious thrill when they sink their teeth into Claudy Conn’s newest series, ShadowLove—Stalkers. Conn has a gift for character and plot development that sets her work apart from other romance novelists.

  ShadowLove—Stalkers is filled with steaming action and dramatic tension … Claudy delicately plants the seeds for future development and characters without distracting from the excitement and romance of Stalkers. The result is that she has a paranormal, vampire series, of romance novels, which carries her own unique and spicy aroma.

  Claudy fills her stories with enough passion to make the pages spark, sizzle, and steam. She doesn’t skimp when it comes to building sexy into her characters. The women are luscious and the men … well, the action doesn’t stop with the plot. She really knows how to make us tingle with anticipation for her next book.

  ShadowLove—Stalkers is hot, Hot, HOT … and yes, I am blushing.

  ~ Vonnie Faroqui, Ink Slinger’s Whimsey

  Five Cups and a CTTR (Coffee Time Reviewer’s Recommend) Award

  ShadowLove—Stalkers is a story that immediately hooks the reader. It reminds me of a roller coaster just beginning, only to plunge into speed, drawing the reader into non-stop action. Intense and spellbinding, this paranormal romance kept this reader engrossed until the conclusion. I loved the passion and chemistry between the main characters. With tremendous action and well thought out characters, this fantastic read sizzles and sparks like a firecracker.

 
~ Coffee Time Romance & More

  Five Stars for ShadowHeart—Slayer

  This second in Conn’s Shadow series is filled with vampires, a vampire slayer, demons, wizards, a Fae prince and an unlikely romance. Claudy Conn does an excellent job of making this a standalone story while incorporating some of the characters from the first book and introducing us to several new characters. The war is still brewing and now the fae are becoming involved. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

  This is another one I couldn’t put down and read in a single sitting. I got so caught up in the action I was sad to see it end. Fans of the paranormal romance, urban fantasy and vampire genres should enjoy this as well.

  ~ Wild About Bones

  One hell of a heroine

  Nikki Walker is my kind of roundhouse kicking, vamp slaying gal, and in ShadowHeart—Slayer she makes all other slayers seem contrived and juvenile. It is possible that some of her appeal may come from the hero Claudy has matched her with. Damon Drummond is a vampire. He is ancient, and more powerful than any vampire she has yet encountered, more mysterious, and oh so darkly desirable. Separately they are formidable enemies, but when they combine forces the sparks fly and the chemistry explodes.

  Claudy Conn knows women and what women want from paranormal romance and vampire fiction. She gives you just enough heat to ignite your desires and then sweeps you away into a wildly exciting adventure. Her romances are always thrilling and able to stand on their own, but it is her gift for being able to weave them into the broader context of a series that sets her novels apart. If you want lust, you want Conn. If you want magic and mystery, you want Conn. If you want tension, darkness, fear, excitement, and drama, you want Conn! You want everything Conn's got and then … you'll want it again.

  ~ Vonnie Faroqui, Ink Slinger’s Whimsey

  Spellbound—Legend

  By

  Claudy Conn

  Spellbound—Legend

  By Claudy Conn

  http://www.claudyconn.com

  Copyright © 2010, 2011, 2012 by Claudy Conn

  First edition published by Wings ePress December 2010

  Second edition published 2011

  Third edition published 2012

  Edited by: Karen Babcock

  Cover Artist: Pat Evans

  All rights reserved

  Published in the United States of America

  March 2012

  Names, characters, and events depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

  Excerpt of Shee Willow—Legend

  Copyright © 2011 by Claudy Conn

  Excerpt of Dark Love

  Copyright© 2011 by Claudy Conn

  Dedication

  He binds me with his spell—all that he is, my husband, Bob Conn.

  To the daughter who continues to be the joy she was from the moment she was born—smart too, she chose a great husband—Bill!

  To my mom, who is our doll, and for my dad who told me amazing stories—stories that spurred my imagination. We have just lost him, but I know he is turning these pages.

  Contents

  Spellbound—Legend

  Preview: Shee Willow—Legend

  Preview: ShadowLove—Stalkers

  Preview: ShadowLife—Hybrid

  About Claudy Conn

  Spellbound—Legend

  ~ Prologue ~

  TUATHA Dé DANAAN: The story of the Tuatha Dé is the very foundation of Irish myth and folklore. So much has been written about them. Who are they? They are known by many names, including ‘children of the goddess Danu’. They are the fairy people, also known as the Fae.

  Tiny winged creatures? No. Prankish? Mischievous? Oh, yeah.

  Most of them are tall, golden-haired, beautiful, and ‘god-like’. Their race is also known as the ‘people of the light’. They are musical, artistic, and magical in every way. Their society existed—exists today—on three levels, each with its own function. The Irish as well as the Scots refer to them simply as the Fae or Sidhe (pronounced shee).

  You will meet them soon enough!

  DRUIDS: The Druids are a secretive sect, and it is believed they are descendents of the Fae’s (Tuatha Dé Danaan’s) early interaction with humans. A Druid priest acted as sorcerer, oracle, or sage in their tightly knit community. The Druid priest/priestess was the mediator between the physical world and the spirit realm. They controlled the knowledge and the laws of the tribe. It was said that now and then a highly gifted Druid Priest/priestess had the power to maneuver storms and even earthquakes. Druid priests were healers, and some could predict the future, but they could not change the course of fate. Fate can be a pain!

  Training as a Druid priest (priestess) was a serious event, and took twenty years! For some …

  Source: Mythology: Myths, Legends and Fantasies, Alice Mills, ed., Global Publishing

  A quote from Lord Byron:

  “Truth is always stranger than fiction.”

  Haven’t you found that so?

  ~ One ~

  MAXIE REIGATE HELD tightly to the wheel of her dark green Mustang. Bumper traffic on the LIE made her roll her eyes, and the growl tickling her throat forced its way up and out of her mouth. “That’s it … nothing you can do about it, Max.”

  Her green eyes scanned the interior of her car just in case there was something there to eat. Her stomach rumbled, and she remembered that she had thrown a power bar into the glove compartment the week before when she had parked her car in long term at the airport. It was going to be a couple of hours before she reached her home on Shelter Island, and she needed food.

  Standstill traffic gave her the opportunity to bend and reach for the clasp on her glove compartment. It fell open, and she saw the silver foil. “Yes—you don’t look in good shape, but we’ll give you a try.” Maxie was already tearing open the wrapper and biting into the aged and unsavory food of the moment. “Ah … yuck!” She promptly dumped it on the passenger seat beside her briefcase just as the airwaves outside lit up with a group honk. She screwed up her mouth and watched with interest as a burly man stuck his head out of his car window and cursed the world.

  No one was moving—she wanted to curse the world. Instead she attempted to amuse herself by looking around. Daydreaming took over, and it was with a start that she realized the cars in front of her had gained some measurable distance. She hit the gas to close the gap and, wop, the traffic suddenly came to an abrupt stop, sending her power bar and her father’s briefcase, which had been beside her on the passenger seat, flying to the floor. The briefcase hit like a ton of weights and popped open, spewing papers all over the place.

  Damn! Okay, Maxie, calm yourself. Today was the day she wasn’t going to allow the traffic on the LIE to get to her. She was trouble free, wasn’t she? Oh sure, trouble free and crazy. She was sitting with her family’s ancient journals all over her dirty car floor. Her father would have a fit. A scowl marred her pretty face. She glanced at the traffic as she made an irritated attempt to retrieve her papers and folders. She gave it up and returned to closing yet another gap between her and the parking lot in front of her.

  Had it only been a day ago that she had sat dutifully and listened to her dad repeat the family legend to her for the umpteenth time? Her family legend had hovered over her head all her life, and she was sick of hearing—knowing about it.

  A sigh escaped her and then another. The Reigate Legend—so what, she told herself, it wasn’t as though she were a werewolf or anything. It wasn’t as though she were some kind of sorcerer out to conquer the universe. What she wanted to know was what a story—true o
r otherwise—that took place in 1814 had to do with her in the here and now. She had to put it aside and keep it from overshadowing her life … if her father would let her do that.

  Druids, Fae, and an evil vampire-type woman? Come on! She had listened to her dad, she had taken the journals he handed her and insisted she read and re-read, and she had promptly put it all out of her head. Growing up with her … er special qualities had been difficult enough. Having her date bring her home because she had blacked out with a vision, and then never getting another call from him again, had been a death-defying experience at sixteen. To have this incident repeated when she was out with a guy she really liked in college had been embarrassing and tortuous. Seeing their wide-eyed, ‘let me get out of here’ expressions had made her slightly gun-shy. A serious relationship after that had been impossible.

  Now, what did her parents want from her? She had just spent a wonderful Christmas week with them in England at their luxurious ancestral home, Reigate Grange. She’d thought she would escape without one sentence about their damnable legend. She was thrilled whenever they were at Reigate. The family was able to enjoy their ancestral home only during the months of December through April and she only during Christmas. The rest of each year, it was registered on the list of historic homes in the tour guide.

  Traffic was moving again, and Maxie tried to think of something else, but her mind wandered back to her father’s voice. He just wouldn’t give it up. He had been so intense when they had been at Heathrow airport. Something in his eyes—and the tone of his voice—had disturbed her. Maxie’s didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t want Druids and Fae in her life, and now he was telling her about some impossible vampire-type woman who was going to come after her? What?