Jeni Hoppe Allred
Orion, laird of his clan, this darkly handsome, fierce warrior had never met his match in battle or in life . . . until he met her.
Trained as a warrior, she could do no more than listen as her family and her clan were slaughtered in the dead of night. She knew she would forever hate all Highlanders … until she met him.
Through battles in the fields of Scotland to the battles of the heart, can Chasi’s love be enough to tame the Great Hunter?
Originally from New Jersey, Jeni Allred now lives in South Carolina with her husband Thomas, a neonatologist at Mary Black Memorial Hospital. Jeni also shares her home with 5 cats - Caz, Soot, Smoke, Ralph and Buster - and a Boykin Spaniel named Heywood Haley’s Comet.
Chapter Two
Chasi crouched deeper into the small opening below the stairs. She had to be as quiet as possible. She couldn’t take the risk of being found by the highland warriors. They would kill her for sure, or worse. Although she was willing to give up her life for her family and her home, she had to think of the small bundle in her arms first. Her baby brother was asleep and she prayed he remain that way a while longer; just until she could figure out a way to escape.
The highlanders waged their attack against her clan in the dead of night. Chasi was awakened by the first sounds of clashing steel. She knew that battle would not last long. The highlanders were certain to outnumber her own clan and they had the edge of surprise to their advantage. She barely had enough time to grab her brother and hide before the evil warriors invaded her home.
As soon as the highlanders entered the keep she knew that her father had been killed. He would never have allowed the battle to penetrate his stronghold. She heard heavy footsteps on the stairs directly above her hiding place and ushered a silent prayer that her mother had found a hiding place of her own.
She refocused her attention on finding a way to escape. If she could just get to the kitchens. From there she could travel through the secret passages and get her brother to safety.
Her thoughts were cut off by the sounds of thunder and steel crashing against steel. For a reason Chasi could not understand, the battle had begun anew. She was certain that no Donovan warriors were left standing once the highlanders stormed the keep. Still, the battle had again begun.
The battle waged on for well over an hour. The men who had encroached the keep rejoined their clan in the courtyard to continue their combat with her own clan. Chasi knew this might be her only opportunity to escape.
She crawled out of the small opening, careful not to wake her sleeping brother. Unfortunately, as she began to stand a cramp shot up her leg sending a shudder of pain through her body. She managed to stifle a scream, but her sudden tension had jarred the babe. He let out a roar that threatened their very existence.
As Chasi straightened she came to look upon the most horrible black eyes she had ever seen. Sparkling slivers of silver glowed within the piercing black pools. Eyes that seemed to stare through her. Eyes that belonged to a highlander. A knot formed in her stomach as she took a step back.
She took a deep breath in an attempt to regain her composure. She could not allow her enemy to see her fear. “I know that you are going to kill me,” she stated boldly. “All I ask is that you spare the babe. He has done no harm in his short life.”
The thought of her father’s body laying limp in a pool of his own blood renewed her anger and gave her courage which she used every ounce of to hold her enemy’s stare. She would not back down. Her brother’s life was at stake and she would not let her fear be his destruction.
Orion could not believe what was happening. This bit of a girl was showing him more courage than any of the warriors lying dead in the courtyard outside. She challenged his stare with one of her own as she stood firm and held her ground. What surprised him most were her emerald eyes and the emotion he saw in them. Pure unbridled rage and it was directed at him.
