Lord's Fall Read online

  PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF THE ELDER RACES

  Oracle’s Moon

  “Grace’s human limitations are pushed to the edge as she learns to wield her new powers. Series fans and new readers alike will cheer her on.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Harrison’s flair for developing rich and well-rounded characters anchors the thrilling action and intense emotions found within her books. Harrison provides proof positive she is fast becoming a major star of paranormal romance!”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)

  “A delightful romantic urban fantasy . . . The key to this excellent entry and the fabulous predecessors is [that] the Harrison mythos of humans living alongside seven otherworldly species comes across as real.”

  —Alternative Worlds

  Serpent’s Kiss

  “It’s a huge boon to readers that Harrison’s first three Elder Races novels are being released in quick succession, ensuring the action and world-building never slow down . . . With a perfect blend of romance, action and drama, Harrison continues to prove she is fast becoming a name synonymous with excellence!”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)

  “A story charged with deep emotion and anchored by characters I do not want to forget . . . I am hooked on the amazing world of the Elder Races.”

  —Romance Novel News

  “Thea Harrison’s Elder Races novels are my current addiction . . . Serpent’s Kiss is a bright spot in an already wonderful series . . . I am continually impressed with the attention Harrison lavishes on her characters’ relationships, going beyond destiny or chemistry to write pairings that complement and strengthen one another.”

  —All Things Urban Fantasy

  “The author deftly weaves a fantastical romance that spans generations . . . A delightful read with intriguing potential for many more highly anticipated tales.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  Storm’s Heart

  “Vividly sensual love scenes and fast-moving action sequences are the main reasons I love this paranormal series. Each and every character brings Storm’s Heart to life . . . Ms. Harrison takes us once again into an intriguing tale of love and suspense.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “[Harrison’s] world-building has simply grown, become richer, more dynamic, more unique and altogether fantastic.”

  —Romance Books Forum

  “Thea Harrison is a masterful new voice in paranormal romance. Her world-building skills are phenomenal. And Storm’s Heart is proof . . . It is a very sexy tale with a hint of action and adventure and highly memorable characters.”

  —Romance Novel News

  Dragon Bound

  “Black Dagger Brotherhood readers will love [this]! Dragon Bound has it all: a smart heroine, a sexy alpha hero and a dark, compelling world. I’m hooked!”

  —J. R. Ward, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “I absolutely loved Dragon Bound! Once I started reading, I was mesmerized to the very last page. Thea Harrison is a master storyteller, and she transported me to a fascinating world I want to visit again and again. It’s a fabulous, exciting read that paranormal romance readers will love.”

  —Christine Feehan, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “I loved this book so much, I didn’t want it to end. Smoldering sensuality, fascinating characters and an intriguing world—Dragon Bound kept me glued to the pages. Thea Harrison has a new fan in me!”

  —Nalini Singh, New York Times bestselling author

  “Thea Harrison has created a truly original urban fantasy romance . . . When the shapeshifting dragon locks horns with his very special heroine, sparks fly that any reader will enjoy. Buy yourself an extra-large cappuccino, sit back and enjoy the decadent fun!”

  —Angela Knight, New York Times bestselling author

  “Full of tense action, toe-curling love scenes and intriguing characters that will stay with you long after the story is over. All that is wrapped inside a colorful, compelling world with magic so real, the reader can feel it. Thea Harrison is a fantastic new talent who will soon be taking the world of paranormal romance by storm.”

  —Shannon K. Butcher, national bestselling author

  “Fun, feral and fiercely exciting—I can’t get enough! Thea Harrison supplies deliciously addictive paranormal romance, and I’m already jonesing for the next hit.”

  —Ann Aguirre, national bestselling author

  “This is an outstanding blend of romantic suspense and urban fantasy with great storytelling and world-building, extremely sensuous scenes that move the story arc along and characters readers will be reluctant to leave.”

  —Booklist (starred review)

  “Utilizing vivid characterization, edge-of-your-seat danger and an intriguing alternate reality, Harrison crafts a novel that grabs you from the first sentence and makes you bitterly regret that the book must end.”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)

  “This is unquestionably (to me) one of the best books of 2011. It is superbly crafted with an amazing story, intriguing and unforgettable characters, and flaming-hot sexual chemistry.”

  —Romance Novel News

  “The writing is just superb . . . This world is really fantastic—exciting, very sexy and humorous. Fans of paranormal romance must read this book.”

  —Smexy Books

  Berkley Sensation Titles by Thea Harrison

  DRAGON BOUND

  STORM’S HEART

  SERPENT’S KISS

  ORACLE’S MOON

  LORD’S FALL

  LORD’S FALL

  Thea Harrison

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  LORD’S FALL

  A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / November 2012

  Copyright © 2012 by Teddy Harrison.

  Excerpt from Rising Darkness by Thea Harrison copyright © 2012 by Teddy Harrison.

  Cover art by Juliana Kolsova. Cover device by Shutterstock. Hand lettering by Ron Zinn.

  Cover design by George Long.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may b
e reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  ISBN: 978-1-101-61199-9

  BERKLEY SENSATION®

  Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  BERKLEY SENSATION® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  Special Excerpt from Rising Darkness

  ONE

  Even though feeling like a drama queen sucked donkey’s balls, it was still true—leaving Dragos and New York behind was one of the hardest things Pia had ever done.

  What sucked worse than that? Leaving was her idea. She had even argued for it, loud, long and vociferously.

  And what sucked the absolute worst of all? She couldn’t even pretend she was leaving all her troubles behind, because she wasn’t. All her troubles came along with her in a nicely matched portable set, because of course she had to travel with a bunch of psychos.

  She had just gotten used to one set of psychos, the Wyr sentinels. Not all of them liked her, but most of them had, more or less, accepted her. She even fancied that a few of them loved her, and she loved them, even though she thought they were all certifiably crazy, and to be fair, she was pretty sure they thought she was crazy too.

  And now here she had to break in a whole new set. This crew was fresh and energetic, while she was just goddamn tired and feeling bitchy enough to start tearing off heads for no reason.

  That’d win her some brownie points.

  Three of the group traveled with her in one black Cadillac Escalade. Three more traveled in another Escalade behind them, also black. In fact, both SUVs quite illegally had the same license plate numbers and were identical in virtually every way, in case the group had to split up and one SUV had to act as a decoy for the other—which would end up being whichever one Pia was traveling in at the time.

  In the Escalade following them were Miguel, Hugh and Andrea. Miguel was nut-brown and dark-haired, with a tight body coiled with lean muscles and dark, sharp eyes that never stopped roaming. Hugh was rawboned and rather plain. He had big hands, a slight Scottish burr, and a sleepy demeanor that Pia didn’t believe for a moment, because if he was really that sleepy and slow moving, he wouldn’t be traveling with her.

  Andrea looked just like Pia from a distance, which had been intentional. She had the same leggy five-foot-ten body type and the same thick blonde hair that fell past her shoulders and could be pulled back in a ponytail. Andrea’s hair had been carefully lightened so that it matched Pia’s blonde shades.

  They couldn’t pass for each other close up. Andrea looked to be possibly five years older than Pia’s twenty-five, although with Wyr, guessing someone’s age could sometimes be difficult, and Andrea could be as much as thirty years older. Pia’s face was more triangular. Andrea’s eyes were green, not midnight blue. Still, Pia got an eerie feeling whenever she caught sight of Andrea moving around in the distance. It was like looking at a doppelganger of herself.

  The three traveling in Pia’s Cadillac were James, Johnny and Eva. James was the tallest of the crew and actually handsome, with dark hair that fell into blue eyes and a strong nose and jaw that looked great in profile. With his fine features and light brown hair, Johnny appeared so boyish that he looked downright innocent—which was another impression that Pia knew had to be false.

  Then there was Eva, who was the alpha and captain of this particular pack of lethal whack-jobs. Eva had the whole Venus Williams Amazonian splendor thing nailed, with her honed, six-foot-tall body, rich ebony skin that rippled over strong muscles and a black, bitter gaze that had dissected Pia so thoroughly the first time they met, Pia was not exactly sure she’d found all the pieces and got herself put back together quite right afterward.

  Most of her six attendants were canines of some sort, wolves, mongrels or mastiffs, although they had one winged Wyr who would provide aerial support if it ever became needed. Hugh was one of the demesne’s rare, prized gargoyles.

  They all came from the Wyr’s version of Special Forces, the unit that was the most gifted and volatile in the army. They were the first into any conflict and acted as advance scouts, the rangers sent in to places too dangerous for the regular troops. They were the ones that patrolled the shadowed corners and slipped past enemy lines to take down their opponents from behind. The only Wyr more dangerous were Dragos’s sentinels and, of course, Dragos himself.

  They were not good at conforming. They never wore a uniform, they didn’t salute and they didn’t bother to hide their opinions about things. And it was clear they didn’t think much either of Pia or the babysitting job they had been shackled with, which meant they were all in for a shitty trip if things didn’t change.

  Pia slouched in the back behind the driver’s seat, arms crossed as she watched the dirty white, winter scenery scroll past. She could sense Dragos flying overhead, although they didn’t talk telepathically. Everything had already been said, shouted and argued out a while ago. After following the two-car cavalcade for about forty minutes, she could feel him wheeling and beginning the return flight back to the city.

  She shifted restlessly in her seat. Her head pounded. On the sound system, 2Pac rapped “Ballad of a Dead Soulja.” Beside her, Johnny slouched in fatigues and a T-shirt, his light brown hair pulled into an untidy ponytail. He was totally absorbed in playing a handheld game.

  Eva drove while James rode shotgun, literally, with the butt of a late-model SCAR (which, Pia had been told, stood for Special Operations Forces—SOF—combat assault rifle) resting on the floor between his boots. Eva’s kinky black hair was cropped short, emphasizing the graceful shape of her skull. As Pia looked at the rearview mirror, her gaze collided with the reflection of Eva’s contemptuous glance. Pia’s already strained temper gave up trying to control her behavior. It slunk away and took her better half with it.

  She said, “I want to listen to Kenny G now. Or maybe Michael Bolton.”

  Johnny’s head came up. James twisted to look at her.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Eva said. She turned to James. “Tell me she’s fucking kidding me.”

  Pia felt childish, petty and vindictive. The drama queen had turned into a two-year-old, and the toddler was having a tantrum. She said to James, “Change it.”

  “Woman wants it changed,” James said, expressionlessly. He punched buttons. Easy listening music filled the Cadillac.

  “That’s just fucking great,” Eva muttered. “We’re going to be stuck in a goddamn elevator for the rest of the goddamn day.”

  Pia hated elevator music too. She smiled and settled back into her seat. Now everybody else was almost as miserable as she was.

  Time dragged along with the miles that scrolled behind them, and the urban scenery remained the same, dull brick factories,
black railroad lines ribboning through dirty snow, rows of houses and the occasional shopping center. Nobody spoke, at least not out loud. The two Cadillacs wove smoothly through the sporadic Sunday morning traffic on the interstate, not always staying together to avoid drawing too much attention, but always keeping within sight of each other.

  As Pia watched the passing landscape, she couldn’t help but think of the last time she had made this trip, seven months ago. The two trips were almost perfect opposites of each other.

  Last May she had been on the run, frightened, exhausted and alone, while everything around her had been bursting into bloom. This time she was mated, pregnant—her hand curled protectively over her stomach’s slight bump—and surrounded by the most effective, if surly, soldiers in the Wyr demesne, and it was flipping cold outside, as winter held New York by the scruff of the neck with sharp, white teeth.

  January in Charleston would feel positively balmy in contrast, with daytime highs up to sixty degrees and nighttime lows around thirty-eight to forty degrees. Mostly what Pia was looking forward to, though, was the lack of snow on the South Carolina coast. In late December, New York had been hit with one of the worst blizzards on record, and it would take months for all the mountains of snow to melt.

  Ninety minutes into the trip, she stirred. “I have to stop.”

  Eva glanced at her again in the mirror. “Does her?” said Eva in a baby-talk kind of voice. “Where would herself like to stop?”

  James stirred and said, “Evie.”

  “What?” Eva snapped. “We barely got on the road, and princess already wants to take a break. And while I’m on the subject, why are we driving and not flying? We could be there in a couple of hours, instead of the trip taking the whole goddamn day.”

  “It’s none of your fucking business why we’re driving instead of flying,” Pia said icily. “And princess here doesn’t give a shit where we stop, just as long as we do in the next ten minutes. Got it?”

  “Sure, doll-face,” Eva said. “Any little thing herself wants, herself gets.”

  As Eva signaled and cut right from the fast lane to the exit lane, Pia watched the other woman in the mirror and thought, Imma have to kick your ass before the day’s out, aren’t I?