Beloved Wizard

By Shannan Albright

Merci Tramaine is not happy to be called back into service by her old boss Arthur, especially when she is charged to find her missing ex-lover. Drake Monroe is Merlin reincarnated. With his powers bound by the Goddess Nimue, he has become a skilled fighter, but is no match for Nimue who kidnapped him, determined to destroy him forever.

The bloodline of Morgan Le Fey taints Merci, keeping her on the edge between light and dark. The goddess’s wicked trap springs shut, leaving both Drake and Merci racing against the clock. Passions ignite once again, but are they too late to plan a future or will they be torn from each other?
This time for eternity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Feb 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781771110204

Book preview

Merci Tramaine is not happy to be called back into service by her old boss Arthur, especially when she is charged to find her missing ex-lover. Drake Monroe is Merlin reincarnated. With his powers bound by the Goddess Nimue, he has become a skilled fighter, but is no match for Nimue who kidnapped him, determined to destroy him forever.

The bloodline of Morgan Le Fey taints Merci, keeping her on the edge between light and dark. The goddess’s wicked trap springs shut, leaving both Drake and Merci racing against the clock. Passions ignite once again, but are they too late to plan a future or will they be torn from each other?

This time for eternity.

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

Beloved Wizard

Copyright © 2011 Shannan Albright

ISBN: 978-1-77111-020-4

Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

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Smashwords Edition

Beloved Wizard

Knights of Excalibur One

By

Shannan Albright

Dedication

To my husband who believes in me, CR Moss who kept me sane and my wonderful Critique partners, Embraced By Words, who gave me inspiration and ideas. This book wouldn’t have existed without them.

Chapter One

This is a colossally bad idea.

Merci Tramaine entered the abandoned warehouse. Here she was sticking her neck out for a man who didn’t give a damn about her. Talk about irony. The rays of the full moon came through the windows, bathing the large room in hues of silvery blue. The air, thick with the smell of dust, unwashed bodies and urine, assaulted her senses.

The homeless in these parts were known to make use of the old building as shelter. Old mattresses and discarded clothing lined the sides of the walls. Several large metal trashcans used to stave off the night’s chill, their insides blackened and scorched, dotted the area.

Her low-heeled boots echoed hollowly in the eerie quiet of the warm May evening. She couldn’t detect a single soul in the warehouse and that made her uneasy as hell. Her skin prickled at the nape of her neck and her pulse quickened, her built in warning system, telling her something preternatural was nearby.

Oh yeah, this was a very bad idea.

The minute Arthur’s name appeared on her caller ID, a hard knot formed in her belly. Alarm bells ringing in her head—an inner sixth sense—had warned her that picking up the phone would be a mistake. Arthur would talk about Drake. Arthur would ask for her help, which would ultimately involve Drake. When would she ever learn? She had left that life behind her when she split up with Drake, unable to be near him and keep a working objectivity. If that made her a selfish bitch, then so be it. She knew it was beyond her capabilities to keep an emotional distance when it came to Drake.

Arthur knew all that, too. Damn the man to the nine levels of hell!

Arthur. The name had seethed in her brain, boiling up like a dark cloud threatening to erupt in a torrent of conflicting emotions deep within her where she battled the blackness in her soul. If not for him, she would have never known she was a direct descendant of Morgan le Fay. Arthur, the man once called future king, walked the earth again, calling his men to him just as he did so long ago. Like pieces on a chessboard, they’d all clicked into place. This time though there was no round table for discussing strategies, no knights in armor, and Merlin’s powers were bound. That hadn’t stopped them from forming a fighting force under the guise of Templar Security and Investigations, running all over the world, righting wrongs just like a freaking Robin Hood movie. For a while, she had bought into the whole do-good thing. Drake had helped her to find peace between the dark and light parts of her soul.

Despite her knowledge of the past and the warning bells, she had picked up that damned phone. Whatever you want Arthur the answer is no.

A deep masculine chuckle had rumbled through the phone. I haven’t even asked you for anything.

The yet had come over loud and clear in her head. It’s me, Merci, you’re talking to. I’ve known you a long time.

All right then, I need you. If there was anyone else...

He would have turned to them instead of her. The thought had stung, but she only had herself to blame. She had made it abundantly clear she wanted no part of Templar Security and Investigations, especially him. Fine, what the hell do you want? She couldn’t keep the anger and resentment out of her tone, and really, did she even want to?

Arthur’s tone had been filled with dread and worry. Drake is gone. Disappeared. No one knows where. You’re the best tracker I know. I need you to get him back.

Merci’s heart lurched painfully in her chest. Drake was missing, possibly hurt. Damn that man, too, to the nine levels of hell! At that moment she didn’t know who she hated more Drake or herself for still caring what happened to him. When and where was his last reported location?

"I saw him here in Malibu two days ago. He left heading for his home. From the look of things, he never made it. Found his car on old Highway 1, but no sign of him. Looked like he put up one hell of a fight. We