King of Her Heart

By TL Reeve

Archer Holt—falcon-shifter and leader of a group of specially trained mercenaries—has been called up by the Secretary of State, Yrsa Larson.

His mission: Find her daughter, and bring her home.

Eira Larson isn't one to make waves. After taking an unsanctioned vacation to Belize, she's kidnapped and held in the home of the leader of the Wizard's cartel. She is supposed to be auctioned off into slavery to the highest bidder, but an enigmatic and sexy bodyguard has other plans for her.

Archer will do whatever it takes to protect Eira when he finds out the girl he's meant to protect is the woman he's destined to mate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Decadent Publishing
• Release date: Dec 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781613339312

Book preview

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

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

Smashwords Edition

King of her Heart

Copyright  2015 by TL Reeve

ISBN: 978-1-61333-931-2

Cover art by Tibbs Designs

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.

Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

Look for us online at:

www.decadentpublishing.com

Decadent Publishing Recent Releases

Claiming His Cub by Kayleigh Malcolm

Silk & Scars by Cassandra Dean

Rain by Taryn Kincaid

Hard Lovin’ by Desiree Holt

How Six Chefs Got It On by S. Ford Brown

Moon Crazy by D.L. Jackson

Gemini by Catherine Peace

Desert Tryst by Susanne Saville

The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker by Nancy Fraser

Rolling in Sin by Kayleigh Malcolm

One Night with His Wife by Sara Daniel

One Exquisite Night by Annie Anthony

Elena Chavez by Jeanette Collins

Spurred on by Jon Keys

Her Real-Life Hero by Vicki Ballante

Aden by AC Katt

Waking Beauty by D. L. Jackson

Seducing Susan by Alexis Lusonne Montgomery

Love and Punishment by Sorcha Mowbray

Playing with Fire by Desiree Holt

Undercover Christmas by Gina Wynn

Also from TL Reeve

Saving Their Princess

The Dom and the Bodyguard

Their Secretary

Craving Cameo

All Or Nothing

Omega’s Heart

King of Her Heart

Archer Holt—falcon-shifter and leader of a group of specially trained mercenaries—has been called up by the Secretary of State, Yrsa Larson.

His mission: Find her daughter, and bring her home.

Eira Larson isn't one to make waves. After taking an unsanctioned vacation to Belize, she's kidnapped and held in the home of the leader of the Wizard's cartel. She is supposed to be auctioned off into slavery to the highest bidder, but an enigmatic and sexy bodyguard has other plans for her.

Archer will do whatever it takes to protect Eira when he finds out the girl he's meant to protect is the woman he's destined to mate.

Dear Readers,

Thank you for picking up a copy of King of Her Heart. As you read through the story, you’ll note there are several potential stories to follow, but at this time I’m not sure if I will do any more with them. I might in the future. When I came up with this idea, I thought of a shifter who hasn’t had much of a spotlight. And, as you’ll read, I didn’t show much of what the other shifters looked like, because I wanted the story to be about the hero and the heroine. I hope I accomplished that. Let me know what you think of the story and if you want to read about the other girls.

E-mail me at: [e-mail]

Dedication

To the readers, thank you.

King of Her Heart

By

TL Reeve

Prologue

The warm, fragrant air of Belize wafted through their hotel room. Eira couldn’t believe they’d been there for a week already, and it was almost time to go home. She leaned against the banister of the balcony as her body swayed to the music. Below her, the town was alive with the sound of steel drums and calypso music. It was campy in movies when she’d seen people dancing in the street. Being a part of it—in the magical city—it was infectious. She continued to move to the beat—enjoying the last night of their time away. Because when her mother found out she’d left college and went to a foreign country for spring break, she’d never let her out of her sight.

We’re going down to the club, Eira. You going to join us tonight? Her friend Carmen stepped outside and took her hand, dancing with her. Think about it this way, if you don’t go now, when will you ever be able to go to the Palace?

Somewhere between, ne and ver. Never.

If they find out the American Secretary of State’s daughter is boozing it up in Belize, my mom will plant fifteen bodyguards on me. I’ll never taste freedom again. A little dramatic, she figured, but her mother was a stickler for protection and, well, prudeness.

Little Eira Larson needed to stay virginal and pure. She needed to be a part of high society and never be a temptation to men unless he made seven figures and could help advance her mother’s political aspirations. Eira snorted. What her mother didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Which was why they stuck to the smaller clubs hardly seen by paparazzi.

Then we’ll blend in, Amber said, joining them outside.

We don’t blend, Amber. We stand out like a sore thumb. Five women walk into a bar. A blonde, a brunette, and a redhead….

Come on, it’s the last night here. We need to let loose, be young and free, Regina announced stepping outside with Casey. We’ve done this trip your way. Stuck close to the hotel and partied in boring spots with lame people. Tonight, we want glitz and glamour. Come on, Eira. Go with us.

Her friends’ eyes were wide and hopeful. What could it hurt to go out for one last night of debauchery? They were, after all, in Belize. Okay, she relented. Only for a few hours though. We have an early wake-up call.

Her friends squealed and dragged her back into their room. It was hard to resist their excitement. Amber yanked her to the closet and pulled out a black cocktail dress, handing it to her. Wear it. Her tone brokered no debate.

Fine, I’ll wear it, she teased and then stuck her tongue out. Anything else?

Yeah, Casey is doing your makeup. We’ll make you unrecognizable. Carmen grinned. You’ll knock all the men’s socks off.

Ugh, she groaned, making a face. Not that the people aren’t nice, but some of the men…. She shuddered. Saggy is not the new buff.

Regina snorted and shook her head. Where we’re going, you don’t have to worry about old, saggy men.

Thank God. She sashayed her way to the bathroom, the dress twisting in the breeze behind her. I’ll be back.

The Palace stood in the middle of town, a beacon to those wanting to have fun and get wasted. The two-story building had been painted a vibrant coral color, while the pillars were faux marble, gleaming in the bright lights. Male and female carnival dancers stood on raised stages in front of the club, dancing to samba music played by a live band. The dancers and members of the staff greeted patrons as they walked through the door. Eira could kick herself. Why hadn’t they tried this place before tonight? For a moment, a thread of guilt raced through her. If only she had a better relationship with her mom, she could have taken this trip without worrying about getting caught.

Once inside, the opulence of the place astounded her. An array of multicolored lights bounced off the high vaulted ceilings, synced to the music thumping through the sound system. People—dressed in an array of colors and barely-there clothing—moved to the spicy salsa music. Their fluidness mesmerized her as the women spun in quick, small circles their partners led them through. At the bar, the bartenders put on a show themselves. Bottles filled with alcohol flew across the expanse of the bar before one of the bartenders plucked it out of the air and poured it into the waiting glass. The bottles were juggled, twirled, and spun on the palm of their hands, wowing the crowd in front of them.

Eira and her friends found an open table near the dance floor and ordered their drinks. Before they’d left the hotel, they had all agreed one of them needed to be the designated sober companion. Eira had volunteered. The idea of her friends getting hurt—or herself—made the decision easy for her. One night of no drinking wouldn’t kill her. From her perch at the table, she had a bird’s-eye view of Regina and Casey grinding on the dance floor. The men sitting at the bar turned their lust-filled gazes on the girls while whispering to one another. A fissure of trepidation slithered down her spine. The situation could get out of hand if they weren’t careful. Of course, she might be a little paranoid and the men might not be paying attention to her friends.

Even though she didn’t like the men her mother had hired as bodyguards, they had come in handy. Teaching her how to spot danger and stay safe. David called it, In case we become incapacitated. Death. She ran through the checklist. Exits were open and clear. None of the men made any nervous movements. Nor did they look like cold-blooded killers…like she knew what a killer acted like to begin with.

Instead, she used her skills on a daily basis. Studying the ins and outs of everywhere she went. She learned habits. On the days she spent with her mom, she observed the Secret Service personnel. Even if they tried to be secretive, she knew their patterns. In fact, with David’s help, she’d started taking the appropriate classes to become an FBI profiler.

Your friends are enjoying themselves, a deep, accented voice said next to her.

Eira turned her attention to him. His warm, inviting smile exposed perfectly straight, white teeth, and his brown eyes glittered with amusement.

I’m Diego. He pointed to the dance floor where her friends danced with three other men. Those are my friends.

It’s good to meet you, Diego, she answered, watching her friends for another second before returning her attention to the man next to her. His mop of curly hair added to his boyish, good looks. Broad shouldered and immaculately dressed, he fit in with the VIP section more so than the common area. Yet here he sat beside her.

What’s your name? He scooted closer to her.

She studied him for another minute. This guy didn’t raise any red flags. In

Reviews for King of Her Heart

[Crush · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Archer and his team rescue them from kidnappers and find there mate. Enjoyable book