Warrior's Heart

By Bianca D'Arc

He’s home to claim the girl he never forgot...but more than war memories have changed him.

Gift of the Ancients, Book 1

Hal’s best-friend status with Casey’s brother always meant that the one woman he wants is strictly off limits. But now that he’s back from a harrowing mission in the ancient Iraqi city of Babylon, all bets are off. The strangely mystical experience left him and his Special Forces team with a new appreciation for life—and strange new abilities they are only beginning to understand.

Casey never thought she’d have a shot with the strong, silent Green Beret. Something about him has changed, though, and old feelings have risen up, demanding an answer. And her answer is an unequivocal yes. Now, to break the news to her brother and hope it doesn’t come to blows.

Her brother’s reaction becomes the least of her worries when Hal singlehandedly stops a car from running her down, then falls into her arms, weak from some kind of strange reaction. Whatever went down in Iraq has changed Hal and made him a target of foreign agents who’ve found his one vulnerability...Casey.

Note: This title contains dirty talk, sweaty carpentry sex and a sexy Special Forces super hero.
This book has been previously published.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bianca D'Arc
• Release date: Jul 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370923670

Bianca D'Arc

Bianca D’Arc lives on Long Island, in New York. She is the daughter of a Dutch immigrant to the U.S. and a materials scientist who worked on America's space program, including such projects as the lunar module, space shuttle and most of the Apollo missions. She earned a university degree in chemistry, and later, graduate degrees in library science and law. Forsaking the corporate world soon after the terrible events of 9/11/01, she began her writing career in earnest in late 2005. She focuses on the paranormal, sci fi and fantasy genres of romance, and loves creating happy-ever-afters for her characters.

Book preview

Gift of the Ancients #1

Warrior’s Heart

by

Bianca D’Arc

1st Edition

Copyright © 2006 Bianca D’Arc

Published by Chippewa Publishing

2nd Edition

Copyright © 2010 Bianca D’Arc

Published by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

3rd Edition

Copyright © 2017 Bianca D’Arc

Published by Hawk Publishing, LLC

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any or by any means, or stored in a database retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the Author.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

www.biancadarc.com

OFFICIAL BIANCA D’ARC NEWSLETTER

He’s home to claim the girl he never forgot…but more than war memories have changed him.

Hal’s best-friend status with Casey’s brother always meant that the one woman he wants is strictly off limits. But now that he’s back from a harrowing mission in the ancient Iraqi city of Babylon, all bets are off. The strangely mystical experience left him and his Special Forces team with a new appreciation for life—and strange new abilities they are only beginning to understand.

Casey never thought she’d have a shot with the strong, silent Green Beret. Something about him has changed, though, and old feelings have risen up, demanding an answer. And her answer is an unequivocal yes. Now, to break the news to her brother and hope it doesn’t come to blows.

Her brother’s reaction becomes the least of her worries when Hal singlehandedly stops a car from running her down, then falls into her arms, weak from some kind of strange reaction. Whatever went down in Iraq has changed Hal and made him a target of foreign agents who’ve found his one vulnerability…Casey.

Note: This title contains dirty talk, sweaty carpentry sex and a sexy Special Forces super hero. This book has been previously published.

DEDICATION

For Mom.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Excerpt from Future Past

About the Author

Other Books by Bianca D’Arc

CHAPTER ONE

He took her in his arms and though she teetered on sexy, blue satin stilettos, he moved her around the floor as if she were born to be there. She’d never been so graceful, or so incredibly excited.

They executed a complex turn, and the beat of the music seeped into her pores. He twirled her out, then back in, curling her tight against his chest. Her flowing skirt tangled sensually around their knees, making it feel even more intimate. The dance itself was color and light and his muscular body kept her safe, secure and cherished while he guided her through its intricacies.

The music changed and he started tap dancing. Somehow, she knew the steps too. She danced perfectly in time with him as he smiled encouragement.

RING!

Casey groaned, lifting her head from the couch. Blearily, she realized she’d fallen asleep in the middle of the day again. This had to stop.

RING!

Dammit. The relentless ring of the phone woke her up. And it had been such a good dream too.

RING!

She checked the caller I.D., yanking up the phone with a disgusted curse.

Dammit, Mark. I was dancing with Gene Kelly.

There was a slight pause before a sexy male voice came over the line.

I’d rather you danced with me.

Her knees turned to jelly. Good thing she was sprawled on the couch. This wasn’t Mark. It only took her a moment to place the voice calling from her brother’s familiar number. It was her brother’s obnoxiously handsome friend. The one who had tormented her since she was a little kid. The one whose face still haunted her dreams.

Hal. She sighed heavily. When did you get back? And why are you calling me from Mark’s? Where is he?

He’s watching over the grill out back and asked me to give you a ring. I just got in, and we’re having an impromptu barbeque. Wanna come over and play?

The sexy purr in his voice sent shivers down her spine. Too bad he was only kidding around with her. She’d known him for too many years to read anything into his flirty banter. She was glad he couldn’t see her disappointment. He was the star of her most vivid fantasies, but he’d always treated her like a pesky little sister.

Sure. Give me an hour, and I’ll be over with a bottle of Merlot. I can’t drink that beer he’s been brewing in his basement. It makes me sick.

I am duly warned. Actually, though, it tastes pretty good.

Oh, it tastes good at first. Just watch out tomorrow. You’ll be praying to the porcelain god if your stomach is anything like mine. She laughed, remembering the few times her brother had gotten her to drink some of his home brew, and the sad consequences.

You forget, I’ve been eating Army chow for the past twelve years. My stomach is cast iron.

Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Yes, ma’am. Now get yourself off the couch and put on something sexy. I haven’t seen you in far too long, Cas.

How’d you know I was on the couch?

He chuckled in that masculine way of his. Old habits die hard. I remember finding you curled up on that old couch in your parents’ house in the middle of the day more than once. You always reminded me of a kitten, basking in the sun coming in through the picture window.

Maybe I don’t have a couch or a picture window in my apartment. Did you ever think of that? She didn’t know why she was being contrary, except that Hal had always known how to push her buttons. Five years of not seeing him apparently hadn’t changed that.

You forget. I’ve been to your apartment. I know exactly what it looks like. Down to your daisy-covered couch.

They weren’t daisies. It was a lovely yellow and white paisley pattern, and it’s gone now.

What happened? I liked that couch.

Oh, I still have the couch, but I had to have it reupholstered. And to answer your question, Mark happened. He got mud, oil and some kind of glue on his clothes working on his boat then flopped down on my pretty couch. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t get the stains out.

The moron. His chuckle made her feel oddly better about losing her pretty fabric, even though it was a sticking point between the siblings. I’ll have to beat him up for you. I’ve had fantasies about you on that little daisy couch.

I’ll just bet you did. She laughed, hoping she could disguise the instant heat in her veins by treating his comment lightly. He was only kidding. Had to be. He’d never seen her as anything more than his friend’s kid sister.

Then why was he flirting so hard? That was three potential come-ons in one conversation. Either he’d changed drastically in the last five years, or he was trying to get her mad.

He’d changed drastically in the last five years. She decided that the moment she stepped into Mark’s little house and saw Hal.

Tall, tan, fit and handsome, he looked more weathered than when she’d last seen him. His closely cropped hair was a little longer than usual. His grin was the same lazy, sexy spread of sensuous lips. She’d fantasized about his smile for years.

His arms were all man, muscular and strong as he hugged her in greeting, holding her just a little longer than propriety demanded. It had been five years since they’d seen each other so she guessed it didn’t really mean anything.

She’d written to him for holidays and his birthday, sending him funny cards and updates on her family, since she knew her brother was a terrible correspondent. Hal had answered when he could, but he’d been in a lot of dangerous spots around the world over the past few years, and he hadn’t always been able write back. When he had, he’d impressed upon her how much he enjoyed hearing from her, so she never felt stupid shopping for that perfect card to make him smile weeks in advance of his birthday, or any other card-giving holiday. Heck, she figured