Free Forbidden Highlander by Donna Grant

middle of the hall. The Druid Robena began the spell. Only it wasn’t Naill whom the god chose.”
    “Who?” Fallon asked.
    She swallowed her dread. “I was next to my father when the pain started. I tried to hold back my cries, but soon it became too much. I fell to my knees, my skin on fire, my bones breaking. I must have blacked out, because when I came to, Robena stood over me with a smile on her wrinkled face.
    “My father helped me stand as Robena announced the god had chosen. It was me, not Naill. My uncle and cousin were so furious they banished me from the clan. With time only for a hug from my father, Robena and I fled to the forest.”
    Fallon stared at her in shock. “The god chose you?”
    “It’s a goddess actually.”
    She had expected many things, but not stunned disbelief. He wouldn’t believe her until she showed him. “My goddess is Lelomai, the goddess of defense.”
    She held out her arms and let herself transform. First her claws, long and sharp, next her fangs, and then, her body. She stood before Fallon, hoping, praying, he would be the salvation she sought.

SEVEN
    Fallon could only stare awestruck at Larena. He’d never seen anything so beautiful before in his life. She was a stunning woman, but when she transformed she was … breathtaking.
    He rose and walked toward her. She glowed with all the colors of the rainbow, muted though they were. He touched a lock of her hair, amazed to find the iridescent color was also there. Of all the Warriors he had seen, none had had hair that changed color.
    His gaze took in her shapely form that glimmered, sparkled. He lifted her hand in his and looked at her long claws of the same color as her skin. They were narrower than his, but just as deadly. A glance at her parted lips showed him her fangs.
    She was definitely a Warrior. A female Warrior. Who would have guessed one existed?
    “You’re beautiful,” he murmured.
    Her troubled iridescent gaze met his as she removed her hand from his. “I’m the only female Warrior that I know of, Fallon. Deirdre knows nothing of me. Yet. But it is only a matter of time.”
    He understood then why she had sought him out. “You want my protection.”
    “I do.”
    How could he possibly turn his back on her? He was here to help his brothers, but finding Larena would also help their cause in fighting Deirdre. Another Warrior only improved their odds. “You have it. How long have you been a Warrior?”
    “A hundred years.”
    She’d been alone for so long. He ached for her. “And why did you come to the king’s castle?”
    “Malcolm agreed to help me try to uncover anything we could regarding Deirdre.”
    “Where have you been before this?”
    She shrugged and looked away. “Though I was banished from my clan, I stayed near because of my father. It was in the forest that Robena helped to train me with the things I would need to know to be a Warrior.”
    “Why come to Edinburgh now?”
    Her gaze met his and he saw defiance and determination in the depths. “It is my duty to stay out of Deirdre’s grasp. I was learning nothing of Deirdre or other Warriors in the forest.”
    “Maybe, but you were hidden.”
    “Not exactly. I’ve been battling wyrran since my goddess was unleashed. Since most Warriors are loners and hidden, I figured I would have a good chance learning how far Deirdre’s reach had gotten while in the king’s castle.”
    “You think Deirdre has control of the king?”
    “Nay,” she said with a shake of her head. “At least not yet. But it was while I’ve been here that I discovered the MacLeods had been found.”
    “And why you sought me out,” he finished.
    “I may have been alone, but I can defend myself.”
    He glanced at her claws and smiled. “I imagine you can.”
    “Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I cannot take care of myself. I’ve killed a man before. I gave him my body because I was naïve and believed he cared for me. He betrayed me and murdered my