Excerpt from CAMULUS
© 2015 by Bambi Lynn
To punish the mortal who stole her powers, a former goddess makes a bargain with Death himself. He'll give her the chance to exact her revenge. But in exchange, she must find a god living in the guise of a Highland laird … and deliver him to the underworld.
Màili is a goddess. At least she was, until she trusted the wrong mortal. Now her powers and her immortality are gone—stolen. The only path to revenge against her betrayer? Root out and expose the Highlander scion of an ancient god. But succeeding means taking Camulus' life. Will her growing love for him overcome her thirst for revenge?
Camulus Vass is laird of clan Munro. He'd rather have a simple life, without the power and responsibility that consume his waking hours. Reared under the domineering heel of his uncle, Cam has become a pawn. Until the arrival of a mysterious newcomer awakens the warrior within him … and this time, he will not be tamed. How far will Camulus go to protect Màili and their chance of a future together?
_________________________________________________
Camulus could not be worrying about Tanis' pride. He had his own problems at the moment.
Like why the housekeeper, Mrs. Niven, was dressing down one of the servants. At first glance, the girl appeared to cower before the matron. It was that fleeting appearance of helplessness that had drawn his attention. She was clad in a stiff–looking smock overlaid with a dirty apron that did little to hide voluptuous hips and full, heavy breasts. Cam's mouth watered.
But upon closer scrutiny, he noticed the rigid set of the girl's shoulders, the white–knuckled clench of her fists, the way her rich, chestnut hair fell forward to hide the angry clamp of her jaw from the woman before her.
Here was a girl with fight in her spirit. He admired her. Cam dreamed of standing up to his uncle, of slicing the reins Glendon held in an iron grasp. But he was the closest thing to a father Cam had ever known. His childhood had been spent vying for his uncle's approval, only to have his efforts dashed again and again. By the age of sixteen, Cam had accepted that nothing he did would ever be pleasing to Glendon Munro.
He crossed to the two women. "Mrs. Niven. Is there a problem?" He kept his eye son the servant.
"I should say so, m'laird," the housekeeper snarled. "This strumpet comes in here with her lofty tone, tellin' me how t' lay the hall for a funeral, like I ain’t seen more’n my share in all these years."
Hazel eyes snapped to his, fairly sparking with anger. “What else could I do?”
Cam caught his breath. The girl, no girl at all really, was beautiful. Her eyes, the color of fresh turned earth in the center and ringed in a verdant burst that reminded him of the forest, revealed a woman at least a decade older than he was, but she was as bonny as a lass of fifteen. A slender nose perched over lips that were full and plump as ripe fruit. Sadness swept over him at the memories that face invoked. He had loved a girl like her once.
"She was doing it wrong," she said.
Cam drew himself out of his reverie. What was she talking about?
Mrs. Niven waved a menacing iron skillet in the air. "Who d'ye think ye are, a–tellin' me I'm doin' it wrong?" she shouted.
The woman gave a delicate snort. "Any idiot can see it."
She hardly sounded 'lofty'. In fact, her tone was so blunt, Cam almost laughed. But he remembered Mrs. Niven's wrath from his childhood. He feared she would actually strangle the slighter woman if she got hold of her.
He held up his hands for peace. "Enough, now." He looked at the newcomer. "Who are ye?" he asked.
The two women stared each other down. It was Mrs. Niven who answered. "Sirona's maid," she sneered. She turned her head and spit over her shoulder in a gesture meant to ward off evil.
Was Mrs. Niven suspicious of Sirona?
The younger woman turned those hazel eyes back to him then. "My name is Màili. Sirona asks that you meet her…" she glanced at Mrs. Niven, "…she said you would know where."
Lucan had joined them by now and heard this last bit. He grinned and nudged Cam with an elbow. "I know that place."
With a final glare at Mrs. Niven, Màili turned and strode across the room towards the back entrance.
"She doesna act like a maid," Cam mumbled to no one in particular as they watched her go.
Get your complimentary copy now by clicking: