Once Upon a Castle - Jill Gregory [0]
And she was there, just there, conjured up out of storm-whipped air. Her hair was a firefall over a dove-gray cloak, alabaster skin with the faint bloom of rose, a generous mouth just curved in knowledge…
His heart leaped, and his blood churned with love, lust, longing.
She came to him, wading through the knee-high mists, her beauty staggering. With his eyes on hers, he swung off his horse, eager for the woman who was witch, and lover.
—from “Spellbound” by Nora Roberts,
New York Times Bestselling Author of River’s End,
Jewels of the Sun, and Tears of the Moon
Titles by LaVyrle Spencer
THEN CAME HEAVEN
SMALL TOWN GIRL
THAT CAMDEN SUMMER
HOME SONG
FAMILY BLESSINGS
NOVEMBER OF THE HEART
BYGONES
FORGIVING
BITTER SWEET
THE ENDEARMENT
MORNING GLORY
SPRING FANCY
THE HELLION
VOWS
THE GAMBLE
A HEART SPEAKS
YEARS
SEPARATE BEDS
TWICE LOVED
SWEET MEMORIES
HUMMINGBIRD
THE FULFILLMENT
ONCE UPON A CASTLE
Nora Roberts, Jill Gregory, Ruth Ryan Langan and Marianne Willman
A Jove Book
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ONCE UPON A CASTLE
A Jove Book / published by arrangement with the authors
All rights reserved.
Collection copyright 1998 by Penguin Putnam Inc.
“Spellbound” copyright 1998 by Nora Roberts.
“Castle Doom” copyright 1998 by Jill Gregory.
“Falcon’s Lair” copyright 1998 by Ruth Ryan Langan.
“Dragonspell” copyright 1998 by Marianne Willman.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
For information address:
The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
The Penguin Putnam Inc. World Wide Web site address is
http://www.penguinputnam.com
ISBN: 1-101-14694-X
A JOVE BOOK
Jove Books are published by
The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
JOVE and the “J” design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Putnam Inc.
CONTENTS
Spellbound
Nora Roberts
Castle Doom
Jill Gregory
Falcon’s Lair
Ruth Ryan Langan
Dragonspell
Marianne Willman
SPELLBOUND
Nora Roberts
To all my wonderful friends in this life and all the others
PROLOGUE
Love. My love.
Let me into your dreams. Open your heart again and hear me. Calin, I need you so. Don’t turn from me now, or all is lost. I am lost. Love. My love.
Calin shifted restlessly in sleep, turned his face into the pillow. Felt her there, somehow. Skin, soft and dewy. Hands, gentle and soothing. Then drifted into dreams of cool and quiet mists, hills of deep, damp green that rolled to forever. And the witchy scent of woman.
The castle rose atop a cliff, silver stone spearing into stormy skies, its base buried in filmy layers of fog that ran like a river. The sound of his mount’s bridle jingled battle-bright on the air as he rode, leaving the green hills behind and climbing high on rock. Thunder sounded in the west, over the sea. And echoed in his warrior’s heart.
Had she waited for him?
His eyes, gray as the stone of the castle, shifted, scanned, searching rock and mist for any hole where a foe could hide. Even as he urged his mount up the rugged path cleaved into the cliff he knew he carried the stench of war and death, that it had seeped into his pores just as the memories of it had seeped into his brain.
Neither body nor mind would ever be fully clean of it.
His sword hand lay light and ready on the hilt of his weapon. In such places a man did not lower his guard. Here magic stung the air and could embrace or threaten. Here faeries plotted or danced, and witches cast their spells for good or ill.
Atop the lonely cliff, towering above the raging sea, the castle stood, holding its secrets. And no man rode this path without hearing the whispers of old ghosts and new spirits.
Had