The Heart of a Hero Read Free Page B

Trees of Life—which contained all of mankind’s knowledge—in order to protect earthbound mortals from the warring mythical gods. But when the gods had discovered that mankind’s champion had also trained a small army of drùidhs to protect the Trees, Titus had been forced to scatter his mystical Trees and drùidhs all over the world, then sink his little kingdom into the sea before the gods could destroy it—and him.
    Funny, Nicholas thought as he downed the last of his beer, how Titus and Mac had complete access to all that knowledge, yet the wizards couldn’t seem to find out where the mysterious babe on the beach had come from. Or rather, they
claimed
they couldn’t, which Nicholas had always suspected was only half the truth. Not that the circumstances of his birth mattered all that much to him, since he’d experienced nothing but love and generosity from his adoptive parents and the Oceanuses. Still, when you’re five years old and nearly a foot taller than your buddies, as well as the only blue-eyed person on the entire island, it would be nice to know
why
.
    By the age of fourteen, when seven-year-old Princess Carolina had finally been allowed to run wild outside the palace walls, Nicholas had stood six feet tall, weighed a good hundred and eighty pounds, and rode a horse and wielded a sword with the skill of a battle-hardened warrior. But just last year, at age thirty-seven, he’d suddenly found himself unemployed when he’d happily handed Lina over to Alec MacKeage—may the gods have mercy on the brave bastard’s soul.
    So having decided he liked all the amenities of the twenty-first century, as well as this rugged corner of the world, Nicholas had promised Olivia that he would keep her guests and employees as safe and happy as he’d kept her sister-in-law. He’d so far upheld that promise with some fancy technology and two dozen men, four of whom were elite warriors he’d brought from Atlantis. And come spring he’d be adding several more guards when Inglenook—a family-oriented resort sitting right on the shore of Bottomless—finished being refurbished and started taking guests.
    Nicholas had found this last year pleasantly relaxing compared to keeping a headstrong princess safe and happy, but his new job was still exciting enough to get him out of bed every morning, since some of Nova Mare’s patrons actually hailed from past centuries as they came seeking Mac’s magical services. And twice now the theurgist had asked Nicholas to do a little time-traveling for him; once to squelch a senseless war before it really got started, and another time to right a perceived wrong between a jilted bride and a drunken idiot king.
    So considering all he’d lived through—and survived—Nicholas figured he couldn’t complain that it was taking him a while to find a lovely lady he’d be interested in sharing the rest of his natural life with. But Zeus’s teeth, at this point he’d be happy to find one he liked well enough to bed. Preferably a woman who didn’t talk incessantly about nothing, who didn’t view him only as a titillating prize, and who thought waking up to find a few cats burrowed under the covers with them was endearing.
    He wondered if Julia Campbell liked cats.
    Nicholas placed enough money on the table to pay his bill as well as a generous tip, then stood up, slipped into his jacket, and settled his wide-brimmed hat on his head of short dark hair. He gave a nod to the harried waitress as he headed for the door, feeling somewhat disheartened that Julia probably wasn’t the lady for him. If she truly did fear men, then she’d likely run screaming in terror if she found herself being romantically pursued by a six-foot-seven, two-hundred-and-thirty-pound former warrior.
    Nicholas stepped outside and turned up his collar against the rain with a sigh. Such was the fickleness of early November weather in Maine in the mountains, he guessed as he walked along the slush-covered road to his