Banished by H.C. Brown

Cover & Excerpt

Banished by H.C. Brown
Dragonsong Trilogy Book One
Banished to the Singing Forest for witchcraft with only her cat for company, alone and desperately afraid Thalia sings to her dream lover, in the hope someone, anyone will help her.

Lumos enjoys the favors of many women until his dragon hears the Dragonsong of his mate. Consumed with passion for the girl who haunts his dreams, he leaves home to search for her.

Nothing goes to plan and he falls into a devious trap set by a dark wizard to destroy all of his kind.

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Content/Theme(s): Shifters, Dragons, Wizards, Dark magic, Vampires, Fae, Magic, Sword fighting, Historical, Medieval
Release Date: July 24, 2015
Publisher: Luminosity Publishing
Excerpt & More

Purchase link(s):  Luminosity  Amazon  ARe  Google  iTunes  Kobo  B&N
Excerpt:
The Singing Forest
Thalia lay on her back on the edge of the meadow and admired the way the sunshine peeked through the spiked leaves of the tall ash tree. Each day over the last three months, she had returned to this tree to share its healing strength.

She had survived.

Time moved swiftly in the forest. Why, it seemed as if only a few days had passed since she had fallen from the wagon at the foot of this healing tree and lay for the entire day on the brown, leaf-strewn forest floor. The tree had showered her with twirling, winged seeds as if trying to keep her conscious. She stared at the pale gray bark and remembered the first time she had trailed her fingertips over the lattice of ridges and fissures.

The dark days with Erik still disturbed her sleep. The shadows in her small cottage often brought back memories of shame and degradation. She pushed the evil man to the back of her mind. I survived and here in the sanctuary of the Singing Forest, I need never set eyes on men again.

Here in daylight, serenity surrounded her within the beauty of the Singing Forest. She watched as birds chattered and moved between the boughs, jumping from elm to prickly holly. From time to time, field mice would venture too close to Brew, twitch their large ears, and scuttle back to their homes.

Brew never left her side for very long. Thalia sighed and reached for the sleek black cat. “Brew?” She rolled into a sitting position and searched the meadow. “Brew, where are you?” Getting to her feet, she peered into the long shadows cloaking the forest. Perhaps he had left to hunt. She bent to pick up her basket, and rearranged the collection of herbs and mushrooms piled on top of a mass of nuts. Today she had visited the walnut tree and collected the splitting green fruit. In truth, the walnut tree had been her salvation from hunger. She patted the lattice gray bark of the ash tree. “I will return tomorrow.”

Taking the normal path toward the little cottage, she broke into song. Today everything in the forest celebrated summer. The rich scent of flowers, damp leaves and the tang of raspberries surrounded her. Ferns, lush and green sprouted in huge clumps. Brightly colored fungi adorned moss covered trees and delicate white butterfly orchids bloomed in abundance. Magyck filled her, completed her, and, lately, burst forth in uncontrollable streams. She pushed a lock of hair behind one ear and sighed. The previous night, she had unsuccessfully tried a spell to produce a small light globe. Without warning, uncontrolled magyck had bounced out of the window and hit the apple tree, ripening the fruit in an instant. The few spells she practiced daily would not consume this abundance of power. She stopped to rest the heavy basket on a tree stump and gazed up through the green canopy of trees. I wish I had someone to teach me, Cymbeline.

What was that? Every muscle froze. The hair on the back of her neck bristled. She strained her ears to catch the elusive sound. The wind tousled her hair and with the rustling of leaves came the deep voice of—a man. Panic closed her throat, stifling a scream. She gripped a silver birch tree, fighting for breath. A man—here in the Singing Forest. How could this be possible?

Men feared this forest. The evil Erik, his expression belying the trepidation inside, had left her on the edge of the woods, too afraid to step beneath the shade of the trees in this sacred place. She had driven the wagon with her meager belongings away from the soldiers at a gallop, not caring for her own safety. No. This place of the goddess Cymbeline, and now her sanctuary, would not allow a man to enter.

The voice came again and she turned her head. The Singing Forest covered many miles, and she had yet to explore in that direction. Taking hesitant steps, she moved along the unfamiliar path and disturbed a mass of yellow butterflies. They rose up from a cluster of dog violets and danced on the breeze. The sound came again, a soft voice speaking in deep, melodic tones.

She turned to stare across a small, grassy clearing dotted with blue wing-faced orchids and waves of buttercups. On the perimeter of the woods stood a giant of a man not a pace away from Brew. Oh, goddess. She swallowed and pressed against the trunk of an ancient oak tree. Taking a deep breath, she peeked through the surrounding bracken. Heartbeat pounding in her ears, she drew her magyck around her, and slipped from tree to tree to get closer. You will not hurt my cat. Fear gripped her belly. The king sent this man. No other knows I live in the Singing Forest. Bile rushed up the back of her throat and she fought the desire to run. I cannot leave Brew with this stranger.

The man bent at the waist and rested his large hands on his hips, his soft words carried on the breeze. He is speaking to Brew. She gawked at the stranger in awe, dear Lady, she had never seen one so large. Long, black hair with a raven’s sheen hung down to conceal his face and fell like black water over broad shoulders. Thalia moved closer, straining her ears to catch the man’s words. The summer wind carried the scent of him, of pine forests and fire. Although, shaking with fear, she could not fail to admire his strong, sculpted body encased in leather so fine the garment fitted like a second skin. His open jerkin exposed an expanse of golden skin stretched over hard muscle. Silver bands surrounded both of the stranger’s wrists.

Thalia turned to run her feet leaden then hesitated. How could she leave Brew to the mercy of this man? Fear strangled her, but she turned back. I need a spell to defend us against this stranger. Grinding her teeth, she glanced around the tree and met the stranger’s troubled gaze. Mesmerized by the man’s almond-shaped, green, luminescent eyes, and striking features, she gaped at him dumbstruck.

“I know you are there. I can see you. Come out, I will not harm you.” The man opened his arms wide. “I am trapped within this magyck circle. I cannot leave.” He pushed the long, glossy hair away from his face to reveal tall, pointed ears. “See? I am of the forest. Blessed by the gods as you are, and I bring you no harm, on my oath.”

Surprised to see Brew move in a figure of eight between his legs, she bit her bottom lip and contemplated the situation. Her loyal cat always warned her of danger and he seemed to like this stranger. Trembling, she stepped from the safety of the tree. “Who are you and why are you in my forest?”
~~~~~~
Purchase link(s):  Luminosity  Amazon  ARe  Google  iTunes  Kobo  B&N
Other titles by H.C. Brown:

Jackson Book 4	Taming His Pup Book 3	Rock ‘n’ Leather Book 2	Twink Book 1	Claws
Pride	Coming Out With Pride	Roar	Purr-fect Lust	My Purr-fect Alphas
Her Purr-fect Seduction	Cyborg Doms	The Black Knight	I Heart You	Take Me, Break Me
Unlocked	Highlander in the Mist	On Fire	Straight Boy	Dance to the Wolf

Master Me	Dear K	Fresh Meat

Find H.C. Brown at:
www.hcbrown-author.com
Twitter: @hcbrownauthor
HCBrownAuthorOfEroticRomance.blogspot.com.au
H.C. Brown Facebook page
H.C. Brown Goodreads author page
H.C. Brown Amazon author page
More H.C. Brown on Cover Reveals

Be on the lookout for H.C. Brown's future release(s): Down and Dirty in Rio coming August 2015, Dark Magyck coming August 2015, Lord Byron's Secret Obsession coming August 2015, Shadow Walkers coming September 2015, and Stalked coming September 2015

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