A
Witch's Thief
Available from
Ellora's Cave
Book 3 in the
Thieves and Lovers series.
The witch…
Isobel’s magic and immortality are being
held hostage by Falcon Montague (aka Robin Hood). Only if she persuades her
imprisoned former lover, Lancelot Fridwulf, to return to Falcon’s employment
will he reinstate her powers. But Lance has sworn off a life of crime. When
Isobel makes conflicting pacts with several men she becomes entangled in her own
web, for death will be her fate if her powers aren’t restored within a
fortnight.
The thief…
Now that Lance has been released after a
horrific year in a dank cell, he vows to become a law-abiding citizen. But he
walks straight into the arms of the beautiful witch Isobel, who begs him to
steal her bauble back from his old friend, Falcon. In exchange, she and
Nikolai—both Lance’s former lovers—will enjoy a triad reunion of untold passion.
Still, things are not as simple as they seem. Danger, debauchery and deceit are
certain to put Lance back behind bars…this time for life.
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Series Order:
Book 1
Book 2 Book 3
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Sherwood Forest
Autumn, 1557
Pebbles crunched beneath the mare’s
hooves, the sound breaching the eerie stillness of the night. An owl released a
startled screech of protest. It rustled the leaves of a gnarly oak, took flight
and soared across the full, ringed moon.
Isobel Fitzjames held a gasp captive
within her throat. Her heart galloped in her chest and sweat pooled between her
breasts. She had recently been stripped of her magic by that wily thief, Falcon
Montague—or Robin Hood as those in English society referred to him with disgust.
Aye, stripped of her magic, apart that is, from when she’s in Lancelot
Fridwulf’s company. And damn it all to Hades, Lance most definitely was not
present. Therefore to be devoid of her powers for the first time in hundreds of
years gave her immense cause to worry, particularly tonight as she traveled
unescorted.
She scanned the clearing and attempted
without success to calm the hackles rising on the back of her perspiring neck.
Where was that bastard, Vychan? Had the queen’s favored knight duped her after
all? She gulped. Mayhap she had been lured into a trap?
"Good evening, milady." The ominous
voice of the soldier rang familiar just as she prepared to dig her heels into
her mount and flee.
She tightened her grip on the dagger
held beneath her cape and whirled her mount around. "Vychan, is that you? Show
your face at once or our agreement shall be annulled."
"Aye, Isobel, ’tis me." Vychan stepped
out from behind a lofty pine, his mammoth frame unmistakable even by the dark of
night’s gloom.
Isobel caught a glimpse of his steed’s
silhouette behind him. The regally outfitted beast had been tethered near a
stream. The narrow snake of water appeared visible only at intervals as the
overhead tree limbs swayed in the midnight breeze and allowed spears of
intermittent moonlight to glitter upon its surface. A thick ray of lunar light
flashed to the left as a sudden gust of wind tossed branches and sent shadows
scurrying. It was there in that fleeting moment that she learned he’d been lax
in his judgment for she could not mistake the shimmer of his sword nor the bulk
of his bow, both left behind and secured to the saddle.
Apparently he thought of her as no
threat. Her mouth compressed. If she had possession of her powers, she could
easily make him rue that assumption.
She eased out a quiet rush of air from
her lungs. "I have the first half of the gold." She reached down and caressed
the bulging bag of coins dangling from her saddle. The cool, heavy weight of it
rested reassuringly against her thigh. It was her only hope of righting the
wrongs done her hence she would not relinquish the remainder unless given
tomorrow’s promised proof—the sight of Lance’s handsome face. "Let us get this
bargain underway before your beloved queen changes the rules yet again."
Vychan sauntered toward her. Twigs
snapped beneath his fine warrior’s boots. He halted his steps so near to her she
could feel the heat rising from his armored body. She held her breath when his
sweaty stench wafted up to smother her.
"Careful, milady, lest Her Highness
catches wind of your words and misconstrues them to imply that you do not take
her as your beloved queen."
She clenched her jaw and spoke through
her teeth. "No one rules me, sir, whether ’tis Queen Mary or God above himself."
He trailed a finger down her leg. A
disgusting gurgle of lust vibrated his knotted throat. "Were I to rule you, you
would be begging for my…leadership."
She shivered, suppressing a wave of
nausea and the instinct to kick him. "Get your filthy hand off me. I would
rather die than allow your vile touch." Her fingers fondled the cool handle of
her concealed weapon. The reflex overwhelmed her to whip out her dagger and
slice his arm into ribbons.
Rein in your emotions, Isobel. That tempting action would
only prevent you from ultimately reclaiming your magic and rescuing Lance from
that hellhole.
Even in the dim twilight she could see
that his scarred face screwed into a snarl. His beady eyes glowered up at her
making her think of a rabid wolf. He licked his thin lips and scoffed, "Surely
you jest. From what I understand, you prefer to be presided over by not one, but
two men at once. And might I add there are many in Our Highness’s army who I
could recruit for such luscious—"
She had the blade against his throat so
swiftly it could have been by the blessed force of her magic. But Isobel knew
better. That despicable bandit Montague was mostly to blame for her current
vulnerabilities and lack of powers.
And by the
Druid gods and goddesses, she would see that he paid whether her immortality
became reinstated or nay.
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Reviews:
"Strong writing, passionate sex scenes and treachery
abound within the pages of A WITCH’S THIEF... a fast paced, sensual story
that will keep the reader entertained... the next book in Ms. Ladley’s wonderful
Thieves & Lovers series. With the return of your favorite characters from
the first two books, A Gypsy Thief and
A Wanton’s Thief, we get to see what
happens with Lancelot as he finds himself back with the two lovers he has not
forgotten... Some secondary characters keep the story moving along nicely and
the return of Falcon and his partner, Little John, had me smiling in
pleasure..."
~ Dawn - Love Romances and More
"I really didn't like Isobel... But as her dilemma was
revealed, as well as her true feelings for both Lancelot and Nikolai, I started
to root for her... This was a quick read with lots going on and plenty of
sensual interaction. A good hour or so worth of entertainment."
~ Chris - Night Owl Reviews
"A
Witch’s Thief is a
satisfying foray into Titania Ladley’s land of Thieves and Lovers.
The love shared by Lancelot, Isobel and Nikolai is beautifully
written and the passion they share heats up the pages. Watching the
three of them together really warmed my blood and tingled my senses.
Fans of Ms. Ladley’s fantasy world will savor this trip into the
magical world of Robin Hood." ~ Amelia for
Joyfully Reviewed
