Lightning struck all around the building the grounds bristled with metal lightning rods. The Valkyrie’s antebellum mansion was draped in a dense fog that didn’t stir, not even with the breeze. He turned a corner and slowed, taken aback by the sight before him. Under a canopy of oaks, he ran through muddy ruts until he reached the estate’s opened entranceway: a pair of battered stone columns, each with a rusted gate clinging by a hinge. With that thought in mind, he stepped out into the humid air, then began jogging along the dirt driveway.

Then he could return to his island, to his sanctum. Tamping down those memories, he focused on the mission. His never-ending reminders of a time spent in hell . . . . Drops of perspiration trickled down his chest, over the countless scars covering his torso.

With the jacket, his customary gloves and high-necked shirt, he began to sweat. After carefully stowing the bug in another pocket, he tested his radio earpiece.ĭespite the lateness of the hour, the bayou heat was intense, assailing the truck’s cab. He opened a briefcase filled with sensitive electronics, retrieving a minuscule GPS beacon/listening device. He was well aware that a gun couldn’t kill an immortal, but an armor-piercing round between the eyes at close range could bring one to the ground. More cartridges filled the pockets of his camo pants. He strapped his sword to his side, then checked the pistols in his dual holster and the extra cartridges in his dark flak jacket. After turning off the ignition, he readied for the night with a swift efficiency born of years of combat. When he spied lightning in the distance, he pulled off into the thick brush, deep enough to conceal his truck. Yet he reminded himself that tonight’s target would be merely another capture, yet another prisoner he delivered to the Order-the mortal army to which he’d pledged his life. Perhaps because no other magister had ever captured a Valkyrie? Ever since he’d received her dossier two weeks ago, Declan had been impatient to seize this female.

Though his head was splitting from lack of sleep and his usual tension plagued him, he felt a measure of excitement about his mission. Declan Chase eased his Humvee down a winding bayou drive leading to Val Hall, the estate where a notorious coven of Valkyrie lived.

Kresley cole dreams of a dark warrior