The Last Warrior. Susan Grant

      Praise for national bestselling author

       SUSAN GRANT

      SUREBLOOD

      “Grant’s skill at rounding out all her characters always makes her story sing!”

      —RT Book Reviews

      THE WARLORD’S DAUGHTER

      “Her latest Tale of the Borderlands…is passion and adventure as only Grant can provide.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      MOONSTRUCK

      “A gripping, sexy new series! I could not put it down!”

      —New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter

      “This is a can’t-put-down read that draws you in from the first page and doesn’t let go until the tension-filled final chapters. Moonstruck is terrific. I highly recommend it.”

      —Linnea Sinclair, RITA® Award-winning author of The Down Home Zombie Blues

      HOW TO LOSE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL IN 10 DAYS

      “For readers who want strong heroines and sexy alien hunks, [Susan Grant] is definitely still the go-to author.”

      —The Romance Reader

      MY FAVORITE EARTHLING

      “Susan Grant writes heroes to die for!”

      —USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Kearney

      “I loved this book! I can’t rave about this novel enough. From an arranged marriage to royal espionage to saving Earth, this is not a book to be missed!”

      —Sylvia Day, bestselling author of Pleasures of the Night

      YOUR PLANET OR MINE?

      “One of the best books of the year!”

      —New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson

      “Wow! This book just has everything and I found myself laughing out loud; [Susan Grant has] a real gift for comedy.”

      —USA TODAY bestselling author Lindsay McKenna

      “The pacing is so effortless and the humor awesome! But most of all? [Susan Grant] has the romance totally nailed. I love their chemistry, and there’s something very sweet about them, even though it’s totally hot, too.”

      —Deidre Knight, bestselling author of Parallel Heat

      THE SCARLET EMPRESS

      “Exhilarating…adrenaline-filled…shocking twists and turns keep readers enthralled.”

      —Publishers Weekly

      “The Scarlet Empress offers a thrillingly pointed reminder of the cost of freedom and the continuing sacrifices required of those who value liberty.”

      —Booklist (boxed, starred review)

      THE STAR PRINCESS

      “Witty dialog, well-developed characters, and insightful explorations of cultural and class differences and political intricacies abound in this funny, sexy story.”

      —Library Journal

      The Last Warrior

      Susan Grant

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      I couldn’t create my stories without the help

       of all the wonderful and generous people in my life. Big thanks to Caro, aka Midnight Line Editor, Corey Collins for the horse help, Donna-Marie for early reads and the use of her lovely mountain home, my editor Tracy Martin, my agent Ethan Ellenberg, George Meyer for all the brainstorming and loving support, and, as always, my two wonderful kids, Connor and Courtney.

      For Caroline Phipps,

       with gratitude, for helping guide me back to the joy of writing.

THE LAST WARRIOR

      CONTENTS

      PROLOGUE

      CHAPTER ONE

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHAPTER THREE

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CHAPTER FIVE

      CHAPTER SIX

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      CHAPTER NINE

      CHAPTER TEN

      CHAPTER ELEVEN

      CHAPTER TWELVE

      CHAPTER THIRTEEN

      CHAPTER FOURTEEN

      CHAPTER FIFTEEN

      CHAPTER SIXTEEN

      CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

      CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

      CHAPTER NINETEEN

      CHAPTER TWENTY

      CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

      CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

      CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

      CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

      CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

      CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

      CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

      CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

      CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

      CHAPTER THIRTY

      PROLOGUE

      SHEER TERROR PROPELLED Elsabeth through a gauntlet of reaching, sympathetic hands as the people of the Kurel ghetto spilled out of their houses, into the alleys and streets. “The king sent soldiers,” someone called out to her. “Talking sense into them, your mother and father are.”

      No. A moan of fear rose up in her throat. No one could talk sense into Tassagon soldiers, thickheaded ax-wielding thugs. Not even her parents, the shining stars of Kurel Town.

      Her famous-physician father turned no one away from his clinic, not even Tassagons desperate enough for cures to risk setting foot inside the ghetto walls. Her beautiful mother, “the healer’s angel,” ably assisted him. Elsabeth feared they’d be confident enough, and crazy enough, to try talking peace to a people who did not know the meaning of the word.

      “Are soldiers inside the gates?” Elsabeth cried to those she passed. Sweat and frightened tears streamed down her cheeks as she gulped air, breath after breath, step after step.

      “Yes,” came the answers, with hands upturned, helpless.

      Soldiers, here. It had never happened before. Superstitious beliefs kept Tassagons from venturing inside Kurel Town, an overcrowded but orderly warren of row houses and shops. Most were certain they’d fall victim to the wizardry and charlatanry that allegedly occurred inside the walls, and left them alone. Both peoples had shared the capital peacefully, until King Xim had ascended to the throne. A few short months after being crowned, his deep distrust of her people was culminating in this: soldiers inside the ghetto.

      At the gates, a crowd had gathered. Between the bodies, she caught glimpses of bright blue-and-white military uniforms, but no sign of her mother’s shining blond curls or the tall, lean frame of her father, his long auburn hair always neatly tied at the back of his neck.

      She knew now what she’d find. She knew.

      “Beth, no. Don’t go closer.” Some tried to hold her back, but she