The Morcai Battalion: Invictus. Diana Palmer

      

      For almost three years, Dtimun, the enigmatic and mysterious Cehn-Tahr commander of the Morcai Battalion, has been at war not only with the Rojok Dynasty…but also with his feisty medical chief of staff, Dr. Madeline Ruszel.

      Now a surprising visitor from the future has charged them with the rescue of the enemy, field marshal Chacon. To ensure success, both Madeline and Dtimun must make personal sacrifices and attempt a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Sparks fly as each twist and turn throws them closer together than they’ve ever been before, but can they resist acting on desires they have long denied?

      If their plans are discovered, they face exile by their own governments and possibly even execution. If they do not act, the future will see the end of civilization itself...

       Praise for the novels of New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author

      DIANA PALMER

      “The popular Palmer has penned another winning novel, a perfect blend of romance and suspense.”

      —Booklist on Lawman

      “Diana Palmer is a mesmerizing storyteller who captures the essence of what a romance should be.”

      —Affaire de Coeur

      “Readers will be moved by this tale of revenge and justice, grief and healing.”

      —Booklist on Dangerous

      “Diana Palmer is one of those authors whose books are always enjoyable. She throws in romance, suspense and a good story line.”

      —The Romance Reader on Before Sunrise

      “Lots of passion, thrills, and plenty of suspense… Protector is a top-notch read!”

      —Romance Reviews Today

      “A delightful romance with interesting new characters and many familiar faces. It’s nice to have a hero who is not picture-perfect in looks or instincts, and a heroine who accepts her privileged life yet is willing to work for the future she wants.”

      —RT Book Reviews on Wyoming Tough

      The Morcai Battalion: Invictus

      Diana Palmer

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To all the fine professors at Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia, who taught me to look at the world in a new and different way. Especially to those I haven’t mentioned in previous dedications who were my mentors in history and other subjects back when I was a college student in the 1990s: Dr. Ralph Singer and Dr. Al Pleysier in the history department; in anthropology, Dr. Max White; in Japanese, Dr. Jeanne White; in Spanish, Dr. Joe Palmer; and in English, Dr. William Smith, among many others.

      This science fiction series also owes much to Dr. Rob Wainberg, my mentor for the biological aspects of the Cehn-Tahr (and, I rush to add, any mistakes in interpretation are my own, not his). The idea for the combination of human/Cehn-Tahr genes to restructure Ruszel was his. Hope I got it right, Rob.

      This novel is also dedicated to my family: my husband, James; my son, Blayne Kyle; my daughter-in-law, Christina; my granddaughter, Selena Marie; my grandson, Donovan; my sister, Dannis, and her daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie Cole; my other nieces, Helen Hunnicutt, Valerie Kyle, Kathy Thomas; my nephews, Bobby Hansen and Tony Woodall and their families; Rodney, Paul and James and all their families; my best friend, Ann Vandiver (who forced me to take all my manuscripts out of the closet and market them in the first place); my brothers-in-law, Doug Kyle and Sonny Merck; my sisters-in-law, Kathleen Woodall and Victoria Kyle; my great-nieces and great-nephews, great-great-nieces and nephews and the rest of my wonderful in-laws. And to my extended family, my readers, who keep me going with their affection and loyalty. Love you all.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

Praise

       Title Page

       Dedication

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

       Extract

       Copyright

       CHAPTER ONE

      SILENCE, MADELINE RUSZEL THOUGHT, was overrated. In the darkness, all alone, she heard nothing outside the room. It was obviously soundproof. She wondered if the Cehn-Tahr needed perfect silence in order to sleep.

      The thought made her curious. Memcache, the home planet of the Cehn-Tahr, had become her home since her rescue from a crash on the planet Akaashe with her military unit. Her former Holconcom commander, Dtimun, had defied his government and her own to save her life. She was recuperating from her injuries, but also facing a new and dangerous challenge once she healed. It was hard to sleep with the most momentous decision of her life hanging over her. She was going to agree to a procedure that would change the very structure of her body, and to a mission that might mean her death.

      She heard the wind stir outside. She wondered if her former commander had as much trouble sleeping as she was having. This place, this stone fortress, was his home. She was still amazed to find herself here, instead of back on the Tri-Galaxy Fleet’s planet, Trimerius, where wounded military with life-threatening injuries such as hers had been were customarily hospitalized.

      She hoped Dtimun wasn’t in too much trouble with his government for pulling the Holconcom out of the Tri-Galaxy Fleet in order to