Son of the Morning Read online

  Praise for the Novels of

  New York Times Bestselling Author

  Linda Howard

  “An incredibly talented writer… Linda Howard knows what romance readers want, and dares to be different.”

  —Affaire de Coeur

  SHADES OF TWILIGHT

  “Linda Howard’s newest sizzler…. Ms. Howard is an extraordinary talent…. [Her] unforgettable novels [are] richly flavored with scintillating sensuality and high-voltage suspense.”

  —Jill M. Smith, Romantic Times

  “Wow! This powerful saga about a wealthy dynasty that is torn apart by a vicious murder will chill, thrill, and excite you… [a] tale of lust, greed, and revenge…. that will leave you staggered and extremely satisfied. Linda Howard never fails to create a story that will shock, amaze, and warm you with its gifted touch. This is a passion-filled masterpiece.”

  —Rendezvous

  “Family, loyalty, love, sex and revenge steam up the pages…. Howard… maintain[s] tension through a twist-filled plot.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  AFTER THE NIGHT

  “A real southern scorcher, this book continues in the author’s tradition of steamy suspense…. The mystery in the story is well-drawn, and it has interesting twists and turns…. Author Howard is a master of sexual tension. The rich setting and the characters’ fully explored histories contribute to build a powerful force of attraction that her characters are helpless to withstand…. Readers should be prepared to spend the entire afternoon under a ceiling fan with a pitcher of cool drinks nearby when they pick up this hot number.”

  —Nina Bruhns, Gothic Journal

  “Powerful characters, a powerful setting, and an intriguing mystery… After the Night has it all! Linda Howard weaves a spell as dark as a moonless night in the bayous…. Intense romance and mounting tension will keep you up late to finish this one!”

  —Annette Carney, The Literary Times

  “Small towns are the perfect background for mysterious secrets, and Ms. Howard pens a tale loaded with them. Her sensuous style of writing makes the reader aware of the all-consuming desire between the hero and heroine. Add to this the dramatic climax, and you get extraordinary pleasure from this novel.”

  —Rendezvous

  “Linda Howard is one of the top authors writing romantic intrigue, and After the Night will only enhance her reputation.”

  —Harriet Klausner, Affaire de Coeur

  The acclaimed New York Times bestseller!

  DREAM MAN

  “A contemporary thriller/romance…. sexy, very hard to put down.”

  —The Newport Daily News (RI)

  “The incomparable Linda Howard brings high-voltage power and hard-edged sensuality to this emotional roller coaster of a novel, which is sure to keep readers riveted until the final nail-biting conclusion. They don’t get much better than this.”

  —Jill M. Smith, Romantic Times

  “Ms. Howard has wonderful pacing, a good ear for dialogue, and knows how to turn on the steam. Dream Man’s mix of drama, violence, paranormal ability and sex makes it a perfect candidate for a USA Original Picture.”

  —Suzanne Kennemer Dent, Birmingham Post-Herald (AL)

  “… steamy romance… Hollister makes the perfect romantic hero…. Howard’s writing is compelling, especially the murder scenes.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Linda Howard always writes wonderful contemporary romances…. Keep the romantic tension high by picking up Linda Howard’s stunning romantic suspense novel Dream Man.”

  —Heart to Heart (B. Dalton Booksellers)

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  To Susan Bailey, my friendly banker who answered all my questions about ATMs, and didn’t accuse me of planning a robbery—thanks.

  “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!”

  —Isaiah, 14:12

  Contents

  * * *

  Part One: Grace

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Part Two: Niall

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Part One

  Grace

  Prologue

  December 1307

  France

  THE STONE WALLS OF THE SECRET UNDERGROUND CHAMBER were cold and dank, the chill penetrating wool and linen and leather, going straight to the bone. Two smoking torches provided the only illumination, and too little heat to make any difference. The pair of men revealed by the flickering light paid no attention to the cold, however, for such discomfort was of small matter.

  The first man was standing, the other kneeling before him in a posture that should have been submissive, had it not been obvious that such an attitude was alien to that proud head, those broad shoulders. The man who was standing looked frail in contrast with the vitality of the other, and in fact the kneeling man’s head was level with the chest of the first. Valcour was, indeed, frail in comparison to the warrior he had once been, and to the man who knelt before him, but age and despair had taken their toll. He was fifty-one, long past the age of vigor. His hair and beard were more gray than brown, his thin face lined from the burdens he had endured. It was time to pass along the responsibility, the duty, that had been his for all these long years. They would be safe with this fierce young lion, he thought. There was no better warrior in the Order, which was the same as saying there was no better warrior in Christendom, for they were—had been—a brotherhood of warriors, the best of the best, the cream skimmed from Europe’s battlefields and tourneys.

  No more.

  Just two months past, on Friday, the thirteenth of October in this year of Our Lord 1307, a day that would surely be remembered through the ages as a day of darkness, Philip IV of France and his puppet, Pope Clement V, had given in to their greed and in one fell swoop effected the destruction of the greatest military order ever to exist: the Knights of the Temple. Some of the brethren had escaped, but others had already died horrible deaths, and more deaths would follow as those captured refused to recant their beliefs.

  The Grand Master had received mere moments of warning, and had chosen to use those moments to secure the safety of the Treasure rather than of himself. Perhaps Jacques de Molay had sensed the approach of catastrophe, for he had already spoken with Valcour several times about keeping their enormous fleet of ships out of Philip’s hands, but above all his concern, and that of the great warrior Geoffroy de Charnay, had been the safekeeping of the Treasure. After long hours of consideration the Guardian had been chosen: the true and fierce warrior, Niall of Scotland. He had been chosen very carefully, not just for his prowess with a sword, which was unrivaled, but for the protection that came with his very name. The Treasure would be safe in Scotland.

  The Grand Master hadn’t been certain