Underground Warrior
He's your enemy. Those three words echo in Sibyl Daine's mind.Trace Beaudry's father - a member of a powerful secret society, the Comitatus - is responsible for imprisoning her for a crime she didn't commit. She's a hacker, not some thug. She doesn't know where Trace's true loyalties lie, but she soon finds the line between love and hate blurring.Trace Beaudry is finished paying for his father's sins. But he intends to find answers about the sword he's uncovered - a weapon tied to the Comitatus. All he knows is that he is painfully attracted to sexy Sibyl. Can he get close enough to keep her safe - or will the secrets of the sword kill them both?
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Crawling into his bed, surrounded by the smell of him, Sibyl couldnât possibly sleep.
She listened to the shower across the hall. She imagined Trace in there, washing off all that blood and sweat. Why hadnât it bothered her more?
Because itâs his.
The horror sheâd felt when sheâd thought him hurt or deadâ¦the odd ache in her chest when heâd all but dared her to be disgusted by himâ¦. She didnât need experience she didnât have, or the IQ she did, to face what this had become. She needed only a little courage.
She was falling in love with Trace Beaudry. Trace LaSalle-Beaudryâ¦no. That confused things too much. Let him be just Trace.
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Dear Reader,
If this is your first Evelyn Vaughn title, thank you for checking me out! If, however, youâve been looking for Underground Warrior since Knight in Blue Jeans came out, then I also thank you for your patience. Iâve been writing more slowly lately, which, unfortunately, resulted in a long wait for you. My apologies.
Trace and Sibylâs story gave me the chance to explore human resilience, from that of a girl falsely imprisoned to that of a city striving to rebuild itself after disaster. If New Orleans can keep going, then why canât the rest of us?
I hope all of you enjoy Underground Warrior!
Evelyn Vaughn
Underground Warrior
Evelyn Vaughn
EVELYN VAUGHN
believes in many magicks, particularly the magic of storytelling. She has written fiction since she could print words, first publishing in a newspaper contest at the age of twelve. Thirty(ish) years later, sheâs publishing her eighteenth novel. Evelyn loves movies and videos, and is an unapologetic TV addict. Luckily, her imaginary friends and her cats seem to get along.
Evelyn loves to talk about stories and characters, especially her own. Please write her at [email protected].
I owe many thanks for Underground Warrior, including Juliet Burns, Paige Wheeler, Natashya Wilson, Patience Smith, Shana Smith, Kayli Rhodes, the Texas Readâems (who helped me come up with the idea for the Blade Keepers) and the First Thursday Romance Reader Bookclub (who kept me going). Because of them, I dedicate this book to my readers.
You complete me!
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Prologue
Dallas, West End, August
âHe said to come alone,â said the pretty woman.
Her partner answered, âThey always say to come alone.â
Silently spying on the couple from her corner of the sun-drenched restaurant patio, Sibyl analyzed her discomfort. It wasnât fear. Fear she understoodâhad understood since, as a twelve-year-old, sheâd watched her world end. Red-and-blue flashing lights. A pounding on the door. Mamaâs cryâ¦
Sibyl pushed the memories safely behind a wall of reason. Sheâd come here for information. Exposure was the one thing her enemiesâa secret society of powerful men, of killersâfeared.
A pounding gavel. âThe court finds Isabel Daine guilty of arson and manslaughter.â A public defender too drunk to sugarcoat it. âSome people in this town, you just canât fight.â
Some people. Why not just say secret society? The Comitatus. And no people willing to admit who really started the fire that killed her father.
The wealthy, powerful society wouldnât allow it. Perhaps Sibyl could catalog her newest discomfort as frustration. Arden Leigh, socialite daughter of a Dallas Comitatus leader, had broken her emailed promise. Sibylâanonymous under the handle of Vox07âhad specified that they meet alone. Instead, Arden brought a suitor. Despite his old T-shirt and faded jeans, his posture and speech patterns bespoke wealth. Power. Comitatus.
âThank heavens I have a big, strong man to protect me,â Arden teased her beau. Sibylâs stomach twisted as she watched. She had to get out of there.
Across a wide parking lot, a yellow-and-white light-rail train slid to a halt with a ringing of bells. While disembarking passengers distracted the pretty couple, Sibyl scribbled a simple, angry note onto a strip of paper placematâLiars!
Risky or not, she couldnât just ignore people lying, cheating and getting their own way at the expense of others. Not powerful secret societies descended from bloody conquerors like Charlemagne or Genghis Khan. Not beauty queens with false smiles and doting, disguised lovers. Not anyone.
Swallowing back her hurt, Sibyl stood to leave the patio. She dropped the note surreptitiously into the socialiteâs purse as she passed.
Suddenly, the womanâs partner blocked the one exit. âHiya, Vox.â
Sibyl spun and ran, vaulting the iron fencing of the patio and racing across a hot, Texas parking lot toward the train stop. She dodged surprised tourists. She threaded between cars. The 2:18 pulled away from the historic district, but she could lose herself in the crowd heading for El Centro Community College just beyond, if sheâ¦couldâ¦justâ¦.
