Table of Contents
With
Immortal Champion,
Lisa Hendrix continues her riveting new series about a crew of Viking warriors condemned to live out eternity as werecreatures . . .
PRAISE FOR
Immortal Outlaw
“Lisa Hendrix has a great talent and
Immortal Outlaw
is one book that will have readers riveted.”
—Fresh Fiction
“The hero of
Immortal Outlaw
is very yummy and the heroine is one that any reader can easily come to love and really root for . . . Lisa Hendrix knows how to give you what you want . . . I just loved how this whole love story played out.”
—Night Owl Romance
“Filled with action . . . The audience will relish Lisa Hendrix’s enjoyable entry.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Some terrific entertainment is packed between the covers of Hendrix’s
Immortal Outlaw
. . . highly recommended to any fans of historical romances or paranormal romances.”
—The Good, the Bad and the Unread
“Imaginative, fascinating, adventurous; a fantastic read. Hendrix knows how to blend myth and magic in a way that enchants readers . . . The second installment, based on the Robin Hood legend, has passion, adventure, history, and characters you’ll treasure.”
—Romantic Times
“A great installment in the Immortal Brotherhood series.”
—Book Binge
Immortal Warrior
“Blending paranormal with historical and a touch of the comedy that she is known for, Lisa Hendrix gives us the first in a stunning new series bound to rocket straight to the bestseller list. Her heroine was smart and sassy, her hero was strong and patient, the subplot was awesome, and the twist at the end was completely unexpected.”
—Manic Readers
“Gripping . . . I expect both this book and its sequels to find their way onto the must-buy lists of book lovers everywhere!”
—Wild on Books
“
Immortal Warrior
will sweep you off your feet . . . A fast-paced paranormal delight that will have you adding Lisa Hendrix to your must-buy list. Shifters, witches, Norse gods, and more make this series unforgettable.”
—Night Owl Romance
“A bold and beautiful fairy tale for grown-ups: an enchanted story of a stalwart warrior and a feisty lady . . . Not to be missed!”
—Romantic Times
“A sizzling and engrossing romance from the pen of Lisa Hendrix,
Immortal Warrior
should not be missed.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Five stars. Hendrix weaves this fascinating tale as seamlessly as the most skilled storytellers of old, with a lyrical quality to her writing that draws the reader in . . .
Immortal Warrior
is going straight to my keeper shelf. I highly recommend that you buy a copy for yours.”
—Romance Novel TV
“Absolutely stunning . . . Starts off a new paranormal series with a bang!
Immortal Warrior
is an excellent paranormal romance—but to the medieval lover, it is all the more exquisite . . . Bringing together Norse sagas, English history, and medieval fairy tales, Lisa Hendrix adds her own unique vision to this popular classic tale of magic.”
—Medieval Book Reviews
“Lisa Hendrix has struck immortal pay dirt with this novel and I, for one, will be anxiously awaiting the next installment of this saga . . . Five martinis for a story I could not bear to put down.”
—The Girls on Books
“Lisa Hendrix has penned a winner . . . A fast-moving, thrilling tale that kept me up at night.”
—Romance Reader at Heart
Immortal Brotherhood Novels by Lisa Hendrix
IMMORTAL WARRIOR
IMMORTAL OUTLAW
IMMORTAL CHAMPION
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
IMMORTAL CHAMPION
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / January 2011
Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Hendrix.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
eISBN : 978-1-101-47675-8
BERKLEY
®
SENSATION
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY
®
SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
http://us.penguingroup.com
To Kristan Higgins, Two-time RITA
®
Award winner and chocolate codependent, who sorted through her Dove Miniatures to find all the peanut butter ones when I needed a fix to finish this book.
The Legend
WINTERS IN ENGLAND
have ever been foul—fraught with bone-chilling cold, yet too warm for the snow to thicken on the roof and keep a dwelling snug and far too wet to let a man’s clothing keep him truly warm. Through the ages, the men and women of this misbegotten land suffered through the cold months as best they could, huddling in their cottages as much as possible and often seeking work in castle or hall in order to enjoy the warmth of their lord’s hearth.
There were those, however, who could find no such refuge, those who were not fully men, nor entirely beast. Cursed by dark magic wielded by the sorceress Cwen, whose son they had killed in a raid for treasure, these Norse warriors spent half of each day in the form of their
fylgjur
, their spirit companions, each man a different beast. Unable to settle amongst men for any length of time, they kept mostly to the wilds. And because Cwen had also made them immortal, they suffered in the raw damp for winter after soggy winter, century after bleak century.
Yet even in the depths of England’s dismal winters, they clung to some hope, for Cwen’s magic had a flaw, a weakness. Her spell had been wrought upon the
fylgja
amulet each man had worn, and it could be broken on the same token through the power of true love. Knowing this, Cwen had sent her men to scatter the amulets across the land, thinking they would never be found. Yet two warriors had managed it, finding both their amulets and women who could love them even knowing what they were, and their victories left Cwen sore wounded and her powers weakened.
Furious at their triumph, Cwen set out to regather her magic, determined to keep the seven remaining warriors from breaking free of her curse, for it was her intention to make them suffer for eternity, to torture them, to strip away their hope for happiness in the same way they had stripped away hers, leaving her heart barren and empty. By late in the Christian year 1407, she had regained enough power to call a true winter down upon England, the kind of winter the Northmen had known at home.