Dark Destroyer Read online

  DARK DESTROYER

  A Medieval Romance

  Part of the de Wolfe Pack /

  Great Marcher Lords of de Lara

  By Kathryn Le Veque

  Copyright 2015 by Kathryn Le Veque

  Kindle Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Printed by Kathryn Le Veque Novels in the United States of America

  Text copyright 2015 by Kathryn Le Veque

  Cover copyright 2015 by Kathryn Le Veque

  Kathryn Le Veque Novels

  Medieval Romance:

  The de Russe Legacy:

  The White Lord of Wellesbourne

  The Dark One: Dark Knight

  Beast

  Lord of War: Black Angel

  The Falls of Erith

  The de Lohr Dynasty:

  While Angels Slept (Lords of East Anglia)

  Rise of the Defender

  Spectre of the Sword

  Unending Love

  Archangel

  Steelheart

  Great Lords of le Bec:

  Great Protector

  To the Lady Born (House of de Royans)

  Lords of Eire:

  The Darkland (Master Knights of Connaught)

  Black Sword

  Echoes of Ancient Dreams (time travel)

  De Wolfe Pack Series:

  The Wolfe

  Serpent

  Scorpion (Saxon Lords of Hage – Also related to The Questing)

  Walls of Babylon

  The Lion of the North

  Dark Destroyer

  Ancient Kings of Anglecynn:

  The Whispering Night

  Netherworld

  Battle Lords of de Velt:

  The Dark Lord

  Devil’s Dominion

  Reign of the House of de Winter:

  Lespada

  Swords and Shields (also related to The Questing, While Angels Slept)

  De Reyne Domination:

  Guardian of Darkness

  The Fallen One (part of Dragonblade Series)

  Unrelated characters or family groups:

  The Gorgon (Also related to Lords of Thunder)

  The Warrior Poet (St. John and de Gare)

  Tender is the Knight (House of d’Vant)

  Lord of Light

  The Questing (related to The Dark Lord, Scorpion)

  The Legend (House of Summerlin)

  The Dragonblade Series: (Great Marcher Lords of de Lara)

  Dragonblade

  Island of Glass (House of St. Hever)

  The Savage Curtain (Lords of Pembury)

  The Fallen One (De Reyne Domination)

  Fragments of Grace (House of St. Hever)

  Lord of the Shadows

  Queen of Lost Stars (House of St. Hever)

  Lords of Thunder: The de Shera Brotherhood Trilogy

  The Thunder Lord

  The Thunder Warrior

  The Thunder Knight

  Time Travel Romance: (Saxon Lords of Hage)

  The Crusader

  Kingdom Come

  Contemporary Romance:

  Kathlyn Trent/Marcus Burton Series:

  Valley of the Shadow

  The Eden Factor

  Canyon of the Sphinx

  The American Heroes Series:

  Resurrection

  Fires of Autumn

  Evenshade

  Sea of Dreams

  Purgatory

  Other Contemporary Romance:

  Lady of Heaven

  Darkling, I Listen

  Multi-author Collections/Anthologies:

  With Dreams Only of You (USA Today bestseller)

  Sirens of the Northern Seas (Viking romance)

  Note: All Kathryn’s novels are designed to be read as stand-alones, although many have cross-over characters or cross-over family groups. Novels that are grouped together have related characters or family groups.

  Series are clearly marked. All series contain the same characters or family groups except the American Heroes Series, which is an anthology with unrelated characters.

  There is NO particular chronological order for any of the novels because they can all be read as stand-alones, even the series.

  For more information, find it in A Reader’s Guide to the Medieval World of Le Veque.

  Author’s Note

  This novel is different from the usual Le Veque rock ’em, sock ’em battle tales. This one is a simple but powerful love story….

  In Celtic mythology, the term “Dark Destroyer” is synonymous with “rogue” or “rake”, hence Gates de Wolfe’s nickname. He’s not a wicked man by any means (no de Wolfe ever could be), but he is definitely the love ’em and leave ’em type when it comes to the ladies. A ladies’ man? Absolutely! But you’ll find out why we like him so much (isn’t that half the fun of a good tale?)!

  Still, Gates is a very different Le Veque hero. He’s in no way perfect. At some points, he’s really not even likable. But he’s human, and he’s a de Wolfe, which means he has great capacity for change. In fact, you’re going to see a big change in him from the beginning of the novel to the end, where he really comes to terms with what he’s done in his life that he’s not proud of and how difficult it is to live up to the de Wolfe name. He’s got some demons. But I really fell in love with him in spite of his flaws.

  Things to note – in the beginning of the story, there is a mention of St. Milburga’s Priory in the village of Ludlow along the Welsh Marches. It is an actual place. Although a very old priory with a rich history, having been built in the Dark Ages, St. Milburga’s was eventually a Cluniac priory for men only. In this novel, I have taken artistic license to make it a woman-only healing order. Also, none of the castles in this novel exist. I have taken artistic license with them as well. But I’ve made them real enough that you would think that they actually do exist!

  As for the family ties in the novel – because it wouldn’t be a Le Veque novel without family ties – Jasper de Lara is the son of Liam de Lara, who is Tate de Lara’s (DRAGONBLADE) adoptive brother. Jasper’s wife is a du Bois from Rhys du Bois’ mother’s family (SPECTRE OF THE SWORD). There are de Lohrs in this novel and one in particular I think you’ll like – a young knight named Alexander de Lohr. He will undoubtedly receive his own novel at some point. Also, there is a minor character named Tobias Aston, who is the grandson of Dallas Aston (THE FALLS OF ERITH).

  No huge politics in this book, or big battles, famous historical characters, or even deaths (surprise, I know!). There’s really no battle action at all. This novel is simply a roundabout love story between two people who couldn’t possibly be more different, and the entire story focuses on their world. It comes from the heart, not the sex organs. It reads like a soap opera. It’s a different kind of romance but one that I hope will have you cheering in the end.

  A simple love story? You be the judge.

  Enjoy!

  Big hugs,

  Kathryn

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Kathryn Le Veque Novels

  Author’s Note

  Prologue

  The Ballad of the Dark Destroyer

  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

&nbs
p; Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  About Kathryn Le Veque

  PROLOGUE

  ~ “Your sins will find you out!” ~

  England, 1357 A.D.

  January

  “I did not think you would come!”

  A young woman, rather homely in face but with a figure that would make Aphrodite proud, raced from the barn entrance towards a figure standing back in the shadows amongst the hay and horses that were crowding the structure.

  It was snowing outside, meaning that most of the animals that usually spent their time outside were now crammed into the warm spaces of the barn, absolutely packed to the rafters with hay that had been well covered to keep the moisture from it. Back amongst these big clusters of hay, and back behind the crowded animals, a very big man opened his arms to the woman.

  “I told you I would,” he said, brushing the dusting of snow off her shoulders. “Did you not believe me?”

  The woman was overwrought with joy. Her homely features had chased most men away from her, but not this man; he had been kind to her when they’d met in town on this day. He was passing through on his return home from France but he’d sent his men ahead as he’d remained in town, slogging through the dirty piles of snow to strike up a conversation with her.

  The woman had never seen such a handsome man, with hazel-gold eyes, dark hair, and a grimly square jaw with a big dimple in the center of his chin. He was a knight of the highest order with his expensive weapons, soaring height, big muscles, and brilliant white-toothed smile. She could never have known that it was that smile, that wildly alluring gesture, which had sent every maiden’s heart fluttering between Brighton and Edinburgh.

  He was a de Wolfe, and a wolf, in every sense of the word.

  The man was a predator.

  Gates de Wolfe, he’d introduced himself, son of the Earl of Warenton and member of the legendary de Wolfe family. And Lady Mary, daughter of the richest man in the town of Halford near the Welsh Marches, was thrilled to have the attention of so handsome and prestigious a knight. She was so thrilled that she had agreed to meet him in the barn on her family’s estate, well away from her protective father and three older brothers. With them around, no man would come near her, or at least that is what her family told her. It had nothing to do with the fact that she had a face like the hind end of a goat.

  A face-like-an-ass or not, Gates wasn’t particularly looking at her face. He was looking at the full bosom and slender waist, the only things he’d been looking at all along. He liked his women full and luscious, and Lady Marie – or Mary – or whatever her name was (because he really didn’t care) fit that bill. He was only interested in what lay beneath her surcoat. Moreover, she had been most eager to his attentions and Gates knew that, once again, he’d found a willing victim. Or partner. Aye, he preferred to look at her as a partner because in his experience, the women were always quite eager to do whatever he wanted to do.

  Whatever would satisfy his needs.

  He’d been through this kind of routine before, too many times to count. He found a woman with whom he physically lusted after and there would be no sating that lust until he’d found his release inside the warm recesses of her body. Gates was the perfect knight, intelligent and powerful and brave, and he was the life of any gathering. He was humorous and generous, and had more friends than he could count. He was also a natural leader, one that men looked to for confidence and direction. But he had one big weakness – the female body. Women were his downfall and he knew it.

  So did most of England.

  But Lady Mary hadn’t heard of his unsavory reputation, thankfully, so in the guise of pretending to remove her cloak, Gates ended up pulling it over her head so he wouldn’t have to look at her butt-face. Then, he threw her back onto the hay in a darkened corner. Lady Mary giggled, and he pretended to laugh as if it was all a big joke, but the truth was that Gates didn’t want to look at that face.

  For his purposes, it would only serve to deter him and his physical needs were so strong at the moment that he would not be discouraged. It had been months since he’d had a woman because the ravaged countryside of France, particularly around Poitiers that had just seen a major battle, did not have an abundance of women in general.

  Gates knew that for a fact because he’d fought that battle. He’d spent months in France, dealing with mud as deep as his waist, hunger, cold, general poverty, and very little female companionship. He’d had to wait to return home to England to once again sample well-fed female flesh and, at this point, he didn’t care what she looked like. Well, not much. Therefore, he pretended to play a game as he covered Lady Mary’s face with her cloak.

  He was already undressing her as she tried to pull the cloak off her head, but Gates, being slick and clever, prevented her from removing it. “Nay,” he breathed, kissing her full, quivering bosom exposed above the top of her surcoat. “Leave it there. Covering the eyes heightens the senses, my lady. Trust me when I tell you that this will make your experience as grand as you can imagine.”

  Lady Mary continued to giggle but she stopped trying to tug the cloak off. “As you say,” she said. “But… may I at least pull it off at some point to gaze upon you? I do so wish to gaze upon you.”

  But I do not wish to gaze upon you, he thought dismally. “In a moment,” he murmured, kissing the top of her bosom again, like great creamy mounds of softness. “Let me guide you through this wondrous world where the only limits are your imagination. Trust me.”

  Lady Mary settled down admirably at that point. “I do,” she whispered sincerely. “Oh, I do!”

  Gates went to work, quickly. He wasn’t sure how much time they had and he didn’t want to waste it. As the horses snorted and shifted in the stall beside them, and the smell of animal dung and damp hay sat heavily upon the air, Gates pulled back the neckline of Lady Mary’s expensive surcoat. There were lacings across her breasts and he quickly loosened them, allowing him access to her big, warm breasts.

  He nursed furiously against her nipples, causing the woman to gasp and buck, and then his naughty hands snaked beneath her gown, tossing aside layers of fabric, so he could get to the jewel beneath. He ran expert hands up and down her soft thighs, feeling her quiver, before tossing back the final layer of material to reveal her perfect womanhood nestled between her legs.

  Gates took a moment in his frenzied quest to look at her from the waist down; she was indeed spectacular, which was rather unfair considering one had to get past that face in order to see her true beauty. He slowed a bit at this point, gently touching her inner thighs and then delicately blowing on her woman’s core, heated breath which caused Lady Mary to shriek with pleasure and surprise.

  God, she’s beautiful, he thought to himself as he carefully touched the thick outer lips, covered with a fine matting of dark curls, stroking them lightly, blowing heated air on her, and greatly exciting himself in the process. His erection was already hard as a rock. Grasping her thighs, he parted her legs wide to reveal the unfurling pink flower between them.

  Lady Mary writhed and gasped as Gates fingered her delicate woman’s center. It was rare to see such untouched perfection and he felt most fortunate. Dastardly, but fortunate. He bent over, depositing tender kisses just above the dark fringe of curls, stroking the woman and feeling the moisture from her body. She was becoming maddeningly wet and he was loath to wait any longer to put his stone-hard shaft where it belonged – deep in this virginal body that was calling to him, demanding his love and his seed. If he closed his eyes, he could almost hear the breathy whispers…

  … take me now!

  He always had been one to obey a woman, whether her words were spoken or not. He was greatly attuned to them. With care, he inserted a finger into Lady Ma
ry’s core, listening to her cry and gasp. The sensual intrusion had frightened her. He kissed the flat belly in his view.

  “Relax, love,” he said softly. “Relax. You shall enjoy this, I swear it.”

  Lady Mary was trying to find her way out from all of the fabric over her face. Not only had the cloak been thrown over her, but her skirts were up around her head as well. She was starting to suffocate.

  “I want to see you now,” she begged, sounding timid. “May I please?”

  Gates looked up to see that she had the cloak and skirts half-off her face. He could see that pimpled forehead and hairy brow of hers, particularly the brow – it was a solid bushy line of hair from one temple to the other. Good Christ! He tossed the fabric back over her head so he would not lose his erection.

  “Not yet,” he said patiently. “Your senses will be heightened if you cannot see. Are you enjoying this so far?”

  Lady Mary sounded disappointed. “Aye.”

  Gates grinned. “Excellent,” he said as he began to untie his breeches. “You will enjoy this more in a moment. Be patient.”

  Lady Mary sighed heavily, with sadness, from beneath the piles of fabric over her face. This was all so new and exciting and thrilling to her, but she was also starting to feel some frustration that she had to keep her head covered simply for the blind experience he promised her. She wasn’t entirely sure her senses were heightened because she could not see what he was doing, but there was a certain amount of anticipation as to what his next move would be. She liked what he was doing so far. It was exciting and made her feel quite womanly.

  She simply wished that she could watch him.

  But Gates was firm that she keep the cloak over her head. In fact, she tried to lower it slightly, simply so she could peep one eye out to watch him, but he had quickly put it back over her head and then he had leaned on it with one big arm, anchoring it down over her face so she couldn’t move it at all. Meanwhile, his free hand was at the junction between her legs, stroking her so that she eventually forgot about the fact that she could hardly breathe.

  And then, she felt it.

  Something big and heavy was against her woman’s core; she could feel it, warm and smooth and pushing into her. He was pushing into her slowly, rubbing at the nub of pleasure buried deep in her woman’s center as he did so, and she forgot all about the cloak over her face as her body started to twitch and jerk with pleasure. The brisk rubbing he was doing against her was making her legs quiver uncontrollably. She could feel his body as it entered hers but she was so overcome by the other sensations he was creating with her that all she could do was lay there like a mindless, boneless lump of flesh. She couldn’t respond in any way. She could feel his body pushing more deeply into hers and she waited for the flash of pain that would signal the end of her maidenhood, but he was rubbing her tender core so briskly that she almost didn’t care.