Children of the Moon 04 - Dragon's Moon

was more than her own.
    A loud thump revealed Lais’s reaction to the news. The healer who fought like a warrior had fainted.
    Ciara motioned for her mother to come forth.
    “But I am not Chrechte,” Abigail said.
    “The bairn inside you is,” Niall said from beside her.
    Abigail nodded and placed her hands on the Faolchú Chridhe . Ciara covered her adopted mother’s hands with her own and drew forth on the connection between the babe in Abigail’s womb and the Faolchú Chridhe . Healing light surrounded them and suddenly Abigail cried out.
    “What is it?” Talorc demanded.
    “I can hear.” Abigail began to cry and her sister threw her arms around her, babbling words of love and joy.
    Then Ciara spoke, again her voice not quite her own. “The lairds must each lay hands on the Faolchú Chridhe .”
    Each did, green light bathing them for several seconds, before the men stepped back one by one.
    “You are worthy protectors of your people,” Ciara intoned. “On the next full moon, you will gain the form of the conriocht .”
    And then she turned to her dragon. “The burden is no longer yours alone to bear.”
    “Soon, the Paindeal will be found and the Chrechte will be one people again,” Mairi said, her eyes glowing with blue light.
    “But first there is a war to be fought for the hearts of Chrechte turned by the twisted teachings of the Fearghall,” Ciara intoned. “The Cahir must rise again and Chrechte of the MacLeod defeat his own.”
    Love and unity would win, but the war would be long and not every battle without loss.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
    bairn —baby
    beguines —self-running nunnery without vows to the church, not supported by the official church as related to Rome (historically accurate term in the British Isles)
    ben —hill
    Ben Bristecrann —broken tree hill (a sacred spot to Ciara’s family)
    brae —hillside or slope
    Cahir —warriors who fight the Fearghall
    celi di —Scottish Highland priest practicing Catholicism with no official ties to the church in Rome (historically accurate term in relation to Scotland and Ireland)
    Chrechte —shifters who share their souls with wolves, birds or cats of prey
    Clach Gealach Gra —(moon’s heart stone) the bird shifters’ sacred stone
    conriocht —werewolf (protector of the Faol, shifts into giant half-wolf/half-man type creature)
    Éan —bird shifters (ravens, eagles and hawks)
    Faol —wolf shifters
    faolán —little wolf (Gaelic term of endearment)
    Faolchú Chridhe —(wolf’s heart) the wolf shifters’ sacred stone
    Fearghall —secret society of wolves intent on wiping out/subjugating other races of the Chrechte
    femwolf —female wolf shifter
    keeper of the stone —a Chrechte who has a special link to the sacred stone and can utilize its full potential for healing, gifting and bringing forth the protectors of the races (conriocht, dragon and griffin)
    kelle —warrior priestess (mentioned in Celtic mythology)
    Kyle Kirksonas —River of the Healing Church
    loch —lake
    mate —a Chrechte’s chosen partner (if it is a mixed mating—Chrechte of different races, or a human mate—children can only result if the bond is a true/sacred one)
    mate-link —the special mental bond between true/sacred mates
    mindspeak —communicating via a mental link
    mo gra —my love
    Paindeal —cat shifters (large cats of prey)
    Paindeal Neart —(panther’s strength) the panther shifters’ sacred stone
    sacred bond (true bond) —a mating bond that lasts unto death and will not physically allow the Chrechte involved to have intercourse with anyone but the Chrechte’s mate
    usquebagh —“water of life” (Scotch whiskey)

Read on for a preview of the next book in
Lucy Monroe’s Children of the Moon series
Warrior’s Moon
Coming soon from Berkley Sensation!
    “M ummy, they’re giants!”
    It wasn’t her son’s excited shout that sent a shard of pain spiking through Shona’s head, but the sight of soldiers wearing the Sinclair colors approaching at speed—on horses every bit as oversized as they were.
    The headache had arrived with the large brown wolf that had paced them for the better part of the morning. Only the pounding in her skull hadn’t left when the beast did.
    Terrified the animal would attack, she’d ridden tense in her saddle with a dagger at the ready. However, the wolf had maintained its distance, finally running off just before the noon sun cast its shadow.
    Her mind and senses already stretched to the point of