Bloodmark

BLOODMARK © copyright 2013 by Aurora Whittet. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, by photography or xerography or by any other means, by broadcast or transmission, by translation into any kind of language, nor by recording electronically or otherwise, without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in critical articles or reviews.

ISBN 13: 978-1-940014-03-6

Library of Congress Catalog Number: 201313946245

Printed in Canada

First Printing: 2013

17 16 15 14 13       5 4 3 2 1

Cover and interior design by Aurora Whittet

Wise Ink, Inc.

53 Oliver Ave S

Minneapolis, MN 55404

www.wiseinkpub.com

To order, visit
www.itascabooks.com
or call 1-800-901-3480. Reseller discounts available.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used ficticiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entierly coincidental.

Endorsements

“
Bloodmark
is like the Baskin Robbins of paranormal books—a little something for everybody. Partially period piece, it also has elements of fantasy, light horror, and YA paranormal with engaging romantic elements. Well within my ‘buy this book now’ range,
Bloodmark
easily fits in the ‘buy an extra copy as a gift’ zone.”

—Joe Alfano, “Zombie Joe” of
Wicked Little Pixie
blog

“
Bloodmark
certainly doesn’t disappoint. A strong-willed, independent women, Ashling is an intensely appealing heroine. I couldn’t put the book down and I’ve never been so sad that I couldn’t rush out to buy and read the next book in the series.”

—Katy Gerdes, contestant on
Project Runway
Season 3

“
Bloodmark
is a fast-paced, beautiful blend of the emotional rollercoaster of first love and the fear of what’s around every corner, told through gorgeous descriptions and characters. The book is engrossing.”

—Leslie Rich, Hounds of Finn

I was drawn into the beautiful world of Bloodmark within just a few pages. Whittet’s first novel in the series perfectly blends all of the elements I love in a good book: suspense, mystery, strong characters, and most important (for me), romance. The gripping romance between Ashling and Grey quickly made Bloodmark an undeniable page-turner. Looking forward to the other books in the series is an understatement.”

—Jessica Flannigan, editor of LivetheFancyLife.com

There are moments in life when you truly
realize you are in the presence of love.
My mother was pure love. She shared it with
everyone she met and taught us to feel the
wind in our faces and the rhythm of the earth.
We lost her on March 28, 2013
and now when we feel lost, all we have to do
is close our eyes and feel the wind in our hair
to know she’s still here
.

For my son Henry, you are my sunshine,
and Brian, you are my soul mate
.

Contents

1
Acceptance

2
Curiosity

3
Untamed

4
Animal Kingdom

5
Broken

6
Lost

7
Sightings

8
Caged

9
Attraction

10
Missing

11
Free

12
Promises

13
Wild Animals

14
Fake It

15
Reasons

16
Nightmares

17
Eyes of the Night

18
Encounter

19
Embrace

20
Stolen

21
Captors

22
Darkness

23
Wild

24
Survivor

25
Bloodmark

26
Lies

27
Perfect by Nature

1

Acceptance

“Are you ready, Ashling, my love?”
Mother asked.

“I’ve been ready for ages,” I replied.

“It’s a three-hour drive, so don’t get too excited just yet.” She smiled.

“Can’t we run there? We could do it in about an hour.” Just the thought of shifting to my wolf form made my pulse quicken with anticipation. It had been weeks since my brother, Mund, had visited and we could run free. I missed my red fur and four feet.

“That would hardly be the proper behavior of a lady,” Mother said. “We want to make a good impression, don’t we?”

I knew she was right, but I still yearned for the freedom of it. I had never left the cliffs, and the impending journey filled my soul with yearning. I wanted desperately to be part of our pack; I felt a hole inside myself where my pack should have been. I was certain Father was going brand me with the Boru Bloodmark and accept me into the pack. I should have been branded as a baby, but he had refused. I still didn’t know why. Without his Bloodmark on the back of my neck, I had no lineage and no family, no past and no future. I was the only daughter of King Pørr Boru and Queen Nessa, and no one even knew I was still alive.

Mother was an elegant beauty with long, strawberry-blonde hair she always kept expertly woven into braids. For being over seven hundred years old, she appeared to be only in her early forties to human eyes. She was beautiful, yes, but her unending love for all living creatures was the essence of her spirit. Mother watched over the humans as though they were her own children and protected them from whatever evil lurked in the shadows. She was everything a queen should be. Sometimes I vied to be refined and demure like her, but my wild nature and free-flowing opinions prevented that. Still, I adored the earth she walked upon; it was her love that made the sun shine.

We traveled from the southern tip of Ireland’s coast to the center, past the city of Cork, the Galty Mountains, and through the city of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel sat on the outskirts of the city limits, though the entire city was Father’s kingdom. The ruins of the medieval castle were built into the limestone terrain, and it couldn’t have been more beautiful. I had only seen photos of it in tourist books Mund brought me, but to finally see it as we approached left me awestruck.

I eagerly jumped out of the car, nearly knocking into the guard who held my door. He was wearing a green Rock of Cashel tour-guide jacket—to inform human tourists of the Rock of Cashel’s “history” while deflecting their interest at the same time. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing his Boru Bloodmark tattooed to the underside of his wrists, a Celtic knot with two wolves’ heads; it was the heart of our pack.