Book excerpt: SHE IS A HEROINE OF HER PEOPLE. . . . With her extraordinary violet eyes, ebony hair, and ivory skin, the French countess Melisande was a prize for any man. But it was Conar MacAuliffe, a young warrior who rode into battle to defend her people, who made Melisande his bride—and then disappeared for years. Now MacAuliffe has returned to claim his wife, a ravishing woman determined to fight for her freedom at all costs. But the proud beauty who fears no man suddenly fears herself—and the passionate embrace of the husband who vows never to let her go. HE IS THE MIGHTY VIKING CONQUEROR THEY CALLED . . . Lord of the Wolves, a legendary warrior whose greatest challenge will come with the woman he is destined to wed. In the fiery Melisande he will find his heaven and hell. Even as he wages war for her heart, he dares not yield his own. Even as he lays sweet seductive siege to her body, he tries to shield his soul. It will take a common enemy and a little trust to awaken them both to a love that can change their lives forever.