The Birthright Series

Book One: The ArrivalSMACK!I hit the padded rubber mat hard enough for the air to rush from my lungs. With a grunt of effort I twisted my hips, grappling with Nathan as he worked on getting me into a shoulder lock. The loose fit of my githe belted kimono jacket and wide leg pants everyone in class woreallowed him an easy hold on my arm but he made the mistake of overextending his leg. With a hard kick and swipe I flipped him, using his bent elbow to my advantage. I didn't expect him to just go with the roll and inwardly cursed when we tumbled right over, back to the starting position. Breathing hard, sweat dripping from his brow to the mat around my head, he grinned down at me.'Awww, is little Kitty Cat stuck?'Ass-wipe.The patronizing tone and stupid oaf-like smirk he wore irritated the hell out of me. Jerking my right knee up and leaving the other slack I snatched his collar and wrenched, slamming him into the mat. Nathan gave a yelp of surprise which I ignored while I leane

'I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT. I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT.'My detestable alarm blared and I scrambled to shut it up. Silencing it, I flopped back into bed, tempted to roll over and go back to sleep. A large furry lump wedged behind me, however, foiled that plan.'Audrey,' I growled.The bed quivered while Audi half wagged her tail and whined in contrition, she knew full well that the bed was out of bounds.'Get off!'She tumbled off the bed then did a silly frantic run around the room. I sat up and glared at her. Huntaways; they're adorable dogs, very smart and loyal, and the cutest puppies you'll ever see, but neurotic. Casting another glare her way I climbed out of bed and found my running gear, making my way to the kitchen a few minutes later with Audi urging me on. Kassie was bent over the dishwasher when I entered, her head a mass of dark curls.'Morning, early bird,' I drawled, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl.Her head snapped up at my entrance, hazel eyes just visible

SIAN DREW IN A BREATH and let it out slow and even while she released the string. The arrow hit the target with a thud. Peering down the range she could see it'd struck bull's-eye.'Bull's-eye! Nice one,' Cat congratulated her.'Thanks.' I'm so glad I bought that new bow, Sian thought with a smile. The results make the price worth it.Cat stood up to the line and drew her bow. Sian watched her friend with pursed lips, waiting for the inevitable. Stubborn is Cat's middle name, she thought again. Cat had bought the bow at a craft fair four months ago, determined to prove that the medieval styled bow was just as good as Sian's modern fiberglass bow. While Cat's bow did look authentic Sian suspected it didn't measure up properly. It took Cat a decent effort to draw and the accuracy-'Damn!' Cat glared down the range.SIAN LAUGHED AT ME. 'I don't know why you bother with that bow, Cat, it's practically an antique.'I glanced at her and in a snooty tone replied, 'Because I like feeli

SIAN SMILED AT THEM. 'ACTUALLY, if you can grab all the candles in holders and bring them into the lounge, that'd be a good start.'The girls disappeared off down the corridor and Sian turned her attention to moving the couches and chairs back, out of the way.I FLICKED THE LIGHT ON in my room and stared around it.Yikes, I gulped.I have A LOT of candles in holders; it's the one present people always fall back on for me. My gaze dropped to the edge of the box hidden under my bed, crammed full of even more candles and holders that I could no longer, sensibly, fit in my room. I'll just grab the ones that are out, surely that'll be enough for Sian, I thought while collecting them.Staggering to the lounge, I stumbled and ended up dumping them on the ground making Audi leap out of the way. 'Whoops, sorry Audi.'The dog grumbled then stomped to the couch and climbed on it, glaring at us while we set up the room.Sian glanced over and laughed. 'She really hates it when we move stuf

'HEY GUYS!' SIAN SOUNDED EXCITED. 'Look around you, I just found a pack and a cloak.' She held up a hooded blue cloak that dwarfed her in length. I climbed to my feet, arms spread for balance at the change in altitude and walked back to where I'd woken.On the ground, a bit crumpled from where I must have rolled on it, (or landed?), lay a deep red cloak. A pack in the same rough fabric lay beside it, along with something long and shiny. I bent to take a closer look.'Wow! I have a sword and two daggers! They kind of look like the ones from my costume,' I trailed off. Actually, they looked far more lethal. Of course, mine had been costume pieces while these appeared the genuine article. I tugged one of the daggers from its scabbard; it slid out with barely a whisper. The curved blade inscribed with flowing lines reminded me of the swords I'd seen in fantasy shops. The copper coloured scabbard and hilt had beautiful engravings of what looked like flames licking across the surface. The