Heart Thief (Celta's HeartMates, Book 2)

Heart Thief (Celta's HeartMates, Book 2)

“A wonderful, gripping mix of passion, exotic, futuristic settings, and edgy suspense.”—Jayne Castle In HeartMate, Robin D. Owens swept us away to the planet Celta, where psychic talents are the key to life—and love! Midwest Book Review predicted that “readers will want Ms. Owens to return to Celta for more tales.” And the prophesy has come true—with Heart Thief… Ruis Elder never asked for his unusual trait—the ability to neutralize others’ psychic talent. Because of it, he has always been hated in his own homeland, destined to roam the harsh planet alone. But trouble finds him in front of the ruling Council—and face-to-face with the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. There’s only one problem: Ailim is on the opposite side of the bench… Ailim has never before felt such passion coursing through her as she feels in Ruis’s presence. And she never thought she would—at least not with a man so far beneath her station, a man who does not even have psychic powers. But even on the planet Celta, love is blind to such details. Separately, Ailim and Ruis must forgo their old lives. But together, they can take on the world… On the planet Celta, founded by adherents of a Wiccan-like religion whose followers have psionic, or psychic, talents, Ruis Elder is an outcast on trial for his life. Not only doesn't he possess psionic talent but his mere presence nullifies the powers of others. Ailim Silver Fir, a judge and a strong empath, finds peace for the first time in her life when Ruis' null field gives her respite from the chaos of all the feelings that incessantly swirl around her. Sentenced to exile, Ruis sneaks back into Druida to hide in the spaceship that first brought humans to the planet, and he endears himself to the ship's artificial intelligence. As Ailim and Ruis fall more in love, they uncover the dirty deeds that stripped him of his inheritance and rightful place. Owens has crafted a fine romance that is also a successful science fantasy yarn with terrific world building. The second in a series, following Heart Mate (2001), Owens' latest stands on its own. Diana Tixier Herald Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “Dara Joy fans, rejoice!  Robin Owens has created a unique world of her own…fun and sexy.”—Anne Avery One of the best nights in my life was when I won the 2002 Romance Writers of America RITA award for my first book HeartMate, a book most thought would never be published. I love the wold of Celta and Heart Thief takes a totally different slant on that society. Robin D. Owens is the RITA Award-winning author of Heart Duel , Heart Thief, HeartMate, and many other novels set in the world of Celta. Heart Thief Robin D. Owens Copyright ã 2003 by Robin Owens One Druida City, Celta, 400 Years After Colonization, Autumn Ruis Elder stared out windows that faced the street, checking as he did several times a day that no strangers loitered nearby. No assassins or guardsmen hired by his uncle Bucus. Ruis's birthright had been denied him—his rank as the Heir and ensuing Lord of a GreatHouse, and the estate itself—something he strove to forget. To remember made him feel worthless. All he chose to recall was that he must always be on guard. He went to his bedroom and reached through the open window. The wooden drying bar that extended into the courtyard from the rusty brick wall held his last good shirt. He plucked the red silkeen from the hanger. The chill autumn air made him catch his breath. The deep blue of the sky with the distant small white sun dazzled his eyes. He savored the sweet-sharp tang of turning fall leaves as he turned from the window. The air felt good, and the silkeen shirt sliding over his skin felt better. He'd moved into this apartment in the heat of late summer, and it was time to leave. He frowned. The intervals between his moves were getting shorter and shorter. Stamping into new black boots, Ruis let his gaze linger on the Earth Soil Analyzer, brought with the colonists to Celta. The machine would take more time, money, and knowledge to fix than he'd expected. He stopped himself from picking up tools to tinker with it once more. When he worked on ancient machines, he lost himself in the moment, able to forget his wretched past and ignore his precarious future. His fascination with artifacts that no one else cared about was his salvation. He tore his gaze from the analyzer. Two Earthsun gems shone in the sunlight on the table. Ruis grimaced. Stealing was a fact of his life since his defect in Flair—psi power—precluded any normal work on Celta. When he was able to find a job, it was as a common laborer. And laboring didn't pay enough to rescue the past. He took the jewels, placed them in a wall crack, and brushed flaking grit from the surrounding bricks to cover the gems. One Earthsun was for emergencies, for bribes and survival if his murderous uncle Bucus found him. The second was to acquire parts for Earth mechanicals, which Ruis collected from