Heart Search Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Twenty-five

  Twenty-six

  Twenty-seven

  Twenty-eight

  Twenty-nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-one

  Thirty-two

  Thirty-three

  Titles by Robin D. Owens

  “I keep telling myself that she just can’t get

  much better, but with every book she amazes

  and surprises me!”—The Best Reviews

  Praise for the futuristic fantasy of

  Robin D. Owens

  Heart Change

  “The story accelerates as new dangers to Avellana crop up, and the relationship between Signet and Cratag develops, making for a satisfying read.”

  —Booklist

  “Each story is as fresh and new as the first one was. I am always delighted when a new Heart book is published!”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “A satisfying return to an intriguing world. Cratag and Signet will leave you wanting more.”

  —The Romance Reader

  Heart Fate

  “A superb romantic fantasy filled with heart.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “A touching tale of learning to trust again . . . Even for readers unfamiliar with the Heart world, Owens makes it easily accessible and full of delightful conceits.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A true delight to read, and it should garner new fans for this unique and enjoyable series.”

  —Booklist

  “[This] emotionally rich tale blends paranormal abilities, family dynamics, and politics; adds a serious dash of violence; and dusts it all with humor and whimsy . . . Intriguing.”

  —Library Journal

  Heart Dance

  “The latest Heart fantasy is one of the best of this superior series . . . retaining the freshness of its heartfelt predecessors.”

  —The Best Reviews

  “I look forward to my yearly holiday in Celta, always a dangerous and fascinating trip.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Sensual, riveting, and filled with the wonderful cast of characters from previous books, as well as some new ones, Heart Dance is exquisite in its presentation.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  Heart Choice

  “The romance is passionate, the characters engaging, and the society and setting exquisitely crafted.”

  —Booklist

  “Maintaining the ‘world building’ for science fiction and character driven plot for romance is near impossible. Owens does it brilliantly.”

  —Romance Reader Connection

  “Well written, humor-laced, intellectually and emotionally involving story, which explores the true meaning of family and love.”

  —Library Journal

  Heart Duel

  “[A] sexy story . . . Readers will enjoy revisiting this fantasy-like world filled with paranormal talents.”

  —Booklist

  “An exhilarating love story . . . The delightful story line is cleverly executed . . . Owen proves once again that she is among the top rung of fantasy romance authors with this fantastic tale.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “With engaging characters, Robin D. Owens takes readers back to the magical world of Celta . . . The characters are engaging, drawing the reader into the story and into their lives.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  Heart Thief

  “I loved Heart Thief! This is what futuristic romance is all about. Robin D. Owens writes the kind of futuristic romance we’ve all been waiting to read; certainly the kind that I’ve been waiting for. She provides a wonderful, gripping mix of passion, exotic futuristic settings, and edgy suspense. If you’ve been waiting for someone to do futuristic romance right, you’re in luck, Robin D. Owens is the author for you.”

  —Jayne Castle

  “The complex plot and rich characterizations, not to mention the sexy passion . . . make this a must-read.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “Owens spins an entrancing tale . . . A stunning futuristic tale that reads like fantasy and is sure to have crossover appeal to both SF and fantasy fans.”

  —Library Journal

  “Owens has crafted a fine romance that is also a successful science fantasy yarn with terrific world building.”

  —Booklist

  HeartMate

  Winner of the 2002 RITA Award

  for Best Paranormal Romance

  by the Romance Writers of America

  “Engaging characters, effortless world building, and a sizzling romance make this a novel that’s almost impossible to put down.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “Fantasy romance with a touch of mystery . . . Readers from the different genres will want Ms. Owens to return to Celta for more tales of HeartMates.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “HeartMate is a dazzling debut novel. Robin D. Owens paints a world filled with characters who sweep readers into an unforgettable adventure with every delicious word, every breath, every beat of their hearts. Brava!”

  —Deb Stover, award-winning author of The Gift

  “A gem of a story . . . Sure to tickle your fancy.”

  —Anne Avery, author of The Bride’s Revenge

  “It shines and fans will soon clamor for more . . . A definite keeper!”

  —The Bookdragon Review

  “This story is magical . . . Doubly delicious as it will appeal to both lovers of fantasy and futuristic romance. Much room has been left for sequels.”

  —ParaNormal Romance Reviews

  Titles by Robin D. Owens

  HEARTMATE

  HEART THIEF

  HEART DUEL

  HEART CHOICE

  HEART QUEST

  HEART DANCE

  HEART FATE

  HEART CHANGE

  HEART JOURNEY

  HEART SEARCH

  Anthologies

  WHAT DREAMS MAY COME

  (with Sherrilyn Kenyon and Rebecca York)

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

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  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 
; This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Copyright © 2011 by Robin D. Owens.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  BERKLEY® SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / August 2011

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Owens, Robin D.

  Heart search / Robin D. Owens.—Berkley Sensation trade pbk. ed.

  p. cm.

  ISBN : 978-1-101-51729-1

  I. Title.

  PS3615.W478H47 2011

  813’.6—dc22

  2011014835

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  To Cindy and Deidre. Thank you.

  Characters

  Calendula (Signet) D’Marigold: The last of the GrandHouse of the Marigolds, Signet has great but unknown Flair.

  The Hawthorns:

  Great Lord Huathe (Laev) T’Hawthorn: Head of the Hawthorns, a widower who made a bad mistake in wedding a woman who he thought was his HeartMate.

  Nivea Sunflower Hawthorn: Laev’s late wife.

  Brazos: Laev’s Familiar companion, a young long-haired black cat. Son of Black Pierre, once the companion to Laev’s FatherSire (Grandfather), but now the cook’s cat.

  Cratag Maytree T’Marigold: Distant kin of the Hawthorns, like an elder brother to Laev, now married to Signet D’Marigold. (Heart Change)

  Cal Marigold: Cratag and Signet’s four-year-old son, who has interesting memories.

  Alma Hawthorn: Housekeeper of the great intelligent house, T’Hawthorn Residence.

  Camellia Darjeeling,

  Her Family and Friends:

  Camellia Darjeeling: Owner of Darjeeling’s Teahouse and Darjeeling’s HouseHeart. As a girl of thirteen, she spoke up during a legal case regarding a shipwreck and requested the salvager look for a priceless fifty-piece tea set. The set was discovered and Camellia sold one piece to finance her businesses.

  Mica: Camellia’s young calico FamCat.

  Senchal Darjeeling: Camellia’s brother.

  Guri T’Darjeeling: Camellia’s father.

  Takvar Darjeeling: Camellia’s uncle.

  Glyssa Licorice: One of Camellia’s two best friends. Glyssa is the daughter of the Licorices who run the PublicLibrary system, and is endlessly curious and an excellent researcher. She has a secret regarding her HeartMate.

  Tiana Mugwort: Camellia’s other best friend. Tiana is studying to become a priestess and has a secret regarding her home.

  Artemisia (Mugwort) Ginseng: Tiana’s sister, a Healer, four years older than Camellia, Glyssa, and Tiana. She was a girlhood friend of Laev’s late wife, Nivea Sunflower, whom Nivea dropped when she married well.

  Others:

  Jasmine Ash: Daughter of GreatLord T’Ash, journeywoman student to Laev.

  Great Lord Rand T’Ash: Jeweler/blacksmith, T’Ash has the premier testing stones to discover a person’s Flair. (HeartMate)

  Great Lady Danith Mallow D’Ash: HeartMate of T’Ash, Danith is an animal Healer and the person who usually matches intelligent animal companions, Fams, with people. (HeartMate)

  Garrett Primross: A private investigator hired by Laev to find missing Hawthorn treasures.

  SupremeJudge Ailim Elder: The highest judge in the land and wed to Ruis Elder, the Captain of the grounded starship, Nuada’s Sword. (Heart Thief)

  Dani Eve Elder: Daughter of Ruis and Ailim Elder, a Null, a person who suppresses psi abilities, or Flair.

  Tinne Holly: Younger son of the GreatLord, he owns and operates the Green Knight Fencing and Fighting Salon.

  Great Lord Nuin T’Vine (Vinni): The prophet of Celta.

  Great Lord Heather: The retired premier Healer of Celta.

  Grace Lord Cymb Lemongrass: Camellia’s sparring partner.

  Aquilaria: Manager of Darjeeling’s Teahouse.

  Acacia Bluegum: Former Druidan guardswoman, she’s set up her own sparring salon and wants to expand it to a social club.

  One

  DRUIDA CITY, CELTA

  421 Years After Colonization

  Late Spring

  Laev Hawthorn, Great Lord T’Hawthorn, didn’t think the intelligent house he lived in had forgiven him for marrying the wrong woman. The Residence was cool to him, both physically and emotionally. Tough to blame the house, though, when Laev was still cleaning up the resulting mess of the mistake he’d made when he was seventeen.

  He was thirty-one now, and new evidence of Nivea’s selfishness had been revealed when Laev’s FatherSire had died three months ago.

  She’d stolen Family heirlooms. More, she’d hidden or given away the HeartGift Laev had offered her when they’d first wed. Since she’d been dead for two years, he couldn’t ask her what she’d done with the items. His FatherSire had been protecting him from the knowledge of how low his wife had stooped. Now Laev could only continue to fix the problems resulting from his marriage.

  Yes, the room was cooler than he cared for. His grief was deeper than he’d have ever imagined. The Residence and the Family were caught in a rut, running on tradition.

  Perhaps when he retrieved the heirlooms, that act being his first real contribution to the Family as the GreatLord, he could shake everyone out of the torpor.

  The Residence sent the echo of a banging door. An exuberant breeze seemed to rush toward Laev. He smiled. Or perhaps he could just encourage his journeywoman to chip away at the present stasis.

  His student, who was like the younger sister he’d always wanted, had arrived for her morning lesson in finance and estate building. It took real effort to slam a door in the Residence, but Jasmine Ash always managed. And it always amused him. She’d stop at the kitchens for a treat and to stroke Black Pierre, the old Familiar companion cat who’d survived Laev’s FatherSire’s death.

  No time now for Laev to send his psi power, his Flair, out to search for his HeartGift. He was glad to abandon the futile exercise.

  On to the standard workday. He authorized an anonymous donation to the Saille House of Orphans, then moved the holosphere detailing a current project to the center of his desk.

  The door to his den slammed open and Jasmine rushed into the room, small and fine boned and fifteen, with a scowl on her face. Her short dark brown hair was windblown, her blue gaze sharp. “Brood, brood, brood.” She shook a finger at him. “You know I come from a household that has forbidden brooding.”

  It always surprised Laev that this exuberant girl was the daughter of taciturn T’Ash and quiet Danith D’Ash.

  “You need to forget that flitch of a wife and get on with living.”

  “Stop right there.” He cared nothing for Nivea or her memory, but cared a great deal about his honor and she’d been his wife.

  He and Jasmine locked gazes. Hers dropped. He modulated his tone. “Easier said than done.” Laev felt a thousand years older than her. “And why have you brought up the subject?”

  “It’s Nuin,” she said, referring to her older brother. “He’s going through his Second Passage, fever dreams that free his magic. Like you were when you made that unfortunate decision to marry the fl—Nivea.”

  “Jasmine,” Laev warned.

  His student huffed. “Nuin’s acting weird and I can see how it happened, which I couldn’t before, but, really, it’s been
two years since your wife died.” She stopped and swallowed. The sickness that had swept through Druida City had taken the old and the young and Jasmine had lost grovestudy friends. Laev had lost Nivea, but they’d been estranged, living in separate suites.

  Unknown to all, the sickness had weakened his FatherSire’s heart.

  Before Jasmine could continue, Laev said, “What of your assignments?” He tried to make it an easy question. He could still recall being a young child and standing stiffly in front of his father and FatherSire reporting on the activities of his day.