The Quick and the Fevered Read online

  The Quick and the Fevered

  Heather Long

  Contents

  The Quick & the Fevered

  Series So Far

  Kane & Morning Star Families

  Foreword

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  A Man Called Wyatt Sneak Peek

  About the Author

  Also by Heather Long

  The Quick & the Fevered

  Meet Jimmy—quiet brother, sharp shooter, the dangerous one. To save his family, he must leave them and undertake a mission where the only certainty is death.

  When it comes to hitting a target, he’s the man for the job…

  They know their enemies are coming for them, and the best course of action will send one of their own on a path for certain death. Jimmy Morning Star volunteers because unlike his siblings, he has no one waiting for him at home. Young Shane refuses to be left behind, so Jimmy must undertake the dangerous task while keeping the young man alive. Together, they leave Dorado and journey north—first to hunt the doppelganger then to kill Adam MacPherson.

  When a vision quest rousts her to hunt, she will never miss her target…

  Blue Eagle is one of the last of her kind and gifted with Shamanic magic. Plagued by dreams asking her endlessly for help and a vision quest that warns her destiny lies beyond the bounds of her tribe, she fights against the impetus to abandon those she cares for. When Blue narrowly escapes a slaughter, she understands the truth of her quest and strikes out on her own to place herself directly in the path of the hunters.

  The closer he looks…

  Quanto’s cryptic warning to keep the eagle alive is the only clue Jimmy has to the Cheyenne woman’s impact on his life, but it’s not her skills nor her magic worries him—not when need burns in his veins from the moment he sets his sights on her. He has to finish his task, but is he willing to sacrifice the one woman he could love to save everyone he cares about?

  His mission. Her magic. Their migration.

  Copyright © 2015 by Heather Long

  Cover by Brandy Walker

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ISBN: 978-1-310-54356-2

  Series So Far

  Marshal of Hel Dorado

  Brave are the Lonely

  Micah & Mrs. Miller

  A Fistful of Dreams

  Raising Kane

  Wanted: Fevered or Alive

  Wild and Fevered

  The Quick and the Fevered

  A Man Called Wyatt

  Sign up for Heather’s Newsletter.

  Kane & Morning Star Families

  Onsi (Shaman) - A gifted shaman of the Tsitsistas tribe.

  Jimmy (Fevered) – A sharpshooter with an eagle eye, Jimmy’s gift never allows him to miss his shot.

  Shane (Fevered) - A resident of the Flying K, surviving spirit fever left Shane with near super strength, amplified by his own emotions.

  Quinn - An unknown quantity and bounty hunter.

  Ryan (Fevered) - A Fevered with the ability to doppelgänger others, he escaped from Dorado and is being pursued after he attempted to kill several members of the family.

  MacPherson - A man Delilah Morning Star once called father, and a dangerous shadow figure hunting the Fevered.

  * * *

  Kane Family

  The Kane family is comprised of Jebidiah, his four sons, their wives, children, and the ranch residents. Their ranch is the Flying K, located on about five thousand acres of land near Dorado, Texas. The Kanes founded Dorado before the war with Mexico.

  Jebidiah "Jed" Kane – The patriarch of the family is a maverick. Husband of Molly Kane (Deceased), father of Sam, Micah, Jason and Kid.

  Molly Kane – Deceased wife of Jed Kane. Mother of Sam, Micah, Jason and Kid.

  Samuel "Sam" Kane – Marshal of Dorado, eldest son of Jed and Molly. Brother of Micah, Jason, and Kid. Husband of Scarlett, father of Molly and Cobb.

  Scarlett Morning Star Kane (Fevered) – Daughter of Quanto, sister of Wyatt, Cody, Buck, Noah, Jimmy, Ike and Rudy. Wife of Sam, mother of Molly and Cobb. Scarlett is a firestarter and possesses the ability to control fire.

  Micah Kane – Son of Jed and Molly, brother of Sam, Jason and Kid. Foreman and ranch manager for The Flying K, the family ranch.

  Josephine “Jo” Kane (Fevered) – Widow of Harrison Miller, wife of Micah. Dorado schoolteacher. After surviving an outbreak of spirit fever, Jo developed the ability to communicate with animals.

  Jason Kane (Fevered) – Son of Jed and Molly, brother of Sam, Micah, and Kid. Husband of Olivia. A lawyer, Jason manages the family’s far flung business interests. A survivor of spirit fever as a youngster, Jason is a powerful telepath with a secondary ability.

  Olivia Stark Kane - Wife of Jason Kane. Blind from birth, Olivia grew up in her parent’s general store. She returned to Dorado after spirit fever wiped out the town including her parents. Thanks to a telepathic link to Jason, Olivia is able to see.

  Jebidiah William "Kid" Kane (Fevered) – Son of Jed and Molly, Kid is the youngest brother of Sam, Micah and Jason. Husband to Evelyn Lang Kane. After surviving spirit fever as a child, he is a powerful empath.

  Evelyn Lang Kane (Fevered) – Wife of Kid Kane. The daughter of a Fevered individual, Evelyn has the ability to make illusions become real.

  Miss Annabeth – Mother of Lena, and the Kane family’s housekeeper. Miss Annabeth is a surrogate mother to all the Kane boys and their spouses.

  Lena – Daughter of Miss Annabeth and Kane family cook. A sister to the Kane brothers, Lena helps look after the family.

  Molly Walker Kane – Molly is the first-born child of Scarlett and Sam, named after Sam’s beloved mother.

  Cobb Kane – Cobb is the adopted baby of Sam and Scarlett. His mother, Antonia, died of the spirit fever.

  * * *

  Morning Star Family

  Raised by the Shaman Quanto, the Morning Stars are all survivors of the spirit fever and possess special abilities. Growing up in isolation on Quanto's mountain in far west Texas, they don't always observe the social niceties, but they are loyal and they are fierce. When you take on one, you face them all.

  Quanto Morning Star – Of mixed tribal descent, Quanto's gift as a shaman includes the ability to dreamwalk.

  Wyatt (Fevered) – Little is known about the eldest of Quanto's 'children' except that Wyatt is extremely dangerous. He possesses one blue eye and one green.

  Cody (Fevered) – Husband and mate to Mariska. When the spirit fever killed everyone around him, four year old Cody survived his illness and transformed into a wolf to survive.

  Mariska (Fevered) – Wife and mate to Cody. The eldest daughter of a Traveler’s clan, Mariska became Fevered after Cody bit her in passion. She transforms in a wolf.

  Buck (Shaman) – Husband to Delilah. The blood son of Quanto, Buck is a Shaman and is of the blood. He is a powerful dreamwalker. Unlike all of his siblings, Buck is Quanto's son by blood.

 
Delilah Rinaldi Morning Star (Fevered) – Wife of Buck, Delilah is a powerful siren who can compel with her song.

  Noah (Fevered) – Quanto found Noah, the lone survivor of the spirit fever that devastated his plantation home. Noah’s gift is that of powerful healing.

  Ike (Fevered) – A pacifist, Ike can make anything grow.

  Rudy (Fevered) – The youngest of the Morning Stars, Rudy can phase through solid objects.

  * * *

  New Fevered

  Benjamin Reynolds –Cougar shifter

  Elijah Jackson – Heightened Senses, can only use one at a time

  Billy Brixton - Earthshaker

  Will Turner – Weather manipulator

  Little Tommy – Spirit Fever survivor, potential teleporter

  Cate O’Rourke –power sensor, can read the aura and Chi of others – passive gift

  Shane Lee - Kinetic absorption which translates to strength

  Sage Blascomb – Power amplification

  Anthony Lambert – potential shifter – showing wolf like characteristics

  Powers Unknown

  David Hamilton – Twin brother of Ashton

  Ashton Hamilton – Twin sister of David

  Aaron Gage

  Lachlan Balfour

  Tristan Balfour

  Eric Teague

  Lucas Bryant

  Ian Mune

  Sarah McLeod

  Joe Martinez

  Thea Hartwell

  Sabine Crossen

  Bridget Regan

  Noel Walker

  Gordon Blake

  Foreword

  It’s truly amazing to realize you are about to embark on book seven of the Fevered Hearts series. Truly amazing for me, because all of this began as an idea for a novella—yes, I said novella. Nearly four years ago, I stood outside a bookstore chatting with some friends and before the conversation ended Sam and Scarlett were born. From the first few sentences of Marshal of Hel Dorado to the end of the some 84,000 words, I kept saying this is a novella, and it’s going to be the one story.

  Thankfully, Scarlett’s brothers and Sam’s brothers, for that matter, disagreed with me. I’m always a little leery of answering questions about what happens next because—well besides spoilers—I am never certain if what I see in my head will actually be how it plays out on paper. On many occasions, I’m as surprised as the reader by a twist or a turn I did not see coming.

  I nearly killed a main character in an earlier book. Seriously, for most of the book I was convinced he was going to die. He didn’t—he shocked me and I am so glad he did. For six books, I’ve watched Jimmy Morning Star do his thing in the background—brother, best friend, partner—he was content there. Jimmy’s still content to be the supporting guy, he’s not looking accolades or applause. Still, I always knew when the time came for his story; he would be a powerful force. I couldn’t have asked for a better heroine for him, and she made me laugh, cheer and weep.

  I am sincerely delighted to present to you The Quick and the Fevered—the penultimate book in the Fevered Hearts series.

  Thank you for coming on this journey with me.

  * * *

  Heather

  Chapter 1

  Jimmy, Somewhere in Northern Texas, Autumn 1852

  Jimmy dropped two pinecones into the fire and the crisp scent of their destruction mingled with the wood smoke. Sitting on his bedroll a couple of feet away, Shane sneezed. “Every night you throw those things in. I don’t understand why.”

  After running a hand over the butt of his rifle, assuring himself it lay within reach, Jimmy pulled out the block of wood he’d begun to whittle. It would be a horse to go with the other three he’d already done. The next town he passed, he’d package them up and pay someone to take them back to the ranch. Micah and Jo’s child would be born before he returned—if I return—and he wanted the boy or girl to have toys. He’d made a full set for Scarlett’s children, and a second set of wolves was stowed away with Buck for Cody and Mariska’s children. Noah held a set of high desert animals and buffalo for Buck, along with a dream catcher Jimmy made. Whittling helped him think, and he’d done a lot of thinking over the past couple of years.

  “And you do it every night.” The weight of Shane’s regard leaned on him like the oppressive wave of heat they’d ridden through the last several days. Not two minutes passed before Shane shoved a rock with his foot and sent it flying beyond the circle of flickering flames. The horses snorted and stamped their feet, but even they’d gotten used to the momentary displays of temper from the boy. “I don’t get why we keep skirting towns. Do you even know where the hell we are?”

  “Yep.” Jimmy dedicated his efforts to shaving the wood carefully. Carving horses took concentration and patience, particularly around the legs. Thinner, fine-boned, they required a steady, yet gentle hand.

  A sigh, then another rock flew. “That’s it? Yep? What about towns? I thought we’d actually see some things on this ride.”

  “We’ve seen lots of things.” Pausing in his whittling, Jimmy reached for a tin cup filled with tepid water. He’d save the chicory for dawn. For supper, they’d made do with hard tack and what was left of the bread after they pulled off the molded bits. Before they settled into camp the next night, he’d hunt. He hankered for some fresh meat. “We don’t need to see towns to get where we’re headed.”

  The boy remained silent for a beat. “Why not? We’re chasing this doppleganger fellow, aren’t we? I bet he’s bunked up in a soft bed, while we’re out here sleeping on rocks.”

  Spoiling for a fight, Shane didn’t seem to want to let the topic go. Emptying his cup in three swallows, Jimmy set it aside and fixed his gaze on the younger man. The constant fidgeting, while annoying, was to be expected. The kid possessed a lot of power and a lot of anger—neither bothered Jimmy overmuch. “We avoid towns unless we have to because it’s better to move unseen, something the doppleganger knows.” Especially since Ryan was on the run—running from them, running from MacPherson and, if Jason’s assessment proved right, likely running from himself.

  “How do you know?” Another challenge dropped, one burning with a quiet show of temper. When Shane volunteered to follow Jimmy, he’d understood why the boy would offer. He didn’t want to be left behind. The kid grew up hard. Harder than some of the Kanes understood, despite Shane growing up on the Flying K. Evil wore a lot of faces, the worst being the guise of a friend or a trusted confidante.

  It added another reason for Jimmy to catch the bastard Ryan and bury him. He’d committed both crimes—replacing Sam’s trusted deputy then shooting Sam. Later he’d worn Jimmy’s face and tried to lure Cody into a trap. If Ryan reached MacPherson with what he knew…no, the shadowy enemy inflicted enough damage on Jimmy’s family. He wouldn’t be allowed to do more harm. None of those thoughts, however, answered Shane’s impatience.

  “Because we’re Fevered. We avoid being noticed if we can help it.” Don’t get noticed. Don’t be remembered. Stay in the shadows and out of the light. It kept the family safe and avoided a target being painted on their backs. Hard not to be noticed in Dorado, though, so they’d taken it over and controlled the information.

  “No one is going to notice him,” Shane argued. “He can look like anyone.”

  “Yeah, but you notice new people in town. He needs something from a person to look like them. New folks stand out, making it harder for him to get whatever the something is. In San Antonio? He has space, opportunities to hide. But we’re not in San Antonio. He’s angling north to get to MacPherson, and he knows he’s being hunted on all sides.”

  “Oh.” Shane frowned. “I didn’t think of it that way.”

  Therein lay the danger. Shane lived his whole life on the Flying K, as isolated as Jimmy and his brothers on the mountain. While his family had been Fevered for as long as he could remember, Shane still must adapt to his dangerous ability and the need to keep his head down.

  “Insects.”

  Blinking, Shane shot
him a frown. “What?”

  “The pinecones keep the critters away. Now eat. We need to sleep soon. I want to ride before sun up.” So far, Ryan stayed ahead of them, but Jimmy knew he followed the right trail. He would use the doppelganger to root out MacPherson, then he only needed two shots and it would be over. No more second chances to let the son of a bitch slip through their fingers. Eliminating MacPherson?

  Yeah, even if it cost him his life, he wanted the bastard dead, burned, and sowed with salt. Jimmy didn’t know what they’d ever done to the crazy sombitch, but he didn’t rightly care. The man targeted Jimmy’s loved ones.

  He had to go.

  * * *

  Snapping awake, Jimmy opened his eyes and listened. An unknown something disturbed the silence. The fire burned low, no more than glowing embers, while fresh wood sat stacked next to it. A few feet away, Shane lay on his side, a gentle snore betraying continued slumber. The horses breathed deep, one foreleg bent and heads hung low as they, too, slept. Unmoving, Jimmy listened, trusting his senses.

  Something woke him.

  He might not have identified what yet, but when his instincts said pay attention—he did. Without shifting his position, he studied the area. No telltale translucence or shimmer gave away the dreaming. Not Father reaching out from the Mountain to guide me. A mixture of relief and disappointment flooded him. Quanto grew more and more circumspect in the past few months.

  Silence stretched around him. Well, as silent as the night ever sounded with the animals, Shane, and the faint sizzle of the fire’s embers. The scuff of a step against the hard-packed earth crashed through him, jarring dissonance electrifying his nerves. The rustle of grass against leather and the faint odor of broken stems tickled his nostrils.