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Daddy From The Dark Forest

Sue Lyndon

The huge forest guardian stole her away from her village… and he has no intention of letting her go. She’s his. His mate. His everything. His precious Little girl.

@2025 by GTB Publishing LLC and Sue Lyndon

All rights reserved

No parts of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission by the publisher.

Without in any way limiting the author’s exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published by Dirty Daddies Publishing, an imprint of GTB Publishing.

Chapter One

Kiera

The white, lace-trimmed gown is the most elegant garment I’ve ever worn. It’s a gown fit for a princess, and I try to pretend that’s what I am as I face the Dark Forest. I’m a beautiful princess and it’s my wedding day. I’m about to marry a handsome prince from a faraway kingdom, and I’m going to live happily ever after.

Someone gives me a firm push, shattering the illusion, and I stumble forward with a gasp. Then I draw in a shaky breath, compose myself as best I can, and begin a slow walk. The forest looms ahead, an expanse of dense vegetation that threatens to swallow me whole. When the wind picks up, I swear I hear whispers in a long-forgotten tongue in the rustling leaves. The back of my neck prickles.

Please let me survive this ordeal unscathed.I send up countless prayers to the gods as I continue walking, though it takes great effort to make my legs move. Just as I reach the treeline, I glimpse the stone platform that rests about a dozen paces within the forest. My heart thumps wildly in my chest.

The altar.

I stop in my tracks as a chill races down my spine.

I can’t do this. Panic grips me, and I struggle to breathe. Very few souls have entered the Dark Forest and lived to tell the tale. Only the bravest of hunters, like my father. But he’s not around to offer any guidance. He’s long dead. Buried in the village graveyard next to Mama. I miss them more than ever.

“Do your part, girl, and your brother will walk free,” says a man who’s standing nearby. An Elder? His voice holds the authority of an Elder, though I don’t turn to verify his identity.

Oh, gods. My brother. Guilt presses close as I recall the promise I made to my parents years ago when their health started to fade. I’d vowed to always take care of Daniel, my younger brother. If I don’t do this, he’s going to die. He’s been sentenced to hang at noon tomorrow, but my cooperation will result in a full acquittal, or so the Elders have sworn.

A quick glance around shows the archers holding position on the watchtower. If their aim is true, maybe the plan will work. Maybe I’ll survive and then Daniel will be freed. I can only hope.

Daniel. I blink back tears. We have a strained relationship, but my heart clenches for his plight. I can’t let him die. I simply can’t.

Gods, grant me strength to do what I must. I peer at the Dark Forest with a sense of encroaching doom. My pulse flutters in my throat.

“If you turn around now, the archers will release their arrows on my command, andyouwill be the target, rather than the demon.” It’s the same Elder speaking, and his voice brims with impatience. He’s eager to see if the scheme works. The entire settlement is eager, though not many people have come to see me off. Just a handful of Elders and a dozen curious villagers.

I resist the urge to flee, and I take another step forward. My fear deepens. I focus on the altar, still stunned that the Elders picked me as demon bait.

I peer through the trees, searching for any signs of the dark creature that supposedly inhabits the forest—the very creature that is always blamed for the strange occurrences, deaths, and illnesses in the village of Zochal. Last year’s poor rainfall? The demon’s work. A plague that recently killed one in ten villagers? Also the demon. A swarm of locusts that decimated the cornfields? More evil wrought by the demon.

At last, I reach the forest. I pause for a few seconds, utter one last prayer to the gods, then step inside and brace myself for a sudden attack.

But there’s no sign of the demon. Not yet.