Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 103370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Purity and Arran had everyone laughing with the antics of their animals. King was a cat that she’d had since he was a kitten. Princess was a large, one-eyed dog whose back King rode on and helped guide her with a tap of his paw to her head. Then there was Hope, Arran’s mare who he had bought in poor shape and helped heal her.
Raven was glad to see how happy her family was and how it would grow with the birth of Oria’s and Purity’s bairns. She also saw that while her brothers smiled, teased—mostly Arran—and joked, they cast her glances of concern. They weren’t happy with her situation and no doubt felt guilty over it. After all, it was her brothers who were to save her, not for their sister to save them.
The night grew late and though Purity and Oria yawned often, neither remarked about retiring for the night. Raven knew what everyone was doing. They were delaying seeking their own beds so she wouldn’t have to seek her bed with the Beast.
Raven decided to settle it for them. “It grows late and I grow tired. It is time to seek my bed.” She cast a glance to Bethany.
The woman answered without Raven saying a word. “Your bedchamber is ready and awaits you.”
Raven stood, Wolf slipping off the bench as she did to stand as well. She turned to her men. “You’ll bed down here in the Great Hall.”
“As will my men,” Wolf said with a nod to them.
Raven looked to Bethany again.
“I will see them settled,” Bethany said.
Raven hugged her da and whispered, “Meet you here in the morning.”
He nodded and hugged her tight before releasing her.
Raven bid her brothers and their wives good-night.
“My bedchamber is not far from yours if you should need me,” Arran said, though it wasn’t his sister he looked at.
“Raven has a husband now. She has no need of her brothers’ protection,” Wolf reminded.
Raven was quick to speak up. “Husband or not, my brothers will always be there to protect me.”
Arran and Royden both smiled.
“Come, husband,” Raven said with a wave and led the way to the stairs.
Royden stood beside Arran watching her and whispered to him, “You may be right. The Beast may be getting what he deserves.”
Chapter 4
“Let’s get this over with,” Raven said, sitting on the bench near the hearth to remove her boots.
Wolf flung his cloak to land on a chest next to the door. “You have much to learn, kona,”
Wife or woman, equal in his language, though she wondered which he meant it to be. When she learned Brod was versed in several languages, a natural skill to him, she had him begin to teach her. She was especially interested in the language of the Northmen. She wasn’t fluent in it but she could understand a good portion. Not that she would make her husband aware of that. That would remain her secret and one, she was sure, that would serve her well. She had been surprised to find out that he spoke skillfully in her tongue as did his warriors. He was not an ignorant man nor a fool and she’d be wise to remember that.
“I could say the same of you,” Raven said and placed the boot, she had slipped off, near the hearth to keep warm.
“I intend to learn everything I can about you,” he acknowledged, remaining where he stood near the closed door.
“You mean you’ve learned nothing about me before agreeing to this arrangement or do you mislead me to believe that?” Her other boot joined the one already by the hearth.
She had a quick mind and she had proved she was skilled with a weapon when earlier she had drawn her knife on him, two attributes he’d be sure to keep in mind. He hadn’t expected that of her. He actually hadn’t known what to expect, since she’d been right about his failure to find her these last five years. At least now he knew why the task had proven difficult. She had disguised, and well, herself as a lad and joined a band of thieves. He had been so intent on dealing with her father and brothers, he had failed to learn about her. He had assumed she was a weak woman, pampered by her family and would easily follow his command. He was wrong.
“I’d say your lack of response tells me it’s the latter, but since you couldn’t find me, it means you don’t know anything about me. And I doubt Oria confided anything to you about me, since she’s like a sister to me and feels no kinship to you.” The slight tic at the corner of his eye told her that her words, like an arrow, had hit its mark.
“You reveal much about yourself to me already, kona,” he said annoyed he had allowed her barb to sting him. Oria was a sore spot with him. He wanted, at least, a friendship to grow between them, but he feared his sister would never forgive him for what had happened to her husband.