Ria Cantrell - Celtic Storm 03 Read Online Free

ancestry so long ago. Hatred ran deep, even after all this time, and Rhianna did not forget that they had come; wreaking havoc on the land and its people. No amount of centuries between those times could erase the scars that were born from one whose lineage ran through his veins; just as her very own heritage did.
    Rhianna, herself, had been raised in the shadow of the lineage of both her mother and father. Her mother was Welsh and Rhianna learned the many aspects of the Old Ways from that part of her heritage. Her beloved father was a direct descendant from the line of the “Conqueror”, it was believed. Somehow, the idea of those Norse barbarians, though, set her stomach roiling. She tried the name of her intended on her tongue. Ragnorsen! Rhianna grimaced. It sounded like some Viking aberration.
    Men! She thought bitterly. They always seemed to think they knew what was best for women. Rhianna had taken care of herself, her people, and her lands quite well. Yes, the keep was vulnerable with Randall missing, but she still had loyal men who would guard and protect it with their lives. She trusted them and felt quite secure under their protection. She did not want to think… no , she would not think about how quickly their defense could be brought to destruction. Men needed a leader to follow and while Rhianna was far from a timid mouse, she was not delusional about her abilities to command an army against foes. She was also not naïve enough to think that the threats, which she had thus far avoided, did not exist. She knew there were threats. She knew it was only a matter of time until one or more of said threats came to her doorstep.
    She cringed, thinking about one of the neighboring barons who would do anything to garner her rich lands and prosperous village as his own. Rhianna had turned down his request for her hand and Randall had wholeheartedly supported her decision. Aaron Jasper, the lord of Morcar Keep, had made no qualms about his desires for the du Montefort holdings. Rhianna felt a chill race through her at the memory. She shuddered at the thought. He was a large man and what had possibly once been muscle had turned to gelatinous fat. His lank blond hair, well she supposed it was blond , hung greasily across his broad forehead dipping just over his piggish eye. Pockmarks marred his overly ruddy cheeks and Rhianna was certain the scars were from the pox itself. At the mere thought of Aaron Jasper, Rhianna was filled with unease. The man was positively evil. The way he leered at her with unabashed lust made her blood curdle in her veins. The man practically salivated like a rabid animal when she had the displeasure to be in his presence. He had been disfigured during some sort of fray causing him the loss of an eye. He wore a hideous patch with a monstrous looking eye painted on the flap that could send children running. A jagged scar ran from his temple, cutting into his pock-marked cheek. When he smiled, it was more like a snarl, showing pointed teeth that had broken off in places from rot. Rhianna had no doubt, that given half a chance, he would force himself upon her. She also knew that thwarting his advances had made for a strong and dangerous enemy.
    She was not so innocent a girl to not realize that she was in grave danger from any number of foes that would end up at her doors since Randall was missing. Still, the new threat in the form of a supposed protector named Ragnorsen did not seem any less ominous than the threat of marriage or war from Aaron Jasper and she could not be certain that Sir Erik Repugnarsen would be any less odious.
    Rhianna tried to rationalize that being a member of the order of Chivalry had some merits but she did not want to give the man any credit whatsoever. He represented an end to her life as she knew it. She crumpled up the missive and tossed it into the fire. Rhianna stormed out of the main hall. It did not matter if her betrothed waged an entire army against Aaron Jasper.