Warrior's Bride Read Online Free

harshly than he had intended.
      She clasped the dirty brown sack tight against her chest. "It stays with me."
      Stubborn and innocent. He frowned. "How do you intend to climb the ladder with that bag in your hands?" Could she not follow even the most simple of instructions? "Give me the bag."
      "I won't give it up." A subtle challenge rang in her tone.
      He grasped her hand, rejecting her dare. "Keep the bag if you must."
      Before she could resist, he pulled her over his shoulder for the second time that day.
      She gasped but did not fight him as he'd expected. He climbed to the deck above, her weight barely tugging at his shoulder, giving evidence of just how thin she was beneath her well-worn gown. He released her as suddenly as he'd swept her up.
      The girl steadied herself against the ship's railing.
      "Captain on deck," Walter shouted. The crew snapped to attention as Wolf strode past them to Walter's side. His brother's face had grown thin, his body gaunt, signs of his stay in the pits of their father's dungeon. What kind of father would do that to a son? One who would do anything to get what he wanted, Wolf reminded himself.
      He'd been a boy of eleven and his father not yet the king. Yet even then the man had many enemies, and he'd used his sons for his own purposes.
      A memory formed before he could stop it He saw himself and Walter, hiding in the shadowed hallway of their mother's cottage. Wolf held his breath for fear of discovery. He listened in silence for a hint as to why their father had come to visit their mother. He had abandoned her as his mistress long ago, and yet today he had come back. Why?
      Cloistered inside the bedchamber, Wolf had his suspicions. This was not a conjugal visit. Nay, he'd seen that look in his father's eyes before—on the day he'd forced Walter and himself to steal horses from the Chattan clan. He gazed through the darkness at his mother's closed door. Something dark and dangerous was about to unfold.
      A heartbeat later, the chamber door flew open and their father strode out, turning his back on his mother's soft sobs. Wolf froze, knowing he should flee, get himself and Walter to safety. Yet he could not wrench his gaze away from his mother's sorrowful face. She sat in a chair, her shoulders slumped. Tears fell from her cheeks onto the hand she held before her—a hand that clutched a small white stone.
      "Come out where I can see you, boys. I know you are there." The man stopped an arm's length from them.
      Wolf stepped out of the shadows, into the light, placing himself between his father and Walter. "What do you want?"
      "You will come with me."
      "Our place is here with our mother," Wolf challenged him boldly. "She needs someone to protect her now that you've abandoned her."
      "You have no choice in the matter," his father said with a touch of irritation. "The deal has been made. My sons for the Seer's Stone."
      "Our mother would never make such a deal."
      "She had no choice either. The Stone is merely a way for her to see her sons, to see how you are faring while you work for me." He shrugged. "Although I doubt she will find the visions peaceful."
      "Why today?" Wolf’s anger flared. "What do you need us for this time?"
      "So many questions." His father smiled faintly. "That is good. Your inquisitive nature will serve you well as my mercenary."
      A shiver ran through Wolf. He met his father's gaze. "We are your sons."
      "Aye. 'Tis every son's obligation to protect their father from his enemies."
      He wouldn't. He couldn't. "We are too young."
      "You are old enough," his father replied. His hand snaked out and grasped Wolf.
      "Run, Walter! Go hide and don't come out until Father is gone." Wolf forced Walter out from behind him, sending him flying toward the door. The man moved to catch the younger boy, but Wolf brought his booted foot down hard on his father's instep.
      The man howled in pain. His grip tightened on Wolf's arm