The Mercenary's Marriage Read Online Free PDF

hungry.”
    After making sure the clasp was secure,
Darius led her back toward their earlier position. His large
straight back was easy to follow, but she found it difficult to
keep up with his stride. His legs were so much longer than hers. As
they passed other companies gathered around the meal wagons,
Brice's mouth began to water. Yes, she was hungry.
     
    They stopped in the late afternoon near a
river, but neither one of them dismounted. Brice longed to stretch
her numb legs and aching back, but Darius had other ideas. He
guided their mount straight into the river. Brice tensed as the
animal’s head lowered to drink. The muscles in her back clenched
and she carefully peered down past her feet. Swift-flowing water
coursed between the horse’s legs. The animal was standing knee high
in the river.
    “We are just stopping for the horses to
drink,” Darius said from behind her. The horse slurped loudly to
emphasize the obvious. A heavy silence fell between them. Brice
looked around. Other horses were similarly occupied, but none were
as far from shore as them.
    Darius sighed. “I was going to wait until
tonight to do this, but since we must wait for the horses….” He
shifted his weight and used the arm that had been around her waist
to reach for something. Brice panicked. Curling her fingers around
the front edge of the saddle, she prayed desperately the beast
would not move. All it would take was a small nudge and she would
fall right into the river. “There it is,” her companion muttered.
“Hold still.”
    Rough leather covered fingers encircled the
left side of her neck. Brice shivered and forgot about her fear of
falling. What is he doing? Her throat closed and she
considered screaming. Who would stop him? No one would. He
could do as he willed with her. She was his property. A glint in
her peripheral vision was the only warning she was given before
cold metal touched her throat.
    “Hold still,” Darius instructed again. Tears
filled Brice’s eyes. He is going to kill me, she thought as
the metal moved against her skin. She squeezed her eyes closed and
willed the tears not to fall. I will not die a coward.
Courage. Her heart raced as his grip on her slave collar
tightened. Then suddenly, with a sharp jerk, it was gone; her
collar was gone.
    No sooner had she realized what he had just
done than his hand was back at her throat. Tilting her chin up, he
bent his head to examine her neck.
    “Good,” he said mildly. He sheathed his blade
and then asked, “Do you want to keep it?” He extended his left hand
so she could see the strip of leather that lay there. It was
strange looking, lying there limp and broken. Brice never thought
she would see it in someone’s hand. Shaking, she turned her face
away. “I don’t blame you,” he said. Flinging it into the water,
Darius gathered the reins and urged the horse to raise his
head.
    Tears coursed down Brice’s face. They were
not tears of joy. I don’t understand. She had never felt so
confused and afraid in her life. This man does not make sense
and it scares me.
     
    “We will reach Kiylin in a few days,” Darius
told Brice later that afternoon. The horse beneath them whinnied
and shook his head. Brice did not respond. “Timothy and I live in a
house in the servants’ village.” The girl shifted sleepily. She had
not had much rest last night and he had no idea how well she had
been able to sleep the nights before the siege broke. Sliding the
arm around her waist higher, he tried to encourage her to lean
against him. She resisted. He loosened his grip. “It is not much,
but Timothy and I are comfortable there.”
    “Why don't you live in the castle?” She
asked.
    “The servants of the castle know more about
what is really going on than the inhabitants.” He explained. “I
also like to get away from the intrigue and politics when I am off
duty.”
    “How often is that?”
    He smiled. She was interested. “I am on
scheduled duty almost daily for