The Warrior's Forbidden Virgin Read Online Free PDF Page A

much time before John would return.
    Honora looked uneasy. “How do you suggest I get down?”
    “I’ll help you…to the battlements,” he said. “We need to move now.”
    Though she reached for the rope, terror lined her face. “I’d rather fight the guards outside the door.”
    As if in answer to her comment, the door started to open. Ademar slammed his weight against it, and ordered, “Go!”
    She wasn’t moving fast enough, and he didn’t know how much longer he could keep the guards from entering. He struggled to bar the door.
    “Swing toward the battlements. You’ll find what you need to g-get out of the castle.”
    He gritted his teeth, and finally managed to lower the bar amidst the pounding of the soldiers. “Ewan will b-be miles from here by now.”
    Honora crawled through the window, balancing on the sill before she reached for the rope once more. Glancing back at him, she sent him a thankful smile. “You’re a true hero, Sir Ademar.”
    He didn’t answer, for his motives weren’t at all innocent. He’d done this for Katherine, because he wanted her gratitude.
    He made certain the rope was steady for Honora and watched her lower herself down. Only when she was dressed in the armor did he turn back.
    Damn. The fallen guard had regained consciousness. Before he could stop him, the man lifted the bar and opened the door. Ademar had only a moment to unsheathe his sword before John’s men came pouring inside the chamber.
     
    Katherine’s arms burned with the effort, but she managed to lower herself down the rope. When she neared John’s chamber, she heard the clanging of swords and the sounds of fighting.
    Oh, saints. When she glanced inside the window, she saw Ademar surrounded by three men. John was not among them, and she prayed he would not find her sister.
    Like a berserker, Ademar swung his sword at his enemies, blow for blow. Katherine slipped inside, keeping her back to the wall and her eyes upon the men. She needed a weapon of her own, some way to help him.
    Her gaze fell upon the soldier closest to her. He spied her and reached out, likely planning to use her as a hostage. Katherine threw herself to the floor, rolling under his feet to trip him. When his sword slipped free of his palm, she reached for it.
    Honora was not the only one who knew how to wield this weapon.
    Katherine slashed upward, the blade cutting into the soldier’s flesh. His eyes widened as the blade ended his life.
    Just as she stood up, Ademar roared a warning. As Katherine sidestepped, he dove forward with his sword, taking the full impact of the blade against his own weapon. The third soldier spun, slicing at Ademar’s head. Katherine tried to block the attack, but the blade tip sliced Ademar’s temple, and the knight sank to his knees. The soldier fled the chamber without looking back.
    Blood poured from Ademar’s wound, and the sight of it made her dizzy. Not now, Katherine prayed. She loathed blood, and the idea of having to sew up his wound made her stomach pitch. “Are you all right?”
    He grimaced, reaching his hand to his head. “I think so.”
    The blood continued to stream downward. “It’s not…too bad.” He stumbled forward, easing onto a chair. “What in God’s name were you thinking, trying to use a sword against those men?”
    “You needed my help. And I knew how to use the weapon.” Katherine took off her veil and pressed it to his head, trying not to look at the blood. She sent up another silent plea: Let it stop bleeding on its own .
    His blue eyes pierced hers. “You could have been hurt.”
    She flushed, uncomfortable with his harsh tone. “So could you.” Gripping her hands together, she realized she was shaking.
    Ademar reached out to her, as if he needed to touch her. She expelled a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “Don’t ever risk yourself on my account.”
    She wanted to protest that she wouldn’t have done this for anyone else. But at the sight of his blood,