How The Warrior Fell (Falling Warriors series Book 1) Read Free Page A

always the brightest when she did, and the heavy rain clouds would disappear in that moment.
    Though Xavier doubted that he would ever get to hear such laughter by the way she looked now.

    Leawyn stared out at all the happy faces of her tribe as they ate and danced by the fire. She could hear the sound of joyous laughter all around her—a sound that would usually make her heart melt with happiness—but she couldn’t find it in herself to laugh with them.
    Not tonight, when her heart was clenched in such sadness.
    After Xavier had left her room, he’d made arrangements for the wedding to take place exactly when he promised—three days’ time. The tribe’s people were probably in just as much shock as she was, but nonetheless, they had jumped into action to make it happen. Three days was all it took for Leawyn to be forced to commit a lifetime with someone she did not love. Someone she was certain would treat her as nothing more than a broodmare to mate and give him little heartless warrior children.
    Never again would she know the taste of freedom.
    Leawyn tried to hold back tears as the feeling of absolute loneliness invaded her senses. She apparently couldn’t hold her tears in tight enough when she felt the sudden pain of a hand gripping her thigh tightly and the scrape of a beard against her cheek.
    “Weddings are a time of happiness. There’s no room for tears—especially coming from you, my young wife,” Xavier whispered in her ear, his voice hard under its silky exterior.
    Leawyn blinked away the tears and closed her eyes. To anyone looking at them, it would look like Xavier was nuzzling his new wife’s neck and whispering loving words to her privately with her eyes closed in contentment.
    “Excuse me, brother, but I believe I haven’t met your wife yet,” an amused voice cut in smoothly.
    Leawyn’s eyes snapped open at the same time Xavier pulled his head away from her neck to look up and greet the person standing before them.
    “Tristan.” Xavier nodded his head in greeting.
    Leawyn studied Tristan curiously. He was tall, but unlike his brother, who was broadly built, Tristan was sinewy. There were swirling tattoos on each of his defined cheekbones, and his hair was shorter than Xavier’s and more straight. He wore Izayges armor, and he was looking down at them with the same impassive face her husband wore.
    It was his eyes that gave away his relation to Xavier. Though they were lighter than his brother’s, they held the same cold, almost wild look inside of them. Devoid of emotion, save but the tales of the souls they claimed with their swords.
    Warrior eyes.
    Leaywn startled when the eyes she was studying met hers. Realizing she was staring, she tried to hide her blush by quickly looking down. When she was brave enough to look up again, she caught the slight twitch at the corner of Tristan’s lips, as if he was forcing himself not to smile. She saw Tristan look back at Xavier, who was silently studying the interaction between them.
    “I was hoping I would get a dance from my new sister,” Tristan asked, glancing at Leawyn, whose shoulders tensed at the question. He looked back to his brother. “With your permission.”
    Xavier studied Tristan for a bit before slowly bowing his head in consent.
    “Of course,” Xavier murmured. “I’m sure my wife would enjoy one dance before we retire.” Both brothers ignored the quick intake of breath from Leawyn in reaction to that comment.
    “Thank you, brother.” Tristan bowed his head to Xavier before offering his hand to Leawyn, palm up. She stared at it dumbly.
    “I believe my brother just asked you to dance.” Leawyn let out a hiss of pain when Xavier squeezed her thigh tightly. “It would be rude not to accept,” Xavier growled, his grip growing more painful until she placed her hand in Tristan’s.
    Tristan’s large hand closed around her much smaller one as he gently pulled her to her feet. As Tristan dragged Leawyn into the crowd of