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

people dancing around the huge fire, she glanced behind her to look at Xavier. He was glaring at her silently, his expression unreadable. The reflection of the fire glinted off his eyes and made him look more sinister. Leawyn suppressed the shiver of fear and looked away.
    Tristan swung her around in his arms, wrapping one arm around her waist as he picked up her hand and held it above his shoulder. They swayed to the music as Leawyn moved stiffly against him. She focused on the shoulder design of the armor he wore. Tristan’s voice broke the silence.
    “It will get better.”
    His comment caught her off guard, and it took her a moment to figure out what he meant. Leawyn raised her head and met the eyes that were already looking down at her.
    “Funny you could say that, yet you are not forced to marry someone you’ve only just met and I am,” Leawyn said scathingly, glaring up at him for a moment more before looking away. Tristan chuckled low—something that only further infuriated Leawyn—and spun her around with the rest of the dancers before they settled in a gentle sway again.
    “It won’t be as bad as it seems. Obey him and you’ll live.”
    Though the comment was said lightly, there was seriousness laced in his tone. A warning. Leawyn exhaled shakily, blinking back tears rapidly as her throat clogged up with emotion.
    “Tell me, Tristan . . . what would you do if you lost your freedom?”
    She felt Tristan’s shoulder tense beneath her hand. Her voice was hollow as she spoke. “To be forced to spend the rest of your life as nothing more than an object. Tied to a man who cares so little about you, he would feel no remorse for killing everything inside you.” Leawyn looked up then, her eyes meeting his. “Would you accept your fate?” she asked him.
    She saw a flash of anger in his eyes. Was he feeling protective of her? She couldn’t tell, but she thought it was a possibility.
    “No,” Tristan answered her finally, his voice soft. He kept his eyes locked with hers as he uttered the words that drove the spear through the little hope she had left within her.
    “But you will, Leawyn.”
    The music around them ended, and they stopped dancing with their eyes still locked onto each other, holding a silent conversation with their souls.
    It was when Leawyn felt the hand on her shoulder pulling her away from Tristan that her first tear fell. She felt Tristan’s gaze on her back as Xavier lead her away to his horse and lifted her up onto the saddle. He climbed on behind her and kicked the horse into action.
    The sound of the tribe cheering after them echoed loudly in Leawyn’s ears as she rode away from the only life she had ever known.

    They rode for what seemed like hours until, finally, Xavier pulled his horse to a stop in front of a small hut.
    He landed on his feet lightly when he jumped down from his tall stallion’s back and turned to her. It took only a moment for Xavier to grasp Leawyn around her waist and pull her off until her feet touched the ground. She took in their surroundings.
    There was a hut facing towards a small river, the water shimmering in the moonlight, reflecting the ripples of fish and other lake creatures as they swam. Beech-fir and foliage surrounded them, with trees towering high over their heads, creating a beautiful canopy.
    “Where are we?” she asked, staring at the crudely made hut in interest.
    “I had my men build this for us,” Xavier answered without looking at her, too busy unsaddling his horse. “The ride to our village is too long. We’ll stay here until the rest of my tribe reaches us. Together, we will all travel back to Izayges,” Xavier said, lifting off the saddle and throwing it over a low-hanging branch.
    “Why must we wait for the others? Why not just ride on?” Leawyn asked, turning to face him.
    Xavier paused, leveling her with a look that made her heart pound. “You know why,” he said, his voice low.
    Leawyn swallowed nervously, looking away