The Warlords Revenge Read Free Page A

basin and stared in horror at her reflection in the mirror. Hollow blue eyes stared back at her. Her blonde hair was tangled and matted. Her cheek and neck bruised from where he'd hit her and choked her. Blood was smeared across the front of her favorite blue dress.
    “See?” His cold eyes glanced in the mirror over her shoulder. “You're in quite a shape.”
    “Thanks to you!” She spun on her heel to face him. “Didn't your mother ever teach you not to beat up women?”
    “You're no woman,” he spat. “You're a Stewart, with plenty of fight. Be glad I'm not having you spend the night out in the stables where you belong.”
    Jane gasped. The bastard! He was the animal, not her. Maybe she'd stolen some things in her life, told a lie or two, and so she'd cheated at cards a few times. She'd never killed anyone or kidnapped anyone. Unlike this man and her family, she had some sense of right and wrong. Her version of morality might be slightly skewed, but at least she had one.
    She opened her mouth to shoot him a heated reply when another knock at the door interrupted her. The woman from downstairs brought in a tray of food and wine. She gave Jane a sideways look, obviously studying her bruises, before hurrying out of the room.
    Jane plopped down in one of the chairs next to the table, picked up a fork, and began nibbling at the potatoes. “I assume I can eat, or are you going to have some oats brought up from the stables?”
    “You demonstrate a knowledge of silverware, so that won't be necessary.” He took the seat next to her and began slicing the chicken, placing a few pieces of the meat on her side of the plate.
    She tried to eat slowly, taking small bites. The last thing she wanted was to let him see just how hungry she was. As they ate, the woman came back to draw the bath , quietly issuing instructions to the few servants who were coming and going with buckets of hot water. While the servants worked, she started a fire in the hearth, then disappeared, to return when Jane and Gavyn were finished, with a bundle of fresh clothes that she left on the bed.
    Jane watched the people move around, performing their duties.. The distraction helped her avoid looking at Gavyn . The way he was eyeing her made her nervous. She felt him taking in every little detail of her appearance and did her best to ignore him. And the fact that he might be seeing more of her shortly.
    When they finished the meal, Gavyn put the tray out in the hall. He pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it on the floor before reclining on the bed with a rumbling sigh.
    Jane felt her cheeks flush with heat when she saw the solid muscles of his chest and arms, rippling along his stomach. She'd never been this close to a man who was so gloriously built. She'd only seen men like him at the fights, and she usually had to stay hiding in the back, trusting her brothers to save her portion of the winnings and not spend it on booze and whores.
    “You can bathe now,” he told her.
    His position on the bed afforded him a full view of the bath. He really intended to watch her. How embarrassing. No one had seen her naked before.
    “And you'll wait out in the hall?” She crossed her arms, wanting to shield as much of herself from this man as she could.
    “No.”
    “Then you'll at least turn around –”
    “No.” He clasped his hands behind his head and crossed his feet at the ankles, leaning back into the pillows. “You'll get used to having my eyes on you.”
    She was flustered. She would never get used to something like that. She didn't care if he was one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen. He looked at her with disgust.
    She suddenly wanted to cry, but she'd had enough tears for one day. Walking over to the bath, she tested the temperature of the water with a sweep of her hand. It was hot, inviting, and she could imagine what it would feel like to sink down in the water and wash the layer of grime from her skin and hair. If only she was