N. Walters - Embroidered Fantasies

Roxanne nodded as she sorted through the facts they’d told her. “Okay, I follow that. What happened then?”

Radnor sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Our family has a history of such things. That wasn’t the first time one of our older siblings tried to steal a woman from another family.”

She knew this wasn’t a pleasant or easy thing for them to talk about, but she had to have answers to her questions. “What about your sister?”

“Genita grew up to be a fine woman in spite of the rest of us. Leon treated her no better than a slave. When he threatened to give her to the Luther brothers as a bride, she objected. He beat her.” The lack of emotion in Radnor’s voice was chilling.

“What happened?” Roxanne kept her voice low and soothing.

“We could never help her.” Roxanne could sense Sednar’s pain. “If we showed her any attention or tried to intervene, Leon would only beat her worse. I’d try to deflect his attention with humor.”

“What about you?” she asked Radnor, knowing in her heart he wouldn’t stand there and do nothing while his sister was being beaten. It wasn’t in him.

Radnor rubbed his hand over his face. His eyes were bleak. “If I was lucky, I could deflect Leon’s attention my way.”

Roxanne stilled as the implication of his words sank in. “You mean you took the beating for her.”

“Not often enough.” There was disdain in his tone. She knew he remembered every time that he hadn’t been able to prevent his sister from being harmed. Radnor shook his head. “I helped her escape. Gave her some provisions and got her out of the keep.” He turned to Roxanne. “I sent my only sister off by herself with no protection. What kind of a man does that make me?”

“One who had to make a difficult choice.” Unable to hold back any longer, Roxanne reached out and placed her hand on Radnor’s arm. The muscle beneath was like iron.

“You were the youngest brother. If what I’ve learned over the past few days is true, then Leon’s word was law. He would have killed you if he’d discovered what you’d done.”

“It wasn’t enough.” Radnor shook off her hold and walked a few feet away, staring out over the water.

“What happened to Leon?” she asked Sednar.

“Leon was killed during a challenge fight. Hamid was wounded when he tried to interfere. It was just another dishonorable act in a long line of them.”

“You and Radnor chose not to continue in your brothers’ footsteps. The keep is prosperous, the people well cared for.”

“For all the good it does.” Radnor turned on his heel and stalked back to the edge of the blanket. He practically threw himself to the ground and stared out at the water, brooding. “They have long memories. But I really can’t blame them. Not one family living here hasn’t suffered because of a Craddock.”

“But not you,” she informed him. “Or you.” She gestured to Sednar.

“It doesn’t matter.” The resignation in Sednar’s voice hurt her to the depths of her soul. “They may never accept that we’re different from our brothers. In this world, sometimes your family name is all you have. And there are times you’d be better off without it.”

The fact that they hadn’t taken up where their brothers left off was astounding.

Roxanne had done some research and plenty of reading on domestic violence after escaping Michael. It was often passed down through families. Sons learned from their fathers. It took strength of character and conviction to break that cycle. That was what Sednar and Radnor had done.

Or at least, that was their story, the voice in the back of her head warned. She shoved aside her misgivings. Radnor and Sednar were good men. She’d never have allowed them to touch her so intimately if she didn’t trust them on a deep level.

She started to speak but was cut off when Sednar placed his hand over her mouth and pulled her close. “Shh,” he whispered in her ear. Radnor grabbed his sword and rolled to his feet. The blade cut through the air with a whistle as he held it in front of him. Sednar unsheathed his sword, slowly getting to his feet.

“Stand between the horses, Roxanne.” She immediately responded to the command in Radnor’s voice. Something was obviously wrong. She looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary as she hurried to stand between the two horses. Suddenly, she was very glad they were both massive beasts. Their bulk protected her.

“Is it an animal?” she asked, envisioning bears and dragons and other wild beasts.

She truly had no idea what kind of creature might be lurking in the forest. Her knees were shaking and she wrapped her arms around her waist to comfort herself. Neither man even glanced her way, their gazes locked on the woods beyond. She heard it then, the sound of crashing in the brush.

Three horses burst from between the trees. Two of them bore large brutal-looking men with bushy black beards and long hair. The men wielded long, sharp swords as they approached in a threatening manner.

But it was the man on the third horse that made every ounce of blood drain from her face. Her body trembled. “No,” she whispered. “This can’t be happening.” She blinked but the man didn’t change. She’d recognized those cold blue eyes and that nasty smirk anywhere.

“Roxanne?” Sednar’s voice reached her as though from far away. She wanted to answer him but couldn’t find her voice. Nor could she tear her gaze away from the specter from her nightmares.

The strangers were bearing down on them. Radnor stepped in front of her, blocking her view. She reached out and grabbed the side of Xander’s saddle as her knees almost gave away beneath her. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she swiped it away with the back of her hand.

“Halt!” Radnor’s authoritative voice rang out across the clearing.

“You’re not welcome on Craddock land, Luthers,” Sednar added, his tone hard and cold. “What do you want?”

Roxanne shifted so she could see around Radnor, needing to confirm her worst fears. Sure enough, the man tipped his blond head down and smiled at her. A shiver of fear raced down her spine.

“Hello, Roxanne.” Her ex-husband sat back and calmly faced Sednar and Radnor.

“You have something that belongs to me. I’ve come for my wife.”

Fear left a bitter taste in Radnor’s mouth. Not fear for himself, but for Roxanne. He stared at the large man seated calmly on the horse next to the Luther brothers. There was an arrogance, a cruelty about him that reminded Radnor of Leon. This was the man who’d abused Roxanne.

He studied his opponent, noting the cocky look in his eye. This was not a man used to losing. There was a sly tilt to his mouth as he smiled at Roxanne. He was enjoying terrifying her.

The man was dead. He just didn’t know it yet. No matter what else happened, Radnor promised himself he’d kill this man. How he was in Javara was a mystery.

Perhaps the tapestry had brought him here to face Radnor so he could free Roxanne from her ex-husband’s tyranny.

It didn’t matter if Roxanne stayed in Javara or went home, he wanted her safe. He loved her enough to set her free if that was her choice. Resolved, he stepped forward.

“Roxanne is no longer yours.”

Sednar stepped up next to him. “Get off our land.” Shoulder to shoulder they faced their enemies. The Luthers needed to die for all the crimes they perpetrated on a daily basis. They were too much like Leon, killing and stealing, beating down those weaker than themselves, rarely facing men as equals.

Agmar Luther, the elder of the two, leaned back in his saddle and grinned. “As soon as we get what we came for, boy.” He spat on the ground in Sednar’s direction.