Branded by a Warrior by Andrea Thorne Read Free Book Online

in for a few hours of rest. Dawn was not far away, and with it came another busy day.
    The sounds of Elisabeth’s chattering teeth could be heard all the way across the room, opening his eyes, he looked back towards his bed. Standing up he quietly walked over to the bed and looked down upon the sleeping woman. Reaching d own, Broderick touched the back of his hand to her forehead, she was freezing yet again, wrapped in layers of blankets, she was still too cold.
    Sighing deeply, he resigned himself to what he must do. Pulling off his shirt he tossed it on the floor . Pulling back the tartan plaids and blankets that covered the sleeping warrior, he slipped into bed , gathering the freezing lass into his warm embrace . Pulling the covers over both of them he sighed as he closed his eyes, praying she would make it.
    He was unable to explain the overwhelming need to ensure her safety at all times, he still didn't quite understand it himself. He knew there were others like Rhona and Caitriona that could watch over the lass, but he simply didn’t want to give her up. He silently told himself this was the only way to ensure her safety, yet still rest. He and his men had just ridden two days without sleep, he was exhausted and in desperate need of a good nights rest. No one would harm her while he slept next to her; his body heat would keep her comfortable and warm. He told himself he was only fulfilling his vow, but he knew it was more than that.
    Holding t he beautiful Warrior Q ueen in his arms he thought over Rhona and Caitriona’s words earlier, destiny . He knew the words weren’t used lightly, especially by either elder who had came to help tonight. Holding the woman in his arms, he thought about what the women had said. Both were sure she would live, both had spoken of destiny. He had an unnatural attachment to her, something very odd and out of character for him, usually he pushed women away so he wouldn’t get attached. Finding Elisabeth so close to death, in need of help and alive, she had easily penetrated the cold walls of his heart without a single word. How was his destiny entwined with this lass? Was it to be her rescuer? Was it to help her seek vengeance for her fallen family and clan? He thought long and hard about what the old ladies had said, something in his cold heart told him it was far greater than simply rescuing the lass from the snowy forest floor. The woman next to him was about to change his life, this he knew.
    Letting the cadence of her breathing soothe him, he thought about the future as sleep claimed him.
 

Chapter 2
     
    In the nine and twenty years he had been alive, never had he woken up with a woman beside him. Yes, there had been ladies who bestowed their favors upon him aplenty, but none that ever graced his bed, and surely none that had ever slept the entire night with him. Waking up to the sensation of her bare skin touching his made him wonder what he had been missing out on these past years. T he sensual feel of her tangled under the sheets w ith him made him feel alive and hungry.
    Looking down, he saw her resting her angelic face upon his bare chest. Her injured arm stretched over his body still tightly bandaged. She held him tight as she slept. Her leg entangled with his, he noticed that she finally felt warm. With skin as soft as rose petals and hair the colo r of copper, she was stunning. The sensation of skin to skin contact made him feel intimate with her; he surely had never woken up tangled with such a vixen before in his life. If the stories were true about her, she had never taken a husband to his knowledge , he was unsure if she had a lover. There was so much he didn’t know about her.
    Looking over her skin he saw the bluish tint had disappeared overnight, she felt warm and much more alive. He knew flesh-to-flesh body contact was the quickest way to defrost a person; he was pleased to see such a difference in the lass. She no longer looked like she was perched on