His Captive Bride by Shelly Thacker Read Free Book Online

away in a sheer drop so high she could barely glimpse the shore below—a slender white froth of waves slashed into foam by jagged rocks.
    But not far from shore, just for a moment, she thought she saw a glow. Was it a fire of some kind? A ship’s lantern?
    “Help!” she shouted in desperation, leaning out the window as far as she dared. “Someone help me! I have been abducted! Help me, please!”
    She repeated her plea in Flemish, German, a half-dozen languages one after another.
    But the glow vanished as if swallowed up by the sea, and the rhythmic crashing of the waves smothered the sound of her voice. No one replied. She was alone here. Alone and isolated.
    No one would be coming to her aid.
    Fear slid down her back like melting ice. She whirled away from the window. There must be an exit. She had to escape. Return home to her daughter.
    And she had to help Josette, if she was anywhere near here.
    If Josette was still alive .
    Forcing that frightening thought to the back of her mind, Avril strode into the center of the chamber, able to see better with rays of moonlight spilling through the open window.
    The glitter of steel on the wall caught her attention. Along with hunting trophies and strange sculptures and artifacts, the owner—or owners—of this place had a number of weapons on display.
    How foolish, she thought with a grim smile of satisfaction, to leave them within easy reach. She walked over and selected a double-edged blade that was long enough to use as a sword yet light enough to throw, if the need arose.
    When her abductors returned, they would find themselves with more trouble than they had bargained for.
    Gripping the weapon in one hand, she was about to renew her search for an exit when a sound from the dark, distant corner of the chamber startled her—the sound of a key turning in a lock.
    Her pulse racing, she retreated a few steps, away from the hearth and the open window, trying to conceal herself in the shadows. She kept the sword raised in front of her and peered into the blackness.
    A door creaked open. A massive, heavy portal from the sound of it. It closed an instant later with the clatter of an iron latch. Avril heard a footfall. Another. Then naught more.
    Naught but the pounding of her heart.
    “Milady?” a quiet male voice called after a moment, speaking French. “There is no need to hide from me. I mean you no harm.”
    She did not reply, edging silently along the wall. Now that she knew the general location of the door, if she could tiptoe her way around him...
    “You cannot hide forever.” He walked farther into the room, his tone becoming impatient. “And there is nowhere to run.”
    Ha , she thought, moving faster. That was his opinion. Once she reached the door, he would discover why she had always won footraces when she was a girl—
    Her next step carried her straight into a small table and sent both her and whatever had been on it crashing to the floor.
    She landed hard and yelped in pain as she bruised her hip on the hard stone and cut her hand on a shard of glass. Cups and platters and a shattered goblet littered the floor around her.
    Uttering what sounded like an oath, her abductor closed in on her, a massive shadow looming out of the darkness.
    “Stay back!” she shouted, grabbing the sword she had dropped. “I have a weapon. And I am skilled enough to use it!”
    The threat stopped him, at least for the moment. “A blade will avail you naught more than shouting yourself hoarse at the window did.” He sounded annoyed rather than concerned about his safety. “You cannot harm me, milady.”
    What arrogance! Shaking her head, Avril got to her feet, careful of the broken glass. “Come any closer and you will discover precisely how wrong you are.” She tried to judge the distance to the door, took a cautious step.
    And felt surprised when he moved away from her, toward the window.
    “I do not doubt your skill,” he said dryly. “I saw you demonstrate it in the