I've Been Waiting for You by Mary Moriarty Read Free Book Online Page B

felt I wasn’t treated fairly. If it hadn’t been for him, I would have gone to my sister-in-law’s family.”
    Sally , being a history major in Medieval History, was enjoying this. “That would have been Slaine, and the High King Brian Boru.”
    “Yes, I had seen too much palace intrigue and really didn’t side with Mael’s family, but he was feeding me and paying me handsomely. He was also giving me a share in his ruling.”
    “So , at the same time Slaine married your brother, King Brian married your mother?”
    “Yes, we had a twisted family tree. Being Irish and Norse Vi king, I had a really large extended family.” Odin snuggled Sally closer, taking in her scent. “My mother had everyone wanting to fight my step-father. He locked her up and I fled ahead of him to my Uncle’s stronghold. I told him what was taking place. For me, there was no love lost for my mother, but my allegiance was to my Uncle. My mother and my other brother ended up being behind the walls towards the end of the battle, and Donnchad and I, along with our Uncle and our step-father, perished in the battle.”
    Sally turned and faced Odin. “But how did you come to be created by Colum?”
    Odin laid a kiss on Sally’s lips and they turned to the sound of the doorbell. “Ah, Uncle.”
    When Travis let himself into the house he could hear Odin and Sally calling his name.
    Walking into the large family room that was alight with afternoon light and a fire going in the fire place, he saw Sally studying him as if he were someone new. “Here, Miss Sally. If you need anything else, just call me.”
    Sally jumped up and ran to Travis taking his hands. “Come sit with us and tell me about yourself.”
    Travis glanced over at Odin. “I’m not sure I’d be understanding you Miss .”
    Sally detected his brogue. She pulled him to sit with them on the sectional couch. “About before you were changed.”
    He nodded, “Ah, yes then, has Odin told you who your mother was in all this?”
    Sally looked from one to the other. “No, he hasn’t.” She looked at Odin square in the eyes. “Who was my mother?”
    Odin smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. In that life she was Slaine, daughter to Brian Boru. It is said both his first and second wives were from the Fae. Slaine was an exceptional beauty and had the sweetest of dispositions. Her father loved her dearly and hoped that that would be what it took for peace. Sigtrygg and she were only married for a couple years. She was sixteen when she was given in marriage to my brother. But she never forgave him for turning against her father. She divorced him before the battle of Clontarf and then she married Colum O’ Heachthanna. It is thought my mother had something to do with her death ten years later, but that is for another day.” He took Sally’s hand and kissed it. Then holding onto it as if to anchor himself, he continued, “Those were dark days after Slaine’s death. Colum mourned her properly and then went crazy with rage. His father, King Cormac, sent him to the Holy Lands to stay. He wove his way there then back and forth. He ended up fighting with Richard Coeur de Lion.”
    “Richard the Lion Hearted .”
    Odin hugged Sally. “I knew there was something that drew me to you besides the obvious .”
    Sally punched his arm. Odin yelped and Sally rolled her eyes at him but fell into his arms to be hugged and kissed again.
    “Yes, Richard the Lionhearted, part of the Devil’s brood.” He shook his head. “If you think there was intrigue in Brian’s family, The Plantagenet’s family would be the definition of palace intrigue.”
    Travis nodded. “Most royal courts are , but they took the cake. Later that family became the Tudors.”
    Travis took Sally’s hand. “I was Odin’s Uncle. I took him under my wing, as I had wanted to have him be my successor upon my demise. Thor, who was Donnchad, had been given a minor area. It was my wish to groom Odin. My sister wasn’t happy