THE WARLORD by Elizabeth Elliott Read Free Book Online Page A

hold his attention. He brought the hilt of his sword down on her head at the same instant. The blow was ill-aimed, causing more surprise than pain, but the force of his attack knocked Tess forward. Her knife slid forward into his neck with sickening ease, right up to the hilt.
    Tess threw herself off the wounded man with a pained gasp, as if she'd been burned. She scrambled backward on the cold ground to a safe distance and stared at the fallen soldier, morbidly fascinated by the sight. Blood was everywhere, gushing from his neck like a macabre fountain. Anyone who lost that much blood shouldn't be alive, but she could still hear his gasping, gurgling breaths. Strangely enough, the man didn't try to tend the injury. One hand clutched the sword to his chest, the other hand lay useless above his head, twitching every so often.
    The tortured breathing finally stopped and his skin quickly turned as pale and hard as wax, his lips a vivid blue. She wouldn't have recognized him now as the same man who attacked her. Tess slowly leaned forward and pulled the bloodied plaid over the death mask, too stunned to say a prayer for his soul. She stood up and walked a few paces toward the woods, trying to block the ugly sight from memory. She didn't see the other soldiers fall, or Kenric's quick but frantic search for her.
    "I told you not to let go!" Kenric bellowed as he leaped from his horse. He grabbed Tess by the shoulders and dragged her around to face him. "You let go on purpose!"
    She didn't flinch or show any other emotion while her husband shouted in her face, but her eyes filled with tears.
    Kenric couldn't remember the last time he'd yelled at anyone, much less a woman. His anger was always as cold and chilling as steel, his displeasure communicated in low, deadly tones that were much more effective than a raised voice. That his wife could have no idea how truly furious he was only served to make him angrier.
    "He had me by the neck," Tess whispered. Her voice rose shakily as she placed her hands on Kenric's arms to steady herself. "If I'd held on he would have pulled you off balance, giving an advantage to the others attacking from the front."
    "Never disobey me again!" Kenric shouted, completely ignoring her flimsy explanation. He couldn't resist the urge to shake Tess just once before wrapping her in a tight bear hug. His heart was still racing from the unfamiliar fear he'd experienced when she was pulled away from his side, knowing she was unprotected, completely vulnerable. He'd fought with a demon's rage then, quickly dispatching the fools who'd threatened to take what was his.
    "Hush now," he said gruffly. Tess was weeping all over him. God, how he hated a woman's tears. But he didn't seem to mind stroking her hair, finding it just as soft and silky as he knew it would be. The scent of spring flowers drifted across his senses and he shook his head, trying to rid himself of the fanciful notion. "There's no need to cry. You're safe now."
    She mumbled something against his chest. Kenric lifted her chin and waited for her to look at him. He marveled that the woman could remain so appealing through tears. "What did you say?"
    "I said, I always felt safe." Tess sniffed loudly, looking disgruntled. "A fine wife I'd be if I didn't trust my husband to keep me safe."
    Kenric almost smiled at the flash of fire in his little wife's eyes. A good sign, that. The tears would soon dry.
    Tess began to cry with renewed gusto, her tearful vow broken by small sobs. "But I will try… very hard… to obey your orders in the future."
    "They're all dead," Fitz Alan informed them cheerfully, cleaning his bloodied sword on a fallen soldier's plaid.
    "Best we ride," Kenric replied over Tess's head. "I'll feel better once we reach our first camp."
    "At least there were only twelve of them," Fitz Alan commented. He tossed the plaid aside then led the horses to the road and prepared to mount.
    "I am thankful for your help with the one after my lady,"