Tapestries 05 - Embroidered Fantasies (19 page)

“What’s off to the right?”

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His grip tightened almost imperceptibly. “That’s Luther land. You don’t want to go there.” Radnor’s voice was hard, his words clipped.

Roxanne remembered what Darrina had told her about the Luther brothers and shivered. Radnor slid from his horse. “Easy, Xander,” he crooned as the horse shied slightly. She gasped and clutched the pommel of the saddle but there was no need.

Radnor quickly swept her from the horse and set her safely on the ground.

Sednar came up behind them, a blanket and a satchel in hand. “I thought you might like to sit by the water and have something to eat.” She eyed him suspiciously. “Were you talking to Darrina?”

“Of course.” He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was checking up on her.

“She said you didn’t eat much when you woke.”

She couldn’t really be mad at Sednar. He was simply concerned about her well-being. She took the blanket from him and shook it out, spreading it near the edge of the water. Sitting cross-legged, she took in the beauty around her.

Both men removed their swords, keeping them at hand as they sat, one on either side of her. It was only then she noticed the weapons. How she missed two four-foot swords was beyond her. It was probably because she’d gotten so used to seeing both men with them constantly. They strapped them on the moment they woke in the morning and laid them by the side of the bed each night. Their weapons were such a part of them, she didn’t think they even noticed them.

“Why are you always armed?”

Sednar plucked a long piece of grass and chewed on the end. “There are wild animals and enemies to worry about.”

“Even in your own home?” She noticed they were never unarmed, not even in their own keep.

“Especially there.” There was a contemptuous edge to Radnor’s words that made her turn toward him.

“Why?” It was now or never. “Tell me about your older brothers.” Neither man seemed surprised by her question. “What have you been told?” Sednar asked.

“Nothing good, I’d wager. We Craddocks are not exactly the most popular family.” The mocking tone in Radnor’s voice made her heart ache.

She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “I’ve heard dark warnings and mutterings about your eldest brother especially. And your sister,” she added.

Radnor snorted. “I’m not surprised. Leon Craddock was the vilest creature ever born. If you don’t count our sire.”

Sednar gave a bark of laughter but there wasn’t an ounce of humor in it. She could feel the brothers’ pain. It was a living and palpable thing. “Craddocks take what they 103

want. They steal and fight and cheat to get it. Isn’t that right?” Sednar turned his gaze to Radnor who picked up the tale.

“If you don’t, you’re seen as weak. And the weak are beaten, ridiculed and abused.

Might was right in Leon’s world. Two of my brothers tried to steal a woman from another family. They were killed. That only made Leon worse. He hated the Bakra brothers with a passion.”

Now she was totally confused. “But isn’t your sister married to one of them?” Sednar nodded. “Leon had promised her to the Luther brothers and went to get her back from the Bakras. He failed.” There was obviously a lot more to the story than that, but Sednar had already moved on. “There are four Bakra brothers so they have two brides.”

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, 104

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.

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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.” 106

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.

“In Javara, a woman belongs with her husband and his brothers.” His smile grew wider. “And we’ve just adopted Michael Talbot as our brother.” Roxanne moaned behind him. Radnor didn’t dare turn to comfort her. He needed to keep his eyes and his attention focused on the men in front of them. He felt her presence, smelled the perfume of her skin as she stepped up beside him. Radnor swept out his arm to keep her from standing in front of him.

She reached down and gripped his forearm. He could feel her hands quivering.

Still, there was no sound of fear in her voice when she spoke. “We’re divorced, Michael.

You no longer have any claim on me, legally or otherwise.”

“Now, babe. You know that’s not true. You’re mine until I say you’re not mine. No judge or piece of paper is gonna change that. I told you that back in California.” He spread his arms wide. “I came all this way to get you. That should tell you something.”

“Yes, that you’re an obsessive maniac.”

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The corners of Michael’s mouth tightened. “You’ll pay for that.” Radnor could tell the man was struggling for control. Good. That was a weakness that could be exploited.

“After our reunion, I plan to let my brothers take a turn with you.” Agmar laughed. “We lost one woman promised to us by the Craddocks. It’s only fitting they should provide us with another.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you, Michael.” She scowled at the Luther brothers.

“And you two are pigs.”

“I like a woman with spirit,” the younger Luther brother quipped. “More satisfying when you finally break her.”

“Surely you don’t expect those two to save you.” Michael sneered as he pointed at Radnor and Sednar. “They’re Craddocks. They’ll save themselves first.” Roxanne’s trembling deepened and Radnor pushed her behind him. “Enough. Fight or leave.”

Radnor gave a sharp whistle and Xander charged forward with Sednar’s mount beside him. Not pausing, Radnor gripped the pommel with his free hand and swung himself in the saddle. “Run, Roxanne,” he yelled as he pounded toward Agmar Luther.

Sednar would take the younger brother.

Agmar roared as he charged forward. Both horses reared. Xander’s heavily shod hooves came down hard. He had size and weight on the other horse. Plus, he was like his master. Losing was not an option. Keeping control of his horse with his thighs, Radnor brought his sword down in a sweeping arc. Agmar ducked at the last moment and avoided getting decapitated.

His opponent’s sword shot out and Radnor threw himself to one side to avoid getting gutted. He pulled himself back up on top of Xander and wheeled around to face Agmar. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Roxanne running across the field with Michael in pursuit. He wanted to break and run but couldn’t with Agmar pounding at him with his sword. Radnor prayed that Michael wouldn’t kill Roxanne before he could save her.

Roxanne’s heart was hammering so hard it was an actual physical pain in her chest.

When Radnor had told her to run, she’d run. There was nothing she could do to help them there. In fact, she was probably a liability, taking their attention away from the men they had to fight.

The Luthers. She shivered, sweat coating her body and seeping into her eyes as her feet flew across the grass. Seemed that, even here, Michael could find other men as vicious as himself.