Chapter Four

Gavin sat atop his horse, watching Nori as she left the keep at a steady canter, side by side with Jo. Cris followed behind with an entourage of men, including warriors who'd fought for Gavin, as well as his brother, Theo.

"Your wife is up to mischief," he told Theo, though he kept his gaze on his bride.

She sat her horse well, riding with an ease that showed she was more than just comfortable in the saddle. Jo said something to her that had Nori throwing her head back and laughing. Then she leaned low, nuzzling the stallion beneath her and making Gavin jealous of a damn horse. The next thing he knew, she was flying. Woman and beast one as they flew across the earth.

"My wife lives for mischief, and yours rides like the wind itself."

Gavin nodded in agreement with his brother. "Where do you think they're off to?"

"Jo's been restless since we got here. She doesn't like to stay in one place long. Even before she met me, Jamie couldn't keep her at his castle. She was always roaming."

"That would drive me crazy," Gavin admitted.

"I wouldn't change anything about her. I never would have caught her and made her mine if she'd stayed where she was told."

Theo was madly in love with his wife. It healed something in Gavin to see his brother so happy. Their lives had been hell in more ways than one. Their brutal father had shipped them off to an even more brutal male tasked with making soldiers out of them. The men's actions had honed more than just the muscles under Gavin and Theo's skin. They'd honed them into hardened weapons and nurtured a soul-deep hatred. Gavin's one regret was he hadn't been the one to kill his father. He'd owed it to his mother, a beautiful and kind woman, who'd died long before she should have. He'd failed to protect her.

"We won't accomplish anything while they're out of sight. Neither of us will be able to focus. We should follow them." Theo nudged his horse, and Gavin stayed beside him, keeping a good distance between them and the women but staying close enough to hear the beat of the hooves ahead of them. They'd gone less than a mile when Theo spoke again. "Jo wants a baby."

Gavin glanced at his brother. "You'll make great parents."

Theo didn't say anything.

"You'll make a great dad, Theo. You have to know that."

"Do you ever wonder if any of his rot is inside us somewhere, waiting for something to make it grow until it consumes us and turns us into him?"

"In you? Never," Gavin swore. "You're the only reason goodness still exists in me."

"He did a great job of fucking us up," Theo growled.

"Not just us," Gavin said. "Rory, too."

It killed him that they'd been gone and unaware of what was happening with Rory. Rory's husband had been the one to end their father's life. The one to punish him for laying hands on Rory, for leaving scars on her skin that would never go away. Much like the ones Gavin and Theo bore.

"Sometimes, I think Jo hates him more than I do."

"Have you talked to her about our childhood?" Gavin questioned.

"Yes. She eases my demons and reminds me goodness exists in this world. That I might deserve some of it."

Gavin opened his mouth then closed it at the memory of holding Nori in his arms all night, the way her skin had felt against his. The way she'd listened and shared. She was honest and gentle and na?ve yet had a fire inside her she wasn't afraid to show him. She drew him as no one ever had. She made him want things he'd never seen in his life. A home, a wife, children. She was supposed to be the pawn they needed to make Phillip put a stop to the riffraff making their way into the Dread Lands. A way to control him. Gavin wasn't supposed to fall for her.

"Speaking of brides," Theo began. "How was your first night with yours?"

"Better than I expected."

"Do tell, little brother," Theo encouraged with a grin.

"She's not what I expected. Phillip's lucky I didn't know more about her before we spoke with him. I might have let Marcus kill him when he wanted to."

"That explains your early morning messenger. What word did he bring you?" Theo asked.

"He sold her off like chattel," Gavin seethed. "His daughter died giving birth to her. Her father was killed in battle, likely never knowing she was conceived. Phillip passed her off to a baron who needed the extra income. They fed her, clothed her, and did the bare minimum for her. According to the information I was given, they even took her gifts from her grandfather from her or never gave them to her in the first place. That happened a lot when she was little since they knew he wouldn't visit."

"We knew he was a bastard," Theo reminded him, and Gavin growled. "I'm guessing this is why you've avoided him this morning."

"If I see him right now, I'll be hard pressed not to rip his head from his body, Theo. She hungers for any scraps of love and affection he throws at her. She told me about her parents, then about their children, and never once included herself as one of them. She wants a family of her own."

"Good. That's what she'll have as your bride. A family. You come with all of us. Me and Jo. Jamie and Rory. Geoffrey and Serena. Marcus and Genevieve. The grandfathers. Our men. Hell, I heard Cris and Con arguing over who'd get to be her second." Theo laughed. "For their safety, I won't tell you who won."

Gavin shook his head. He trusted Cris and Con with his life. He had no doubt they'd give theirs to protect Nori.

"Cris did," Gavin said. "Nori already told me she prefers him to me."

"You don't seem upset by that."

Gavin shrugged. "She's mine. She knows it. She just hasn't accepted it, yet."

"Your plans to get her to accept you?"

"I've already started getting her accustomed to my touch."

Theo's brows rose as he glanced at Gavin.

"Touching only. I'm a man of my word," Gavin said.

"And this is day two."

"Which ends at midnight."

Theo shook his head. "You've always been a strategist, plotting and planning every move."

"Only when it matters."

"She's more than a means to an end," Theo stated, and Gavin nodded.

"I might have agreed without knowing everything, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't aware of her, that I didn't already have someone stationed in the home she was sent to. As soon as I knew we were serious about standing off with Phillip, I sent one of my men to gather information for me."

"You were already looking at the possibility of taking her before Genevieve's grandfather made the suggestion."

"Yes," Gavin agreed. He'd been looking into her for a while. "I was already planning to take her and hold her until she agreed to be my wife. Lord Kingsley wanted to protect Genevieve. He presented what I wanted, and we all agreed to it."

"Sometimes, you scare me, Gavin." But Theo's face didn't show that. If anything, Gavin's brother appeared impressed.

"I learned from the best."

Theo shook his head. "I'm all brawn. That brain is all you. There's one thing I don't understand, though. If you already had this in the works, why did you send Armstrong as your proxy?"

"I had things I needed to put in place back at the castle, and John was willing to stand in for me."

John, the father of Serena Armstrong, now Serena Lyons, had taken to all of them like a paternal figure. Gavin thought the man had more than a friendly liking of Geoffrey's mother, Maura, but if so, the two were keeping it quiet. Gavin respected that because he knew John Armstrong would never do anything without Maura Lyons' consent. That was a concept Gavin's father hadn't cared for.

"I thought the attacks from the coast were dying off," Theo said.

"They have. I wanted to make sure everyone understood that I would be returning with a wife." Gavin was a perceptive man. "I wanted everything prepared for her arrival."

"That was thoughtful," Theo said.

Gavin nodded, but his gaze was on the road ahead of them where Jo and Nori were surrounded by the warriors. Cris moved toward the front of the group while Gavin watched.

"What the hell?" Theo thundered. "That doesn't look like a friendly group to me."

"It looks like a troop of Phillip's soldiers. Do you think he called them before or after he agreed to our terms?" Gavin asked.

"Doesn't matter. If even one of them touches a hair on Jo's head, I'll kill them," Theo warned. "Let's go."

Gavin didn't bother with taking out his bow. Their men had Nori and Jo encircled. Not a man who wore Phillip's colors would get to them. Instead, he let out a hoarse, raspy cry that descended in pitch. It was that sound that had earned him the battle name of The Hawk. It served its purpose, pulling the eyes of Phillip's men to Gavin and Theo. Theo drew his axe and though Gavin was still too far to hear, he saw Jo say something that had his warriors laughing. Nori used that moment to urge her horse up by Cris'.

One of the soldiers rode closer, far too close to Nori for Gavin's liking. He was close enough to hear when the man spoke.

"We've come to fetch you home, Eleanor," the man yelled, reaching for her.

Nori reared back, startling her horse. Cris smoothly forced his mount in front of hers, managing to block access to her while still striking out and punching the other male in the jaw.

"What the hell? I knew you were heathens, but I didn't think you'd attack unprovoked," the man roared, fumbling for his sword.

"Unprovoked?" Gavin asked as his men parted to let him and Theo through. Theo halted next to Jo, who whispered something that had him grinning. Gavin rode straight for Nori. He never moved his gaze from the man who'd attempted to grab her as he swept his wife onto the saddle in front of him. "You meant to touch my wife. Men have lost their lives for much less than that."

"Your wife? What the hell is going on here?"

"Hello, Robert," Nori said, and Gavin heard the tremble she tried to hide, felt it as she pressed back against him. "Didn't your father tell you about my marriage?"

"I haven't spoken to my father. I was made aware you were seen being taken from my home in the company of Lord Armstrong and a group of heathens. I feared for your safety."

Nori laughed, but Gavin seethed as he took in Robert Buckingham's use of my . My father. My home. Not theirs. His.

"You've never feared for my safety a day in your life, Robert. I'm fairly certain you wouldn't bat an eye if something happened to me. I'm just a little, lost orphan girl who nobody loves, right?"

Gavin saw red then but didn't let it show. He dropped a kiss atop his wife's head and eased his hold as she lay her head against his shoulder. He saw Robert's gaze narrow as he took them in.

"You're married?" Robert looked ready to leap from his saddle and take Gavin to the ground. If not for Nori in his lap, Gavin would welcome the other man to attempt.

"We are," Gavin answered.

"That's impossible," Robert argued.

"Why?" Gavin already knew the answer. It had been part of what his spy had shared with him when he'd arrived early that morning. What his man hadn't been privy to was the fact Buckingham was looking for her.

"Because Eleanor is my bride. We were pledged to one another as children. She's mine."

"The hell you say!" Nori thundered. "I would never be your bride!"

Gavin smiled. "Of course not. Nori isn't suited to be the wife of the second-born son of a baron. She's meant to be mine. A War King's bride. His queen. The greatest treasure I'll ever hold."