The Mad Knight’s Bride
by Kate Hill
From New Concepts Publishing / All Romance Ebooks / Amazon / Barnes & Noble
Elaine awoke in almost complete darkness. Red embers burned low in the hearth across
the room. She rolled toward the wall and reached for Gabriel but found the bed empty.
“Gabriel?” She rose, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. As her eyes grew
accustomed to the dimness, she saw Gabriel was not in the cottage.
Elaine stoked the fire to brighten the room. She dressed hastily and stepped outside. The
moon shone in the clear winter sky, turning the snow-covered hills golden. Movement in the field behind the cottage caught her attention. Gabriel stood practicing with the two swords he’d taken from the raiders he’d killed. His feet shifted across the snow, his legs powerful as a great cat’s. Swinging the swords, he cut imaginary opponents and blocked their blows, each of his deadly movements appearing effortless.
Elaine approached silently, shivering in her woolen robe. Her gaze following his every
motion, she devoured his warrior’s beauty.
He stopped suddenly and turned to her, his breath coming in short, visible puffs in the
cold. Sweat misted his face in spite of the frigid air.
“These swords are the wrong size,” he said. “I’m getting accustomed to them, but if they
were a bit shorter and lighter, they’d be easier to handle together.”
“It must be the middle of the night, Gabriel. Couldn’t you sleep?”
He shook his head slightly, raising one of the swords and examining its glistening tip. “I
keep dreaming of battles.”
She tossed him a teasing smile. “I thought you dreamt of me.”
“Those dreams are even greater torment.” He sheathed his blades and drew her into his
arms. “When I wake, no matter what the hour, I want to take you then and there.”
“Feel free to wake me at any time.” She slipped her arms around him and touched her lips
to his before she buried her face in his hot neck.
She tilted her face up to his and he kissed her.
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