by Nicole René
Contents
Introduction
Warning
How the Warrior Fell
Glossary
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Epilogue
Bonus Chapter
How the Warrior Claimed
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Epilogue
How They Fell
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Bonus Material
About the Author
Acknowledgments
How the Warrior Fell
(Falling Warriors, #1)
* * *
SHE was the Chief's daughter in a small tribe...
* * *
To bring an end to an ancient feud between her tribe and another, Leawyn's hand in marriage to Chief Xavier was the only way to ensure peace.
* * *
HE was the fiercest warrior of them all...
* * *
Plucked from everything she's ever known, and bound to a man she hates, Leawyn must learn to be strong. Each passing day renews Leawyn's longing to escape, but when a new threat from a mysterious foe puts the tribes in jeopardy, everything changes...including her feelings for Xavier.
* * *
Bound between duty and honor, Leawyn must make the decision that could change everything. Can she stay and accept her new life, and her husband? Or is Xavier's heart too cold for her to melt?
* * *
Lines will be broken.
* * *
Blood will be shed.
* * *
With love being their biggest battle of all, only time will tell, if it will be enough...to make her warrior fall.
* * *
How the Warrior Claimed
(Falling Warriors, #2)
* * *
HE was the chief’s cousin.
Namoriee knew the only way to protect herself against the blond-haired gentle giant was to stay away. The way her heart pounded and her insides fluttered when he was near could only lead to disaster.
Two years ago he made a promise to her that she never thought he intended to keep.
She was wrong.
SHE was the handmaiden.
Tyronian wanted Namoriee even when he knew he couldn’t have her. The need to possess her was so deep, it took every ounce of mental and physical strength he had to keep the promise he made to her that stormy night.
He promised he would wait until she was older.
He promised her two years.
But now… time’s up.
Namoriee wants nothing to do with him but he has no plans on stopping until she’s in his bed, and he’s in her heart.
She will be his. Forever.
Whether she likes it or not.
* * *
How They Fell
(Falling Warriors, #1.5)
THEY LEARNED TO LOVE WITHIN CHAOS.
* * *
It seemed like forever ago that Leawyn was arranged to marry Xavier, the Chief of the Izayges and the most fearsome man in their history.
* * *
What started off as hate, turned into something far more powerful than either of them expected.
* * *
Together, they survived betrayal, jealousy and—eventually—war.
* * *
But now, the battle was over, and Leawyn and Xavier found themselves at a loss in the after effects.
* * *
CAN THEY LEARN TO LOVE WITHIN PEACE?
* * *
Xavier didn’t deserve Leawyn, or her love, but he had it and he’ll never let her go.
She sacrificed everything for him and he vowed to repay her in the only way he knew how.
He promised her forever.
She was the lightness in his dark world, but now…turmoil laid behind her eyes, and her light was dimming.
Leaving Xavier terrified that he couldn’t bring it back.
He promised to protect her.
He promised to fight for her…but how could he fight a ghost?
This is a Dark Historical Romance taking place during a time way before there was such a thing as feminism, women’s rights, and #equality.
* * *
If you’re unable to put away your 21st century mindset whilst getting lost in these stories…then I strongly suggest you don’t take a sip of this particular Kool-aid.
* * *
For those of you brave enough—bottoms up.
Copyright © 2018 Nicole René
©Mermaid Publishing House
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 0692750266
ISBN-13: 978-0692750261
* * *
Editors:
© Indie Solutions
http://www.murphyrae.net/
© Mountains Wanted Indie Author Services & Publishing
https://www.mountainswanted.com/
* * *
Interior Formatting:
© Mermaid Publishing House
* * *
Cover design:
© Tiffany Black @ T.E Black Designs
https://www.teblackdesigns.com
* * *
Cover photography by:
© Joel Hicks Photography
http://www.joelhicksbookcovers.com/
Models:
Joel Hicks and Tillie Feather
* * *
Copyright: © 2018
All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted to any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or locales are used factiously. Other names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
* * *
* * *
Xavier: X-avier
Leawyn: Lee-uh-wen
Tyronian: Ty-row-knee-an
Namoriee: Nam-or-ree
Killix: Kill-ix
Deydrey: Dey-dré
Izayges: Iz-uh-gez
Rhoxolani: Rox-oh-lani
Siraces: Sir-aces
Asori: Uh-soar-ee
Cantos: Can-tos
Castic: Cas-tick
Asten: Ass-ten
Garnette: Gar-net
Torrick: Tor-rick
Samanthia: Saman-thea
Kisias: Kiss-e-us
Yoro: Yo-ro
Boers: Bors
Dkésea: Duh-kay-sea
To my family.
(Yes, you still have to skip over the sex scenes. Especially you, Grandma.)
“Leawyn?”
“Leawyn, where are you?”
Leawyn stood, turning her cerulean eyes in the direction the familiar voice was calling her from. Pushing a wayward strand of hair away from her face as she made her way down to her handmaiden, Brees.
“Leawyn, if you don’t come here right now, I’ll—”
“I’m here, Brees,” she called out, her voice soft and melodic. She came around the corner of the small cove she was resting in. Brees whirled around to face her, a disapproving frown in place.
“Where have you been? I have been looking everywhere for you!” Brees snatched her by the wrist, her face twisted in a scowl.
“I was just—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Brees snapped, interrupting Leawyn mid-sentence. “I don’t know how many times I’ve told you to not wander off when you have so much work to do.”
Leawyn stayed silent, knowing that provoking Brees wouldn’t do her any good as she was dragged up the sandy hill that separated the beach and their village.
Brees had been her handmaiden for as long as she could remember. Though, in Leawyn’s eyes, Brees was more of a mother to her since her own mother died giving birth to her.
“What’s the hurry, Brees?” Leawyn asked, amused by the woman’s pace. She practically had to jog to keep alongside her fussy handmaiden.
Brees huffed, looking over her shoulder at Leawyn. “Have you forgotten?” Brees asked in her strange accent.
Brees wasn’t born in the Rhoxolani like Leawyn was, and instead came to their humble village when Brees was just a young girl traveling with a band of sea merchants. It was here, in the Rhoxolani tribe, that Brees met and fell in love with a young Rhoxolani warrior whom she later married.
Gwan, unfortunately, was slain during one of the many tribe battles between the Izayges and Rhoxolani.
Leawyn’s brows knitted together in confusion at her handmaiden’s impatience. She couldn't think of anything particularly special about today. She woke up and did her chores just like any other day. Then, she took her mare, Deydrey, out for a ride on the beach. After she had put Deydrey back in the stables, she went out to the cliffs to sit and enjoy time to herself.
Was she supposed to do something else?
Leawyn smiled guiltily at Brees when she looked over her shoulder at her silence. “For Goddess’s sakes, Leawyn! You were told earlier today!”
She opened her mouth, about to tell Brees that she had no idea what she was talking about. No one told Leawyn anything. But, judging by the annoyed scowl on Brees’s face, she thought better of it and closed her mouth.
They reached the main hut, and a few moments later, Brees opened the partition to Leawyn’s room and ushered her in. She watched as Brees went to her chest of gowns and searched through them.
“Wear this.” Brees shoved a pale blue dress into her hands.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” she asked, looking down to her modest brown gown.
At Brees’s annoyed glare, Leawyn wisely didn’t argue further and instead put on the garment. The color of the dress brought out Leawyn’s eyes and made her golden hair that much brighter. It had a sweetheart neckline with long sleeves that tightly gripped Leawyn’s arms before flaring out at her elbows. It was long, covering Leawyn’s dainty feet and brushing the floor with each step she took.
Once she was done changing, Brees guided her to the stool in the middle of the room. Pushing down on Leawyn’s shoulders, Brees reached around her, grabbed her brush and began combing her long hair.
It was silent between them for a few minutes, then, “Leawyn, you do know what tonight is, don’t you?”
Leawyn hesitated, pulling a loose string from her dress before she answered. “I’m sorry, Brees, I truly have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She turned to look over her shoulder when Brees suddenly grew still. She grew worried by the way Brees looked at her.
It was as if she were about to tell Leawyn a terrible secret.
“No one told you?” Brees breathed out in shocked-horror.
“Tell me what?”
“Oh, Leawyn,” Brees said tenderly. She ran the back of her hand down Leawyn’s unblemished cheek. Her eyes misted over.
“Leawyn…your father received word this morning. The Izayges Chief grew tired of waiting and sent word that he would be arriving early.” Brees hesitated. “That was six days ago.”
Leawyn felt herself growing faint at the implications of what she was saying.
“No,” Leawyn whispered, her eyes filling with panicked tears. She shook her head in denial. “I’m supposed to have until the winter. We weren’t supposed to meet until the leaves fall!”
“Leawyn, he’s arriving tonight,” Brees informed her gently, as if her heart were breaking too.
Leawyn’s world froze; icy fingers of dread gripped her heart. Tonight, her world would change forever.
Tonight, she would meet Xavier, the Chief of the Izayges.
The man who was the most dangerous warrior in Samaritan history.
Her betrothed.
Xavier stared out at the village before him as he sat atop his stallion, Killix. His face was emotionless, giving nothing away to the disgust he was feeling as he and his party traveled with him to meet with the Rhoxolani’s chief and his daughter.
The daughter who was to become his wife.
He held in his sigh. He did not want to get married. He preferred the freedom he found in battle, and of taking common whores to satisfy his most primal desires. But, being the chief of the Izayges meant protecting his village, and the demand of breeding heirs was a priority. At thirty-two, he was the strongest and fiercest warrior in Izayges history.
What was he to do with a wife?
Xavier’s eyes narrowed as his party grew closer to the little tribe that was the Rhoxolani. Their village was small—no more than a hundred people living there—and the smell of the ocean permeated the air, the aroma growing more prominent as they drew closer. The Rhoxolani were known to be light in every aspect. From their fair hair, sun-kissed skin, to their light-colored eyes.
