Conquered

by Kirsten Osbourne

She laughed. “You think you can have sons where other men have failed?” If she and her sisters were fulfilling the prophecy, there was a good chance she would have sons, but she didn’t tell him that.

  “I think you will have strong Norman boys to help their father defend the castle we’re building.”

  “What will happen with Hugh and Charles? Will they go?” She hated the idea of the men leaving, because it would make her sisters unhappy, but she knew they had no control over the men’s actions.

  He shrugged, his eyes bleak. “I think Hugh would have lived out his life here if not for falling in love with your sister. Eva is making it much too hard for him to stay. He doesn’t feel like he’s good enough for her, because he was born a peasant. And Charles? Charles would never have been satisfied without land. Never.”

  Christiana nodded sadly. “I hate that they think they need to go. Eva will be heartbroken, and Marina will be angry.”

  “Why would Marina be angry?”

  Christiana shrugged. “Marina’s always angry. There’s just something about her personality that makes her angry. I wish there were a way to make them stay.” Her sisters needed to be happy just as she was.

  “I could order Hugh to stay, and he would do it, but I don’t like the idea of Charles going off without one of us at his side. I’m not leaving you, so that leaves Hugh to go with him.” Roland stroked his hand over her head. “We can’t make them love each other. They’ll work it out on their own, or they won’t.”

  “I know. I just wish we could.”

  “I will be asking both men to stay until after I’m certain the danger against you is over.” He stared into her eyes. “There’s more to come, isn’t there?”

  Christiana nodded. “From the stories Mother told us when we were girls we must each face our own trial to gain our full powers. What the trials will be, I don’t know.” She’d spent many years wishing she knew what the trials would be so they could prepare for them easier.

  “Do you believe you’ve passed your trial?”

  “Yes, I do. My powers are much stronger than they were when you arrived. Strong enough that they’re out of control at times.” She smiled, knowing he would understand her deliberate understatement.

  “I do believe you’ve passed your trial, but I’m not sure it was facing the danger of the man trying to take you.”

  She shook her head. “No, my trial was making peace with the man who came in with the Norman army and tried to conquer me. Loving him and having him love me in return was my trial.” She kissed his shoulder to let him know she hadn’t minded her trial at all.

  “Was it such a trial, love?”

  She smiled and kissed his jaw, snuggling up against him. “Not after the first few days.”

  He laughed. “You made the first few days very difficult.”

  She drew back indignantly. “I should have just accepted the fact that a stranger was my new husband? And not worried that I was being forced into a marriage when my betrothed was still living?” She knew even he wouldn’t have expected her to be the perfect wife under those circumstances.

  “You should have taken one look at me and known that I was the man destined to master you, of course.”

  She pulled back and glared at him. “I prefer to think of it as you were destined to partner me. Not master me.”

  “I came to conquer you, but was forced to love you. Let’s leave it at that.”

  She smiled and snuggled against him again. “I’ll be conquered by you any day, my love.”

  *****

  The master knelt on the ground before the fire, throwing a handful of sacred herbs into the dying embers. He watched the smoke form into shapes and began to curse long and loud. His most loyal servant had been killed. He would have to begin training a new servant to take his place. There were others loyal to his family, but which would be the strongest against the witches’ magic? Which would be the one who would be able to stand up against the Norman?

  His destiny was power, and he would find that power, whether his servant was with him or not. He didn’t mourn the man who died. He mourned what the man meant to his cause. The vessel was nothing. What he represented was everything.

  He stood from the fire and walked through the tents going to the man the smoke had told him he needed to choose. The man who would make all the difference in his quest to dominate all of England, Europe, and the world. Soon, he promised himself. Soon, I will fulfill my destiny and do what my forefathers were meant to do. I will be the ruler of all. I will make my family proud. I’m a descendant of the gods, and as their last descendent, it is my job to fulfill the family mission. I will not let three witches get in my way. They will join me and help me. It is written, and it will be so.

  Stalking into one of the tents, he kicked one of his men awake. “You will follow me.” He turned and left the tent, not waiting to see if the man would follow him.

  The man rose and followed the master without question. He knew his destiny, and he would fulfill it.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Adored, second book in the Thrice Blessed Trilogy.

  1066

  Chapter One

  Eva sat at the supper table with her father, Robert, two sisters, Christiana and Marina, her brother-in-law, Roland, and his two trusted men, Hugh and Charles. They had been able to save her sister, Christiana, just that afternoon from a force of evil. Where the ultimate evil was coming from, she and her sisters didn’t really know, but they understood the legend that had been passed down in their family, saying there was a source of evil and the three sisters born at the same time would be the ones with the powers to stop the evil. They’d passed round one, but each of them knew the “master” was still out there ready to hurt them all.

  The man sent to take her eldest sister Christiana was a fire-starter and had burned her badly. Without the powers of the three sisters used together, she would be dead. Eva still shuddered to think about what could have happened and wondered what the next test would be.

  Robert was clearly happy. He was thrilled Christiana had married Roland, a strong, handsome Norman who had come to conquer her and force her to be his bride, but had instead showed her love like she had never seen. Robert raised his glass in a toast, and lowered it after, looking around the table at each of his three beautiful daughters.

  Eva and Hugh had strong feelings for one another, and she was hoping for a marriage proposal any day. Surely he would offer her father for her hand in marriage within a fortnight. He was as in love with her as she was with him, and it was obvious in everything he did. Finding love in the men who had come to conquer them was surprising, but Eva couldn’t be happier. She had always firmly believed that no matter who someone was, at the core they were a person, capable of good or evil.

  Everything about Hugh shouted nobility to her. He was a kind, caring, gentle man who showed his love for her in everything he did. The fates were surely smiling down at her on the day she was born, or she’d never have found a man as precious as her Hugh.

  Robert had a huge smile on his face when he asked, “When will there be more weddings in this old house?” Robert was well aware that a new home for them all was being built very close in the form of a castle. And while the idea of a castle was nice, he wanted his daughters married in the home they’d grown up in, and no one could really blame him.

  Eva’s eyes went to Hugh’s with a smile, hoping he’d take the opportunity to ask her to be his wife. There was nothing in the world she wanted more than marrying the large dark warrior who had come with the conquering army.

  Hugh stood, shaking his head. “I could never marry Eva. She is too good for me.” He strode from the room as if nothing mattered to him more than getting away from her.

  Eva didn’t hear or see anything that happened after that. When she felt the tears prick her eyes, she projected an illusion of serenity to the room, hoping no one would realize that her heart had just been broken in two. Her sisters would know, of course, but she didn't w
ant her father to know, and she certainly didn't want Roland or Charles to know and carry tales back to Hugh.

  She thought they’d worked out the matter of his birth. Eva didn’t care that he’d been born a peasant and was only in their home because he’d saved Roland’s life as a child. Class distinctions had never really mattered to her family, and even less to her than the others.

  She thought all men should be judged on their own merits and not on the circumstances of their births. She would go talk to Hugh again, and he would understand that it didn’t matter, she decided. After supper, she and Hugh would talk and fall into one another’s arms kissing as they always did, and maybe tonight would be the night of his marriage proposal after all. Eva loved Hugh more than she’d ever imagined it was possible to love someone who wasn’t one of her sisters.

  Eva was the middle daughter of Robert and Eadwynn, who had died many years before. Eadwynn had been the descendant of druids and had always known her life was meant to be different than those around her. Eva and her two sisters were triplets, born just minutes apart, and each of them had a power from their druid ancestors.

  Christiana, the oldest, had the ability to talk to the others in her mind. She had done it since they were small girls, but just recently her powers had been so enhanced it felt as if she was always yelling in the others’ minds.

  Marina, the youngest, had been born with the power to heal others. Her powers hadn’t manifested until the three of them were six, but their mother had made it clear to them all that Marina’s powers would someday be the most important of all. She had healed many people over the years but had been unable to heal their mother in childbirth, something she couldn’t seem to forgive herself for.

  Eva had been born with the power of illusion. She could make things appear out of nowhere, but they weren’t things that could be touched or heard. She hoped that as the years went by, her powers would be enhanced like Christiana’s had been, but she had no way of knowing when or how such a thing could happen.

  Eva waited until everyone was finished eating before standing up to go talk to Hugh. She wasn’t sure where he was, but she needed to find him, and make sure he understood she loved him no matter what his background was.

  She wandered the halls for a moment to see if she could find him, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She finally decided she didn’t care if it was the right thing for a young unmarried lady to do, she was going to his room to see if she could find him so they could talk. Only people who cared about them were in the house, so what did it matter anyway?

  She stopped outside his room and knocked twice, quietly waiting for him to answer. “Enter!” His voice was deep and gruff. He sounded like he was just as upset as she was.

  She pushed open the door and stepped into the room, quietly closing it behind her. Hugh was lying on his bed without his shirt or anything covering his bareness. Eva stared transfixed having rarely seen a man without a shirt in her life, and she found Hugh’s muscles well-toned and sexy. She wanted to walk to him and touch the dark covering of hair there. How would he react if she moved her fingers through his chest hair?

  As soon as Hugh saw her, he sat up straight in bed. “What are you doing here? Did anyone see you come in?” He walked to the door and peered out into the hallway. “No one’s there. Go quickly!” He wouldn't hurt her reputation for anything.

  Eva walked over and sat down on the edge of his bed instead. “I came here to speak with you and I’m not leaving until I’ve done so.” How could he think she'd risk sneaking into his room, and then just leave before she'd said what she needed to say?

  Hugh sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re being stubborn, wench. Someone will know you are here, and it will ruin your reputation.” He couldn't force her to go, though. In their short time together, he'd learned that this woman couldn't be forced to do anything she didn't want to do. He wasn't certain yet if it was a point in her favor or against her.

  “I care naught for my reputation. You are the man I love, and you say you’re not good enough for me. That’s what I care about.” Eva moved to the head of the bed and leaned back against the headboard, patting the spot beside her so she could talk with him. “Join me.”

  Hugh shook his head. “I will not. I cannot let you make yourself unmarriageable.” How could she ask him that? She knew he felt too strongly for her to be near her and not touch her. She was tempting him too far.

  Eva noted that his eyes looked frightened, almost as if he were a deer with a hunter pointing an arrow at him. “You know I do not care at all that you were born a peasant, yet you still claim you are not good enough for me. I will not accept that answer from you, Hugh. How could I marry another man when it’s only your kisses I want?” She kept her voice calm and reasonable as she asked the question. She wanted to rage at him and hit him and scream, but she knew it would do no good.

  Hugh sighed heavily. “There’s a man for you, but it’s not me. You need a man who was born to the nobility, not just raised in it because he saved another child when he was a boy. You need someone who’s of your class. You don’t need me.” His eyes met hers for the first time. “You should go, Eva, before someone discovers you’re in here with me.” His greatest fear was someone would realize how close they'd become, and her chances at a real marriage with a man of her class would be ruined forever.

  Eva shook her head, feeling bolder than she’d ever felt. Hugh was the only man she’d ever felt comfortable with in her life. She could touch him and kiss him and not worry like she did with other men. She couldn’t let him go. She just couldn’t! “No, Hugh. You are the man that was put on this earth just for me, and I refuse to marry another. I’ll spend the rest of my life as a spinster before I’ll marry another man.” Eva got off his bed and walked to him, putting her hands on his shoulders and kissing him softly on the lips. “Dream of me,” she whispered as she sashayed from the room.

  *****

  Hugh watched Eva go, half afraid. What would he do if she wouldn’t back off? She made his heart sing and his body hard as a rock. How could he do anything if she wouldn’t agree to leave him alone?

  He so badly wanted her to understand why she was too good for him. If she couldn’t understand it, her feelings would be hurt, and he had no desire to ever hurt Eva. He couldn’t give into her, though. How could he marry her and condemn her to a life below her true station? How could he turn her into just a soldier’s wife instead of a rich baron’s daughter? He wouldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t do that to her. He loved her too much.

  He’d have to talk to Roland on the morrow. There was no other alternative. Maybe Roland would allow him to go off with Charles to join King William in London. If Charles served the king well, he would be given land. Maybe Hugh could serve him instead of Roland. He didn't feel the same loyalty toward Charles that he did toward Roland, but he would make do. He would do whatever he needed to do to keep his Eva pure for the man she was meant to marry.

  He hated the idea. He and Roland had been the closest of companions since they were just boys and he felt it was his sworn duty to protect his friend. How could he allow him to come to harm by not being there with him constantly?

  *****

  Early the following morn, Hugh met with Roland. “I must beg a favor of you.” He didn't know how to broach the topic with Roland, but he knew he needed to.

  Roland eyed him skeptically. “I’d say, ‘Anything for my friend,' but there’s something in your eye that tells me it’s not the right thing to say to you."

  Hugh was much darker in coloring than his blond-haired blue-eyed Norman friend. He was also a few inches shorter, though considered tall for his people. “I want to be allowed to leave for a time. Charles wants to seek his fortune in London with the king, and I would like to be allowed to join him.” Hugh’s brown eyes met Roland’s.

  Roland slowly shook his head. “Not until we’ve conquered the evil the sisters feel is coming. Each of them talk about a bigger test they
must face. Without you and Charles here, I don’t know if we can defeat that evil.” He needed the sword arm of every man, but he certainly couldn't let his two strongest men go. They would be invaluable against whatever enemy they faced.

  Hugh sighed. “I was afraid you would say that. I need to get away from Eva. She controls my every thought. I cannot stay here and live in such close proximity with her. I must get away.” How could he make his feelings clear?

  “I’m sorry, Hugh. I don’t think you leaving is the right thing to do. I think you should stay here and work out your differences with her. You have found a real love, and throwing it away is never the correct answer.” Roland hadn't truly believed in love until he'd taken Christiana in his arms. Yes, he'd craved it, but believing it would happen to him? No, he'd never thought that was possible.

  Hugh was so frustrated he wanted to punch a wall. “I can never do anything without thinking of her. She plagues my every waking thought. She came to my room last evening, just to tell me she wouldn’t give up on me and then she kissed me. She was never so forward!” He shook his head, feeling as if he should be confessing his sins to a priest, not to his friend.

  Roland tried to hide his smile, but didn’t quite succeed. “Eva has always struck me as the most timid of the three sisters. I’m pleased to hear she is not willing to just sit off to the side and let her life be settled for her.”

  Hugh stared at Roland in shock. “Timid? That woman is not timid. She makes me crazy!” He shook his head turning away. “Make certain we train hard today. I have the need to use my sword. Mayhap we could go into the forest and hunt down the resistance?” Killing someone was the only answer to his anger. That or bedding a woman, and as that was what he was trying to avoid, he knew that killing was what he needed to do.

  Roland waited until Hugh was out of earshot, before he began laughing, leaning against the wall in his merriment. He’d never seen Hugh so confused or so willing to go off and leave him alone. He liked the man Eva was turning his friend into, and he wasn’t afraid to say it.