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Chapter 1

Scotland, The Highlands, 12th century

Her skin felt like the softest velvet and was as s her He wanted to caress and kiss every inch of her lovely naked body She belonged to hiht that consued to him

Her virginity

She was his and his alone, no other had the right He had waited They had waited for this h it opened for hi him as he slipped deeper and deeper inside her

“I love you, Royden—always”

He cherished those words, held on to theht barrier that blocked him—her maidenhead

She was his to claim, always had been, and once he broke the barrier she’d be his always They would be forever joined as one Even when separated, they’d still reh this special moment when they sealed their vows

He looked into her eyes and fell more deeply in love if that was possible, her beautiful s his heart as she whispered, “Come to me I’m yours”

Royden ith a start, jolting up in bed angry to wake fro years of thinking, dreaet ho and who had loved him—always

He didn’t know if she had survived the attack on their wedding day that had torn not only them apart but his whole family, his whole clan The last ti women and children into the safety of the keep Her fate was unknown to him and he ached to knohat had happened to her He had no idea if his da had died or survived He and his brother, Arran, had spent about a year together before they’d been separated He had no knowledge of what happened to him And there was his sister, Raven, a handful of a lass If anyone could survive, she could and he hoped she had since he had learned that she’d never been found

From theand returning hoe on whoever was responsible for the devastation to their clan They’d been taken to the o, the land desolate and unforgiving At tin soil, though they were always returned hoiven a chance once duht or die

He ran his right hand through his dark hair that barely touched his shoulders He swung his legs off the edge of the rurabbed the black leather cuff off the low chest next to the bed He slipped it on the stub of where his left hand should have been and used his teeth to help tighten the leather strips that kept it securely in place It had taken ti only one hand and it hadn’t been easy The day of the attack had been seared into hisday

He stood and reached for his shirt He had grown thicker with muscle over the last few years, his chest and ars as well Muscle wasn’t the only thing he had gained He’d also gained scars, soe, froh, were as deep as the scar on his heart It tormented him that he had failed not only to protect Oria, but to wed her, make her his wife, seal their union That chance had passed him by and was no more

Not that he didn’t dream or hope that by some miracle Oria had survived and when he was finally able to return ho for him

He turned at the rustle of blankets and shook his head at the wo in his bed He hated that after a while he couldn’t deny hi woman He had a need, especially after battle, and women were supplied to the men in abundance He seldos when he coupled just a need that had to be satisfied Still, his need troubled him and when he saw that some woone, what Oria e her need Not that he would blame her If anyone was to blame, it was he himself