The Barbarian's Stolen Bride (Northmen Barbarians 1)

Stiles was on me a second later, using the momentum and his body so we slammed against the wall, my back roaring out from the sudden crush of stone to bone. But the pain was dimmed as my need to protect Prima reigned supreme.

I heard her cry out my name, and it gave me renewed strength. He had his hands on my throat, his face close to mine. I gave him the upper hand. Because when my adversaries thought they had the power, their arrogance blinded them to what was going on around them.

“I’ve never seen a prettier female than your wife.”

I bared my teeth but still let him think he had the upper hand.

“Let her see me defeat the Destroyer.”

I could smell the stink of corruption and depravity coming from him.

“You’ll regret even looking in her direction,” I sneered.

Stiles chuckled and tightened his hold on my neck. He was strong, but I was stronger.

“I fought beside Audun for years, caring naught for anything or anyone who came at me. I slayed them because they meant nothing.”

I brought my leg up and kneed him in the gut, his hold loosening enough that I could bring up my arm and elbow him in the jaw. He stumbled back, and it was my turn to grip his neck and twist him around, slamming his back hard enough against the wall that the air left him harshly.

“Audun will know of your trespasses against what I hold dearest.” I brought my forehead down, and it cracked against his nose, immediately causing the bone to break and blood to start pouring out. “And as much as I want to end you now, just fucking snuff the light out, I’ll let him get creative with your outcome.” I let the slow grin spread across my face. “He’s a crafty and clever bastard. I’m sure you’ve seen his handiwork on the field.”

Stiles’s blood covered my hand and forearm as it kept pouring out of his nose. Good, let the bastard bleed out for all I cared. As much as I wanted to end him, knowing what creative repercussions Audun would come up with for this offense to me and Prima was almost just as exciting to anticipate.

I felt the bastard’s body tense a second before a surge of power moved through him, and he snarled out and shoved me away. The force of his actions had me moving backward several steps until I was just a few feet from Prima.

“Stay back,” I said to Prima, wishing she wasn't even here, but in order to get her away, she’d have to move past the fucker, and that wasn’t going to happen.

“Fen,” she said slowly, her voice filled with angst.

“Go into the room, shut the door, and lock it.”

I knew she wouldn’t listen, my little wife who was stronger and braver than anyone would ever give her credit for.

But I could sense she didn’t move, wasn’t listening. She was too afraid. And I couldn’t focus on making sure she did what I said this one time, because Stiles was charging at me again, the gore and violence on his face strong enough that I felt it.

He slammed his body against me, and I stumbled back, crashing against the bedroom door, and it slammed against the wall. Prima cried out, and I wanted to see if she was okay, but I had a forearm locked around my throat and a massive body on top of me, keeping me pinned.

“Audun won’t do anything. He owes me his life.” He tightened his arm around my throat, and I felt the oxygen getting cut off.

I searched the room for Prima, my one concern that she was all right.

“I saved his life on the field, took a sword to the gut for that bastard. Nearly bled out, then nearly died from infection. That bastard owes me everything.”

I wasn’t paying attention, not when I finally spotted Prima standing against the wall, her hands to her mouth, her eyes wide as tears streamed down her face.

“Why do you think I came along with him to Kaldir? Learn thy enemy before you take them down.”

I chuckled softly. “You came to Kaldir because you thought to learn my secrets?” Fool. I threw him off, propelling his body backward. He crashed against the wooden bedpost. I was on him and then the next second grabbing either side of his head and slamming it against the wood over and over. “I didn’t come this far, gain this power, from being a fool and letting men who are hungry for supremacy take from me. Men like you who are ultimately weak and foolish in all ways.”

He sneered and pushed me off, shaking his head, a trickle of blood coming out one of his ears from the force of his head cracking against the bedpost. His nose had stopped bleeding, but his mouth and chin and the front of his shirt were covered in the visage of my violence.