Read Online The Heir by Suzanna Lynn - Free Book Online Page A

daybreak.”
    The words knocked the breath out of Luana.
She stood still as she stared up at him in shock.
    Even Isla seemed to be without words as she
gaped at him with her mouth open in astonishment. “I… yes… yes, I
will go now.”
    Baylin turned to Luana. “I must escort the
Princess back to her chambers.”
    “You can’t be serious.” Luana gave him a
look of astonishment. “You accused me of being a liar, then
declared you are leaving for war. Yet you are going to see to
Isla’s needs first?”
    “I’m not going to argue with you,” Baylin
said, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead. “I will return
to you shortly.”

Chapter Eight

    Baylin quickly delivered the Princess to her
parents and hastened to return to Luana. I cannot leave with
this anger between us.
    On his way, Baylin turned a corner and
bumped into Lord Cadman. Not this, not now.
    “Prince Baylin, dear nephew, been visiting
Princess Isla I see?” Cadman smiled slyly. “How easily you forget
your sweet bed wife when another pretty face shows itself.”
    “I do not have time for you,” Baylin said,
pushing by his uncle.
    “Probably for the best,” Cadman hissed. “The
Princess is a proper match, after all.”
    Baylin was furious. He turned to face
Cadman. “There will be no match, not for me. I have no desire to
marry the Princess.”
    “You don’t really have a choice though, do
you?” Lord Cadman gave a scheming snicker. “You will be forced to
marry Princess Isla and your little bed wife will be swept away
like dust in the wind, as though she had never been.”
    Baylin grabbed Cadman by the cuff of his
tunic. “You do not speak of Luana. You remove her from your
thoughts and do not dare speak of her again. You are a vile
monster.”
    “That’s no way to speak to your cherished
uncle.” Cadman glared at Baylin. “You must realize I have been
helping your father arrange this since you were a mere boy.”
    Baylin loosened his grip on Cadman’s tunic
as he took in the words. “What do you speak of?”
    “Your future, of course,” Cadman said
through crooked teeth. “Or rather, the long task of planning
it.”
    “Why would Father entrust you with an
undertaking like the joining of the Kingdoms? Those arrangements
are made in the strictest confidence between the Kings of each
house.”
    “My dear nephew,” Cadman’s tone was heavy
with false affection. “Your father was far too busy ruling the
Kingdom for matters such as betrothal. He knew I thought of you as
my own son, after all. So, in a way, this happy arrangement has
been in my hands all along.”
    Baylin slammed Cadman against the cold stone
wall. “You are a viper. I need only crush you beneath my boot to
rid the world of your vile presence.”
    His uncle laughed. “But you can’t, can you?
Your father, my older brother, he would never forgive you, would
he?”
    Baylin clenched his teeth and shoved his
uncle back down the hall away from him. “There will come a time
when he sees you for what you really are. And I will be there,
smiling down at you.”
    For the first time, Baylin saw fear flash
across his uncle’s face. This pleased Baylin. He turned and headed
to his chamber.
    When he arrived, he found Luana watching the
setting sun through the window. Her beauty still takes my breath
away. She turned at the sound of him; her eyes were red and her
cheeks were tear-stained.
    He crossed the room to her quickly. “What is
it?”
    “Do you really have to ask that?” she
retorted. “You announce you are leaving into battle and your first
instinct is to see Princess Isla to her chamber?”
    “I had to do what was right by her.” Baylin
tried to pull Luana into his arms. “I had to reconcile the two of
you.”
    Luana pushed away from Baylin, causing him
to take a step back. “Reconcile? How exactly did you reconcile it?
She attacked me and you gave her the affection!”
    He sighed. “I don’t want to argue with you.
I leave at first light and I do