Read Online The Warrior by Margaret Mallory - Free Book Online

time.
    “Ye will pay for this,” Sean said as he shoved her against the bed.
    Sean was always accusing her of perceived wrongs or slights, and she had seen him
     angry countless times. But this was different. The rage in his eyes glowed like a
     wild beast and bespoke murder.
    Moira looked about her desperately for something to use to protect herself.
    “I should have known the boy wasn’t mine. He’s nothing like me.” Sean grabbed hold
     of her shoulders and shook her. “Ye told me he was born early!”
    “Ye remember the blood on the sheet,” Moira said. “Of course Ragnall is yours.”
    “Then why does he look exactly like that big red-haired MacDonald warrior?” Sean demanded.
    “He doesn’t!” Moira said, her voice sounding far too desperate. “Ragnall takes after
     my father and older brother. They were both fair.”
    “Ye lie,” Sean hissed an inch from her face. “That Duncan MacDonald looked at ye as
     if he believed ye belonged to him.”
    “I’ve told ye that I can’t help if men look at me.”
    “Other men look at ye as if they want ye,” Sean said. “But that man looked at ye as
     if he’d touched every inch of your skin and memorized it.”
    Moira shivered as Sean slid his hand around her neck in a menacing caress. His thick
     fingers curved around the back of her neck as he rubbed his thumb up under her chin,
     forcing her head back.
    “Don’t, Sean. Please.”
    “Ye made a fool of me for all these years.” He kissed her roughly on the mouth.
    She squirmed and tried to push him away. When he began to slowly squeeze her throat,
     she tried to scream, but it came out as a pathetic muffled sound against his mouth.
     Finally, she managed to sink her teeth into his bottom lip.
    He jerked back with a yelp and released her. “Goddamn ye!”
    She gasped for air. But then he punched her in the eye so hard that everything went
     black. She felt herself falling. Sean caught her and slammed her against the wall.
     Her head bounced against it, dazing her again. She blinked to clear the stars sparking
     across her vision in one eye. The other eye she couldn’t see out of at all.
    “You’ll never see Ragnall again!” Sean shouted. This time he hit her in the jaw. Pain
     jutted upward and exploded inside her head.
    Moira felt as if she were watching herself from a distance. He’s going to kill me this time drifted through her thoughts, but she felt indifferent to it.
    “Did ye hear me?” Sean shouted. His face was only inches from hers, but she could
     not see it clearly.
    When her head lolled to the side, he gripped her chin and held it. His fingers dug
     into her cheek, sending shooting pains from her injured jaw to her ear. She tasted
     the tang of blood on her tongue.
    “I’m going to kill your son, too,” Sean said.
    “Ragnall?” Her voice was a scratchy whisper. “No, ye can’t!”
    “I will,” Sean said. “And when he’s dead, there will be nothing left of ye on this
     earth.”
    Moira fought her way through the layers of fog in her head. She knew she must do something,
     but her body was slow to follow her commands. She had to concentrate to hit her fists
     against Sean’s chest, but her efforts were feeble.
    “I’ll bring Ragnall home and squeeze the life out of the little bastard,” Sean said
     through clenched teeth. “Just like this.”
    As Sean closed his hands around Moira’s throat, panic surged through her and blasted
     away the fog that had debilitated her. She had to live so she could protect her son
     from Sean. She scratched and clawed at his hands around her throat. When that did
     not stop him, she kneed him in the groin.
    “Huh!” Sean grunted and doubled over.
    Moira sucked in lungfuls of air. When he came at her again, she fought him off, kicking
     and raking his face with her nails. But Sean was far heavier and stronger, and soon
     he had his hands around her throat again. His eyes were wild and bulging. Drops of
     spittle came from his mouth