Free Tapestries 05 - Embroidered Fantasies by N. J. Walters Page A

braids on either side of his face. His features were finer than Radnor’s, not quite as harsh. But there was no denying the resemblance between the two men. They were definitely brothers. This then, had to be Sednar.
    His gaze ran over her, slowing as it hit her breasts and continued a leisurely path to her bare feet. She curled her toes in the sun-warmed dirt even as she inched closer to Radnor. The heat from his large body gave her a sense of safety, which didn’t make much sense. There was nothing to be afraid of. As she kept reminding herself, this was just a dream.
    He turned his attention to Radnor. “What do we have here?” Radnor’s arm tightened around her and he pulled her closer. Her back was pressed against his chest, his hips against her lower back. She froze as a large, thick bulge nudged against her. Radnor was definitely aroused. Her nipples tightened and she bit her bottom lip to keep from moaning. This was so not the time or the place to get turned on. Problem was, her body wasn’t listening to reason.
    “This is Roxanne Sykes. The tapestry brought her.” Radnor’s deep voice rumbled against her back.
    A low murmur of surprise and shock rippled through the crowd. Bewilderment and then wonder etched Sednar’s face. The corners of his mouth slowly tipped upward in a smile. “Welcome to Craddock Keep. I am Sednar of the House of Craddock.” Roxanne’s stomach lurched and she broke out into a cold sweat even though the sun was warm and bright in the sky. All her senses were telling her this was indeed reality. Somehow, someway, she’d gone from her apartment to this strange new world.
    This couldn’t be happening. Yet it was. Her body swayed and the world suddenly closed in around her. Her vision dimmed, the edges going dark until all she could see was a pinprick of light. That winked out and she felt her body go limp. Her last thought was, What if this isn’t a dream?
    Radnor caught Roxanne as her body went limp, scooping her into his arms. Sednar rushed to his side, concern etched on his face. “What happened? Is she hurt?” Ignoring his brother’s questions, he started toward the keep. “We need hot water and the healer.”
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    Sednar grabbed Radnor’s arm, stopping his progress. “She is hurt.” Radnor scowled, not liking the implication in his brother’s words. “I didn’t do it,” he growled. “She was injured when she arrived. She said her ex-husband attacked her.”
    “She is married?”
    “No. She left him because he hit her,” Radnor explained as he carried Roxanne toward the keep. Just saying the words aloud had a hurricane of fury swirling deep inside him. He despised any man who would hurt a woman. Doubly so if the woman was Roxanne.
    He glanced down at her pale face, reassured by the slow, steady rise and fall of her chest. She was light in his arms. Her head rested in the crook of his shoulder, her breath warmed his skin. She felt right, as though she belonged there.
    “She is brave.” Sednar fell into step beside him. “To leave the man who hurt her.”
    “Yes.” She was brave and stubborn and the most precious creature he’d ever laid eyes on. He would stop at nothing to protect her and would thank the gods for the rest of his days if she chose to stay. He barely knew her and already she was a song in his blood, in his soul. What would it be like in three days if she left?
    He tightened his hold on her as he went through the massive oak and metal door and into the keep. Not pausing, he started up the stairs, carrying her to his room.
    Thankfully, Sednar didn’t object. His brother paused long enough to bellow a few orders before pounding up the stairs behind him. Sednar was only two steps behind by the time Radnor shouldered the door open and carried Roxanne into his room. He set her gently on the bed and had to force himself to release her.
    “The tapestry brought her?” Radnor could hear the disbelief in his brother’s voice.
    “That’s what she