Free The Stubborn Lord by Michelle M. Pillow Page A

have been, “Are you all right?” Not, “Where is your husband?”
    “I’m not really married. I mean, I am, but I’m not. It’s hard to explain,” Aeron said.
    Alek shot a sidelong glance to his wife and mumbled under his breath about how there seemed to be a lot of complications with the current bridal shipment.
    Kendall looked to the ground, not liking his harsh tone especially now that it was directed at her. She took a step away from him towards Aeron, putting herself between the two of them to diffuse the tense situation. To Aeron, she questioned, “What happened?”
    “I don’t know. There was the ceremony and then the king drugged me with this yellow pollen thing and then I was taken to…” Aeron turned and pointed up the mountain, clearly flustered and not making a lot of sense, “…to this cabin home in the mountains. I took a bath, went to bed and I woke up alone.”
    Alek took another forceful step in a clear effort to intimidate Aeron, which wasn’t necessary considering the poor woman already looked unnerved. “The mountain cabin? What happened? Where is your husband?”
    “I…” Aeron stumbled back. Alek grabbed the woman’s arm and jerked her to stand before him. He gave her a rough shake and forced her to stay upright when she swayed. Panicked, Aeron said, “I don’t know.”
    “What have you done?” he demanded.
    “I did nothing!” she yelled. “I woke up and he was gone.”
    “Who?”
    “My husband,” she answered, desperately tugging at her arm. “I waited for him for hours, most of the day, but I think he must have gone out the night before and he didn’t come back. He didn’t say what he was doing. I tried to find him, but it was as if he was just snatched from the ground into the heavens. I couldn’t even see footprints.”
    Kendall watched, unsure what to do. From what she could guess by the time that had passed and the haze of light, it was late in the day. Aeron had been at the bridal ceremony the night before. Kendall wondered if the woman was drugged, or perhaps simply confused by the daylight.
    Every muscle in Alek’s body was rigid. Surely this wasn’t a reaction to being interrupted during sex, before completion? She waited breathlessly, staring at his hand on Aeron’s arm. No, this was something more. Why was it this man had come to her rescue like a chivalrous gentleman and was now treating Aeron like some kind of alien invader?
    “Who is your husband?” Alek demanded more than asked.
    “B—Bron,” she stammered. “He’s the High—”
    “I know who he is,” Alek snapped. He let go of Aeron’s arm. He looked at Kendall and then Aeron. “We must go to the cabin. Bron would not have left her alone. Not for so long. Something must have happened.” He looked suspiciously at Aeron. “Or someone did something to him.”
    “I—”
    His look stopped Aeron from finishing. “We ride to the cabin,” Alek ordered.
    Kendall frowned, not liking his high-handed way. “What about your home? We were going—”
    “Our home will have to wait,” he broke in. “Get on the ceffyl.”
    Aeron moved, slow to obey as she went to the smaller animal.
    Kendall didn’t readily follow his command. She crossed her arms and gave him a stern look. This was not the Alek from the night before, the man who had saved her from the trackers, the man who smiled at her and kissed her. This Alek was hard and frankly a little mean. She didn’t appreciate this side of him.
    “Get on the ceffyl,” he repeated, directing the command at her. There was a stubbornness in his expression, demanding to be obeyed without question. Not even her father dared to order her around like that. In fact, she’d been in charge of her own life since she could remember—not counting the whole repossession ordeal.
    Kendall shivered as anger started to unfurl inside her chest, and still she didn’t move. He narrowed his eyes. She tried to keep his churning gaze but found herself looking away