Free A King's Betrayal by Linda Sole

thoughts chased round and round in her head.  She was becoming dizzy as the blood drained to her head and bitter vomit was in her throat.  Tossed and bruised by the jolting of the horse, she became aware that she was whimpering and crying.
                  ‘Be quiet, wench,’ the man grunted and Nessa was silenced.  She must do nothing to anger these men, but bide her time and wait for her chance to snatch the child and escape.
                  Lord  Tomas would come looking for his daughter and his nursemaid.  These evil men could not hope to escape  without being pursued and challenged.  Nessa had only to watch and wait.  If she could snatch the child and find her way back to Craigmere she would be forgiven.  Please, please let her be forgiven.
                  She thought of her life at the castle and her plans to wed one of the lord’s men-at-arms.  Alun would know she had been taken and he would search for her.  He would not let her be lost for long.  The thought comforted her and she felt the release of silent tears.
                  They had been riding for what seemed like hours.  Her body ached as if she had been beaten and her mind was confused, no longer able to think at all.  She drifted in and out of consciousness.  Surely this must end soon.  They must stop to rest the horses.
                  Yes, yes, the horse was definitely slowing.  She opened her eyes but her head was spinning as the horse finally stopped and then a stream of vomit rose up her throat and spewed out to the ground, splashing the animal’s flanks.  Her captor swore.  He dismounted and now his hands were on her.  He pulled her roughly from the horse, letting her fall to the ground.  The fall knocked the breath from her body and she was barely conscious.  When she managed to open her eyes four grinning faces were peering down at her.
                  ‘Look at those tits,’ one of the man said and she realised that her tunic was torn.  ‘I dare swear she’s as sweet as honey.  I want to suck her.’
                  ‘No!’ she screamed.  ‘My lady will pay good money for the child and for me…’
                  The men laughed as she clawed at her tunic, trying to cover herself and sit up.  One of them shoved her back with his foot, holding her down.
                  ‘Wait your turn, pig,’  Nessa’s captor muttered and opened his breeches.  Nessa could see that he was fully aroused, his organ large and long, and fear swept through her.  ‘I caught her.  She’s mine first.  When I’ve done you can have her.’
                  ‘He’ll be at it for hours,’ one of the men groaned.  ‘Leave some for me, Boris.  You killed the last one, let someone else have a go. Turn and turn about, that’s fair.’
                  ‘I want a piece of that sweet meat,’ the fourth man said.
                  Nessa screamed wildly as she realised what was happening.  She tried to get up but the man holding her down with his foot was grinning, amused by her struggles.  They were evil.  Devils!  She’d thought they would hold her for ransom but now she understood that she’d been taken for their sport.  They were going to rape her, one after the other.
                  ‘Where is Elspeth?’ she tried to say but the first man was on her, pawing at her breasts, forcing her legs apart as he jabbed at her thighs and then, lifting himself, thrust up into her dry opening.
                  Nessa had refused to lie with Alun, wanting to save herself for marriage.  She was virgin and tight and the man’s huge male organ tore her.  She felt the sharp stinging pain and writhed beneath him, screaming and weeping as she begged him to stop but her pleas fell on deaf ears.  There was a trickle of blood on her inner thigh and the pain was unbearable.  He