Free The Lethal Flame (Flame Series) by Angie Arms

shattered by the time they reached them.  Men surrounded the horse as soon as it landed.  Keri tried to make herself as small a target as she could while Damien pivoted the horse left then right swinging his sword madly.  Screams rose up around her, sweat poured from the horse and she was sure the man.  Fear engulfed her, never had she seen a battle as intense as the one she found herself in the middle of. 
    He battled silently, he and his horse had been honed together on a battle field somewhere.  She could feel the guidance of the knight’s legs on his horse’s sides as he moved left, then right, pivoting on hind legs, rearing to avoid blades, the horse striking out with hoofs if any one came into range and the man who she clung to in complete control.  She looked about them for more of his men and she saw no one, only she, Damien and the gray on which they sat.  For the briefest of moments she wondered about herself chained to these people’s enemy.  They would see her as his whore as the people of Staward did, would they know of the stories being told about her at Langley?   What of her children?  She did not know where they kept Lottie, it was away from the main troops or she would have glimpsed them by now but they had to be near.  What would the people of Haltwhistle think of them when they found them? 
    A grunt from Damien and his sword fell from his hand.  Hands were pulling on Keri and she let out a scream before she was pulled from the horse.  Viselike arms wrapped around her from above and it was a short lived tug of war as Damien tumbled from the saddle with her, his arms wrapped about her.  Was he protecting her or was he only protecting the property of the king?  He landed on top of her, crushing her but immediately his weight rolled from her and her chains were yanked.  She saw in the maelstrom of battle that he still held them in his hand and had one length wrapped around a man’s neck and she watched him break his neck with the chain before letting him go.  The man’s sword was in Damien’s hand before his body hit the ground.  Another man attacked, his sword slicing across Damien’s thigh.  He swung on that man catching him in the chest.  She knew Damien’s aim was deadly and facing a man with armor a blow to the chest was not as effective, was he faltering.  For a moment she watched  Damien whirl the sword in his hand at the same time hefting it, testing it and his next blow took his attacker’s head nearly off. 
    Keri was grabbed, rough hands pulling at her, touching her.  Could these men really be lusting after a woman in the middle of battle?  She fought, the cloak long gone as a shield to her body.  She felt her arms nearly pull from their sockets when Damien yanked her chains bringing her closer to him.  Again, the soldiers tried to pull her away, their hands seeking, their mouths slobbering.  One man bit her on her shoulder and she screamed.
    Damien spun around, a foot coming up to step on her chains, yanking her down to the ground before he lunged over her, driving his sword into the man.  He fell in front of her in a blur as Damien yanked her back to her feet, his arm around her, holding her against him but still having room to swing the enemy’s weapon.  He fought tirelessly but she heard the panting of his breath within his helmet and knew he now fought against fatigue.  How much longer could he hold out?  Both of them were hit from the side with what felt like a wall and they went down, Damien’s hands falling from her as the chaos swirled around her.   She landed on him, rolled off and saw the sword in the dirt beside her.  The battle had long since torn the wrappings from her hands their wounds long since forgotten with the threat of death hanging over her.  She lunged for the sword, hands reaching for both her and the weapon but she reached it first, taking one man’s arm off at the shoulder as she spun on him.  When the man above Damien