A Yuletide Kiss: A Warrior Maids of Rivenloch short story (The Warrior Maids of Rivenloch) by Glynnis Campbell on November 21st 2017
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Damsels in shining armor...riding to the rescue! Deirdre, Helena, and Miriel, three kick-arse Scots wenches known as The Warrior Maids of Rivenloch, aren’t about to become any man’s chattel, until they meet heroes who are strong enough to tame their wild ways and worthy enough to win their wayward hearts.
A YULETIDE KISS (short story)
Half-Viking shieldmaiden Kimbery of Rivenloch has until Yuletide to choose a bridegroom…or one will be chosen for her. But when the barbarian Brude the Brutal travels to claim his betrothed, he finds himself bewitched instead by a runaway bride.
Kimbery pulled the edges of her gray woolen hood across her face to hide the plumes of her warm breath on the cold air. She’d managed to slip the pursuit of her da’s men, a pack of broad-shouldered Vikings who’d landed on her shores two decades ago and never left.
The Northmen had been heroes to a four-year-old lass with no father. They’d quickly adopted her—a half-Viking child of rape—as their own. But now that Kimbery was a grown woman, their ubiquitous presence was smothering.
It wouldn’t be long before they discovered her tracks in the snow. She couldn’t stay in the woods. Though her fury was fiery enough at the moment to keep her from feeling the biting frost, she had to find a way to escape—permanently.
How could she lose them? Where could she go?
She bit the corner of her lip.
This far from Rivenloch, there was only one place close enough to seek refuge. About a mile up ahead, if she cut through the forest, stood a roadside alehouse. It was a place of ill repute. Aebbe Cambeul, the alewife there, employed a few maids of questionable virtue. She was known to supply men with more than ale.
It was the last place the Vikings would think to look for the respectable laird’s daughter.
The disreputable thatched alehouse looked remarkably inviting. The golden glow of firelight leaked through the cracks in the shuttered windows of the lower level. And above the upper floor, thick white smoke curled from the chimney into the gray sky.
Kimbery hesitated. If anyone in the alehouse recognized her, they’d report her to her da’s men. But chances were, on the day before Yule, the only people inside were travelers, strangers who had no idea who she was.
With a hasty glance over her shoulder, she hurried forward. Pulling her hood closer around her face to conceal the one feature that would surely give her away—her white-blonde hair—she pushed through the door.
Trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, she quickly perused the room. A russet-haired youth warmed his hands by the peat fire. Three big, black-bearded men swapped stories at a table, guzzling ale and laughing loudly. Aebbe the alewife served buttered bread to a young couple with a babe in swaddling. Meanwhile, Modwenna, one of Aebbe’s harlots, minced up the stairs.
Kimbery figured she’d follow Modwenna and hide in one of the upstairs chambers until she was sure her da’s men hadn’t spotted her.
She’d begun edging casually toward the steps and climbed three stairs when Aebbe suddenly called out, “Here, lass! Where are you going?”
Fearful the alewife would expose her identity, Kimbery scurried up five more steps.
The alehouse door opened with an abrupt bang under the power of a Viking arm. The sound distracted the alewife long enough for Kimbery to finish taking the stairs and slip out of sight.
Damn! How had the Northmen gotten here so soon?
Thinking fast, Kimbery slipped through the crack of the first door she found, barreling into the chamber and its occupant. She turned long enough to slam and latch the door.
“What the devil?” someone growled behind her.
“Shh!” she hissed, pressing her ear to the door and holding up a hand to silence the occupant.
They were coming. She recognized Axlan’s bold voice, demanding to know where the laird’s daughter was.
She could also hear a soft reply, probably Modwenna.
Behind her, the occupant of the room grumbled, “Is that my brother at the door?”
“Hush!” she bade him again.
“If it is, I’ll speak to him,” he stated, ignoring her command, “because if you’re not here of your own accord…”
Exasperated, she turned to him with a scowl.
Her angry oath instantly dissolved on her tongue.
Before her was the most magnificent creature she’d ever seen. He was gigantic, more wide-shouldered and broad-chested than Axlan, her da’s best warrior. Beneath the epaulets of his leather hauberk, she could see solid, well-muscled arms that strained the fabric of his brown woolen shirt. His thick hair and beard were as black as midnight. His mouth was grim. His jaw was resolute. His brows were furrowed, and beneath them, his eyes were as deep, dark, and unforgiving as the midnight sky.
Perfect, she thought. If anyone could protect her against a pack of Vikings, it was this beast.
You can get the other books in this series….
(Currently only available for Kindle Unlimited in the collection, WARRIORS OF ODIN)
When his wife and children die, Viking marauder Brandr has nothing left to live for, so he sails away on one final voyage. A storm at sea leaves him shipwrecked, alone, and barely alive on a foreign coastline. Along the Pictish shore, Avril, a warrior maid and the victim of a Viking berserker, banished from her ancestral home of Rivenloch to a seaside cottage, dreams of the day she’ll raise her sword, take back the castle that is rightfully hers, and find her half-Viking daughter Kimbery a proper father. Discovering a broad-shouldered, fair-haired, broken castaway washed up on her beach among the
THE WARRIOR MAIDS OF RIVENLOCH:
Damsels in shining armor…riding to the rescue! Deirdre, Helena, and Miriel, three kick-arse Scots wenches known as The Warrior Maids of Rivenloch, aren’t about to become any man’s chattel, until they meet heroes who are strong enough to tame their wild ways and worthy enough to win their wayward hearts.
Book 1: LADY DANGER
Born to the blade and raised to fear no one, Deirdre of Rivenloch never shies away from a fight and never turns her back on a threat to her land or her family. But she’s never met a man like Sir Pagan Cameliard, the bold and powerful knight who comes at the king’s command to make a marriage alliance with Rivenloch. To save her younger sister, Deirdre tricks Pagan into marrying her instead, and now she faces a new kind of enemy who crosses swords with her by day and lays siege to her heart by night.
Book 2: CAPTIVE HEART
Helena of Rivenloch has fire in her heart and battle in her blood, and she’s desperate to save her youngest sister from a fate worse than death…marriage. When Helena attempts and fails to slay the bridegroom, she does the next best thing…abducts his right-hand man, the witty and dashing Sir Colin du Lac, and demands her sister as ransom. But her plans go awry as her captive—amused and enchanted by her wild spirit—becomes a willing participant in her scheme, and Helena soon finds her own heart held hostage.
Book 3: KNIGHT’S PRIZE
Miriel of Rivenloch may not have the killer instincts of her older sisters, but she’s keeping a dangerous secret. She knows more than she’s letting on about the mysterious Shadow, the forest outlaw who robs from the rich and gives to the poor. And when devil-may-care mercenary Sir Rand la Nuit, hot on the trail of The Shadow, claims to be in love with Miriel, she knows he’s hiding something, too. It’s a battle of wits as they race to uncover each other’s secrets before their make-believe romance takes on a life of its own.
You can find other books by Glynnis Campbell on Goodreads.
About Glynnis Campbell
GLYNNIS CAMPBELL is a USA Today bestselling author of swashbuckling action-adventure romance. She’s the wife of a rock star, and the mother of two young adults, but she’s also been a ballerina, a typographer, a film composer, a piano player, a singer in an all-girl rock band, and a voice in those violent video games you won’t let your kids play. She does her best writing on cruise ships, in Scottish castles, on her husband’s tour bus, and at home in her sunny southern California garden. Glynnis loves to play medieval matchmaker, transporting readers to a place where the bold heroes have endearing flaws, the women are stronger than they look, the land is lush and untamed, and chivalry is alive and well!
I read about 30+ books a year
Wow! I wish I could write that fast, Lisa!
I read 200 books each year.
That’s wild! But I’m grateful for readers like you, Anne.
at least 75 books/year
Hi, Denise! That’s over a book a week! I hope you take time off for Thanksgiving. 😉
I read between 100 and 150 books a year!
How do you do it, Patricia? (I wish I had more time to read for fun.)
Happy Holidays!
I read anywhere between 50 and 125 books a year… It hinges on how my summer reading is! Looking forward to reading this, it sounds like a Fantastical read 😉
Cheers~
Kelly Braun
Aww, happy holidays to you too, Kelly! I hope you enjoy this wee tale.
Lots & lots…. But since I read mostly e-books it’s hard to judge how ‘big’ the books really are. I have a stack on my Kindle & Kindle Fire. I read about a book a day.
Seriously, Kate?!? You must be a fast reader!
I read as many books as I can, about 5 a week.
Seriously, Kate?!? You must be a fast reader!
Oops, sorry, that got posted on the wrong comment. But wow, you read fast too, Catherine!
I read about 50 books a year
That’s impressive, Glenda! You’re an author’s dream.
About 50, around a book a week.
You’re definitely a supporter of the arts, Mary!
I preordered because I love your books! I’ll read as soon as I get a chance. I know it’s going to be great!
Woot! You’re the best, Kathryn–thank you!
Last year, I read 214 books.
That’s genuinely remarkable, Janie!
Thank you, everyone, for the great time here at Buried Under Romance! I’ve randomly chosen the winners to receive autographed books. They are Christina L. Riggs, Catherine Lemanski, and Monika Page! Congratulations, winners! Be sure to email me with your mailing address so I can get your prize in the mail. And thank you all for playing!