Conquered Love (Love Series: Book 1) FREE READ

Chapter 7: The Soul's Haven

::Ryanna's POV::

I didn't want to speak to him. I didn't want to look at him. I was incredibly upset.

But I also could not blame him.

After what I overheard in their fancy council room, I had to snap myself out of it. This man had goals and an ambition to secure a future for his people. For a savage, he was incredibly noble. I didn't understand what that bird guy was cawing about until he put the spotlight on me. It gave away my stealthiness, but it grinded my gears looking at that confident smirk he had on as Dom turned around in horror.

I know Keneff told me to stay put, but I had to get to him as soon as possible! There were a group of people nearby that were handing off news articles. One of them scoffed and said, "So we have an outsider among our borders? And a reward of 100,000 gold pieces for her rightful return to the northern border? Count me in!"

My alarms sirened, and I knew they were talking about me. I was still in the hide clothing that Dom gave me and honestly thanked him, because it allowed me to blend in with them.

"Imagine getting paid to get rid of a pest," a villager said.

"We outta search the borders let's head out tonight," another proclaimed.

As they cheered on, a piece of the page flew right before me. I quickly snatched it and it was indeed true. They had my name and a drawn out picture of what I looked like! The moment I got that, I ran past Keneff and straight into the building. There were no guards whatsoever, they probably trusted that everyone respected the building.

Dom decided to ride with me in the carriage and Keneff happily said nothing to oppose. For a long while, there was complete silence. We were headed to Dom's tribal village, which would take a whole day of traveling. Then suddenly, he broke the ice.

"Why don't you listen to me?" he asked, defeated.

A part of me felt bad, I had been nothing but the opposite of helpful to him. I can't admit that me sprinting into that building only made my recovery of my ankle prolonged. But, he was the only one who could keep me safe. I handed him the flyer and his face was not impressed.

"So he chose to lie to me and my people huh?" he scoffed.

"Wh-what do you mean?" I asked, clearly confused.

"No offense," he looked me dead in the eye, "But this is just bait money to get you to come out. They lied on their deal before. Do you actually think he'd pull through on this one?"

He actually had a point.

"Look..." he bent forward and softly said, "As long as you want me to protect you, I will do my best. I decided to take you under my wing."

He then sighed, "And about what you heard earlier..."

"Why did you decide to take me away from the borders?" I interrupted.

There was silence once again, but he shook his head and relocked gazes with me.

"Because you reminded me of someone I loved dearly, my sister," he looked as if it hurt him just mentioning that last word, "Although she was not blood, we grew up together under the same household..." he paused again, "... she was an orphan."

I listened contently.

"Long story short, she fell in love with a northern border guard. It was forbidden," he then dropped his head, "It wasn't any of their faults, they were just two hearts who came from different worlds."

"What happened?" I expressed sympathy.

"Well... there was a dispute between both sides. The king of the northern border declared that he was to be beheaded in an attempt for order. The southern border did not believe in beheading their own kind, but had ostracized her greatly. My family had taken her under our wing for a while. That was until..."

I leaned in closer, clearly focused and wanting to know more.

"The day of the execution she stood there and watched her beloved get decapitated by the headsman. She wore a thick mask, but I saw the pain through her eyes. She was confused, heartbroken, she was angry," he folded his arms and pursed his lips, "I watched her deteriorate through her trauma. We have tried to be sensitive about the situation and let her know it wasn't her fault."

I felt a similar pain that night when I was locked up in that tower.

He continued, "She took her own life with the silk scarf he gifted her..." another pause, "... and she was pregnant."

My eyes flashed with so much pain and sadness hearing all of this. I couldn't say anything but knew that my breathing could not be controlled at the moment.

"I'm sorry for your loss," was all I could say.

"As much as it does bring me great grief, it's not uncommon to say the least," he then looked away, half regretting what he said.

"Why can't people choose to love who they want to?" I meant that question for myself.

"Because people are selfish, and the ringmasters want to whip their 'sheeple' back in line," Dom shrugged.

I felt his anger and resentment in his tone. He was against those who took away other's natural instinctive rights. Bloodline or territory did not make something out of someone. It is the people that make society. If people cared more, then they wouldn't have lost two souls!

And here we are again, with the scheme to relive that horrific trauma.

"Am I a hindrance to your mission?" I gulped silently.

He then looked at me with those sullen eyes, "You're the biggest reason why I keep going."

I started to feel the blood rush to my cheeks, I was silently choking, needing air.

"If you don't want me, I c-"

"I want you!" I burst.

Dom focused at me, taken aback by my words.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

I felt embarrassed but gently folded my hands on top of each other. I looked up at him with the shared little hope I had left in my soul. I couldn't lie any further.

"I want you. I've always wanted you! I- I was in so much denial and uncertainty that I-I"

I was about to wipe my tears away when I felt a warm palm rest on my cheek. Dom pulled me in and our lips met.

His lips were incredibly soft, and so warm. I wanted to pull away from all of this sudden actions, but my heart didn't allow me to. I gently pressed onto his and closed my eyes. The sensation of feeling his lips against mine was indescribable. He started to gently push and pull back switching positions. I followed his lead. My emotions were in an uproar. I was actually kissing Lord Dom!

I didn't feel like I wanted it to end, I could feel his need to continue. His kisses felt like an urge to claim, and my mind was ready to submit. I slightly opened my mouth to gain a small gasp of air and he opened his eyes to look into mine.

"There you are, sweetheart," he lapsed his lips against mine and slowly inserted his tongue. I was shocked at first, but I nervously tried to mimic his movement. This was my first ever kiss!

And then he pulled away. His face was cherry red as he looked away for distraction.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Why did he abruptly end what I've been craving for?

Wait! I can't just say that!

"I know the road ahead is a bit bumpy, but if we do not stop now, we may be tipped overboard," he shifted his position.

"What do you mea- ohhh!" I realized what he was talking about.

I must be crazy because the thought of that happening had piqued my interest for some odd reason. My thoughts fluttered with the what ifs and curiosities of the other side were really hard to voice out.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself," he continued, looking out the carriage.

"No need to apologize," I whispered, "I wasn't sure you wanted me."

He instantly turned around and looked at me like I was crazy, "How can you think that? I literally called you my wife the first night..."

"So you don't want to marry Angelica?" I shrewd.

"Is that her name?" he asked, almost disgusted.

"Well-yeah?" I didn't see what was wrong with her name, despite that we were not on good terms.

"You and I have a lot to learn about each other," he chuckled under his breath.

"What do you mean by that?" I folded my arms.

"Can we continue to learn about each other?" he puffed his chest out a bit with a confident smirk on his face. I knew what he meant by that, and I couldn't help myself but to tease him a bit, "As long as you can keep me alive, you won't have to marry my sister, I guess?"

"That 100,000 gold pieces sounds kinda enticing though," he joked.

My mouth gaped in disbelief, but I knew he was playful. I secretly loved his bantering nature. From someone who was misinterpreted and a survivor, I couldn't help the attraction I denied myself about him.

"Lord Dom," Keneff interrupted.

"Yes?" he answered, not leaving my gaze.

"The scouts have reported back, they said we could accelerate as there no threats within the 20-mile radius. We will be home by nightfall," he announced.

"Oh?" he half answered, "Well then, full speed ahead," he looked at me dangerously, "I can't wait to go home."

What did I get myself into...

"As you wish, mi Lord," he whipped the horses to full speed, and we went off to Dom's tribal home.

I didn't know what to say further so I bowed my head in awkwardness. Dom looked at me amusingly, and then looked up with regret, "I don't mean to sour the mood, but I just remembered I was scheduled for a two-week trek to Gorben Village tomorrow."

Wait what?!

"Yeah," he sighed, "There are a few vikings spotted in the Inns that Tyrion reported back to. I am to investigate and eliminate if necessary."

"Do you ever get a day off?" I questioned.

"Not when you're the ruler of the rebellion of the south you don't," he muttered. He then lifted an eyebrow, "Why? Are you going to miss me sweetheart?"

"As if!" I lied. I lied really badly because he read right through my expression.

"Don't worry, if everything goes well I could be back in a week," he estimated.

"What if you don't return?" I paused.

"Then you lead the rebellion and kill the king," he simply said.

No way!

"I'm joking," he rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't die on a minuscule mission like this one, I promise you," he gently looked over to me, "I will come back for you."

Those words caused a whole lot of butterflies to rampage in my stomach. He had such a balance of sarcasm and gentleness that made me want to leap right in his arms. We settled in the carriage, I rested on his lap and fell asleep. I felt so safe being next to him. I can rely on his promise right? I drifted off to sleep while he played with my hair and caressed my head.

::Dom's POV::

She's asleep now.

Today had been extremely crazy! First, the meeting. Then she came in and Tyrion...

I'm gonna rip him a new one.

Tyrion scared her off, and then come to find out that bastard Jerard was looking to reclaim what he had given me.

Does he really think that he could disrespect me like that?

I felt Ryanna nudge a bit against my thigh and I took a deep breath. It didn't matter. Because one thing I did know, was that having her by my side, shuts off the voices of war. She didn't know it, but I was begging for her to accept me. Because the voices didn't stop, until I met her.