By Force
Table of Contents
~ Look for these titles from Sara Hubbard ~
~ More Fantasy from Etopia Press ~
~ Acclaim for Sara Hubbard ~
For
Blood, She Read
“I thoroughly enjoyed Sara Hubbard's writing style and I am hoping that I will be able to read and review any works she comes up with in the future.”
—Jennifer,
Once Upon a Twilight
“I was so enthralled with
Blood She Read
, that putting it down became impossible at times.”
—Heather Powell, Sizzling Hot Books
“Sara Hubbard has written an great book with wonderful characters that develop through to the end of the story.”
—Iris, Paranormal Cravings
“
Blood, She Read
was a fantastic paranormal full of humor, bittersweet nibblets, and a romance that stands out among all of the other YA paranormal's love stories.”
—YA Novelties
~ Look for these titles from Sara Hubbard ~
Now Available
By Force
Coming Soon
By Choice (Forever Fae Book Two)
By Force
Forever Fae Book One
Sara Hubbard
Copyright Warning
EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (
http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/
).
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By
Etopia Press
1643 Warwick Ave., #124
Warwick, RI 02889
By Force
Copyright © 2014 by Sara Hubbard
ISBN: 978-1-940223-78-0
Edited by Kat Gamble
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Etopia Press electronic publication: January 2014
~ Dedication ~
For my amazing husband, who always gives more than he receives.
Chapter One
I bit at my lip as I focused on what I had to do, when what I really wanted to do was run to the ocean and jump off the cliffs. An arranged marriage. I had always known I would be pushed into one sooner or later, but that did not make the current situation easier to accept. It made me want to scream. And, as if my fate wasn’t bad enough, I had to accept the offer in person!
As much as I didn’t like it, it was the way things were. It wasn’t debatable. So when my parents announced I was to marry Henry Clyde, I nodded and said, “Thank you.” To want more only made me disrespectful and ungrateful. Heaven forbid I announce that I would prefer to travel and marry a man much later in life, a man I could choose myself. Or maybe not even marry at all! I loved my parents, and I didn’t want to disappoint them, especially after they’d already made arrangements with Henry’s father that we should marry. I couldn’t embarrass them like that. So I kept my feelings to myself. Only my siblings knew how upset the thought of marriage made me. They could understand it—sort of. At least in the case of my brother. My little sister couldn’t wait to get married. For her, it couldn’t come soon enough.
To keep me honest—or so I thought—my mother suggested my sister come to town with me when I left to tell Henry the good news. Fortunately, her easy chatter distracted me. She prattled on about nonsense and about the gossip she’d heard from her good friend Matilda. Apparently, Tomas McCoy had been recruited by the guardians. Lucky him. If only they recruited women. Serving as a knight for the king and queen would have suited me fine, no matter how much criticism I would get for it.
It took nearly an hour to get to town, trekking through the sky-high forests and then along the dirt road from Brookland to Haevene. I brought a knitted wool sweater but found I didn’t need one. The sun beat down on us and warmed my face. The wind was slight, enough to ruffle the fine strands of my dark brown hair. It was a good day to face my future, I supposed.
As we approached Henry Clyde’s small blacksmith shop I tried to control my breathing. My heart slammed against my chest and threatened to break free from my body. I stopped dead in my tracks and sighed as I tried to build up my nerve.
“This is so exciting! I can’t wait until I get engaged.” Lilley smiled up at me and tugged me forward, which was exactly what I needed to take the last few steps toward my future husband. Husband. The very word made me swallow hard.
Henry swung his hammer up and down on a blade as we approached him, his muscles strained beneath a dirt-stained shirt. He glanced up at me as we stood in the entrance to his long, rectangular hut and his full lips curled into a tiny smile. His eyes were a plain brown but somehow they twinkled at me when they met my gaze. He was handsome, I supposed, even without a bath. I couldn’t deny that. After straightening his back, he stood tall and tossed his hammer onto the wooden desk at his side with a loud thud.
“Morning, Isame,” he said. His voice was low and gruff, and it quite matched his personality. He walked toward us, stopping a few feet in front of me.
Lilley beamed at him. I couldn’t count how many times she’d called him “handsome” and “heavenly” in the days before. If only she were older, she could have married him herself. Henry would have definitely found her easier to get along with than me.
“Good day,” I said in a small voice. I glanced down at my feet, needing to look anywhere but into his eyes.
“Are you very angry with me?” It was a testament to how well he knew me for him to ask.
I sighed. “I wish our parents had never arranged our marriage,” I said quickly, focusing my anger on him.
“If not me, then who? Am I such a bad choice?” His forehead crinkled as a frown touched his whole face. His gaze cast toward the dirt floor.
Guilt stabbed at my chest. I’d hurt his feelings, and I really hadn’t intended on hurting him. I cared for him—as a friend. I couldn’t allow myself to take my frustrations out on him. I focused on softening my voice and raised my hand to touch his arm. His gaze immediately returned to mine. “No, of course not. But you know I didn’t want to marry. At least not now, or in the immediate future.”
“I have no choice either, Isame. And even if I did, I wouldn’t have refused to go along with it. If I should marry then I wouldn’t want anyone else.”
Damn him for saying exactly the right thing to make me feel even worse. He deserved someone as good as he was, someone who would give him everything she had—and then some. “It’s a stupid custom,” I murmured, dropping my hand back down at my side.
“So you’ve come to tell me no, then?”
He rubbed at the scruff on his chin and turned away from me, walking over to a bench by the edge of the open space. His disappointed face tormented me. Why couldn’t I make myself excited about this marriage? He was a better choice than any other man I knew, I had to admit. But I couldn’t force myself to want him no matter how hard I tried. Perhaps I’d read too many fairy tales, or perhaps I just wasn’t ready. Who knew? All I knew was I didn’t want him—I didn’t want this.
“I’ve come to tell you the opposite, actually.” I forced a smile.
His head snapped over in my direction, his face hopeful. “Don’t play with me.”
“Did you think I’d go against my parents’ wishes?”
“I’m flattered,” Henry said.
“Oh, Henry, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. And I agree with you, if I should marry, then there is no better choice for me than you.”
In an instant he reached out his hands and closed them around mine. It was a little bit awkward and even a tiny bit comfortable, but not awful. I could do this. Henry was wonderful. Any girl would have been lucky to have him. I supposed it could have been much worse. I could have been promised to the manure farmer’s son. Having to forever come home to a man that smelled like manure was not particularly appealing.
When Lilley and I left Henry his smile was ear to ear. I couldn’t remember ever seeing him so happy. And Mother and Father too. It made me happy to see them so excited, but at the same time something inside me felt cold and empty. My daydreams, my hopes, seemed to fly away from me, like leaves blowing in the breeze. I supposed the dream of living a different life was unrealistic and foolish, but growing up with my nose in books, I couldn’t help but wonder if life had something different to offer. If I could be the one who broke the mold.
“A fortnight,” Lilley sang. “You’ll marry him in a fortnight! What I wouldn’t give to marry a man like him.”
I could hardly wait. The wind picked up just then and seemed to form thick walls around me, walls that felt like they were closing in. I had to remind myself to breathe in and out as I took my sister’s hand and led her down the town’s cobblestone road toward the square. I couldn’t escape marriage forever. I had to accept it.
It wasn’t until I reached the town square and my eyes locked onto an old gypsy that I stopped obsessing over my situation. I couldn’t think about anything else but her. It was as if the very sight of the gypsy wiped my memory bare. She stood beside a dilapidated cart, swaying to the music played by the nearby pipers. Her lips curled into a smile and the corners of her eyes crinkled as her unnatural yellow eyes fixed on me. Something about her drew me in, like a whisper in my ear daring me to come closer.