The Apprehension: Unexpected Circumstances Book 6 (9 page)

“I will be heading back to Hadebrand,” Whitney said to Greysen.  She gathered her skirts around her waist and began to head down the hallway to a large set of doors.  “I will return when the child is born.”

“You cannot do this!” I screamed as I finally found my voice.  “Branford will never wed you!  Never!”

“Silence!” Greysen screamed down at me.  He leaned close to my face, and I could hear Whitney’s taunts from behind him as he started to lead me to a doorway on the opposite side of the room.

“Feel free to use her!” she called out with a laugh.  “If you do your job well, you can all have her for a short while after the child is born!”

Greysen tightened his grip on my arm, and two other guards followed as he dragged me down a dark, stone staircase.  It was dank, and the scent of mold and mustiness burned at my nose as I was shoved further down the stairs.  My legs and arms ached, but I forced myself to remain upright so I could wrap my free arm around my belly.

The stairway opened up into a long hallway with many doors on either side.  I knew by the small, barred windows in each door that we had entered the dungeons of some castle though I knew not where.  If Whitney was about to return to Hadebrand, that was obviously not where I was though it had been my original assumption.

Near the middle of the hallway, Greysen stopped and pulled open one of the doors.  Without any preamble, he shoved me inside.  There was little there.  A bare dirt floor, a pile of old straw, a rusted chamber pot, and some shackles against the wall made up the entire small, windowless room.

As soon as I looked inside, I knew I was going to die here.

I was very much aware of the large man behind me as he forcefully ushered me inside.  The other two guards who had followed us down into the recesses of this castle were close behind him.  As I looked back over my shoulder, I was reminded of how I had found Janet in the horse stall.  Even though I now knew that exact image was a false one, it did not stop dread from freezing my body.  The guard in the back looked down at me with a lustful glare as he smirked and poked at his companion.

“Shall we have a little fun before we go?”

The second guard laughed and rubbed his hands together.

“What, with this thing?” Greysen sneered as he shook me a little.  “All bloated and ugly?  I would sooner pass my time with a pig!”

They all laughed, and he shoved me by my shoulder further back into the cell though he still held my arm so I only barely stumbled. He brought his hand up and pushed at the center of my chest, which caused me to misstep.  Strangely though, he did not let me fall as I thought he would have but quickly leaned forward with his hand at the small of my back, depositing me on the straw in the corner.

“I do not care if they do call her ‘Queen’ in Silverhelm,” he said.  “I am young, strong, and desired by
true
nobles.  I would not waste my time on this disgusting commoner in the morning or the night!”

The other two laughed at his joke.  Despite his insults, I could only feel relief.

“I would not have
my
sword caught sticking into so unworthy a wench as this one!” he exclaimed.

The guards murmured in apparent agreement and began to make talk of other places where they could find prettier women.  Greysen nodded and then glanced back at the guards for a moment before leaning down and glaring into my eyes.

He hit me then, and his arm moved so quickly the blow should have been quite forceful, but he slowed his hand at the last second, barely connecting with my face.  As he pulled back at the last second, his body shielded his hand from his comrades, and merely pushed me lightly into the straw.

“I would not want her even if I was alone and in the
twilight
of my years.”

Just as the word fell from the burly man’s lips, his eyes flickered only slightly—softening in the dim torchlight the tiniest amount as he looked down at me.  My mouth dropped open, and at first my mind could not form any thoughts at all.  Slowly, comprehension of his actions and his words filtered through the shock I felt.

And that is when I knew, even in this dark place, I had an ally.

~End Book 6~

Order
Unexpected Circumstances—The Devastation
on Amazon today!

Oh no!!!

Just when you think things might turn around for Branford and Alexandra, I just had to throw another twist at you.  How is poor Alexandra going to escape the clutches of the obviously mad Princess Whitney?  How will Branford cope with his missing wife and unborn child?  What is King Edgar searching for at Sterling Castle?  Stop by my
Facebook discussion group
to let me know what you think of this turn of events! 

All questions will be answered soon in the exciting conclusion of the Unexpected Circumstances series! 
Unexpected Circumstances—The Devastation
will be told entirely from Branford’s point of view, so you’ll finally get to see inside that head of his!  The final book of this series will be live on August 23
rd
, 2016!

Unexpected Circumstances Series:

The Handmaid
:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F3Q9TT8

The Seduction:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FG5R67S

The Consummation:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G8X5T3K

The Shortcoming:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H3W9AVM

The Concubine:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HS3GOEM

The Apprehension:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IHY87HI

The Devastation:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J64JKTW

Surviving the Storm Series:

Surviving Raine
:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CWG930S

Bastian’s Storm:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00L2LLC0S/

Evan Arden Series:

Otherwise Alone:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AP5NNWC/

Otherwise Occupied:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DGGUM76/

Uncockblockable (a Nick Wolfe Story):
www.amazon.com/dp/B00EBW1ZQG

Otherwise Unharmed:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H3RUY8G/

Isolated:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U88ERI0

Irrevocable:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XW9U71I

Stand Alone Works:

Transcendence:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IFV9AXY

Offside:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00MEWGCWC

Worth:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KAFC6MK/

Alarm:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QGUIHMQ

Commodity:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016V9LK0C

Kandace and the Beast:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019D4DDN4

Specimen:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BFZXUWS

Novella Collection:

Savaged:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q9DRR1W

Caged Trilogy:

Takedown Teague:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010C3UFXQ

Trapped:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010RRZ0E6

Released:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011YTEKBU

Shay Savage lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her family and a variety of household pets.  She is an accomplished public speaker and holds the rank of Distinguished Toastmaster from Toastmasters International.  When not writing, she enjoys spending her weekends off-roading in her bright yellow jeep, watching science fiction movies, masquerading as a zombie, and participating as a HUGE
Star Wars
fan and member of the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers.  When the geek fun runs out, she also loves soccer in any and all forms—especially the Columbus Crew, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich.  Savage holds a degree in psychology, and she brings a lot of that knowledge into the characters within her stories.

Website:
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