How The Warrior Fell (Falling Warriors series Book 1)

by Nicole René

  Namoriee licked her lips nervously, avoiding his eyes. Her shoulders tensed when she heard the chair creak as Tyronian stood. Moments later the bed caved to his weight as a gentle, but calloused hand cupped her chin and tilted her head up to meet his eyes. His eyes narrowed. She looked down.

  "Look at me, Namoriee." Tyronian tightened his grip on her chin. "Look at me, Namoriee." He ordered firmly, nudging her chin until she had no choice but to obey him.

  "Answer me."

  She swallowed, her mouth dry with nerves. "I-I-I had to check on Qubec. She's with foal and I needed t-to make sure that she was o-o-kay." She managed to stutter out in a whisper. She tried to jerk her head away from him, but he tightened his grip.

  "You will never again put yourself in danger like you did tonight. Do you understand?"

  Namoriee flushed with indignation. "You can't demand something like that. I'm not your responsibility."

  He ducked his head so that their eyes locked, very much crowding her. "That's where you're wrong, Namoriee." He growled, "Very wrong. Everything about you is my responsibility." Her breath caught as his fingers started a slow stroke up, rubbing against her pounding pulse point. She shuddered as goose bumps appeared across her body as his beard brushed against her sensitive skin.

  "Please . . .” Namoriee whispered, though she wasn't sure what she was begging for.

  His low chuckle in her ear caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up as it ghosted over her skin.

  "Please what, Namoriee?"

  She inhaled sharply, one of those dry breaths that came before tears. Her words were a stuttering mess as they tumbled out of her."Please don't, I just . . . you're Chief'sc. .c. .cousin and I . . . I'm just—"

  Her words were halted, breath hitching, when Tyronian’s lips brushed herneck where his hand rested, the quick flick of his tongue against it making her body shudder.The bed rustled when he shifted back so that he could kiss her forehead, his lips staying against her skin when he spoke.

  "When you're older," he said quietly. "You're not ready for me yet but . . . know that I'm going to take you, Namoriee. I'm going to take you and never let you go. Not yet, I'll wait. . . . but when you're older, you're going to be mine in every way possible. Whether you like it, or not."

  Namoriee froze, her green eyes flying up to Tyronian’s blue in shock as he pulled away. The locked jaw and promise in his eyes were telling enough.

  He was serious.

  "Now go back to sleep." Tyronian headed back to the chair in the corner as Namoriee laid back down in a daze. The candlelight around her went out, a strange electricity humming through her as she closed her eyes.

  His words chanted over and over in her mind like a mantra.

  I'm going to take you Namoriee, you're going to be mine.

  When you're older.

  Whether you like it or not.

  Namoriee wasn't sure if her next shiver was of fear. . . . or anticipation.

  Namoriee came out of her daze the minute she felt the heat of his hand reach for hers.

  “No!” She cried, wrenching herself away and stumbling back. She shook her head, panic making her eyes wide. “You can’t make me. I don’t accept.”

  Tyronian’s expression darkened, and she knew immediately that she had said the wrong thing. His eyes got this predatory gleam in them, and she knew she was in trouble when he started to stalk toward her.

  "You knew this day would come. I've warned you. Whether you like it, or not. Remember?"

  Namoriee could hear her breathing accelerate, the breaths coming out shallow and uneven as she stared up at him. She was retreating as Tyronian was advancing, his big, muscular body rippling with each step he took towards her.

  "You don't know what you're doing. What you're asking," Namoriee said timidly. Tyronian’s lips pulled into a carnal smirk, his eyes glittering in dark amusement.

  "That's where you're wrong, Namoriee," he purred. "I know exactly what I'm doing, and I know exactly what I want."

  Namoriee’s back collided with the wall, and she turned her head to give it a startled look before she snapped her head back up to him. His chest brushed against hers as he caged her in with his arms and dipped his head to capture and ensnare her eyes with his.

  "I want you. All of you, and that's never gonna change. I waited two winters to make you my wife. And guess what? Your time is up."

  He didn't even give her a chance to deny him again before he captured her lips with his.

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  To my readers both, present and future—Thank you for taking a chance with your hard earned money and buying this book. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I look forward to (virtually) getting to know you all!

  My family—Thank you for all your continued support, and love. Dad, thank you for all your help with making this possible. I know there was quite a few (a lot) times that you caught me writing instead of doing my office work like I was suppose to be doing, yet you continued to support my dream. Mom, thank you for always picking me up when I fell with self-doubt and fear. You were always ready to listen to me read and blab about my book ideas. You were quick to offer me words of encouragement and gave me strength to work through my fears. I love you. To my brother, you’re my best friend and one of my favorite people. I love you lots!

  To my friends—Even though I was a bit tight lipped about what exactly I was writing, you still supported me through it all and were always ready to support me in any way I needed. I truly have the best group of friends, and I’m so thankful to have found true friendship in you all.

  To Joanne—You’re the best employee ever! You’re always quick to encourage me, and your excitement and willingness to listen to me read whatever I write means so much! I hope you enjoyed this book as much as you thought you would!

  To Lauren Funtootie (told you I would, ha ha!)—one of my best, and closest friend who was lucky enough to meet Mike, her closeted-romance-book-reader boyfriend who inspired some of my personal favorite quotes in this book. You rock Mike!

  To my beta readers(bare with me, I have a lot!)—Alisha, I’m so happy that I met you in Vegas! I still can’t believe how a few months ago, we were talking about the books we were writing, and now we’re both published authors. I know that the next time we get to hang out, we’ll have lots of other book projects to talk about, too!

  Bobbi—I am so grateful to have you as my beta reader! Your excitement and encouragement for this book was so amazing, and it meant the world to me. Not only are you an awesome fan, you’re an amazing friend! I can’t wait to tear up Ohio with you and meet my virtual bestie in person!

  Heather and Erin—Thank you both for giving my book a chance. I asked you months in advance if you’d be interested to beta read for me, and I’m so happy you said yes. Heather, your excitement and love for my characters were amazing. I loved to hear all your feedback, and it genuinely put a smile on my face. I’m just sorry I had to piss you off by killing your favorite guy, Killix. Ha!

  Erin, you saw exactly what I was wanting for this book, and the characters, and I’m so grateful for that! Your feedback and insight was greatly appreciated. Thank you for not hating my book, even though you were worried you would, ha!

  Bree—You told me once that you’re generally not a fan of this genre, and the fact that my book made you one and that you enjoyed it was the best compliment you could have given me. Thank you!

  Matt—So glad that I was able to have your point of view and feedback. It’s always good to know that my female character can get a modern guy to like her!

  Krista—Thank you so much for being the smartest person ever and creating an incredible Facebook group filled with incredible authors. I aske
d you to be a last minute beta, and to help me with the teaser of Tyronian’s book and you rose to the challenge. Thank you so much!

  To Carian Cole—I don’t think I can truly express how thankful I am of you. I adore you. You have been so incredibly helpfully, and supportive. You took the time to listen to your fan, and completely blew expectations away by the helping hand you offered so freely. Thank you for being so patient with me, and for answering my endless(and sometimes annoying) questions about this crazy self publishing world, and all the encouraging words and advice you have given me. Their are no words to truly express how thankful I am of you. You’re truly one of a kind! I hope that we can one day meet so that I can hang out with my girl-crush face to face!

  To Book Enthusiast Promotions—Debra, I can not thank you enough for your help with the promotional aspect of my book release. You were so patient and helpful, you answered all my questions and didn’t blink at my lack of experience with the whole blog tour thing! You made this journey so exciting, and made my cover reveal and blog tour beyond a success! I can’t thank you enough. I had a blast working with you!

  A special thanks to all the blogs who participated in my events. Thank you so much!

  To Kari Ayasha—Thank you for my beautiful cover! It’s everything I ever could have imagined and more! I couldn’t help but stare at it for hours in complete awe. I love it! Your the best!

  To Joel Hicks, and Tillie—Thank you both so much for making my first book cover/photoshoot so amazing. Joel, you were so patient with me and you made this experience that much more amazing with your excitement and willingness to work with me. Your creative eye is amazing! You both brought my beloved characters to life, and made them that much more beautiful—I can’t thank you enough!

  To Murphy Ray and Indie Solutions—Murphy, you have made the editing experience so amazing. You were such a joy to work with, and I can not wait to continue to be working with you!

  To my editors Holly, and Meghan—Holly, I absolutely loved working with you! Your notes were so spot on and such a joy to read. Your time, dedication, and love for my characters inspired me, motivated me, and made me want to make this book the best it could be! I hope to be working with you for many years to come! Meghan, thank you for fine-tuning my story and making it even better. Between you and Holly, I know my book is the best it could be! Thank you so much!

  To Hang Le—Thank you SO much for the designs you did for myself, and my series. I love, love, love them!

  To Renee Carlino—Thank you for teaching that self-publishing class and for encouraging me to follow my dream.

  To Wattpad—I don’t think “thank you” is enough of a word for what you have done for me. I took a chance posting a chapter of HOW THE WARRIOR FELL, and was prepared to discontinue the story ‘cause I thought there was no way that anyone would want to read a story like this one. I was wrong. You took a chance with me, and this book would not be possible without all of your encouragement and support. You were the reason that I decided to publish this book, and to follow my dream. I especially want to thank my “warrior tribe” of original readers who have been with me since the very first chapter. Thank you for sticking with me through everything!