BroderickA Sabine Valley Novel Katee Robert Trinkets and Tales LLC Copyright © 2021 by Katee Robert All rights reserved. Cover art by By Hang Le Print ISBN: 978-1-951329-21-1 No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights. Created with Vellum Contents Also by Katee Robert Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 About the Author Also by Katee Robert Sabine Valley Abel Broderick Cohen The Bloodline Vampires Sacrifice Heir Queen Wicked Villains Desperate Measures Learn My Lesson A Worthy Opponent The Beast The Sea Witch Queen Takes Rose A Touch of Taboo Your Dad Will Do Gifting Me To His Best Friend My Dad’s Best Friend Seducing My Guardian The Groom, The Maid of Honor, and The Runaway Bride Twisted Hearts Theirs for the Night Forever Theirs Theirs Ever After His Forbidden Desire Her Rival’s Touch His Tormented Heart Her Vengeful Embrace The Kings Series The Last King The Fearless King The Hidden Sins Series The Devil’s Daughter The Hunting Grounds The Surviving Girls The Make Me Series Make Me Want Make Me Crave Make Me Yours Make Me Need The O’Malley Series The Marriage Contract The Wedding Pact An Indecent Proposal Forbidden Promises Undercover Attraction The Bastard’s Bargain The Hot in Hollywood Series Ties that Bind Animal Attraction Come Undone Series Wrong Bed, Right Guy Chasing Mrs. Right Two Wrongs, One Right Chapter 1 Broderick I always knew it would come to this. Handfasted, not to the woman I want, but to the heir to the Amazon faction. Linked to the enemy for a year in the most intimate way possible, all for the sake of revenge. Monroe Rhodius stands next to me, her silence doing nothing to detract from the danger rolling off her in waves. She’s gorgeous, of course; all the ruling Amazon family is. Long blond hair; pretty, green eyes; and a mouth painted blood red. She only comes up to my shoulder, which is the most surprising thing about her. Given her reputation, I thought she’d be bigger. She’s also not dressed in any kind of formal wear like so many of the others here to celebrate Lammas. Instead she’s wearing a pair of cutoff shorts and a cropped white shirt that shows off a toned stomach and equally toned arms. Judging from the scrapes and bruising on her knuckles, she fought tonight. Whoever her opponent was didn’t get in a single shot at her face. All around us, the arena seethes with rage. We’ve just accomplished the impossible—a mostly bloodless coup of the Raider territory, a claiming of Brides across all three of Sabine Valley’s factions. The first step in a revenge seven years in the making. It feels like the handfasting ceremony occurs between one blink and the next. The Herald says the appropriate words and then wraps a length of pretty silk around my and Monroe’s forearms, binding us together. There’s no going back now. My older brother, Abel, leads our group through the crowd to the waiting trucks. Seven Paine brothers, our seven Brides—eight Brides, now that Abel has had his way. My brother has plenty of faith that no one will break the code of the feasts and sink a dagger between our shoulder blades, but he’s never let faith get in the way of reality. Now that we’re actually here, I’m glad for his plan to leave immediately. Raider, Amazon, and Mystic alike brim with fury and violence as they watch us whisk away the heirs to their respective thrones, as well as the favored among them. Feast days in Sabine Valley are supposed to be sacred and free of non-sanctioned violence. A way for the three factions to iron out any wrinkles and keep war from the city. It’s a pretty fantasy. The reality is that all the codes and rules and traditions don’t mean shit. They sure as hell didn’t save us when all three factions came together in an attempt to stamp the Paines out of existence. It’s only when we’ve piled into the back of one of the trucks that Monroe breaks her silence. She gives me a slow smile that feels more like a threat than an expression of joy. “Bold move, Broderick Paine. You’re going to live just long enough to regret claiming me as your Bride.” I already regret it. Not the theatrics. They were necessary. Arriving back in Sabine Valley during the feast of Lammas, one of the four times when the city’s three factions come together in a ritual designed to maintain peace. Abel stepping into the ring and issuing his challenge—seven fights, a Bride the reward for each victory. Each of us taking Brides from all three factions, and forging a forced peace as a result. The tradition of Brides is just as old as the tradition of feast days. A long time ago, it used to be the way people forged alliances and navigated tricky moments in Sabine Valley history. A handfasting between one party and a Bride ensures peace for a year. No one connected to either party may move against each other without bringing the entire city down on their heads in retribution. By taking Brides from all three of the ruling families, we’ve ensured no one can touch us for the next year. Technically, we can’t move against them, either, but it’s more than enough time to get our roots in deep and prepare for the coming confrontation. If we survive this year. The problem with taking Brides from the enemy factions? It means we’re essentially married to that enemy, that we’ve invited them into our beds and our lives. The peace between factions only holds as long as the handfasting does. If one
