It hadn't been easy for Sam to tell Sander that she would be leaving with Braeden. It was the right decision for her, she knew, and yet she felt a little ashamed of it. But Sander was a singular man and had been surprisingly understanding.

She'd told him together with Braeden, and somehow during the telling of it their fingers had wound together. Sander's gaze fell upon their interlocked hands and his mouth had twitched, not into a disapproving frown but into an amused smile.

"It is not an either or," Sander had said. "As Uriel, you are not bound to this soil, only to the principles that guide us. Duty. Honor. Loyalty. Belief in the goodness of man." He put one hand on each of their shoulders. "Do what you need to do, and come back to us. I told you this once before—the Uriel always have room for courageous men." He grinned at Sam. "Or women."

It was worse telling Tristan.

Sam knocked on the door of his chambers in the Beyaz Kale—which was awkward in itself, since he shared the room with Braeden—and asked if he would be amenable to a walk outside. She didn't invite Braeden; she owed that much to Tristan.

It wasn't as though she'd accepted another man's proposal after turning his down, but it was close enough. And in the days following their first exchanged I-love-you's, she and Braeden had done a shockingly poor job of hiding their affection. Twice, Braeden had pulled her into a discreet corner and kissed her senseless, and twice Sam had accosted him. She blushed just thinking about it.

And thus for the sake of her friendship with Tristan, Sam thought it best she break the news herself.

In uncomfortable silence, Sam and Tristan trudged down the snowy slope to the Uriel training grounds, stopping when they reached the tree line. They stood apart, watching the Uriel men spar with swords and fists.

When Sam could stand it no longer, she said into the silence, "I'm leaving."

Tristan faced outward into the trees and did not turn. "With Braeden?"

"Aye."

The wind played across his hair, blowing overlong strands into his cobalt eyes. "Where will you go?" he asked.

"Across the ocean," she said, "to Yemara. We're going to pay a visit to the old orphanage where Braeden first met the High Commander. Maybe we'll find some answers there."

Tristan stiffened. "That's...far."

"I'll come back," Sam promised. "Both of us will. The war will not be over so soon."

"I don't suppose it will," said Tristan. He looked at her then, really looked at her, his gaze intent on hers. "Is this what you want, Sam? To follow a man halfway around the world on what may amount to a wild goose chase?"

"I love him," she said simply.

Tristan responded with a single nod, and they fell back into quiet. "I could have loved you," he said finally.

She didn't want to hurt him, didn't want to lie to him either. "In another lifetime, I could have loved you, too." She offered him her hand. "Friends?"

Tristan stared at her extended palm. His eyes, blue and wintery, drifted up to her face. "No." The single word shot like an icicle through her heart.

Tristan whipped around, then, and with straightened shoulders, began the long trudge back to the Beyaz Kale. His pride was wounded, not his heart, and one day he would see it.

A quarter of the way, he halted. Slowly, he turned, the frostiness in his stare melted into something else. "Ask me again when you return."



Sam and Braeden rode out early the next morning on borrowed horses. The horses would carry them as far as Southport, and from there they would need to hire a ship with a willing captain and crew to take them across the Rheic Ocean. The horses would find their way back home, Sander had assured them.

But before they could leave Luca, a small troop of armed men blocked their exit at the east archway, where Sam had first crossed into the city months back. They weren't Uriel; she recognized their faces from Haywood. The men belonged to her father.

Sam drew her horse to a halt. "What does he want?" she asked the leader among them, a stocky man with a naturally red face. Braeden brought his stallion by hers.

The leader shifted on his mount. "He didn't say, milady. He only said to ask you to wait here for him until he arrives."

Sam's eyebrows rose. "He asked?" The Duke of Haywood did not ask; he ordered.

"Those were his words, milady."

Sam nudged her horse forward. "Move out of the way," she said, "or I will make you." She didn't have time for her father's nonsense. Whatever he wanted, it wouldn't be good.

"Sam, maybe we should wait," Braeden said, quiet enough that his voice wouldn't carry to the others.

She whirled around in her saddle, glaring at him. "Why should we do that?"

"Because he's your father."

Sam snorted through her nose. "Braeden, you met the man. I'm not exactly the apple of his eye. He probably wants to haul me back to Haywood."

Braeden shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes people can surprise you."

She would have argued further, but the sound of frantic galloping drew her attention away. The Duke of Haywood was bent low over his horse's neck, his usually coiffed hair streaming in a wild halo behind him. He slowed when he neared them, pulling short on the reins. The duke sagged against his mount and wiped sweat from his brow. "You didn't leave," he said, panting for breath.

"Not for lack of trying," said Sam. Her gaze roamed over his uncharacteristically disheveled appearance. "Aren't you a bit old to be riding like that?"

His jaw tightened but his voice was even when spoke. "I've not got one foot in the grave yet."

Sam lifted her chin and stared him straight in the eye. "Come to stop me?" she asked, with a hint of challenge.

"As if I could," he scoffed. A reluctant smile flickered across his lips.

She didn't understand the source of his smile or his choice of words. "Well, you couldn't," she said without heat. "Why are you here, your Grace?"

The muscles of his throat flexed as he swallowed. "Branimir informed me of your plans. It is no small journey, nor an easy one."

"I know," she said, unfazed. "You will not deter me." She glanced over at Braeden, who gripped his reins with white, tightfisted hands. "I have made my choice, and I am happy with it."

"You have always known your mind, Samantha. I am no longer fool enough to believe you will change it, no matter what I wish for you." The duke sighed. "I came here to tell you that whatever happens on this soil or in Yemara, you will be welcome in Haywood. It is your home."

She shook her head jerkily. She'd left behind her childhood there, but nothing else. "My home is not in Haywood. It's with him." She tilted her head towards Braeden. He reached across the space between their horses and threaded his fingers through hers.

The duke's expression was unreadable. "You are my heir, Samantha. When I die, Haywood will be yours, whether you want it or not."

"What about the High Commander?" she asked. "Surely he would not permit a traitor to inherit."

Her father's eyes flared. "My daughter is no traitor, and any man who says otherwise is no friend of mine, nor friend to Haywood." He raised his voice, as though he were speaking to a large audience instead of a few men. "When war comes to Thule, Haywood will side with the Uriel and with Lady Samantha."

Her breath caught. "Why?" she whispered. In eighteen years, the duke had done nothing to indicate he cared about her beyond her value as his heir. Yet in the war between the Paladins and the Uriel, he'd chosen the side of the underdog. Had he done it because of her?

To her surprise, her father turned to Braeden. "I heard what you said, boy. I will not fight for a man who holds the demons in his pocket."

So it had not been about her after all. Sam bit back unfounded disappointment. "Good of you, Father," she muttered.

As if he read her mind, the duke said, "I have always been a politician first, father second. My hand is forced in this matter." His face softened. "But even if it weren't, I would never fight for the side that named you traitor."

She ducked her head so he couldn't see how his words affected her. "Thank you, Father."

The duke cleared his throat. "May I say goodbye to you properly? I would part on better terms than we did last."

"You may," Sam said in a small voice.

The duke extended his arm towards Braeden first, clasping his free hand in his. "It's Braeden, isn't it?"

"Aye."

"Do you love my daughter?"

"Father!" she exclaimed, blushing to the roots of her hair. "Braeden, you don't have to answer that."

Braeden ignored her. "I do, your Grace."

"And does she love you?"

"So she says, your Grace."

"I'm right here!" Sam complained. She punched Braeden in the shoulder. "And of course I do, you idiot."

"Good," said her father. "You'll take care of each other then."

Braeden and Sam glanced at each other. "Aye, we will," she said. Braeden squeezed her hand.

The duke turned towards her and bowed his head. "Be safe, Samantha."

"And you, Father." She meant it.

After goodbyes were exchanged, her father and his men departed, leaving the road open for Sam and Braeden. Once they crossed the rickety suspension bridge that separated Luca from the mountains, they kept the pace of their horses at a near-gallop, far too fast for conversation. Sam welcomed the solitude; she needed to think, to prepare herself mentally for what lay ahead.

This thing between them was still new and fragile, and Braeden and Sam had been too caught up in the newness of passion to hash out what they were to one another. What did I love you really mean, anyway? Were they friends who were lovers? Lovers who were friends?

They would not have the luxury of discovering each other slowly, not alone on the road with only themselves as company. Good or bad, there were no more barriers between them—no secrets, no lies, no misunderstandings, no silly rules of propriety, no people.

A little past dusk, Sam and Braeden dismounted their horses by the small wood hut that Tristan had shown them in the Elurra Mountains. They almost hadn't found it, so covered was it by snow. If winter had hit Luca, it had hit the mountains doubly hard; Sam's fingers numbed through the leather of her gloves.

They dug their way through to the door and pushed into the small hut. And then they were alone, utterly alone, on the inside of the sturdy door.

Sam was shy, suddenly, an emotion as foreign to her as the Rheic Ocean. "Hullo," she said softly.

A trace of a smile touched Braeden's lips. "Hullo." He frowned when he saw her shiver. "Are you cold?"

Sam hugged her elbows to her chest. "A little." She suspected her shivering had less to do with the cold and more to do with Braeden than she cared to admit to him.

Braeden rummaged around in their packs until he located the blankets. He arranged one blanket on the floor and then glanced over at her, as if asking her for permission. She nodded, almost imperceptibly. His cheeks stained red, as no doubt were hers, Braeden carefully laid out another blanket next to the first.

He crawled underneath the blankets, facing away from the door, for which Sam was grateful. She slipped in beside him, lying on her side. It didn't matter that their bodies did not touch; an electrical charge filled the space between them, sending a tremor down her spine.

"I'm going to turn now," said Braeden.

"Okay."

He turned over, so that their bodies faced each other. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Braeden pulled her close, cradling her head to his chest. "Is this okay?"

She nodded, the tip of her nose brushing against the V of tattooed skin at the opening of his robes. The tattoo was smooth now, no longer raised and angry; it had become a part of him. "Do you feel it?" she asked, her fingers following the trail where her nose had been.

The muscles in his chest jumped under her touch. "I'm not dead," he said, his mouth crinkling at the corners.

Sam blushed, retracting her hand. "That's not what I meant!"

"I know." His smile faded. "It's strange. I haven't felt anything since the High Commander ordered me to kill you."

"Maybe he's given up."

"No," Braeden said firmly. "He's biding his time, waiting for a weak moment. My master concedes nothing."

"I wish you'd stop calling him that," said Sam. "He's not your master anymore."

A bleakness entered his eyes. "He is my master as long as his ink is in my skin."

Sam angled herself so that her lips pressed against the place where his neck met his shoulder. None too gently, she bit.

Braeden glared down at her. "What was that for?"

"I'm leaving my mark on your skin," she said, "so you know that you belong to me."

"It will fade," said Braeden.

"Then I shall have to do it again."

Braeden dipped his head and closed his teeth around her earlobe.

"Ouch," she protested. "What was that for?"

She felt his lips move against her ear. "You belong to me, too."



Sam and Braeden slept in each other's arms that night, and for many nights after. And Sam, who was both warrior and woman, finally found a place where she belonged.

***

PALADIN FAQS

Since I get these questions a lot, I've decided to insert a brief FAQ that hopefully answers most of them for you. If I don't answer your question here, feel free to PM me or post on my message board, or you can find me on Twitter @sallyroseslater or Facebook (look for Sally Slater, author or click on the link on my profile).

Will there be a sequel to Paladin?

Yes, there will definitely be sequels! I currently have 3-4 additional books planned in the series.

What will the sequel be called?

I was initially thinking of calling the next sequel in the series, "Uriel", but that is subject to change once I start writing it.

When will you post the sequel? Have you started writing it?

I haven't started writing the sequel yet, but there's a good reason for that! I am working on publishing Paladin as an ebook and paperback. I believe that the book I publish needs to be the best quality I can possibly make it, which means some edits and revisions to the writing.

Gah! Why are you editing the book??? I like Paladin the way it is!

It's important for you to know that the core plot and characters of Paladin aren't going to change. However, I grew as a writer from writing the first chapter of Paladin to the last, and I need to make some changes so that the whole book is the same quality of writing and up to my (very high) standards. The goal of the edits is to fix some minor writing and plot issues in the beginning, as well as some of the other issues many of you have pointed out, like not enough description of the scenery, unsuspenseful battle scenes, etc.

Are you trying to get Paladin published?

Yes! Paladin is getting published! Look out for it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Smashwords on May 14, 2015!

How did you get so many reads for Paladin?

I hope it's because I wrote a good story! But the truth is there are many good stories on Wattpad, and not all of them receive the attention they deserve or get the kind of reads Paladin has. Having a captivating cover is key, and I'm not too modest to say my cover is beautiful! (see question on that below). However, another huge component of my reads is the fact that I am very active on Wattpad and interact with other authors regularly. I do my best to respond to every comment I receive (although it may take me a few days to catch up!) and I try not to react badly to criticism. Before I gained a following on Wattpad, I also did a lot of legitimate read-for-reads (notice my emphasis on legitimate) where I provided very thorough feedback on other authors' works. Also, you should know that Paladin is officially a Featured book, which means Wattpad has done a lot too support it - they've tweeted about it and posted links to the book on Facebook. I also promote Paladin on my own social media sites.

Your cover is beautiful! How can I get one like it?/What happened to your old cover?

It is beautiful, isn't it? ;) It was made for me by Hayley John, aka @H4Y13Y on Wattpad (the awesome drawing of Braeden is hers, too). Thanks to some other authors on Wattpad who double as cover artists, I learned a few things. Many of the covers on Wattpad - including my old one - are manipulated images of existing paintings or images. Unless you have asked the original artist for permission to use his or her work, you're technically in violation of copyright, i.e. stealing their art. It was important for me to have a cover that I could truly call my own, so having seen Hayley's talent, I asked her to paint me a custom image.

To get your own cover, go the "Multimedia Designs" section of Wattpad and ask around. If copyright is as important to you as it is to me, make sure you ask the cover designer to only use images available through the creative commons or stock photos.

I'm thinking about publishing my story to Wattpad, but I'm worried that my work will get stolen. Can you tell me about copyright?

Frankly, I don't know all that much about copyright — but thanks to the good ol' Google machine I know a few important basics. Basically, any writing you put out there (provided it's your original work) is automatically copyrighted. You can put a copyright symbol or page at the beginning of your story, but that's really just a formality.

As with traditional and other forms of publishing, there is always a risk of your work getting stolen. It hasn't happened to me yet. Luckily, the Wattpad support staff is extremely helpful, so if you bring theft or plagiarism on Wattpad to their attention, they'll take care of it. If you see plagiarism outside Wattpad, you'll likely have to pursue recourse on your own. For your own protection, keep any old drafts and emails with your work so you have ample proof that the work in question was yours first.

Will you read my story?

The truth is I get hundreds of read requests and I don't think it's fair to say yes to some of you and no to others. Even if you write me the nicest, most customized read request message in the world — whether it's by PM, on my message board or on my story — my answer is no, at least until I finish my rewrite of Paladin, which is where my focus has to be right now. I do occasionally read other people's stories when I need a break from writing mine, but I like to do it on my own timeline and I choose the story based on whether the blurb and first few sentences of the story grab me, or I'll read a story by a writer who I talk to regularly on this site.

Do you have anything else I can read?

You can check out my other fantasy story, "Blue Sun," which I update sporadically.

You can also read "The Untold Restricted Stories", which are short spoof scenes from Paladin. It's Rated R for good reason, so readers beware!

Because of its R rating, "The Untold Restricted Stories" can be a little tricky to find (I don't think you can search for it). If you go to my profile on Wattpad (http://www.wattpad.com/user/SallySlater, or just click on my face!), you'll find it in my list of works. Here is the direct link, but you'll have to type it out because you can't copy/paste from a Wattpad story:

http://www.wattpad.com/story/3356568-the-untold-restricted-stories-paladin-spoof-extras