Alien's Bride Book Three Read Online Free PDF Page B

Basically the Dak-Hiliah toyed with us.   Toyed with us!   We never did much damage.   If we managed to kill even one soldier they’d come back at us ten times worse in his name.   That shit went on for 25 years.   Millions and millions of people died.   I don’t even know what the totals are.   Every day you’d hear 5,000 killed.   20,000 killed.   We never won a battle.   Hell, we never even fought off an attack.   They just left when they felt they’d killed enough.”
    “Your husband was the general.”   Dugan pointed his thumb at Elentinus.   “He was the one sending in all the squadrons.   You know that right?”
    I parted my lips to answer, but no words came out.   Had I known?   I thought I did, kind of.   It never sunk in before.  
    Magpie started up again.   “Do I want to go back to that time?   When we were at war?   When I was worrying for my last son’s life night and day?   No.   I wouldn’t.   But you don’t know the half of it.   The next invaders were even worse than these ones.   Those parasites…like slimy green spiders as big as cats with these…these spiked elephant trunks.   They just rained on us.   Grabbed people by the head.”   Her voice started cracking.   “Jabbed that spiked trunk thing right through people’s foreheads.   Turned them into dead-eyed zombies who just marched and marched and marched to where the ships came and got them.”   She let out a shuddering sigh.   “It happened so fast.   You weren’t safe in your house.   They could get through your roof, your walls.   My group was able to hide in the sewers.   We were down there for months.   We could never go up.   Those things were always crawling around—and there was no way you could kill them.   You sure couldn’t outrun them.   Not even in a jitney.”   She shook her head.   “I spent that year eating rats.   I had mold growing up my legs that itched like Hell.   It was always damp.   Always cold.”   She winced.   “At least five in our group committed suicide.   Manny—when his teeth started falling out—he went insane.”
    Esther squeezed her shoulder.
    Magpie took a deep breath.   “I’m grateful for every day I get to be out of that hole.   See the sun shining.   Breathe clean air.   So to answer your question, yes.   I’m happy here.   I deserve to be happy after everything we’ve been through.”
      “The first…the first year…”   Esther paused to bite her bottom lip.   “It seemed too good to be true.   After what we been told for so long we all sat here holding our breath, waiting for them to show us their true selves.”   She gestured with one hand as she spoke.   “But it’s been, what?   Three years now?”  
    “Of course your leaders would lie to you,” Elentinus said.   “The soldiers had to believe surrender was worse than death in order to sacrifice themselves.   Your allies reassured your governments time and time again that we were gracious conquerors.   They hid this from you.”
    “’Gracious conquerors.’”   Dugan sneered.   “You knew our soldiers were lied to and you still killed them all.”
    Whore stepped forward, but Elentinus lifted his hand.
    “The only reason you’re not paying a penance now for your prolonged resistance is because of those lies.   We are usually not so gracious to stubborn worlds.”
    “Was it gracious to sic those parasites on us?”
    “Shut your mouth, Dugan, for God’s sake,” Magpie said.   “What’s the point?”
    Dugan turned away with his chin quivering.  
    “Okay, so fine,” Inga said.   “Never mind the past.   How is it for you now?”
    “Well, we’ll show you,” Esther said.
    Dugan crossed his arms.   “I don’t have to be involved, do I?”
    “Leave,” Elentinus said.
    Dugan set off straight ahead.    The women led us to the side, toward a row of barracks.   We passed vast gardens that several people were tending to.   A few calico