Taken by the Enemy Read Online Free PDF
Author: Jennifer Bene
there are always good ones.” The girl’s voice sounded so confident that Emmie laughed a little and tried to think of her last good day. It was probably the day before she’d left the city, when she’d had a full belly, and had hugged her sister tight knowing it was for the last time – and with that thought, darkness overshadowed the memory.
That wasn’t a good memory, it was guilt personified.
Traitor. Weakling. Coward.
Her own mind was against her, and Emmie couldn’t handle it, suddenly grateful for her empty stomach. “It seems all I’ve had are bad days recently.”
“I understand,” Alice whispered. They sat there in silence for a moment until Emmie felt an itching on her cheek, strands of her hair stuck to the damp skin from the crying. She tried to brush the hair away with her shoulder, and when that didn’t work, she blew at it uselessly. The girl inched closer, shifting onto her knees. “Would you, um, would you like me to pull your hair back? I’ve found it’s not as difficult when it’s out of your face.”
“Thank you, yes,” Emmie mumbled and shifted back to sit on her sore ass. A hiss escaped between her teeth and Alice let out an empathetic sound as she moved behind her.
“He punished you, didn’t he? I couldn’t help but hear…” The girl slid her hands towards the tie buried in the mess of her hair, and Emmie nodded. “Did Lucian himself punish you?”
Emeline rolled her shoulders, trying her best to ignore their ache as she nodded again. “Yes, he did.”
“Wow.” The young woman’s voice sounded surprised, her deft fingers working at the knots in her hair. “I thought Lucian didn’t touch any of the women. Honestly, I’d begun to think he preferred men – not that it would be particularly strange, just odd for a man in his position.”
“His position?” Emmie turned slightly towards the girl, but Alice pushed her head forward again to continue removing the tangles.
“He’s the leader. Of all of them. Of this place.” She blew out a breath. “That’s a big deal.”
“What do you mean?” Emmie winced as Alice caught a particularly stubborn tangle and tore it free.
“Well, from what I’ve been told, he’s never taken one of the new captives. Even for a punishment.” Alice started to draw her fingers through her hair, pulling it back and over Emmie’s shoulders, and the sensation was soothing, but her words were creating a new tension under her skin. “He just doesn’t take any of the women for himself.”
Emeline opened her mouth to tell the girl what had happened, how he had pressed her down over the log, spanked her until she was pleading, and had taken her. Been the first man to have her – but the cover over the doorway fluttered open and a woman with dirty blonde hair stormed in, huffing and puffing.
“Alice! Did you hear—” The woman stopped short, bent over under the low roof of the structure. “There’s a new girl...”
She met the woman’s blue eyes as she stared for a moment and then moved towards the back of the space. A moment later, she returned with a shallow bowl, sipping at it. Alice answered her quietly. “Yes. She’s nice, Clara, she just had a bad day today.”
“A bad day?” Clara huffed and sat down, taking another drink from the bowl. “Haven’t we all? Years of bad days. Talk to me about bad days when you’ve dealt with them as long as I have.”
“There’s no need for that,” Alice mumbled, and Clara scoffed.
“She looks fine to me, and trust me, being here is better than being out there where everything is trying to kill you – or back in the damn city where those sons of bitches —”
“Clara!” Alice tugged Emmie’s hair sharply as she chastised the other woman, and Clara finally seemed to calm down a little.
“ Fine .” She rolled her eyes. “So, what did you do to end up out here with the rest of the riffraff?”
“Nothing.” Emmie went still, ignoring the gentle tugging of Alice’s
That wasn’t a good memory, it was guilt personified.
Traitor. Weakling. Coward.
Her own mind was against her, and Emmie couldn’t handle it, suddenly grateful for her empty stomach. “It seems all I’ve had are bad days recently.”
“I understand,” Alice whispered. They sat there in silence for a moment until Emmie felt an itching on her cheek, strands of her hair stuck to the damp skin from the crying. She tried to brush the hair away with her shoulder, and when that didn’t work, she blew at it uselessly. The girl inched closer, shifting onto her knees. “Would you, um, would you like me to pull your hair back? I’ve found it’s not as difficult when it’s out of your face.”
“Thank you, yes,” Emmie mumbled and shifted back to sit on her sore ass. A hiss escaped between her teeth and Alice let out an empathetic sound as she moved behind her.
“He punished you, didn’t he? I couldn’t help but hear…” The girl slid her hands towards the tie buried in the mess of her hair, and Emmie nodded. “Did Lucian himself punish you?”
Emeline rolled her shoulders, trying her best to ignore their ache as she nodded again. “Yes, he did.”
“Wow.” The young woman’s voice sounded surprised, her deft fingers working at the knots in her hair. “I thought Lucian didn’t touch any of the women. Honestly, I’d begun to think he preferred men – not that it would be particularly strange, just odd for a man in his position.”
“His position?” Emmie turned slightly towards the girl, but Alice pushed her head forward again to continue removing the tangles.
“He’s the leader. Of all of them. Of this place.” She blew out a breath. “That’s a big deal.”
“What do you mean?” Emmie winced as Alice caught a particularly stubborn tangle and tore it free.
“Well, from what I’ve been told, he’s never taken one of the new captives. Even for a punishment.” Alice started to draw her fingers through her hair, pulling it back and over Emmie’s shoulders, and the sensation was soothing, but her words were creating a new tension under her skin. “He just doesn’t take any of the women for himself.”
Emeline opened her mouth to tell the girl what had happened, how he had pressed her down over the log, spanked her until she was pleading, and had taken her. Been the first man to have her – but the cover over the doorway fluttered open and a woman with dirty blonde hair stormed in, huffing and puffing.
“Alice! Did you hear—” The woman stopped short, bent over under the low roof of the structure. “There’s a new girl...”
She met the woman’s blue eyes as she stared for a moment and then moved towards the back of the space. A moment later, she returned with a shallow bowl, sipping at it. Alice answered her quietly. “Yes. She’s nice, Clara, she just had a bad day today.”
“A bad day?” Clara huffed and sat down, taking another drink from the bowl. “Haven’t we all? Years of bad days. Talk to me about bad days when you’ve dealt with them as long as I have.”
“There’s no need for that,” Alice mumbled, and Clara scoffed.
“She looks fine to me, and trust me, being here is better than being out there where everything is trying to kill you – or back in the damn city where those sons of bitches —”
“Clara!” Alice tugged Emmie’s hair sharply as she chastised the other woman, and Clara finally seemed to calm down a little.
“ Fine .” She rolled her eyes. “So, what did you do to end up out here with the rest of the riffraff?”
“Nothing.” Emmie went still, ignoring the gentle tugging of Alice’s