Taken by the Enemy Read Online Free PDF Page B

hands as they worked to tether her unruly hair into a braid.
    “Don’t pull that innocent victim routine with me, no one gets exiled without reason. All I did was hit some asshole over the head when he refused to pay me for services rendered, and suddenly I’m the criminal, I’m getting kicked out of the city, I’m some whore.” Clara snorted. “As if half the town council had never been to that brothel before. Bunch of hypocritical, lying—”
    “Shut up!” Emmie snapped, and both of them went still. Her own reaction had surprised her, and she did her best to suppress the surge of anger inside her. Answer , her mind urged her, but she had never even thought up a reason as to why she’d be outside the city walls. In all her preparations, she had never expected to be thrust into the company of the enemies of the city, but now she was effectively surrounded – and she needed an answer. Her mind whirled, trying to dredge her memories of previous offenses that had resulted in exile, but she’d never paid much attention to it. It was a footnote in the gossip she’d been surrounded by, and suddenly it was the most important information to her.
    Great.
    Clara stared at her with an eyebrow neatly raised, her bowl held in the air like an offering, and even Alice was peeking around her to listen.
    “I—” She started to speak, but her mind was empty. Empty of any valid excuse that would ring true, and suddenly a partial truth left her lips unbidden. “I refused a man who wanted me.”
    “Let me guess, the asshole claimed you stole from him?” Clara huffed.
    “Something like that,” Emmie mumbled, turning away to hide the hot flush in her cheeks.
    “That’s terrible!” Alice piped up, returning to the braid until it was finished, before tying it off once more – only this time Emmie could tell it was much straighter, more confined, and probably a lot prettier than she’d been able to manage on her own.
    “Men are dogs. All of them.” Clara raised her voice. “ALL men, even the mutt outside this place!”
    Alice made a sound of distress, shifting until Emmie could more easily see both of them. “Clara, please , don’t make them angry.”
    She just laughed. “Listen to me, Alice is still new, but you’ll figure out pretty quickly that there’s a short list of what they can do to you. Once you know that, you’ll feel a lot better. Just don’t run, and you’ll be fine – hey, what did you say your name was?”
    Their eyes bored into her, and she relented. “Emmie.”
    “That’s pretty!” Alice chimed, and Clara shrugged.
    “Well, hello, Emmie. Welcome to the rest of your pathetic life, however long that is.”
    “Why do you have to be like that?” Alice asked, turning towards Clara with a frown.
    “Because I’m not an idiot.” The blonde muttered under her breath for a moment, and then she held out the bowl casually. “Are you thirsty?”
    The question immediately drew Emmie’s attention to the dryness in her throat, and she nodded. Alice took the shallow bowl and brought it to her lips, but Emmie pulled back. “Can’t you untie me?”
    Clara laughed, but Alice just looked apologetic. “No, Emmie, I’m sorry. We’ll all be punished if we untie you, you’ll have to earn that right.”
    The girl moved the water towards her lips again, and although she was thirsty, Emmie turned away from it again. “How? How do I earn that?”
    Alice sighed, lowering the bowl. “You have to obey. Behave. Don’t run.”
    “Right!” Clara laughed. “What happens when you run, Alice?”
    The girl fumed, the first anger she’d seen in the mousy brunette. “They catch you.”
    “And then?” Clara prompted.
    “They punish you,” Alice finished. With a deep breath, the girl composed herself and raised the bowl again. “Here. Take a drink, you’ll feel better. They’ll feed us something soon.”
    The lukewarm water passed Emmie’s lips and she almost moaned at how good it felt, but the bowl was