Free Alien's Bride Book Two by Yamila Abraham Page A

I never considered how she might react to it.   I felt ashamed of how selfish I’d been.
    “I don’t mean you look bad in it,” she said.   “You’re beautiful.   It’s just…”   She struggled to find the words a few moments then put her face in her hands and started crying.
    I ran over to her with a pang of anguish in my middle.   “Oh, sweetie!”  
    I pulled her into a hug.   She grabbed on to me with both arms and started sobbing loudly against me.   The tears had her quaking with emotion.   It was as if she finally released the tumult of pain inside her.   I held her tight and soothed her hair.   Her suffering made my chest ache.   I felt like she was my responsibility now.   I had no right to be happy while this girl was suffering.
    “Bah, fine,” Nayjoor made a dismissive gesture with his hand.   “Let the womenfolk commiserate.”   He walked beside Elentinus.   “I’m dying for some breakfast, Elen.”
    “Of course.”
    Elentinus exchanged a look with me before leading him away.   I nodded to let him know I’d be fine.   Nayjoor, Elentinus, and Whore headed toward the back of the lobby where I’d never been.   Rolf-Tem lingered behind.
    I frowned at him.   “Go follow your master.   She’ll be fine with me.”
    He stuck his nose in the air and hmphed, but then turned and caught up with them.  
    I urged Inga over to the sitting area.   Kang rolled over and produced something like tissues.   She dabbed her face with one.
    “You…you’re American?”   She still hiccupped with sobs.
    “Yep.   That’s right.”
    “So I…I speak English, too.   Great.   I could have done so much with this in my home.   What’s the fucking point in this place?   All the other girls are Russian, you know?”
    “Really?   I didn’t come with the first group.   I’ve only been here a week or so.   You’ve met the other wives?”
    She nodded and wiped her nose.   “Just the other high council wives.   They bring us with them twice a year to the capital for the council sessions.”   Her tears renewed.   “But those fucking assholes keep us separate.   They sit us in different corners of the gallery so we can just stare at each other, wanting to talk so badly.   Can you imagine a sicker fucking torture?”
    “Wow.”   I shook my head with my lips parted.
    “Then there’s those fucking shock collars.”   She paused to tremble as the tears ran down her face.   “They…they used to put them on us every time we were punished.   At least we had warning.   Now there’s these new ones.   Invisible ones.   On our necks every fucking minute of the day.   You don’t even have a moment to brace yourself.   His asshole servant can shock me any second he feels like it.   I don’t even know what I did wrong half the time.   He says I give him dirty looks.   I can’t help the expression on my face!   I hate it here!   He shocks me…so easily…so often…like it’s nothing.   Like it’s not the worst pain you can feel in your life!   Oh, God—they’re monsters!”
    I hugged her against me again.   My own tears started to flow.   “You poor thing.”       
    “If he shocks me one more time—just one more—I’m going to kill myself!”
    “No!”   I pulled back to look at her.   “Don’t even think like that.”
    “Why not?”   She wiped her nose.   “What the fuck do I have to live for in this horrible world?”
    “Inga, your husband brought you here because he wants things to be better.”
    She looked away from me.   “Fuck that!”
    “My husband said he was crying.   He told him he’s miserable too.”
    She was shaking her head but I kept talking.
    “They were following idiotic rules from this old high druid.   But he’s dead now.   The new druid doesn’t want women to suffer anymore.   Things are going to change.”
    “Yes.   I know about the new druid and all that bullshit.   I read your letter, too, you know?   Of