Free Taken by the Enemy by Jennifer Bene

hand.
    “ I don’t say please.” He angled the paper into the light, narrowing his eyes and widening them as he moved the paper forward and back until finally he paused and she saw his gaze moving across the page. “Hmm, well, it seems you are not a liar. You’re quite the little scholar.”
    “Thanks.” She rolled her eyes and put the stopper back into the ink well.
    “So, who are you?” Mathias leaned on the table, his dark eyes boring into her as an uneasy feeling took up residence in her stomach.
    “Me? I’m no one.” Even Emmie heard the tremble in her voice and she silently cursed herself.
    “Clever girl. You may be no one now , but you were someone. Tell me who you were in the city.” His words were confident, and there was no doubt in her mind that this man was dangerous. Smart and dangerous – a very bad combination.
    “No one,” Emmie repeated.
    “Don’t lie to me, girl!” He slammed his hand on the table and the rocks bounced. “What nice little family did you belong to, little bird? No working man or woman can read as well as that, or write so prettily.”
    “I took down letters for —”
    “DO NOT LIE TO ME!” Mathias shouted at her and stood, towering over her as he leaned across the table.
    “I’m. Not.” Emmie enunciated clearly, meeting the man’s eyes as confidently as she could, even though her heart was hammering a tattoo inside her chest.
    “I’ll give you one more chance, and then you’re going to regret not taking it.” Mathias walked slowly around the table, brushing his hands together until he stood directly in front of her. “Who were you inside the city?”
    Emmie swallowed. Who was she? Her mind was filled with visions of well-appointed rooms, elegant ballrooms, warm baths, and beautiful dresses. Music that seemed to lift the roof as it filled rooms, the sounds of laughter, and stacks upon stacks of incredible books. Then the golden haze faded until angry shouting replaced the music, until she felt the sting of a slap, and the memories of screaming and begging and banging on locked doors pushed the superficial beauty of it all far away. “I. Was. No. One.”
    “Have it your way.” Mathias’ hand was faster than she expected as he grabbed the braid at the back of her head and hauled her bodily out of the chair, immediately dragging her outside as the door banged open.
    “Stop!” she screamed, but he didn’t even slow. Emmie stumbled, half bent over with the way he held her hair in his fist. It was a short but painful walk to the center of the village, and Mathias took a sharp left towards the side of the common area. “Let me go!”
    He shoved her to the ground, and she caught herself, immediately turning around to glare up at him. “Strip,” he ordered.
    “What? No!” Emmie moved to stand, but Mathias was in front of her again, wrenching her head back by her hair.
    “Listen, girl, you can either strip yourself, or I can tie you up clothed and then cut them off you. But then you’ve lost the clothes and you’ll have to earn more.” He released her hair and stood tall. “Your choice.”
    Tears burned the edges of her eyes as she caught the movement of the raiders walking through the village. He was going to tie her up… naked? “Please, don’t do this.”
    “You’ve earned the punishment already, but if you tell me who you were in the city then I may cut it short.” Mathias crossed his arms, and Emmie clenched her jaw tight. “Fine then, strip now or I’m going with option two.”
    “Every one of you is going to hell,” Emmie muttered as she shoved herself off the ground.
    “Aren’t we all? Get on with it.”
    She started with the long sleeved overshirt, yanking it over her head to throw it to the ground. Her sleeveless undershirt went next. Then she opened her pants, pushing them down, before ripping off her shoes and socks so she could kick the pants away from her. It only left the cloth around her breasts and the thin panties.