Free Saved By Him (The Monster Series Book 2) by Michelle Horst Page B

careful Miss Ella will have you only peeling potatoes. She hates to do that.”
    I smile at Mistress River. “I don’t mind,” I whisper, making sure to keep my voice respectful.
    “Hush, child!” I’ve noticed that Miss Ella pretends to be angry but she’s not really. “You know my old hands don’t want to peel and grate anything anymore.”
    My eyes go to Miss Ella’s old, wrinkly hands. I’ll peel and grate everything for her. I don’t want her to hurt her hands.
    Mistress River laughs. “Actually,” she says, coming over to me. I tense and wait for her command. “I wanted to steal Sophia for an hour. I think it’s time she meets everyone.”
    My heart sinks a little. I know it’s my duty to satisfy everyone but I was hoping to get away from fucking for just a little while longer.
    “You can have her for an hour, but bring her back so she can finish helping me.”
    Mistress River takes my hand and she pulls me behind her. “Thanks, Miss Ella.”
    I quickly wipe my other hand on my dress, while wondering if I’ll get to shower first.
    Instead of taking me to a room, she takes me out the back door. I haven’t been outside in a very long time.
    My eyes burn from the bright light and I blink a couple of times. Once my eyes adjust to the sun, I start to look around. Everything is so green, for as far as I can see. There are huge trees. I look back and get my first glimpse of the house. It’s massive, but pretty. You can see it’s old, maybe even as old as Miss Ella.
    “We farm our own vegetables and fruits here,” Mistress River says. “We have some cattle and fowl, as well, but that falls under Tristan and Miss Ella.”
    A farm? I’ve heard of a farm once. There was a slave that came from a farm. Sometimes she would tell us about the animals and all the fun she had there before they took her. She didn’t last long. Actually, she didn’t make it through training. 
    There’s a group of girls up ahead. When we reach them Mistress River says, “Girls, this is Sophia. Please make her feel at home.”
    I’m still taking them all in when one of them comes up to me and hugs me. “You’re going to be so happy here!”
    A dark skinned girl is next and she hugs me too. “Welcome.”
    I recognize one of the girls. She showed me where the kitchen was. She’s standing with another girl and they just smile at me.
    “The girls tend to the vegetables. We have potatoes, carrots, peas, pumpkins, tomatoes,” River says and then she laughs, “we have it all here. You can get to know them better over dinner. Let me go show you the others.”
    I stay close to Mistress River. I’ve learned not to trust another slave, except for Jack of course.
    We find the other girls picking apples. Mistress River introduces me to them, but she doesn’t tell me their names, not that I would remember them all. None of the girls picking fruit hug me.
    We walk to the other side of the farm. There’s a big building and enclosures with different animals in each one. It stinks and I scrunch my nose.
    I’m surprised when I see more men. There’s a girl with them, but she ducks behind them when we get close.
    The men keep their distance from me. I’ve never met so many people all at once. It’s a bit overwhelming.
    On the way back to the house Mistress River asks, “Do you have any questions?”
    I drop my eyes to my feet. “They’re all your slaves?”
    “No, Lovely. No one here is a slave. They’ve all been a slave at one point but just like you and Jack they are now free. Any of you can leave at any time. You are no longer someone’s property and you can make eye contact with all of us. You never have to submit again.”
    Master Adam said the same thing a couple of times, but I’m not sure I know what that means.
    Mistress River takes my hand and pulls me to a stop. “You are not a slave. No one will use you for sex or beat on you again. You’re safe here. You can now live your own life.”
    I’m really free? No