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“Help us reclaim what we’ve lost, Shayne. Please,”Hemmi begs.
“It may be a better alternative than us running, Shayne,”her friend proposes. “Will your family offer guards to keep her safe from her brothers? Because at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
“There you go with theusthing again, Mera.”Shayne sighs. “It’s not safe for you to come with us. I don’t want my brothers getting a hold of you and using you against me.”
“You are not leaving me here, Shayne! I’ve had your back since we were kids, and that’s not going to stop now. Here’s something you haven’t thought of. What if your brothers are in cahoots with the nuns and priests here? Huh? They already know that we’re always together and that we’re the best of friends. What makes you think I’m safer here than with you?”
“Damn.” Luca whistles, exhaling a puff from his cigar. “She’s good at the guilt-trip thing.”
“Sounds like it,” I agree.
“I kinda like this chick,” Luca adds.
“You would,” Master grumbles.
“What? I like them feisty.” Luca chuckles, adjusting his crotch.
The things that arouse my brother are troubling. My parents should’ve gotten him therapy after shackling Luca to my intended bride all of those years ago.
“Stop the idle chitchat. We need to know if Shayne’s going to agree to sneak out with Charlee and Hemmi,” I demand, tuning back into the conversation that matters.
“Why do you need protection from your brothers, Shayne? Other than the obvious fact that they’re sociopaths?”Charlee probes.
“Good girl,” I mutter.
Knowing all the facts ahead of time will help us be better prepared for what’s to come.
“Because they’ve used me as a pawn in their schemes,”Shayne answers.
“How?”Hemmi asks.
“They’ve basically sold her as arm candy, a breeder to another foul man,”Mera replies.
“They’ve found me a marriage match that suits their motives. I’m to be married to a man I’ve never met in six months,”Shayne mentions.
“That’s barbaric and a bit outdated, don’t you think?”Charlee groans.
“It’s old school, yes,”Shayne concurs, sounding snippy and unhappy about that fact. “But that’s the way it is in our family, apparently.”
“Your brothers are making a power play,”Hemmi states. “But even a marriage contract between families is a travesty, and honestly, a bit disgusting.”
“In their world, me being a woman, means I do as I’m told without any lip. I’m to be seen and not heard. I have no choices. They’ve captured my dreams and have utterly wrecked them. Our blood bonds mean nothing to them other than a way to control me and defy boundaries.”
Shayne’s sad voice makes me want to pull her into my arms and shelter her from the bad things that happen in life. She’s a treasure, one her brothers will happily cash in instead of putting her in a trove and holding her in high regard as any woman such as herself should be.
“So, not to be an interloper or anything, but as you can see, this situation is serious and nobody answered my initial question after we got sidetracked. Can your family keep her safe? Her brothers aren’t to be taken lightly. Do you have the means, security, and the backing necessary?”Tammera digs.
“We can keep her safe,”Charlee insists.
“And yes, we have the clout, financing, as well as the backing of soldiers to make sure it stays that way,”Hemmi includes.
“The fact that you have your own soldiers is a bit troubling,”Shayne confesses. “Now I have to decide if the devil I know is safer than the devil that I don’t.”
“Honey, our soldiers, our family, won’t sell you off to the highest bidder. We’ll protect you and keep you safe. Does it suck that you’re stuck in the middle of a war that isn’t yours? Yes. But at least with us, you have a chance for a life of your own once this is over,”Hemmi says, her tone soothing.
“What assurances do you have of that outside of your word?”Tammera presses. “No offense, but we don’t know you, which means just because you say so, doesn’t alleviate any of our concerns.”
“What would make you feel better?”Charlee asks.
