Taken by the Enemy

by Jennifer Bene

  “You really are a good guy, aren’t you?” She didn’t even frame it as a question, because it wasn’t one anymore. Lucian was just a guy making decisions in insane circumstances, not always the right ones, but he was doing his best to help everyone around him.

  And they were circumstances that none of them would even be in without her father’s intervention.

  “I try to be a good guy, but I don’t think I get it right all the time.” He was staring ahead of them, across the beautiful pool, and she wanted to reach out and ease the tension in his face, but then he spoke again. “I didn’t get it right with you, that’s for sure.”

  “You said you want to try. To be different?”

  Lucian sighed, a small smile lifting the edge of his mouth. “I am, but there are limits, little bird. There are rules even I can’t break without consequences.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that you still have to follow the rules. I can’t give you special treatment. Mathias is already so suspicious of you, and he’s angry with me for refusing to tell him who you were in the city. Ben won’t stop harassing me about who you are to me, Evan keeps asking me because Lucie is worried about you.” He laughed. “Every important person to me is completely focused on you, and that isn’t helping me much because I can’t stop thinking about you even when they aren’t talking about you.”

  “Oh.”

  “But I do want to try. This.” He reached over, twining their fingers together in the mud.

  “What about —” The question choked her, because the answer worried her, but she forced it out. “What about the other free men in the village?”

  “Do you want someone —”

  “No!” Emmie practically shouted, and then she shook her head. “No, no, I don’t want anyone, but you can’t just keep making me off-limits. Mathias was asking about it, and I know that the ones that guard the stable are curious. So are Alice and Clara. It’s just—”

  “I’ve spent years never even looking at any of the free women that we’ve brought into the village. I think the men can give me the chance to at least see if this works.” Lucian squeezed her hand and then released it, crossing his arms over his knees. “But if there were someone you wanted, it’s your right to – I mean we’re not…” He cleared his throat. “I am in no place to ask you not to seek someone else, if you choose to, and I’d understand. I mean, I won’t kill them or anything.” He forced a small smile, and she let out a little laugh.

  “Okay.” Emmie nodded, and he nodded too, although his was much stiffer, but Emmie was only just beginning to imagine seeing Lucian as someone other than the wild raider who had run her down in the woods. To even think of any of the other exiles as an option felt insane, it would mean she was accepting this weird life as her own.

  It would mean she’d really left the city for good.

  Lucian laughed and broke her train of thought, and she glanced over at him. “We are covered in mud, and your hair is coated in it. Come on, we seriously do need to wash off now.”

  “You sure know how to woo a lady,” Emmie muttered, reaching up to touch her matted hair, but he laughed again and stood before tugging her to her feet.

  “I’d be happy to help you wash up.”

  “Oh, would you?” She raised her eyebrows at him and he grinned wildly before scooping her up into his arms, making her scream and laugh.

  “My lady, it’s the only gentlemanly thing to do.”

  Chapter Ten

  It was late afternoon by the time they walked back into the village, hand in hand. Emmie was tempted to break their grip, but Lucian only tightened it as they moved towards the village center where the sounds of gathered voices was growing louder. As soon as they appeared, Ben’s booming voice rose up above them all. “Lucian!”

  Other voices joined his, and they were quickly surrounded by people approaching to offer him bowls of a steaming liquid, but he kept a firm hold on her hand as she tried to fall back. “Hello, everyone. Okay, okay, slow down, what’s going on?”

  “It’s Quentin! He needs to talk to you!”

  “So sweet.”

  “- never expected that —”

  “Come on!”

  A sea of voices surrounded her, and Emmie felt uncomfortable. In the peaceful solitude of the waterfall, everything had seemed simpler, easier, but in the face of the village, in the face of his people – she felt like a fraud, an outsider. However, when she tried to stay out of the way, he pulled her with him and Ben landed in step next to her, a dark haired woman on his other side smiling secretively.

  “Have a good time, did you?” Ben whispered close to her, and Emmie blushed. He laughed loudly. “That’s what I thought.”

  “Would you shut it?” she snapped, but he only laughed harder, wrapping an arm around the woman.

  “What did I tell you, Justine? I think you owe me one.”

  The woman laughed, a bawdy, loud laugh that matched her mate’s well. “We’ll see, Ben. Why don’t I get her a drink? She looks cold.” She darted off, and Emmie wanted to go hide somewhere quiet.

  “Here, try it first before Justine gets back. It takes some getting used to.” Lucian turned back to her, offering her the bowl he had been handed, and she could see the steam rising off it.

  “What is it?” she asked quietly, and he grinned at her.

  “It’s a brew they make here for special occasions. Has herbs and such, but it has a kick to it. See if you can stomach it before Justine starts feeding you bowls of it.” He winked, and she took it, smelling it first. It reminded her of a strong tea, but when she tasted it, there was an acrid aftertaste and she coughed. Lucian laughed and took the bowl back as warmth spread out from her belly in a rush.

  “What is that?”

  “They call it brew. It’s sort of like the alcohol in the city, but a lot more… homemade.” He grinned and tugged her towards the main fire pit where groups were gathered, and all the energy of the village seemed to be centered there. That was when she saw Alice grinning broadly next to Quentin who looked like he was glowing, until he saw Lucian and rapidly went pale.

  He jerked to a standing position, leaving Alice on the log next to him. “Lucian!”

  “Yes, Quentin?” Lucian sounded serious and slowly everyone quieted down, leaving only the crackling of the fire as he finally released his grip on her.

  Justine pressed herself between her and Ben and shoved a bowl of the steaming liquid into Emmie’s hand. “Watch this,” the woman whispered directly into Emmie’s ear and nudged her, an excited grin on her face.

  Ben was suppressing a smile as he crossed his arms over his broad chest and stared at Quentin and Lucian.

  “I am here to make a request of the village.” Quentin straightened up, but his nerves were obvious.

  Lucian was a different person as everyone looked at him. He seemed taller, more like the terrifying hunter she had first met in the woods.

  How many sides do you have?

  “I will hear your request.” His voice was hard, unforgiving, and the small mumblings among the huge gathering that had lingered suddenly died. Emmie looked around her and realized she must be standing amidst over a hundred people. Groups were still arriving from all over the village, packing themselves deep as they came from other fires to listen. All of them focused on the two men, and Emmie was in the center.

  “I request the right to mate myself to this woman, Alice Masson.” Quentin swallowed. Lucian didn’t respond for a moment, and the man reached back and Alice took his hand.

  “Don’t touch her, Quentin.” Lucian’s voice was a whip crack, and immediately Quentin released her and Alice’s eyes went wide. “Alice, stand please.”

  She stood, visibly shaking, and Emmie wanted to comfort her. She wanted to be beside her, but then a woman appeared next to her, rubbing her back and Alice smiled nervously at her.

  “Alice, are you interested in mating yourself to Quentin?” Lucian was a little more gentle, but no less serious
.

  “Y- yes.”

  “Has he threatened you, or are you being forced in any way to say this?” Lucian’s voice carried across the silence.

  “No!” Alice looked at Quentin, but he was staring at the ground and so she turned her eyes back to Lucian. “No, not at all, I promise!”

  “You understand that a mating is completely voluntary, and that it is your choice. You do not have to choose Quentin if you do not wish —”

  “But I do! I do choose, Quentin, please!” Alice sounded panicked, but quiet laughter floated through the gathered group until Lucian raised his hand and it stopped.

  “All right, Alice. Thank you.” Lucian turned back to Quentin, and the man raised his eyes, a calm confidence suffusing his posture. “And Quentin, you understand that the choice to mate is a permanent one? By choosing Alice you promise to be hers, and hers alone?”

  Justine leaned close and grabbed Emmie’s arm in a tight grip, her face filled with a broad smile. Emmie was surprised by the woman’s excitement, but she turned back as Quentin cleared his throat. “I choose Alice Masson, now and forever, to be my mate. I will seek no one else.”

  “Then who am I to stand in your way, brother?” Lucian grinned. “Congratulations to Alice and Quentin!” He had to shout the last words because the entire village let up a roar so loud that Emmie’s ears ached, and she found herself grinning along with Justine who was bouncing on her toes and cheering along with everyone else.

  Quentin turned and grabbed Alice in his arms, kissing her as he spun her around. They were both laughing and smiling when they stopped, and Emmie cheered too, throwing hers in with the rest. “CONGRATULATIONS, ALICE!” Her voice carried across the space and the girl looked over at her, bright eyed and red cheeked as she waved.

  “What did I tell you? I can’t believe you got to be here for one of these, they’re so rare!” Justine was smiling broadly at her, one hand to her chest as she laughed. “A mating ceremony, hell, I remember mine like it was yesterday.”

  “Two years isn’t so long ago, darling.” Ben’s gruff voice appeared over her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight.

  “Don’t spill my brew!” She cackled and smacked his hands off of her to steady the bowl in her other hand. “And it’s almost three years now.”

  “True. Give me a kiss, and I won’t molest you until it’s empty.” Ben laughed and then they kissed, and Emmie turned away to see Lucian watching her.

  He stepped close, keeping a measured distance between them. “Well, that was a nice surprise to come back to. That should keep everyone well distracted for a few days at least.”

  “So this means —”

  “They belong to each other. They’re mated.” He looked back over at them. “I’m glad she chose Quentin, he’s a good man.”

  “Come on, Emmie, drink up!” Justine prodded her in the side and Emmie sighed and took a draught from the bowl. It still burned, but less so with the second drink, and Justine cheered. “No more work is getting done today, that’s for sure!”

  “You really should enjoy yourself. Celebrations like this don’t come very often.” Ben leaned his head on Justine’s shoulder, and she touched his cheek.

  “Okay, I’ll try.”

  “Look at that! The little hawk didn’t argue a bit!” Ben laughed loudly and Justine elbowed him in the side.

  “Ignore him, he likes to talk tough, but he’s a gentle giant.” Justine grinned until Ben’s hand landed sharply on her ass and she jumped, spilling some of her brew. “Hey!”

  “I don’t just talk tough, I play rough too. You should remember that, darling.” He was grinning, even with the low rumble in his voice, but Justine only cackled in response.

  “Why do you think I chose you?” They kissed again, but Justine pulled herself free to face Emmie again, lowering her voice. “I would love to talk to you about you and Lucian.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” Emmie mumbled, but Justine ignored her.

  “He’s a good one, Emmie. One of the best.” Her eyes tracked him as he moved through the people and Emmie turned to look as well. There he was clapping some people on the back, hugging others, and then he was shaking Quentin’s hand. The whole village was alive with smiles, raw joy pulsing through all of them, an oasis in the darkness. “None of this would exist without him and Mathias. None of it.”

  “That’s what I’ve been told.”

  “It’s the truth. Come here, I want you to meet someone. I think it might help.” Justine grabbed her hand and started to pull her through the crowd. Her loud voice was filled with laughter as she taunted playfully with friends as she passed them, and then they were out of the press of people and heading towards some of the smaller groups. Emmie turned to try and find Lucian again, but he was hidden somewhere in the huge gathering. “This is Rachel and Tim.”

  Emmie turned around to find a couple sitting on the ground around a small fire, a young boy a few feet away digging furrows in the dirt with a stick. “Um, hello.”

  “Hi,” they both responded, and then the woman stood and brushed her hands off to shake Emmie’s hand. “Like she said, I’m Rachel, and that is my son Jean.”

  The little boy didn’t even look up, but Emmie recognized him as one of the boys Lucian had been teaching that morning. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Rachel, I thought you and Tim might tell Emmie how you came to the village. I think it would help her a bit.” Justine winked at Emmie and then waved as she started to walk away. “I’m going to go make sure Ben doesn’t get into trouble! Enjoy your night!”

  “Hmm.” Tim stretched out next to the fire, looking at Emmie appraisingly. “Justine likes to meddle, don’t feel like you need to spend the celebration with us.”

  “Actually, being in and around all those people kind of makes me dizzy. It’s a little quieter over here.” Emmie took a nervous drink from the bowl and almost coughed.

  “Well, then sit with us and we’ll tell you our story.” Rachel smiled and sat down next to her mate, keeping an eye on Jean as he darted to pick up a different stick. “I’m just not quite sure where to start.”

  “Were you both exiled together?”

  She laughed, shaking her head. “Ah, no, we were not. Tim had been exiled almost six months before me, and I spent the first few days outside the gates screaming and begging to be let back in. It wasn’t until it started pouring down rain that I went into the forest trying to find shelter.”

  “Rachel was alone for a while, but then she ate a bunch of bad berries, and I heard her sobbing and retching from half a mile away.” Tim raised an eyebrow at her when Rachel grumbled. “It’s true, my love.”

  “Anyway, he grabbed me and took me to a nearby stream and told me to drink. I did until I was sick again, and then drank some more. At some point, I passed out, and I woke up inside a lean-to shelter he had built for himself. By then the reality of my situation had set in —”

  “So, to thank me for helping her she ran off.” Tim interrupted her.

  “And you chased me,” she whispered, checking to see that Jean was still within eyesight, but out of earshot.

  That sounds familiar.

  “I did. You were only the second woman I’d seen, and the first had been with a group of men.” He shrugged. “Plus, you’re perfect. I wasn’t going to let you go.”

  Rachel smiled and she leaned over to kiss him softly, he was smiling when she sat back up. “My point is, I know how you feel. Right now. But it’s not easy to survive out here, Emmie. We need other people, and while it took me a bit to figure that out, I couldn’t have been much luckier than to be found by Tim. The forest used to be incredibly dangerous. I didn’t even know how dangerous at the time.” She shook her head, looking over at Jean with a tense expression. “Tim killed to protect me, even before he knew I was carrying Jean. He taught me everything he knew about finding food, and we discovered more together. We survived, we built a home out of that lean-to.”

>   “We started our family there.” Tim sat up, his own eyes seeking Jean out. “I never thought I’d have a child, but Rachel gave me one, and I would have killed a lot more than one man to keep both of them safe.”

  “Fortunately, Mathias and Lucian found us. Although that day was anything but comforting. Jean was a little over a year and he was screaming, I couldn’t get him to quiet down, and then they came out of the woods with Ben.” Rachel wrapped her arms around her legs. “I’m sure you know how I felt. I’m sure you felt it yourself when they found you. I was sure our happiness was over, that they would kill Jean, kill Tim, and take me. I called out for him —”

  “I was already on my way back with fish, could hear Jean’s wailing across the forest. Hearing the panic in her voice, seeing those men in front of them…” Tim shook his head, a dark shadow passing over his expression. “I was prepared to gut them, or die trying at least, but as I ran up Mathias raised his hands and asked if we could talk.”

  “Even though they weren’t threatening us, I was terrified. That is, until Lucian put his spear down and knelt on the ground to talk to Jean. He started making faces at him, and pretty soon Jean was laughing.” Rachel shrugged, smiling at her son. “Hell, he still prefers Uncle Lucian to us half the time.”

  “Uncle Lucian?” Emmie finally spoke, and Tim nodded.

  “Oh yes, Uncle Lucian is the clear favorite. That day they invited us to join them... this place was nothing more than a few ramshackle structures at the time, but what Mathias said was true. We’re stronger in numbers, stronger together.” He sighed, catching Jean in his arms as his son leaped into his lap. “Seeing them facing Rachel and only having a stone knife in my hand made that obvious. If they had been anyone else, I – I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened.” Tim hugged the boy tight as he squirmed.

  “Da, stop it! I’m hunting a boar!” Jean struggled to his feet again and started to march around them with a stick, thrusting it into empty air and growling.

  “Lucian has always been kind to us, to Jean. He’s family.”

  “The forest makes strange family of us all,” Tim muttered, and Rachel kissed him on the cheek before standing to chase her son down. The man looked back at her, his smile fading. “You have definitely caught Lucian’s interest though.”