“Shame on you for suggesting I abandon my mate!”she blasted.
“You are not his mate,”I snapped.“You are but his wife, the woman hebreeds. You were sold to him, bought like property. Everyone knows he has women he cares for and—”I caught her wrist when she went to slap me.“No, you will never hit meagain. I am not the lost one. See reason. This once, stop lying toyourself, Mother!”
“She is too far gone, Cousin,” one of my cousins said as she came towards me holding one of her children on her hip and holding the hand of another. “Both of our mothers. Do not eat or drink anything while you are here.” She glanced around. “Any of you. It is unsafe, and many of the women are planning to punish the ‘traitors’ this way.”
I thanked her and shoved my mother’s wrist away.“I am not lost. You areweak. You let yourself be brainwashed to believe this nonsense that we are property.”
“We are but—”
“Show me where the gods have ever said so!”I bellowed. I snorted when she only sneered.“Because you can’t evenreadto do that. You only know what men have told you. Weak. Pathetic and weak.”I might have said more, but one of the other women coming with us, a younger cousin who had slipped me extra food, gave me a note.
My eyes went wide as I quickly read it. I handed it to the policewoman and saw her reaction.
“The orders have changed,” she announced loudly. “Call in extra support. We have information that there are servants here kept against their will and not allowed to leave or speak to outsiders like slaves. We will question each member of their staff and—”
“Me! Please save me!”a servant called out from the doorway and came racing towards us.“Save my daughter. They are holding her—many of our bastard children until the outsiders leave. They are threatening—”
“Who allowed you to speak, you stupid wench,”one of my male cousins growled as he came out from somewhere and backhanded her. One of the officers went for him, probably to arrest him.
But Creed was faster. He grabbed him by the back of his shirt and flung him away from the woman and then helped her up, checking she was okay and calling for medical attention.
“That is a real man,”I told Mother, pointing to Creed when I noticed her disgust.“Not thesedogshere who enjoy raping, selling, and abusing women. We are not property orthingsfor them to use as they wish. Theyknow thisand that it is wrong. Father knew it was against the law. You were just too stupid to see all that was in your face, too weak to believe what was right.”
“He is an animal,”she spat.
I chuckled darkly.“Father is an animal. Creed is a good man who has never hurt a woman and treats me better than I have ever seen Father treat you.”I nodded when she did a double take.“We are to be mated. He is my future—one I choose. Those are the rights we have instead of being sold and then our husbands having other women while abusing us.”
I turned to yell at the guards of the family to stand down or they would be arrested. That anyone was allowed to leave and my father wasn’t a king or a god that was bigger than the law or president.
My mother used that moment to try again to hit me when Creed wasn’t there. I raised my hand to block it knowing I wasn’t going to be fast enough.
But then suddenly Mother was on the ground.
And Theresa was standing next to me.
“Touch my mother and I will end you, you pathetic piece of shit,”she said in fluent French.
I wasn’t sure if I was more shocked, touched, or proud of my beautiful daughter. All three?
14
Creed
I saw the hit coming and cursed myself for leaving Aurora’s side, but then Theresa stepped up and helped her mother. My jaw almost fell open at what she said, mentally thanking the witch again for using magic on me so I could understand French. I couldn’t speak it, but understanding it was enough.
While trying to ignore how hot Aurora was speaking it.
Theresa got an evil look in her eyes as she squatted down in front of Mrs. Graves.“You always wanted me to come here, Grandmother. Well, here I am. I wanted to see the useless sheep who believed whatever she was told and allowed her own daughter to be sold and abused.”She angled her head and spat at Mrs. Graves.“You’re as pathetic as I expected.”
“So are you to think you are a man who can—”
“I’ve never once thought I was a man,”Theresa drawled.“It’s not even hundreds of years ago when that drivel was common to hear. Now you just sound like a relic from a cult.”She looked at Aurora. “You were right that there was nothing here for me, but I hope you understand why I had to come.”
“I do, and I’m proud of you for being so strong and never falling into the traps others of our bloodline did,”Aurora replied, gesturing to the dozen women who were clearly on thesame side of her mother.“Not all women are strong enough to hold out and are our worst enemy.”
She turned to the others who were behind her who were coming with us and smiled.
“I know this is difficult and you’re scared, but remember this moment and that you were strong enough to hold out for help. You stayed true to yourself and knew you were worth more.”
