Page 9 of The Warrior
I had been attracted to Magni for as long as I could remember. With his brooding personality and incredible strength, he was the essence of a true alpha Nman. Every fairy tale that I had read as a child had been about heroes like Magni who protected their women and saved them from danger. He was an intimidating champion and could silence men with a single scowl.
Our first night after I returned from the Motherlands was fiery and passionate. Magni wasn’t a talker, but the way he had sex with me said it all. He was angry and punished me in the most delicious way.
Lying in bed next to his large body, I listened to his deep breathing and thought about the conversation I had with my sister, April, yesterday.
“I almost regret calling you if you’re just going to yell at me. Here I thought you’d be happy that I was back,” I complained.
“Of course I’m happy. It was just a selfish and foolish thing that you did. Ramses has been going through so much shit because of you. Everyone’s mocking him – saying that he has to keep an eye on me and make sure I don’t run away like my twin.” April spoke in a hushed voice as if afraid her husband would hear her. “He’s very angry with you and so am I. For six months I haven’t heard from you. How could you do that to me, your own sister?”
“I’m sorry, April. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Laila Michelle is angry with you too.”
I sighed. Laila was my best friend and we’d grown up together. Unlike my sister, who lived on the East Coast, Laila Michelle lived close by and we used to see each other almost every day before I’d left.
“She gave birth to her twins while you were gone and I went over to see them. Laila Michelle cried a lot and kept saying that she really needed you to be there.” April’s tone was blameful. “You didn’t think about that, did you?”
“April, I didn’t exactly plan to go. It was a spontaneous thing and I never intended to hurt anyone. I love Laila Michelle and I love you. That’s why I came back.”
April’s tone was softer when she spoke. “We’ve all been so worried about you. Especially Magni. He kept contacting me hoping that I’d heard from you. You should have seen him, Laura. He didn’t eat, sleep, or function for a long time.”
“I know. He says that he got in a lot of fights too.”
“He has had the worst of it. Promise me that you’ll be the best wife you can be after this. You owe him for what you did. Whatever he wants, you’ll give it to him, right?”
I closed my eyes. “I don’t want to be a good little wife, April. I want to work, speak up, and have an opinion. Men and women should be equals.”
My sister had always been traditional, but it still shocked me when she hissed at me, “You’ve become a radical like those Momsies. If you bring more shame to me, I’ll never speak to you again.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t want to be known as the twin sister of the feminist who ridiculed her husband and brought shame to our family name.”
“Don’t tell me you’re happy being bossed around by Ramses.”
“He’s a good man, Laura, and he protects me.”
“In the Motherlands women don’t depend on men.”
“I don’t want to hear about the Motherlands. Those women are masculine and extreme in their opinions. I’ve heard they remove the testicles of their baby boys.”
“That’s a lie.”
“How do you know? Did you see the men’s testicles over there?”
“No.”
“They are not our friends, Laura.”
“I met some nice people that I would call friends.”
April scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. You know they oppress us, and they are plotting to capture some of our men and show them off like freaks in a circus.”
“What? Where do you get this stuff from? Finn and four others just visited the Motherlands and people were nice to them.”
“Sure, they smile for the cameras. But we all know they see us as freaks and consider us less evolved than them.”
“Have you ever spoken to a Motlander, April?”
