Page 8 of Taken By the Soldier
He holds my gaze without blinking. “Are you married? Widowed?”
“N-no. I’ve never been married.”
“Good.” He leans back, as if to signal the end of our conversation.
“What’s going to happen to me?” Ignoring the pain still racking my body, I sit up to face him. A wave of nausea sweeps through me, and I close my eyes until it passes.
“The islands we once called home are gone, so the units of our remaining soldiers are banding together to start a new life. The farmland just west of here remained virtually untouched during the war and most of the citizens who lived there have evacuated. My unit has claimed a row of houses along a lake. You’ll live with us there.”
“Am I a prisoner?”
A shadow falls over his face. “You’re not free to leave, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I glare at him as a new fear takes root in my mind. I doubt the Zasforrans only want women for housekeeping purposes, backward savages that they are. “I won’t let any of you touch me.” I’ll escape at the earliest opportunity, but until such a chance presents itself, I will keep my guard up.
He places a finger beneath my chin. “Surely you won’t deny your new husband?”
“Husband?” I snort delicately. “Yeah, right.”
He leans down and strokes an errant curl of blonde hair behind my ear, his hand lingering for far too long. “I found you, so I get to choose your husband.”
Oh hell no. I don’t like the sound of this.
“You have no right,” I hiss out.
A dark grin spreads across his face. “Oh, princess, haven’t you ever heard offinders keepers?”
“Finders keepers? Fuck that shit. I’m a fucking person—not a penny you found lying on the goddamn sidewalk.”
He draws back, his eyes searching my face. “I don’t think the man I intend for you to marry will tolerate you using such foul language. A woman’s behavior and speech are a reflection upon her husband, and it’s a husband’s duty to guide his wife in proper behavior.”
I roll my eyes so far they almost get stuck in the back of my head. “Oh really? And just who am I supposed to marry?”
“You’re looking at him.”
Chapter5
JUDITH
Shocked into silence,I stare at Commander Dawson, the man who rescued me and is now holding me captive. The man who believes I’m his to do with as he pleases just because he found me first.
The idea of displaced Zasforran soldiers scouring the cities for women to marry seems ridiculous, but his proclamation is too absurd to be a lie. How many other women have they already taken? Hundreds? Thousands? Worry pervades my thoughts.
His closeness overwhelms me, and I become aware of his individual breaths and his masculine scent. His finger remains under my chin, and his touch is strangely intimate. I can’t seem to tear my gaze from his.
I’m not free to leave, and I doubt my opinions will sway his decision, though a few choice words come to mind. I hesitate to cuss him out, however, because there’s a steely glint in his dark eyes that is leaving me increasingly unsettled.
“Wh-when is this going to happen?” I ask, already planning my escape. Running away before the ceremony is at the top of my to-do list. I pray the ceremony won’t occur soon and hope the commander doesn’t plan to touch me beforehand.
But his next words make my stomach flip.
“The wedding ceremony will happen tonight.” He strokes his hands through my hair, his movements slow and familiar.
His gaze becomes heated, and I can’t prevent the rush of desire that suddenly sweeps through my body.
“One of my men is a chaplain and I already called ahead to give him a head’s up,” he says. “It’ll be quick and to the point.” He glances briefly at his fellow soldiers and the women sleeping between them before returning his eyes to mine. “A triple wedding.”
“This is preposterous. You don’t even know me.”
