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Another man poked his head in the tent.

“O Prophet,” he said. “Look. We finally captured one without blowing it to smithereens.”

He was holding up one of the drones with a grin on his face. Edmund flashed me a regretful glance, then he took the drone in his hands.

“Let’s see what makes these little fuckers go. Then we can talk about taking her as my concubine again.”

“Don’t touch her and get the rest of the fucking things,” Ronan ordered, and Edmund complied.

Then he pointed to the back of a truck.

“Get in, wife of Rhyder.”

Sister of Rhyder!I wanted to scream, but I didn’t want to give them any other reason to execute us for depravity.

Then they drove back to their lands, dragging the few men they had captured alive behind the truck with rope.

The full beauty of their paradise opened before me, the long fallow fields, sparkling streams, neatly kept rows of animals.

I heard Ronan make a low noise in his throat as we drove into the settlement and I saw a woman running toward us.

Bright silvery eyes, plump pink lips, extraordinarily beautiful face with a bright smile for us.

The last time I’d seen her she’d been receiving her husband’s insistent pleasure, and I dropped my eyes in confusion.

He hopped out of the truck as soon as it had stopped and gathered her in his arms.

“It’s the woman the Oathbringer brought with him,” he said, indicating me.

His Helpmeet’s smile was warm as she drew me from the back of the truck. “I am Bee and you are safe here.”

“There is room in my home,” Edmund put in again, and Bee hissed in annoyance, waving him away. “She can stay with Aunt Piety.”

Then she took me around the settlement, although my stomach twisted with worry.

What had happened to the incursion? According to our Prophet we should have captured the land by now.

I did not have to wait long.

“Rhyder is at the gates demanding to speak to you,” one of the Congregants told Ronan as Bee sat next to me on a long bench.

“Oh, demanding is he?” Ronan asked dryly. “Fucking asshole, making me send men every godsdamn day to drag away the rocks he’s piled in my river. Bring him in, let’s see what he has to say.”

Rhyder’s eyes sparked fire, flicking rapidly around the clearing until he saw me sitting on a bench with Bee.

“What do you want?” Ronan asked, tipping his chair back and leaning long legs out in front of him. “That part of the border gate not as weak as you were hoping?”

Shit

Rhyder ignored this.

“I am going to takeherhome with me,” he said, pointing to me. “She is mine and belongs to me.”

“You should take better care of your concubine,” Ronan said, his voice bored, but I noticed his eyes were sharp as he looked at Rhyder. “Not leave her while you get your ass kicked and your men killed elsewhere.”

“She’s not a concubine,” Rhyder said, and I could tell he was very angry but trying to control himself. “She’s going to be my wife.”

“What’s got your shitty little Congregations all fucked up?” Ronan countered. “The peace treaties have stood for a decade. What happened?”