Page 51 of Losing My Siren Luna
Chapter 17
Cherum and Percy accompanied us outside, but after a little pleading, I got them to agree to watch us from the stone walkway as Yasmin and I strolled down to the water’s edge by ourselves.
We rid ourselves of our shoes, walking barefoot in the sand. The grainy particles between my toes felt comforting. The waves were crashing on the shore, the water soaking the bottoms of our skirts made us giggle as it tickled our feet. The fragrant ocean air soothed me and helped to keep me calm as I began to tell her my story.
As we walked along the beach, I told Yasmin about my mother, and the suffering she went through because of my uncle and his men. There are so many rumors of my mother being a whore and a loose woman, but she was forced into doing those things by my uncle, until the day of her death.
I even brushed over some of the abuse I endured, leaving out the more gruesome details that had yet to happen. I did tell her that I knew her pain. I had been in similar situations where I was forced to endure abuse, and then left all alone in my suffering, trying to manage my pain on my own.
She never should have feared seeking help. She never should have been humiliated and almost thrown out.
“I’m deeply sorry that you had to suffer such humiliation from your own Alpha, Yasmin,” I told her, reaching out and gripping her hand.
She gripped my hand firmly, like she was trying to draw on my strength. She could take as much of it as she needed.
“I understand why he acted that way, Luna. I am a prostitute and have a shameful past. I am not worthy of being your maid, let alone shamelessly use your protection like this. And I’m sure he was just trying to avoid humiliating you, Luna.” She bites her lip nervously, her eyes carrying a lot of guilt and sorrow.
“Yasmin,” I stopped walking to look at her, “I’m under no assumptions of the relationship you had with your alpha. I know he sought your services before, and I would never fault you for that. Anyone that would is a hypocrite. You came here this morning, looking for somewhere safe, right?”
She studied my face anxiously for a few seconds, then nodded. “I was. When I tried to speak up about….about what happened, I was told to leave. I just wanted to be treated for the wolfbane so I asked Lady Vera to call for a doctor, and Lady Vera was asking why. I was about to tell her but Leona interrupted me, dragged me to another room to threaten me and kicked me out, saying I caused problems for our guests.”
Leona? Is that the name of the woman that was with Lachlan last night?
“Can you tell me what happened last night?” I asked, pulling her along with me as we walked to a piece of driftwood, then sitting down, patting the spot beside me for her to join me. “I would never tell anyone, Yasmin, but I know how much it hurts to keep things like that to yourself.”
She slowly sits beside me, looking worried about speaking.
“If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to. Whatever you decide,” I smiled at her reassuringly.
She bites her lip, then looks down at my hand before reaching for it. I gladly gave it to her. “I hope you don’t mind, Luna. It helped me feel stronger earlier when you did this.”
“I would never mind lending you my strength. We are not alone in our struggles, either one of us anymore,” I told her, gripping her hand enthusiastically, swinging them back and forth.
She sighs in relief. “Thank you.”
We sit in silence, just watching the ocean and its majestic rhythm as the waves dance before us. The sun shining on the water makes the ocean glitter, its bright rays reflecting back to the world, making its beauty blinding.
I miss it.
After several minutes of comfortable silence, Yasmin started to speak.
“Last night, we had a couple of high ranking clients from out of town come in. They were rough and cruel, but money is money, so they were not turned away. I don't think Lady Vera could throw them out if she wanted to. They asked for Leona, but when they told her what they wanted, someone weak and scared for theiract, which Leona was neither, she sent me to them instead.
“Lady Vera would never allow the things that they wanted to do to one of her girls, but Leona told the men to gag me and she would never know. They….they used ropes that burned my skin around my hands and neck, and…..” she looks away, wiping a tear from her eye, “It was a long night.
“I was left there for quite some time after they left, still bound. Leona came in early this morning and untied me, then took almost all the money that was left behind for a ‘finder’s fee’. I think she expected me to keep quiet from embarrassment, but I needed to heal. I can’t work with burn marks and bruises on my body, and the wolfsbane was causing other areas not to heal as well.
“I asked Lady Vera to call a doctor, then when Lady Vera asked me why, it was as I told you before, Leona dragged me away, threatened to sell me like that every night if I said anything, then told me to leave and not come back.”
How horrible. Leona is just as cruel as Lachlan. Seems the two deserve each other. Maybe I can demand Lachlan spend his nights with hisfriendrather than imposing on me.
“I’m sorry, Yasmin,” I switched hands she was holding, giving her my other so I could wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Do you have family you can go back to?”
She cringes, then shakes her head. “My parents are the ones who sold me to Lady Vera when I was only 10.”
“Ten!?” I asked in disbelief.
She nods, “Lady Vera didn’t have me serving men for several years, but I worked in the kitchens and when I got a bit older, I cleaned the rooms after the clients were through. Many girls were sold to her like me, but she let us pay off the cost she paid for us in honest work, then gave us the choice to stay once we reached the right age. I was grateful for her kindness, so I chose to stay with her when it came time for me to choose. There wasn’t anything else waiting for me. I’m a werewolf, not a Lycan, so I was less likely to get a job among humans or Lycans. We had decent regulars in the brothel too. I mean, as decent as they can be. Things weren’t horrible there until Leona came.”
