Sheikh's Purchased Princess Read Free

dark and sad, but she gave no support. She would have to do this herself.
    Slowly she stripped off her clothes, trying to keep her mind away from the terrible reality of what she was doing.
    It's just like changing at the gym, she told herself. It's just like a bunch of people getting ready for the showers after a game or a swim or some exercise.
    That helped a little. Her clothes were limp and filthy, but when she finally shed them, she had never felt more bare. She started to ask Oma what she should do next, but the other woman stood as well.
    “Turn towards the camera,” she said. “Drop your hands.”
    With a soft cry and her eyes tightly shut, Emily did as Oma said. Suddenly she could feel a thousand eyes on her, running over her like insects. It seemed like an eternity before Oma spoke again.
    “Good. Lie on your back.”
    Emily wondered if she was in shock. It was as if the past few minutes had been too much, and now she was only a doll that moved when she was told. Everything felt distant, even when Oma spread her legs, her touch gentle but unyielding.
    “Are you a virgin?”
    Heat flushed her body. “Yes.”
    When Oma’s touch grew more invasive, Emily only moaned and turned her face away.
    “I see no evidence to disprove that. That is a very good thing for you. You can sit up now.”
    “Why is it good?” asked Emily dully, curling in on herself.
    “Because that means that you will fetch a much higher price,” Oma replied, her voice brutally practical. “That means that on our travels to Mirago, you will be kept safe.”
    This was her life now, Emily realized. She was nothing more than her worth to slavers. She was nothing more than a piece of meat to be sold.
    “What happens now?” Emily asked as Oma opened the box.
    “Now you will clean yourself and put on these clothes. You have gone through the worst of it for a little while. We have a few days before we leave for Mirago, and in that time, I will teach you what you need to know.”
    The box held a small basin and a jug of water for her to bathe with and a pile of fabric that looked more like lacy scarves than clothes. Before she reached for them, Emily looked up at the other woman.
    “Have you helped many girls like this?”
    Oma nodded, and there was a world of pain in her eyes.
    “Why? Why are you doing this?”
    It took Oma a long time to reply.
    “Because I wish someone had done the same for me,” Oma said quietly, and Emily knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that escape was hopeless, at least for now.
    “All right,” she said softly. “All right.”
    Hesitantly, she reached a hand to touch Oma's, and Oma clasped it lightly before letting go.
    “Come. Let us get you bathed. There are many important things for you to learn.”

Chapter Three
    Adnan planned his arrival in Mirago carefully. The border town was sprawling, a den of sin and iniquity where every perversion could be satisfied. It drew people from all over the world, among them the rich and famous, the powerful and elite.
    He made it a point to remove anything that might identify him as the sheikh of Nahr, but he pulled his most expensive clothes from the closet, had the most expensive sports car pulled from his collection.
    When he looked at himself in the mirror, he had to smile grimly. Adnan was a large man, topping six feet with close-cropped dark hair. With his dark skin and his nearly black eyes, there was always something intimidating about him, but right now, in his well-tailored clothes, he looked like nothing more than a rich man out to have some fun. He had never felt more serious in his life, however.
    “Well, how do I look?” he asked Roja, who was dressed in his customary black.
    “Like a rich man who wants others to know it,” Rojas responded. “Do you have the itinerary?”
    “Memorized,” Adnan said. “We do the circuit, and hopefully in that time, someone will alert the Razorback that there is a prospective customer for him.”
    “Yes. See his wares,