Read Online Horns for the Harem Girl by Lynn Red - Free Book Online

enter—said. “And I believe now that he loves you as he says he does. I never thought I’d hear myself say this about our prince, but... there it is. The man’s started a war for your heart, and you have to get the hell out of here before the king’s men come for you.
    “But why?” Helena protested, rightly. “I’m a woman of the harem – a simple commoner at that. How could I possibly make a prince do my bidding? It’s ridiculous! I told him not to do this!”
    “Like I said, child,” Maret said with a smile snaking across her lips. “Men in love do stupid things. And unfortunately, this one is in a position of incredible power. You mightn’t have said for him to do anything, but it doesn’t matter. He did it, and you’re in the midst. But, listen to me,” Maret placed her hand on Helena’s shoulder, which was noticeably shaking.
    “I’m afraid,” the girl admitted, her voice so low it was barely an audible whisper. “I’m afraid for myself and for him... and for my family and the kingdom.”
    “Don’t worry about all that,” Maret said, squeezing her shoulder. “The king may be a drunkard, and he may be unpredictable, and slightly despotic, but he’s not going to go after your family. He’ll not even bother to go after you if you’re out of the palace.”
    Helena swallowed hard, her throat clicking as she did. “I’m stuck here though. We can’t drive, we can’t even leave the grounds.”
    “I’ve arranged something, come quickly. Leave your things. I have a feeling this is all going to blow over before it hits the point where we need to worry about the palace burning to the ground.”
    Without a thought, Helena turned and cinched her robe closed. “But what about my veil and the outfit? What if—“
    “Child, you’re running from the king in the middle of what seems to be a revolution. I think the last thing you need to concern yourself with are the trappings of the regime presently being burned to the ground.”
    There was a wry smile on the old woman’s thin, dry lips. Helena spared a half-second to study her face, and thought it was almost like she’d been waiting for this moment to come. “You’re happy about this, aren’t you?” Helena dared to ask. When there was no immediate response, she apologized.
    “No, no,” Maret said. “You’re right to ask. I remember a time before veils, before the strange whims of this king, or the one before him. You don’t, of course, and probably your parents don’t either. But there were times when women of the harem came and went as we pleased. We travelled with the king, we travelled alone if we wished. We could marry and have families... but that all changed when I was young.”
    “That’s awful,” Helena said, not really understanding what all that meant. “It must have been very confusing.”
    “No, not really.” A smile creased the old woman’s tattooed face. “You can only be confused if you have to make decisions. In that way, it was very comfortable. Choice is difficult, freedom is hard. Being told what to do and simply following orders? That’s as easy as the mid-summer day is long.”
    The old woman looked at a new fire, which sprung up near the wall inside the palace compound. The orange light flickered in her watery eyes. “This has been a long time coming, even if the reason for it is slightly less noble than to free the captured souls of this kingdom.”
    “Love isn’t noble?” Helena asked as she opened her desk and removed the mirror and her journal, before wrapping them both in silk cloths and depositing them into a low-slung shoulder bag. “I think it’s the noblest thing.”
    “The young always do,” Maret said. “You and the prince will have many years to grow tired of each other, I think. But that’s just the musing of a romantic old fool. Right now, you have to get out of here before things get too hot.”
    She snorted. “Fires, you see? Hot?”
    “Very good,” Helena said with a laugh of