Blake, Abby - Hot Inspiration [A Bride for Eight Brothers 5] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) by Abby Blake

stay.”
    “No worries,” Mikayla said with a smile. “I doubt I’ll hear his snoring over yours.”
    “Brat.” Bryce laughed as he pulled her closer.

Chapter Six

    “Where is Zedahla now?” Rick asked as the dinner discussion turned to their new house guest.
    “Sleeping,” Lachlan said in a rough voice. Now that the swelling was starting to go down, it was obvious that Zedahla was barely more than a child. If she was actually old enough to be married, it was only by a handful of weeks at the most.
    “Has she said anything about her husband?”
    “Only that he will probably divorce her. Apparently, in Zedahla’s culture, that will make her an outcast. As far as I can tell, she was at the hospital to visit her mother, but with the supposed shame of divorce, even her own parents will reject her.”
    All day Lachlan had replayed the horrifying scene over and over in his head. If he’d stayed out of it, would the outcome have been different? Did he make matters worse by interfering? But then he’d close his eyes and see the young woman as he’d first seen her—injured, bleeding, and struggling to stand as her husband yelled abuse and then tried to hit her again—and all Lachlan’s doubts would melt away. Outcast or not, Zedahla’s chances of a happy life were far improved now.
    “What happens when we leave this planet?” Ryan asked.
    “We take her with us,” Mikayla said easily. Far from being upset, their beautiful wife had been appalled by the young woman’s injuries and had quickly become fiercely protective.
    “We’ll figure it out when the time comes,” Lachlan said quietly. Like it or not—and regardless of the accepted norms of her culture—the laws on this planet allowed for Zedahla to make her own decisions. If she chose to stay here and live the life of an outcast, Mikayla, Lachlan, and the rest of his brothers really had no say in the matter.
    “What happened with the police?” Brock asked.
    “They held off charging me with assault, for the moment at least. They’ve been surprisingly supportive, but they need Zedahla to press charges against her husband before they can attribute my actions to defending her.” He shook his head as the information the police had shared once again made him feel sick to the stomach. “Apparently, domestic violence is a big problem in the community where Zedahla was raised, but the women simply won’t report it.” It was obvious to Lachlan by Zedahla’s refusal to ask for assistance at the hospital that the women were conditioned to believe their husbands had a right to treat them the way they did.
    It was possible that many lived happy and fulfilling lives under such conditions, but just like Dom-sub relationships, a weak or selfish man could take that power and turn it into something cruel and dangerous.
    “So what happens now?” Ryan asked.
    “For now I think we need to concentrate on getting our contract completed. We still have several months of geological surveys to work on, but I’d like to get this one done faster if we can.”
    Everyone nodded in agreement.

    * * * *

    It was less than a day before the police arrived to formally charge Lachlan with assault. Fortunately, Zedahla was brave enough to give her side of the story, and the charges were summarily dropped.
    Their next visitor, however, didn’t bring such happy news.
    The pompous, rounded, arrogant little man arrived without warning, demanded to speak with Zedahla, and then did the one thing guaranteed to anger all of them—disrespected Mikayla.
    “Lower your eyes, woman,” he said with arrogant disdain as he looked her over from head to toe. Matt and Bryce looked as angry as Lachlan felt, but Mikayla managed to take control of the situation with a smirk.
    “Sweeten your tone, asshole,” she said in a very controlled voice. The little man looked shocked all the way to the tips of his dusty boots. Obviously, a woman had never spoken back to him before. Mikayla took two steps