~ CASIMIR ~Jesse’s frantic insistence gave me a moment’s hesitation. And then her words landed and gave me even greater pause.She'd been sold? I frowned and made a mental note to have Ghere look into her family and see how they might be tangled up with wolves in a plot. While she seemed guileless, we could never be too careful. I didn't remember being told that some of those we took were purchased. That left an itch between my shoulder blades.Then I was distracted from my thoughts because she raised her chin, so even though I was taller, she managed to look down her nose at me.“You don't have to worry about me, Cazz. I'm going to give you whatever you want.” I almost groaned as my power surged again, but she wasn't done. “I'm going to do that, choose to do it, because then you've taken nothing from me. You only get what I give. And when I get out of this hell, I'll still… I'll still be me.”There it was again… the faintest of echoes, a whisper of poisoned claws against my heart.I
~ CASIMIR ~As I walked further from Jesse’s chamber feeling smug, but still a little sweaty, something itched between my shoulder blades. I tapped into the bond, careful to hold myself apart, yet open myself enough to measure her… and to my irritation, discovered her emotional descent becoming more drastic.I’d felt the pang of her desire for me—which was a good sign—but this sudden plunge into fear, while perhaps natural, was frustrating. And as I held her heart on that glowing string between us but kept myself blocked, all too quickly her fear threaded with hints of despair.Already? Already we were back to this… this failure?I wanted to bite something. What had happened? What was she thinking to make her so scared?Far from being the strongest I had found, was she going to fail me even faster than the others?I stopped in the middle of the corridor, turning to look over my shoulder in the direction I’d come from, suddenly tempted to return to her, a combination of frustration and
~ CASIMIR ~“I need to know if you’ve discovered any more hints about the human female fertility,” I muttered a few minutes later to Ghere as I picked through the strange items spread all over his desk.He watched me cautiously. “We discussed it, Cazz. I told you that their emotional and mental state is incredibly central to their likelihood to conceive—and to sustaining the pregnancy also.”“Yes, yes,” I muttered, flapping a hand at him impatiently as I turned away from the detritus on the desk to face him.His brows were high and he eyed me warily. He’d been shocked when I walked in. I supposed it wasn’t common for me to come all the way down to his study cave under the Palace. But after that delicious taking, I’d needed to move to wake my mind back up. So, I’d come to him rather than linking to summon him.“It’s all well and good to speak of emotional and mental health. But how do we improve our chances after the last two fuck-ups?” I muttered.Ghere scratched the back of his neck.
~ JESSE ~Watching a naked Cazz walk away from me was a feast for the eyes. His body was perfect—broad, thick shoulders and chest, narrowing to a muscled and lean waist, an ass you could bounce a dime off of, flawless skin and perfectly cut lines… everywhere.The thrill of watching the muscles on his back roll and twitch as he walked, my sense of the sheer masculine power of him as he moved away from me, distracted me for a moment from the sinking feeling that started as soon as he turned to go.But then he disappeared out of the room.I stared at the door for a minute, suddenly feeling sick as I turned that last conversation over in my mind.He’d agreed to leave the other women alone, which was a huge relief. But it also seemed like he believed it wouldn’t be a permanent arrangement. My head spun with images of laying alone in the dark while my husband had sex with someone else…I wanted to throw up.I wanted to believe he really would wait until I told him he could—which I’d never d
~ JESSE ~Self-loathing and injustice burned in my chest. But it soon twisted into gut-wrenching fear.What was I going to do? How was I going to survive this?And how did this man, who I barely knew, have such a grip on me? Why couldn’t I shake free from him?My entire body shook and I wondered if I was going to lose my mind even without him compelling me.I had thought it was odd when Cazz said human women didn’t survive in the wolf world. I had thought he must mean they couldn’t fight off other wolves and got killed or something. But then, why would his wife commit suicide?But now, as my chest constricted and my heart pounded, and no matter how I tried to think clearly I couldn’t get free of this sense of impending doom, I feared I might have an inkling of what pushed the poor woman over the edge. I mentally ticked off the reasons why she might have reached her limit.
~ JESSE ~“So, what did he make you come here for?” I muttered, taking a handful of grapes and popping one into my mouth sullenly. It was surprisingly sweet.“He hasn’t made me do anything,” Rake replied.I looked at him skeptically as I ate a couple more grapes. They were actually really good. Then I saw berries in a bowl next to them and chose one of those too, eating it—then having to awkwardly catch the juice before it dripped down my chin. Rake smiled. I stifled embarrassment, but waited for him to actually answer the question.Rake sighed and folded his arms. “He asked me to come talk to you, to see if I could help.”“Help with what?”“Understanding that he isn’t, perhaps, exactly what you think?” he said carefully.I sat back in my chair shaking my head as I picked up a little toothpick thingy from a
~ JESSE ~“My brothers sold me to them,” I muttered, still not quite able to believe it myself. I’d known my brothers hated me, but I’d never thought…Rake stiffened. “Like the story of Joseph? Sold into slavery by his brothers?”It was my turn to blink. “You know that story?”Rake huffed. “The title Cleric isn’t an honorific. I am a spiritual advisor, Jesse. Yes, I know the story of Joseph. I also know what your name means.”That made me squirm. “Don’t tell him.”“I won’t. That won’t make it less true.”I gave a one-shouldered shrug, but didn’t answer. I didn’t think there was really any truth to—“So, truly, your brothers sold you to the Reapers? In this day and age that’s—”“Human trafficking. Yes.”R
~ JESSE ~The minutes that followed were possibly the most surreal of my life—and given the day I’d had, that was saying something.At first Cazz dodged my questions about a Wolf Den. I’d heard the stories, of course. But once again, I’d assumed they were just that—stories.Cazz kept smiling and refusing to give any meaningful details, insisting that I would have to see it to understand it, which only made me more nervous.But then, out of nowhere, another raft of servants arrived. And this time they were all carrying clothes and boxes of shoes.Hangers filled with dresses, gowns, tunics, sweaters, shirts, blouses, and every kind of skirt and pant I could have imagined.There was a dozen of them, and they made several trips each, disappearing into a large door off beside the bathroom that I hadn’t explored yet. When Cazz encouraged me to follow the second wave of them in and be