Thea
Thea
T he door swings open, my eye’s tracking my ex boyfriend’s father as he steps into the room. His shoulders block out what little light filters in from the hallway. My back is against the wall, my feet dig into the cold ground. “I guess I have you to thank for my accommodations?” I say, to hide my unease.
The door closes behind him with a soft click. “They tell me you’re refusing to eat.”
“Not at all. I’ve just been waiting to share my food with friends. Wanna be friends?”
“I can assure you we’re gonna be so much more than that.”
“I’m up for the challenge.”
“Challenge?” He laughs. “Is that what you think this is? Another league challenge?” I blink up at him, suspecting he won’t let that question linger in the air for long. “This is your new reality, and it has nothing to do with the league.”
He huffs, “I can see you don’t believe me, so let me set the record straight. The League doesn’t give a shit about you. The only reason the high council even noticed your absence is because you didn’t complete your last challenge and didn’t show up for a mandatory meeting.”
He tuts at me. “You’ve been nothing but problems since they invited you to join. This latest stunt just gave the recruitment council the push we needed to wash our hands of you. We’ve already submitted the paperwork to declare you a cast off who’s forsaken your oath. If you’re ever mentioned again, it will be in the context of how you made a mockery of our traditions and repeatedly embarrassed the esteemed members of our brotherhood.”
“Who the hell did I supposedly embarrass this time?”
“There are consequences for turning your back on The League.” He says, ignoring my question. “I, of course, can smooth things over with the council and ensure you’re not punished.”
He wants something. “What do I have to do for you in return?”
“You simply have to agree to the rules and conditions I put in place for you.”
Rules. It’s always rules . “And those rules would be?”
“For one, you immediately and formally withdraw your status as a Wren.”
“Can’t do it, sir. The rules say I’m a Wren for life.”
“You’re still a first year prospect, only a few months out of indoctrination. I’m sure they’ll make allowances. Second, you’ll attend classes on etiquette and social graces. No more of this ruffian behavior. You’ll dress as I tell you, eat what I tell you. You’ll be the perfect legacy daughter.”
I’m not stupid. It can’t be as simple as me agreeing to these rules, and all is forgiven. My word wouldn’t be enough to ensure that I don’t run to avoid those horrible sounding etiquette classes, and there’s still the threat of incarceration hanging over my head. Agreeing to give up my autonomy to him would be trading one prison for another. “I’ve stayed in worse dumps than this. What’s a few more days?”
He studies my face before asking, “Is that what you think? That this is all temporary and you’ll be released?”
“Involuntary psych holds can’t last forever without a diagnosis. The judge will expect me for a trial at some point.”
“That would be the case if there was a judge. But that would require you to be arrested.”
“I was.” I wave my splotchy fingers at him. “Got fingerprinted and all.”
“Yes.” His jaw ticks. “Too bad there was a computer glitch, which erased those records.”
From the tone in his voice, I’d say getting fingerprinted wasn’t supposed to happen. His comment was supposed to dishearten me, but it has the opposite effect. As Sasha’s fond of saying, there’s no such thing as erasing a digital file. If it existed, someone can find it and piece it back together.
“If you want your freedom, then you’ll adhere to the rules I set out, y-”
“Then what?” I ask, cutting him off.
“Excuse me?”
“Then what? I agree to your rules, then what happens? I become the perfect companion and you marry me off to Pax after I convince Joshua to give him a part of his company?”
He flashes his sparkly white, dental perfect teeth. “Wrong, Cox.”
“You?” I snort. “Why would Joshua give you shares in his company if I’m tied to Pax?”
“Because those familial ties will be to me.”
Huh? It takes my mind a second to catch up to what he’s saying. Is he delusional? He has to be. “Look, I know there’s been some talk about me and my truthfulness, but despite what you and The League may think, I really don’t know where my mother is.”
“Nobody’s interested in that conniving bitch, Hailee.”
I clench my jaw, pressing the palms of my hands against the ground to keep from jumping to my feet and knocking his teeth down his throat. “Well, it’ll be impossible to convince Moira to leave Scott.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m setting my sights a little younger, isn’t it? Gives me more time to create another heir.”
My stomach heaves. Is he fucking serious? He can’t be serious. “Are you high? You must be high. There’s no way you seriously think I’m hooking up with you.”
“I can assure you I am quite serious about this arrangement. Agree to my terms, and at the end of your training, you will marry me and produce an heir.” He waves his hand, indicating my cell. “ Or I’ll leave you here to rot.”
“What do I get out of this, other than fake freedom?” There’s no way I’m agreeing, but if I keep him talking, maybe he’ll reveal something useful.
“You want assurances?”
“Of course. If I’m returning to Canyon Falls, I still want the life I was building. My education and my future. I want that in writing, and ratified by the high council. Come back when you have the paperwork.”
Fiddling with his cufflinks, he says, “I’m sure you’re used to playing idiots like my son and his friends, but I’m not stupid. There is no negotiation. You get nothing other than what I’ve already offered.”
Turning towards the door, he says, “A few weeks in the rehabilitation program should give you a different perspective.”