17. Roman #2
My dad wears his age differently to my mum.
It sits in the silver threaded through his hair, in the heavy lines at the corners of his blue eyes that crease when he smiles.
His beard is kept trimmed deliberately, the kind of grooming done for discipline rather than vanity.
He has always looked put together. Even now, in jeans, he has opted for a white shirt rather than a tee.
He is shorter than me by a couple of inches, but his pale skin is what gave me my caramel complexion.
“So…” I begin, “you needed me?” Dad clears his throat as he studies me. A quiet confidence I grew up believing was strength.
“You were difficult to reach this morning,” he states, changing the question. Interesting. It is not that I don’t trust my dad, it is just that we have clashed before when it comes to my duties to The Company.
“I was occupied,” I respond vaguely, crossing my arms across my chest as I mirror his stance.
“I could tell.” His lips twitch in a small smile. “A woman?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, well,” Dad muses, “this is why the meeting couldn’t wait.”
Dad reaches into the top of his desk and pulls out an envelope. He chucks it across the mahogany wood, it stops sliding just before it tumbles to the floor.
“What’s this?”
“Open it,” he demands.
Sighing, I lean forward and open the envelope.
Three pictures fall out. I keep my expression neutral, not giving away how much this affects me as I look at him.
I know who this is. I know who he wants this to be.
I was expecting it. What I wasn’t expecting was him to call an emergency meeting at eight in the fucking morning and pull me away from my little one for this bullshit. Taking a steady breath, I look at him.
“This couldn’t wait… really?”
“Really, Roman. It is time. In less than three weeks you will be taking the initiation. I promised you one choice and you promised me one. This is mine.”
“Quinn is a cunt, you know that, right?”
“Language,” he snaps. “I raised you better than that.” I take a breath and count to ten, then curse Fae slightly in my head for forming this new pattern of mine.
“You know how this works, Roman. You have always known. I did it, your grandfather did it, your grandfathers before him did it. You have two women promised to you for a reason and I want you to utilise the nine months correctly.”
“Fine.” I sigh, knowing there is no point disagreeing. I count myself lucky that I got to choose Fae as my promise in the first place. Dating two people at once might be most men’s fantasy, but to me, it is repulsive.
The tradition started soon after the council came to power.
One of the many issues The Company dealt with was parents with multiple daughters.
They were being overlooked because eligible men were already promised to someone else.
It caused tension, anger, and at times, murder.
In a bid to keep the women alive or at the very least in the compound, the council proposed a new system.
After initiation, we have nine months of studies left.
During that time, we can have up to two women that our family has bid on to court.
It then becomes the initiate’s responsibility to choose between those women, deciding who they want to marry.
After graduating, you and your promised have two years to marry and have children.
Failure to do so will end in elimination.
Those not chosen at the end of the nine months don’t get killed.
They are sent to the compound, where they dedicate the rest of their lives to The Company.
No one really knows exactly what goes on there, but it is rumoured that some recruits even take up completely different identities and work in a role for years.
Now, it is not a foolproof system. We are men at the end of the day.
They say we are the superior gender, but I don’t know any woman who thinks with their body more than their brain.
Some men cannot choose between the two women and all three end up in the compound.
Some men go rogue and marry outside of their cohort.
And me… well, I am not even giving Quinn the time of day. Sure, I will pretend to, but the responsibility of who I marry lies with me and from the moment I saw Fae, I knew she was the one.
“You do not sound very grateful, Roman. Quinn is a good match. Her father has promised to combine our chemical supplies, meaning your future children will monopolise most of the pharmaceutical industry.”
I bristle at that. The thought of anyone having my children except Fae makes my skin itch with disgust. The first time I realised I was aroused by the thought of Fae being pregnant, I did some research.
The internet called it a breeding kink, but I do not believe I have that.
Thinking about anyone else being pregnant repulses me.
What I have is a get-Fae-pregnant-so-everyone-knows-she-is-mine kind of kink… different, right?
“Quinn is attending the next gathering at Mr Ackworth’s. It will be after the initiation ceremony. You will be her date.”
“Fuck no,” I snap, then reprimand myself. “Sorry, Dad… no. Fae will be the promised I attend that with.”
The thought of her being at her own home, watching me turn up with another woman, is bad enough. Knowing that she is unsafe around her family now only makes me more determined to see it through.
“Son, the whole reason we get two women to choose from is so we can make informed decisions based on logic, not emotions. Do you think taking Fae as your first choice is a good example? She cannot be your wife; I have told you this. Her being a Swallow complicates things. If her Father had not pushed her out of her birthright, we could have worked something out. Trust me, I have tried.”
“With all due respect, Dad, that is irrelevant to me. I told you I would give your choice a chance, but that does not mean I will ignore and disregard my choice. Fae is the first person I will be seen with, that is final.”
“Fine,” he sighs, lacing his hands together in front of his stomach. “But this won’t end well for you Roman if you don’t adhere to my rules. Fae isn’t an official bid. I can add someone else onto your roster if I feel you aren’t giving Quinn a chance.”
I almost laugh at his naivety. The fact he thinks I have not gone through the proper process to get Fae as my promise is crazy to me.
He raised me. He knows exactly how meticulous I am.
Something as simple as due process would never be the reason I cannot end up with her.
I study him for a moment. The silence stretches between us before I lean forward, my elbows resting on my knees.
“I accept Quinn as a bid, Dad, that is all I can do. You know as well as I do that my issues are not going to go away. I will speak with her, but I am not promising you I will marry her.”
“If you’re not married within two years you…”
“I know, I know, the compound will take me in.” I wave him off. “I am telling you, Dad, I cannot live a life with a woman who makes my skin crawl. I would rather die, and then no one will be alive, in the compound or not, to run your businesses.”
He pauses, studying me before he nods and sighs again.
“There are reasons…” I begin, before cutting myself off.
I consider telling him why it is more important that Fae is with me than Quinn for the first ceremony.
Maybe he would understand my need to protect her if he knew.
It is hard to imagine my dad or mum being part of whatever messed up thing Dr. Fisher is involved with.
Besides, he always told me how much he detests the snivelling old goat.
“Go on…” he says softly, “you’re not usually hesitant.”
I hold his gaze, studying and measuring him the way he taught me to measure an enemy, which is odd. If I tell him, he might protect her. The problem is, is it too soon? Maybe we can figure this out on our own and he can be proud of the outcome.
“It’s nothing,” I say, waving him off as I stand. “I want to bring Fae here, officially, to meet you both. Let me know when you are free.”
“Okay, son.” Dad nods and leans forward to start typing on his computer. “I will email Quinn’s father as well to see her availability.”
I bristle, but decide to say nothing, walking toward the door. As I reach for the handle, his voice follows me, calm and measured.
“Do be careful, Roman. Some women have a habit of burning what they touch.”
I turn just enough to meet his eyes and nod, slamming the door harder than I intend as I leave. His words follow me down the length of the house, echoing off the stone and marble.
He thinks Fae will burn me?
He has no idea that I would walk into the fire willingly, if it meant she never had to.