AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She’s quiet tonight,” my mentor mused. “She also looked frightened. I thought you said she was progressing.”
“She is, but Karina attacked me before we were even inside—of course Briar’s going to be scared now. I don’t think she was expecting any of your women to be so . . .”
“Like Karina?”
I laughed and nodded as the women rounded a corner at the end of the long hall, taking them from my sight. “Exactly.”
Unease pulsed through me, and I had to fight against the need to put Briar in my sight again. I wasn’t worried about how she would get along with the women, none of them were cruel, but I was nervous that Briar might accidentally say something she wasn’t supposed to. Something that would hint that there was more happening in our home than should. Hearing it would put all of William’s women in a tricky situation, because even though they cared about me as a “son,” they were loyal to William and this life.
The children born of most of these . . . families, for lack of a better word, went on to school and to marry and never spoke of this life to anyone. They also weren’t allowed to come back once they left. Some of the houses made the children think they were in a type of extravagant orphanage with the women as caretakers, so the kids never knew any better. Other houses, the women weren’t allowed to have children.
If any of the men ever took on an apprentice, it wasn’t often that the apprentices formed family type bonds with the mentor’s women, as I had with William’s. But I had come in just as the last of their children had left the house, and once Karina had claimed me as hers, the rest of the women had quickly followed.
And for the next three years it had been a never-ending question of when I would buy a daughter-in-law for them to spoil. It had been a long three years of training, an even longer six months after the auction when I hadn’t bought a girl, and an unbearable two months once I’d bought Briar.
“Why has it taken so long for this visit?” William asked, pulling me from my restlessness.
“She wasn’t ready,” I said automatically and met his hard stare.
He seemed to think for a moment
, but I knew he was just purposefully dragging out my time away from her to see if I would break and go after her. “Could that be because you’re too soft on her? It seems the only time she made progress was when I went to—”
I took a quick step toward him until I was in his space, but he didn’t flinch. “Do you have any idea what you did by showing up that day? She wasn’t ready, William . . . for this. She’s terrified of you because she thinks you will teach her another lesson that you never should’ve taught my girl.”
“She needed to be pushed,” he said simply, a wry smile pulling at his mouth. “And don’t forget . . . I only did a little bending.”
I straightened and looked down on him. “It’s up to me to know when and how. You’ve already had thirteen of your own, but if you’re so desperate to break another, go to an auction. Leave mine alone.”
“You’re in too deep, Lucas,” he called out when I turned to leave.
I slowly looked over my shoulder and narrowed my eyes. “Why, because I don’t want another man near what’s mine? Because I don’t want another man looking at a body I paid for? Your mentor never did anything like this, and none would ever dare to. You’re breaking rules because you’re worried about me embarrassing you, but you won’t have a life to be embarrassed about if you cross me again.”
He considered my words for only a second before nodding, as if I hadn’t just threatened his life.
Then again, he had told me what to say and do to protect myself and my house. He thought he knew what was a show of dominance and what was to be taken seriously.
If he was smart, he wouldn’t be so confident in his assumptions.
Facing forward, I blew out a harsh breath and went to find my blackbird.
Let’s get this night over with.
Chapter 26
Devastating
Briar
“We will send Lucas more recipes for you,” Lisa promised.
“Yes,” Jordan agreed, then swatted playfully at Lucas. “And we will see if Mr. Grouchy will allow us to visit you.”
“And if not, make him bring you to us.” That had been from Sahira, with a look daring Lucas to say no.
The rest of William’s women hurried to add their goodbyes as I was engulfed in hugs.
I didn’t want to let go of them, and I didn’t want to leave. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed talking with people other than Lucas until I’d been thrown into a room with William’s women.
