Page 64 of After the Burn

Christ.

“And the fights?”

“Only the strongest men are to be trusted with our most valuable property.” He continued to stare out at the town. “There are other ways to claim a woman, but that’s the swiftest.”

I hated that he referred to women as property. Those women were mothers, wives, and sisters.

Hanging my head, I took a few moments to think.

I hated everything about this, but if everything he said was true, no woman would be safe with just a single protector. The longer this went on, the more barbaric society was going to become.

My stomach lurched.

How would we keep all the females in our care safe? Taryn, Lila, and the twins would be more valuable than gold. Ethan and Lane would fight with everything they had, but they were no match for the strength I now possessed. How would we defend against a large group of men like Adrian, Beck, and me?

“…I understand why you’ve set it up that way,” I admitted carefully. “But I need more time to see how it works for myself.”

I wasn’t in a position to give him shit about anything he said right now.

Gideon smiled slightly.

That seemed to please him more than blind agreement would have.

“Good.” He said with satisfaction.

A knock sounded against the courtroom doors before one of the guards stepped inside. “Cross and Maddox are here.”

Gideon looked back toward me calmly. “I’ve sent for your friends.”

I didn’t comment.

The doors opened a second later, and Beck entered first.

He looked intimidating and much older than he had at the farmhouse.

Big.

Tattooed.

Looking like violence wrapped in human skin.

Adrian followed behind him, his demeanor calm as usual, though his eyes sharpened slightly the second they landed on Gideon.

“Glad to see you. It’s been a while.” Adrian’s face remained expressionless as he shook my hand.

I went along with him, acting like we were merely acquaintances.

“I thought they might help you acclimate.” Gideon eyed us with interest.

Acclimate.

Right.

Like I’d just transferred schools instead of entering the apocalypse harem fight club.

Fantastic.

These two seemed much closer than they’d been at the farmhouse.