The hairs on the back of my neck stand at that name.
This pussy is mine. I’ll add it to my collection.
Carrson’s kept his promise so far. Jackson hasn’t gotten close to me, but that doesn’t stop him from watching. When I pass him in Ashford House, his eyes crawl over me, slow and greedy. That grin he wears, lazy, possessive, makes mystomach turn. Makes my skin crawl. I suspect that’s one reason why Carrson makes me eat alone in his room instead of down in the dining hall, where the other brothers and their bonded women have dinner.
Sam’s glare softens, just slightly. “Look. Jackson’s a fucking nightmare. We’ve all seen it. We need to stop him. I’m just not sure how. Not yet anyway.”
“What about Carrson?” asks Abbie, and I hate how my head jerks up at his name. “Can’t he do something?” she presses, looking at Sam, who shakes her head, lips tight.
“Carrson and I have talked about it more than once,” Sam says, and the tension that rises between my shoulders, that tightening of muscles, definitely isn’t jealousy. No way. Not over her and Carrson having secret discussions. Not over the way she talks about him like they’re on some kind of team. It’s not jealousy. Just…concern. Curiosity.
Yeah, that’s all it is.
“There’s no rule against a man hurting his Bonded,” she continues. “Plenty of them do. The Order doesn’t exactly discourage it.”
Abbie and Cicley lower their heads at that. Silent. Defeated.
“The only way to stop Jackson is to catch him breaking an actual rule,” Sam continues, chewing on the tip of her pen, which has so many bite marks it looks like a beaver got to it. “Something Carrson has the authority to act on. He’s looking but, so far, nothing. It doesn’t help that Jackson’s father is powerful as hell. If Carrson makes a move, there’ll be consequences. Serious ones. Whatever reason he uses to take Jackson down, it has to be airtight.”
“But it’s happening with Lisa too,” Abbie persists. “Isn’t that enough?”
“Who’s Lisa?” I look from one woman to another.
“Staci is Jackson’s second Bonded,” Cicley explains quietly. “Lisa is his first. It’s the same pattern with her too. Always bruised. Always quiet.” Her eyes stay locked on the table.
“Jesus, Cicley.” Sam shoots her a glare. “Why don’t you just hand Laurel our entire fucking playbook?”
“She deserves to know,” Abbie mutters.
Sam scoffs. “She’s not one of us. Why do I have to keepreminding you?”
That comment lands like a slap to my face. My stomach twists. I don’t totally know whatusmeans, only that I’m not included in it, which is fine. I don’t want to be one of them, but still, I thought I’d made progress. That they’d accepted me, at least a little, and not just because I’m Carrson’s Bonded, but because I’m…me.
I push away my feeling of rejection and focus instead on the questions I need to ask. I’m still two steps behind, struggling to catch up. “Lisa? Second Bonded? What does that mean?”
Sam rolls her eyes. “Does Carrson tell youanything? I swear you two aren’t really bonded. The brothers can claim up to three women. Usually just one or two while they’re in college.”
“Like…polygamy?” I ask, stunned. “You’repolygamists?”
Thomson hadn’t mentioned that little detail when he explained bonding. Neither had Carrson…
Abbie blinks. “What’s a polygamist?”
Sam talks over her. “A brother can bond up to three women, but he only chooses one to be a Mother. If he has other Bonded, which they all do, those women stay with him for the rest of their lives.”
“Like sex slaves?” I ask, my mouth dry.
Sam gives me a look like I’m being dramatic, but she doesn’t contradict me. She continues, “Carrson, for example, was raised in a house with his father and two bonded women, but neither of those women are his real mother and those bonded women don’t interact much with the boys. Only the Father is allowed to raise the son.”
My head is spinning, scrambling to process it all. “Isn’t that awkward? Three women with one man and all of them vying for the title of Mother?”
“That’s why I’m going to solo bond,” says Sam with a sniff. Her chin rises in the air.
Cicley gapes. “Hardly anyone solo bonds. That hasn’t happened in over a hundred years.”
“What’s that? What’s a solo bond?” I ask, not sure I want to know.
Abbie answers, “It’s when a brother vows to only bond one woman. Basically, it never happens. Why would a guy settle for one when he can have three?”
