Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 78164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Her brain seemed stuck, my friend sorting through her memories of what happened at The Fog. Unbelieving, jaw loose, she asked, “That beast is a general?”
There was no changing that fact. “Yes, a powerful general. When I made it to this office that night, he was already here to collect you. We argued… and circumstance forced him to wait. And, he has chosen to wait now so that we can have this conversation, but he could come through that door at any moment and take you away. Mated males will not stop him, and he is stronger than me.”
“But—”
I needed her to listen, so I cut her off, “He wants to court you, so that you won’t be afraid. Because… most females, if not all, who are taken are so inexperienced with men that the process of—” What were the words for such a thing? “—mating is painful and, um, frightening. But it doesn't have to be.”
“You’re saying I have to be a mate, even if I don’t want to?” Releasing a long breath and smoothing back the blonde curls trapped in a bun, she snarled, “You have got to be kidding me. Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked? Why would they lie to us?”
I knew exactly how she felt—the injustice of it, the rage. Watching her vent was like watching a recording of myself, all the same disappointments, all the uncertainty. “To teach us how to defend ourselves, to keep us distracted, to keep us alive.”
The look on her face was one of utter distrust. “What were these circumstances that forced General Thayer to leave the night he heard my song?”
There was no point in keeping any secrets from my friend. “Cyderial was very angry I had gone into the city, that I risked my safety and potentially jeopardized his ability to claim me. He’d already waited ten years for me to grow up and choose the list, denied my graduation, and forced me to become an assistant instructor. I upset his strategy and exposed myself to the general population.”
And two males had been pounding on the gates of the academy.
Trying to maintain my poise, I confessed, “To assure I could not get away until he was done, he put the academy into lockdown. Because Thayer was in the room when I barged in, your future mate witnessed something that night that is unheard of in our community. He saw Cyderial and realized he was a man who had heard the song, known its madness, yet waited for a young girl’s benefit for ten years. It would seem hybrid males didn’t know it was possible to resist the lure of the song for so long.
“Cyderial’s composure inspired General Thayer to offer you the same generous consideration… as long as he could bear it. But he is not Cyderial, and I doubt he will be able to keep away for much longer. The man believes himself very much in love with you. And is allowing me to speak with you about forbidden topics as a gift to you.” And though it was the ugliest of gifts, it still was such a boon. “For all I know, he’s waiting at the gates right now.”
Horrified, she pressed her fingers to her mouth. “Oh my God!”
I needed her to understand that speaking with me was not a curse. So I reached for her hands and earnestly held them in mine. “You will be the first unmated female to be told the truth about what life is really like outside these walls, Maeve. Important men are watching. All of this is a test. How you react will either invoke positive change that allows unmated females to have access to this information, or the unfair system will stay in place. Which means your sisters, our friends, will be taken against their will in due time and bonded to strangers, if you do not willingly submit to Thayer. They will go into those overwhelming meetings with no clue of what is taking place or why. You need to remember that, if you think to run away or make a choice to resist. The consequences are bigger than you.”
Betrayal was open in her appalled stare. “How could you do this to me?”
I understood every bit of horror she felt. All of it. “Life for newly mated females can include years of incarceration in the male’s home. He can take you away from all other contact and make you do things. So please, understand I am trying to help you avoid a horrible fate. And it's not just you. Agnes, Tamsyn… everyone who gets locked inside the vault each night will face the same. All the unborn girls who will be forced to come here. This is so much bigger than either of us.”
Her fear grew nuanced by anger, but Maeve held a semblance of control. Because she was so much more adaptive and wonderful than I could’ve ever hoped to be. “You said you had to barter to gain access to me. What did you exchange for this conversation?”