Page 50 of Red Captive

“You know what I mean,” I throw out.

“What is this request?” the lieutenant asks, lacing his fingers together.

“I’m all ears.” The general leans forward.

“I want my mother and Caleb to come and live here.”

“That’s out of the question,” the general says, falling back in his seat.

“Preposterous!” the lieutenant adds.

“Why not? They are my family. I can’t just abandon them. I can absolutely go through with this wedding if they are here.” I look from one man to the other. Surely, they must understand?

“I’m not sure that such a request would be granted.” The general looks deep in thought. “We don’t have the facilities. Your mother needs medical care.”

“I hear that you’re planning on bringing human women to the island to take as mates.”

Neither of them says anything.

“Oh, come on! You are! The rumor mill is active around the castle. It’s out. People are talking about it. Let me just say that if you’re planning on bringing humans to the island, you need to up your game. You need to be prepared. You will need medical facilities. Especially if you plan on marrying and having babies with us. We’ll need medical care. We’re far more fragile, far more susceptible to illnesses. We don’t have your healing capabilities or your lifespan. It’s something that will need to happen and quickly. If that’s the case, if what I am saying is true, then my mother and my little brother should be able to come and live here just fine.”

“It’s not that simple,” the lieutenant says. “Your mother is no longer of childbearing age, and with her medical problems, it wouldn’t be advisable for her to have more children, anyway. Your sibling is a male. We already have too many males on the island. Perhaps if he were a female, we could have—”

“Let’s not be too hasty; perhaps it can be arranged, Miss Harris,” the general says. “On that note, there is something I need to tell you.” He goes quiet, looking down at the thick-pile rug on the floor.

“What?” I ask. “What is it?”

“It’s something we spoke about before. You need to know that your mother is out of funds. She is using her credit card. She’s not going to make it into next month. Her medical bills have started to pile up again. There were some concerns surrounding her left leg.”

“What concerns?” I sound panicked because I am. My eyes are wide, and I’m breathing hard.

“It’s nothing to worry about. It was a false alarm, but there were tests carried out and extra doctor’s visits. She was cleared, but extra tests and visits mean extra bills.”

“But she’s okay? Everything is okay?” I’m still panicking. I can’t help it.

“She’s fine. Her leg is fine, but financially, she’s in real trouble.”

I nod, feeling my eyes prick and my throat clog.

“If you left now, you’d be going back to a disastrous situation. We’ve been talking…” the general looks over at the lieutenant, who nods once. “We’ve agreed that under the circumstances, we might need to give her a small advance just to tide her over. Your mating ceremony is still weeks away. That way, you can relax a little with the understanding that your family is taken care of.”

“That would be amazing,” I gush. “I would greatly appreciate it.”

“Ten thousand dollars should tide her over for the next few weeks,” the lieutenant says.

My shoulders slump a little. Crap! I had hoped for more. I force myself to perk up. Itwillbe enough to tide her over, and it is a positive gesture from the general. “Okay, yes, thank you. I appreciate—”

“Not so fast, Miss Harris.” The lieutenant slides over a document. It doesn’t look to be more than a few pages long. “We want you to sign an agreement. It’s something we should have drawn up to begin with. It makes our arrangement a little more official.”

I take the document and glance over it. It covers all the basics, including my remuneration. It looks legit. Then I get to the names of the candidates. “Huntington is still on this list. This document will need to be changed. My new terms also need to be included.” I put the document down. “Huntington should be removed. I won’t agree to having children in the first year, and I only agree to having two of them, at the most.” I rack my brain, trying to come up with more terms. “I also want a clause stating that my mother and brother will be able to come and live on the island.”

“That last one would need to be a work in progress. It’s not something that’ll get approved any time soon. There will be a process, and the ultimate decision will not be mine to make.” says the general.

“You need to put something in the contract with a time limit. Maybe a year. Surely a year would be enough to get approval? I mean, you’re a prince, and you’re the general. You must have some sway.” I decide to try buttering him up a little.

He doesn’t look too impressed. “I am a powerful male with a reach that extends all the way to the Mainland.” He looks me in the eye and holds my gaze for a few long seconds. This feels like a veiled threat. In fact, I know it is. “All I can commit to is thatI will do my best, but I can’t make any kind of promises further. I would be happy to include the changes as discussed. I would suggest that we leave out that particular clause, the one about moving your family, at least at this stage.”

“No, I need something in writing. If you insist on a contract, then it has to work for both of us.”

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