Page 9 of Brutal Savior

In Kendrick’s mind, this is simple. They made a mistake, and they’ll fix it. It’s a temporary delay to my plans—nothing more. But I force myself to ask the question I don’t want to know the answer to. “The girl they took by mistake. What will happen to her?”

Kendrick shakes his head sadly. “It’s a very unfortunate business. I can see right away she doesn’t have the temperament to be a contented Ward. After so many years, you get a sense for these things."

He picks up his glass and stares into the depths of it. “I have a few Brothers in mind who might be up for the challenge. Edward Collins lost his Ward two years ago and recently expressed that he might be ready to take on a new girl. She’ll need a very firm hand, and he’s a strict disciplinarian.”

A heavy rock lands in my gut. Edward is a smug arsehole, and I’ve overheard him being a dick to the staff in the refectory. He’sa loudmouth bully, and he’s also pushing sixty. “Isn’t she a bit young for him?”

Kendrick shrugs. “It’s a bit of a mismatch, but he might make it work. Someone will have to. We can’t keep her in detention forever. It might take a while, but I’ll find someone to take her on. Older Brothers are better for the spirited ones anyway. More experienced. Less likely to fall for their tricks.”

“Can't you just scare the shit out of her and let her go? It's not like she knows where she is.”

“If she'd been drugged, as per our usual protocol, then yes. But not now. She's seen too much.”

The undercurrent is clear. If I hadn't insisted on doing things my way, they wouldn't have this problem at all. And the girl, whoever she is, would be waking up in some hospital somewhere instead of spending the rest of her life here.

Fuck.

Still not my bloody problem.

I think the words, but they don’t ring true. All I can picture is the girl’s face right after I stopped Brackis from choking her. Her blue eyes scorched me, full of pure rage. She wants to escape more than anything. She’ll kill to get out of this place.

I chose Suzy specifically because this life would suit her. I found her online, in a discussion forum aimed at master/slave relationships, and she already craved what I planned to give her.

This girl is the opposite of that. Wild energy crackled off her as she struggled with Brackis. She isn’t meant to be caged, and I’ve indirectly doomed her to that fate.

I know nothing about her, but the idea of Kendrick palming her off on some mean, geriatric bastard makes me nauseous.

So keep her yourself. She needs a firm hand. Give it to her.

There’s a part of me, buried so deep I barely recognize it, that surges at the thought. I squash it as quickly as it surfaces. No. I don’t want a woman who will fight me, I want one who will findthe life she’s always wanted. I need a willing slave, not a fucking brat. And this woman isn’t my responsibility.

“Fine. See if Edward will take her, then.”

Kendrick nods as if that settles the issue entirely. “Good. I’ll make a plan with Brackis to extract your true Ward. There won’t be any more mistakes. I promise.”

I nod, suddenly drained, and stand. I raise a hand at Kendrick and stomp out of his office. Seb is waiting for me down the gloomy wood-paneled corridor, tapping anxiously on his phone. He jumps when I clap him on the shoulder and says, “There you are. That was quick.”

“Not much to discuss really. They’re going to make a plan to get Suzy for me soon.”

I set off walking, desperate for the outside world. This part of the Compound, where everything is old and dreary, makes me feel claustrophobic. It reminds me of boring school trips to the local museum when I was a kid.

Seb matches my fast pace. “What about the other girl? Gabriel says she's chatting with Eve now. They’re trying to get her calmed down. Her name's Quinn.”

It's a stab in the chest, followed by a horrible unfurling of something cloying that constricts my breathing. Quinn. She has a name. She's a person who, until today, had a life all of her own. And now she's going to be handed over to some cruel dickhead.

I picture Edward, the Brother Kendrick mentioned. He's bald except for a sweaty comb-over and wears his trousers yanked up high like Simon bloody Cowell.

That bright, fierce girl, spending her days servicing him.

What, and servicing you would be better?

Maybe.

Fuck.

I stop dead, and Seb takes a few paces onward before he grinds to a halt. “What's wrong?”

“I want to see her.”

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