Page 67 of Regressive

“Yes, I do,” Imogene replies, easing herself from his grip.

Anex, all of us, watch as Imogene walks to the staircase and climbs them. No one else can see the way her nose wrinkles in pain from every step. How the brand sends a jolt of pain through her. I can tell.Wecan tell. All I want to do is chase after her, drag her away from this place—this moment—but she’s stronger than I am, crossing the stage and moving next to him.

She bows and honors him again. Thick bile rises to the back of my throat when he speaks, “As you all know, I gave my son and Order this spring, to the lovely Imogene.”

She searches for Rex in the crowd and smiles when she finds him. It lights up her entire face, although there’s no mistaking the fear in her eyes.

“It was a risky move,” Anex says. “The daughter of a Regressive with a powerful man like my son.” Rex remains on the floor now. The only one of the five of us. There’s no doubt it’s with intention. “But my son requested this female and I felt inclined to give him what he wanted. He is the heir, after all.” My muscles tighten with every word, and I fight the urge to run up there and pluck her off the stage. “I gave her every opportunity. Access to my wives, invitations to select groups, leeway on the rule surrounding secular society, because of my son’s business outside of Serendee.” Imogene’s face reddens and her fingers twist in the fabric of her dress. “Unfortunately, as I feared, she’s like her mother. A betrayer.”

Rex bolts to his feet and propelled by rage, pushes past us, rushing to the base of the stage. “She’s my mate,” he hisses at his father. “Not a betrayer or Regressive.”

“Oh, dear boy, you let the allure of what lies between her legs trick you.” Anex holds up the paper. “This is a confession—in her own handwriting, isn’t that true, Imogene?”

He shows the paper to her and although you can feel the hesitation in her movements, she nods and says, “Yes.”

“Good girl,” he says, but his tone is flat. Hard. “I’ll read the confession to you now, so that you understand the decision I’ve had to make.” He clears his throat.“‘I have spent the days since my Ordering in an intimate relationship with my mate’s best friends. I’ve used them to explore my sexuality—to understand Rex’s needs and desires.’” A small curve tugs at Anex’s mouth. I don’t dare look around me to see the reactions of the other people in the room. My stomach churns. I knew Imogene was forced to tell secrets but this will ruin all of us, and it seems Anex has no plans of stopping.“‘I know it’s wrong to be with other men but—'”

With a roar, Rex leaps up the stage, lunging at his father. “You did this!” he shouts. “You did this to her! You gave her to my friends. Encouraged them to play with her—break her in.”

Anex steps out of the way, but his son is too big, too fast,too angry, and tackles him to the ground. It only takes a moment before he has his father pinned. Elon is on the stage within a second, standing over the two men. He grabs the paper from Anex’s hand and shreds it, tossing the pieces to the ground like confetti.

“Elon!” Silas shouts. Their eyes meet and he jerks his head to the side. It’s too late. Anex’s guards, heavily armed, charge at the two of them. The room falls into chaos, shouts and screams. The wives fleeing from the stage. Black automatic weapons point and aim. “Get down! Get down! Get down or I’ll blow your fucking head off!”

The nose of a rifle presses into Rex’s back and he reluctantly releases his father. He lays flat on his stomach, and holds his hands up in an uneasy surrender. Next to him, Elon is shoved to his knees, arms jerked back by the guards, and he’s restrained. Neither Silas nor I have moved, but two guards stand by each of us, weapons poised. Anex jerks his head and the guards next to me and Silas, nudge us toward the stairs. Bright lights shine in my eyes as I step on the stage, the audience shrouded in the shadows. The guards stop us by the edge and Elon joins us by force. Rex is still on his stomach, eyes trained on Imogene.

She stands alone on the stage, frozen other than tears streaking down her face, watching in fear. The urge to go to her, to take her hand and run, is strong, but it’s nothing compared to the dark sensation in my chest. The one that tells us that we’re trapped.

There’s no getting out of this.

I wait for Anex to tell the members to leave. To go home while he deals with us, but he stands, giving the signal for quiet. The room falls into a nervous hush, although all I can hear is my heart pounding and the taste of bile in the back of my throat.

“As you see,” he says, “I’ve allowed too much leniency in my son’s house. I’ve allowed too much autonomy between Rex and the boys I called my sons. The young men I placed in my inner circle. There has been too much freedom between the outside world and our community. They’ve grown weak and Indulgent.” He wipes a drop of blood from his mouth where Rex got in a solid hit. He looks down at me and Silas, then over to Elon. “The three of you are no longer welcome in Serendee.”

“What?” Imogene cries. She’s not the only one, the people around me surge with panic. “You can’t—"

“I can and I will!” Anex shouts, the volume of his voice unusual. He’s always calm and collected, but today he’s rattled. The fight, the letter, using his guards. It’s a side of Anex I knew existed, but in private, not public. “This is not open for discussion. You are no longer members of this community. You may not have contact with anyone that lives inside these walls.” He looks into the crowd. “Any communication with the Regressive will be banished as well.”

Banished.

I understand the word, but in all my time of working with Anex, of being one of his instructors has this only been an option. He Re-educates. He Enlightens. He pushes people to Be Better… but Banishment?

Me?

I’ve only done what he’s asked of me. Followed his directions. I’ve only ever given my life to this community and our leader. I look over to Silas, who has given just as much, if not more. His face has paled and his body trembles. Elon has retreated into himself, expression blank, eyes cold. He may not look panicked, but I know he is. This is all we’ve known. It’s our home, our family, our community.

I vaguely take in that he’s dismissed the room, the residents quietly making their way out the door. They must be confused.I’mconfused, and once the audience leaves I take a deep breath, and say, “Anex—”

“Do not speak,” he snaps, voice low, “not if you want to make it outside these walls without a bullet in the back of your head.”

“You did this,” Rex shouts as the guards lift him from the ground. “You told them to train my mate. You encouraged it. She never sought this out.”

“Did I?” he asks, his tone innocent. “Imogene confessed to her Indulgences. Those were her words, not mine.”

“That confession is gone,” Elon says. “I tore it up.”

Anex laughs and tilts his head to the rafters where a red light blinks menacingly. “If you think I don’t have backed up evidence, you truly do not understand me.”

That’s the thing. I don’t understand. This is not the man I loved and respected. He’s something dark and nefarious.

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