Page 4 of Regressive

I lay back and once again the bright light shines in my face, making me unable to see anything else in the room. I hear Healer Bloom shuffling about, the roll of her instrument cart, the soft snick of a drawer opening and shutting. She directs me to place my feet in the stirrups, tapping the insides of my knees. “Spread apart, Imogene.”

The room grows quiet under her examination, but this time something is different. I understand the touch of a man now. I know the parts of my body that provide pleasure and sometimes pain. The hot button of my clitoris and the deep canal of my vagina. As Healer Bloom examines my body, fingers brush against my clit sending a shuddering wave up my body. I jolt up, moving to shade my eyes from the light, but two hands pin me down by the shoulders.

“What—”

“Shhh, Imogene, settle down.” Warm fingers stroke my inner thigh.

Bile rises in the back of my throat. There’s no mistaking the voice. Anex.

“What are you doing?” I ask, pulling against the hands holding me down, but they are strong and powerful.

“It’s my duty to make sure my son is following through with his commitment to you.” I feel the pressure of a finger at my entrance, pushing at the barrier. “You know the problems that I’ve had with him, the sacrifices I’ve made to keep him part of Serendee.” One finger pushes in, then a second. “It would be just like him to pretend he Bonded with you.”

“Why would he do that?”

He chuckles. “To manipulate. Play mind games. To keep you from me.” He curls his fingers and my body clenches, trying to expel the invasion. “If he hadn’t stepped up at the Ceremony, Imogene, you would have become mine by default. You would have been Fallen and come under my care and training.” He feels around for a moment longer and sighs. “It seems as though he staked his claim, didn’t he?” He shifts and whispers close to my ear, “Was he gentle when he took you? Or did he barrel into you with the finesse of a bull on a rampage?”

I gasp at his crassness, but he just slips his fingers out of my body as quickly as they intruded. I feel hollow. Repulsed. The light swings away, and all I see are white spots. Blinking them away, I see him standing over the table, handsome. Powerful. Terrifying.

“I want you to understand that I’m watching you.” He sniffs his fingers, inhaling my scent, before cleaning them with a cloth. “All of you, and if there’s any sign that this relationship is a farce or worse, an attempt to usurp my position, all of you will suffer. Do you understand?”

I nod, wrapping an arm around my stomach, willing the contents of my breakfast to stay down. He isn’t just threatening me and Rex. He’s threatening the guys as well. “Yes. I understand.”

“Good.” He offers his hand and obediently, I take it. He leans forward, speaking right in my ear. “Now that he’s tasted your tight little pussy, don’t expect my son to remain interested. It’s a novelty that he’ll grow restless of soon.”

“Rex and I are Bonded, Anex. In front of you and all of Serendee. I have faith that I can be a good mate and that he won’t grow restless of me.”

“I hope you’re right.” He steps back and lifts his hand, ghosting it over my hair. “But if you’re wrong, don’t worry. I’ll always have a room reserved for you.” His grin is dark. Wicked. “It’s right next to the one I saved for your mother.”

As I rushto the recruitment office for my shift, I’m forced to reconcile that Rex’s indifferent Bonding the night before was more than him just getting off. He was protecting me from his father.

I wasn’t a virgin—he’d taken that from me before the ceremony. And I’d had sex with Silas later. But Anex has made it clear he knows everything going on in Serendee. In our private quarters and in our beds. We can’t be too careful. Our leader seems too eager for his son to fail.

I’m caught between two powerful men and it’s my duty to try to keep the peace.

I manage to work the rest of the day, filing interest forms for potential recruits and organizing pamphlets for members to pass out on the college campus nearby. The upscale University allows a fertile recruiting ground, with so many young people seeking Enlightenment. I always believed I was doing good work by sitting at this desk; that I’d been chosen by Anex because of my character and proof of responsibility. Now, the twisting uneasiness in my stomach is a reality check. Anex has kept an eye on me because of my mother’s betrayal—and has been looking for any opportunity to announce a claim on me for his own purposes.

I’m cleaning up my desk when the door opens. I sense his presence before I see him—broad and imposing. Rex appears before me, features tense.

“Rex,” I say, smoothing down the front of my dress. His eyes sweep over me, and I wonder if he can tell that I’d been examined—that his father’s fingers had been inside of me. “Are you teaching today?”

“No. I was just finishing up on campus and thought I’d stop by to see you home.”

“Oh.” I’m shocked, but we’d agreed to behave like a Bonded couple. I suppose that’s what this looks like. “That would be wonderful. Let me get my things.”

I hurry, not wanting to annoy him. His temper is sharp, less explosive, and more honed than the blade of a knife. He opens the door for me, allowing me to go first and when we step onto Main Street, he takes the position next to the sidewalk, protecting me from the passing traffic.

“So you worked on campus today?” I broach, hoping I don’t sound lost and clueless. I am. Outside of stealing a cake from his father’s birthday celebration and a disastrous picnic, we’ve barely had a normal conversation.

“I had a few deliveries,” he says, eyes watchful as we pass a series of restaurants with seating on the sidewalk. I don’t miss the judgment from the patrons as they take in my hand sewn dress. I’m accustomed to the looks, but what’s unusual is the way the women’s eyes slide right over me and straight to Rex. It’s well known in our community how handsome he is, but clearly secular women really do find him as attractive. He seems completely unaware of that as he continues, “Then, I set up another transaction for one of the fraternity houses.”

“Selling the product under the barn?” I ask quietly.

He frowns. “Elon shouldn’t have shown you that.”

“You’re right,” I say. “You should have been the one to tell me the truth about the businesses Serendee operates under our noses.”

The muscle in the back of his jaw tenses and he grabs me by the bicep, pulling me away from a line of people waiting to be seated. He doesn’t let go once we’re past them, instead pushing me down the alley that leads to the entrance of our community. My breath is knocked out of me as he tosses me hard against the wall. “He shouldn’t have told you because it’s dangerous. It’s not a place for a woman like you.”

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