that.”
“Get your hands off of her!” Gray yelled.
One of the guards hit him in the stomach with the butt of their rifle. “Stop! Leave him alone.” I turned to Ardis and spoke directly to him. “Leave him alone, Ardis. He has nothing to do with this.”
“But you do.”
“Why are you so upset about your wife?”
He let go of my hair and plopped heavily onto the metal bed. “She will have a Lesser child.”
“Sort of. I’m part Greater, apparently.”
“But you’re part Lesser.” He buried his dirty face into his hands. The guards across the small room shifted on their feet uncomfortably, looking to one another.
“Ardis, will you and your wife care for the baby?”
He scrubbed his hands down his face and sighed. “More than anything. We’ve tried for so long.”
I smiled. “Then who cares whose egg the baby comes from. The child will be yours. Take care of it. Teach him a better way. This way isn’t working. It’s not right. Everyone with a conscience knows it, too.”
Ardis looked up at me, and for just a minute, he didn’t look like he wanted to slam my face into the wall. He was just a man with vulnerabilities, hopes, and dreams like every other man.
He nodded at the two guards, who cut Gray down. They helped Ardis out of the cell. As he sealed the lock, he looked at me and nodded. I’d earned his respect.
Gray crouched down behind my chair and went to work untying my wrists. When finally free, I rubbed the abrasions left behind by the scratchy rope.
Gray’s voice rose from behind me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“I meant with the baby thing. If they are implanting women with your eggs, technically those are your babies.”
“I know. But it’s not like I had the babies and the Greaters took them. I don’t want to sound callous or cold, but I guess I’m not as attached to my eggs as I would be a child.”
He stood up. “I understand. It’s not like you could raise a thousand kids anyway.”
I smiled. “I’m a hard working woman. I could do it.”
Chuckling, he held out his hand to help me stand up. “You would die trying. I’ll give you that.”
Two hours later, the two guards who had been with Ardis earlier returned. They silently delivered blankets, water, plenty of food and some extra clothes.
I looked at Gray in disbelief as item after item was shoved through the tiny spaces between the rows of steel bars. He just smirked and pulled me into his shoulder, hugging me tightly to him.
It was rumored that the stench of blood could be smelled throughout Olympus. My father had gone on a rampage, having the guards round up anyone who even glanced at him, accusing everyone of being a part of the resistance. Now, not only were the Lessers housed within the city walls frightened, but the Greater citizens were as well.
In truth, only fourteen had been beheaded. But it had been a spectacle. My father had made sure of it. He mandated that all citizens attend. I was on my way back from another meeting with my father and his men when I saw Gretchen jogging toward me down the long corridor.
“Hello, Gretchen.”
“Crew!” Her voice was trembling.
“What is the matter?”
“It is Marian. They took her to the medical pavilion. She tried to fight them, but they slid something onto her tongue and the next thing I knew, she was unconscious.”
“I told him! I told Father not to touch her! We were going to wait a while, to be sure… Never mind. I told him to leave her alone!”
She sniffed and nodded. “I know. I heard you.”
I rushed down the hallway slamming the doors behind me.
“Sir, you can’t leave the palace unescorted! Sir! Prince Crew!” a guard shouted behind me.
Before he could catch up with me, I’d jogged out of the palace gates and into a PerT. The automatic doors closed when he was only a few feet away. He looked angry when he slammed his fist against the metal doors. But I guarantee that he was nowhere near as angry as
“Get your hands off of her!” Gray yelled.
One of the guards hit him in the stomach with the butt of their rifle. “Stop! Leave him alone.” I turned to Ardis and spoke directly to him. “Leave him alone, Ardis. He has nothing to do with this.”
“But you do.”
“Why are you so upset about your wife?”
He let go of my hair and plopped heavily onto the metal bed. “She will have a Lesser child.”
“Sort of. I’m part Greater, apparently.”
“But you’re part Lesser.” He buried his dirty face into his hands. The guards across the small room shifted on their feet uncomfortably, looking to one another.
“Ardis, will you and your wife care for the baby?”
He scrubbed his hands down his face and sighed. “More than anything. We’ve tried for so long.”
I smiled. “Then who cares whose egg the baby comes from. The child will be yours. Take care of it. Teach him a better way. This way isn’t working. It’s not right. Everyone with a conscience knows it, too.”
Ardis looked up at me, and for just a minute, he didn’t look like he wanted to slam my face into the wall. He was just a man with vulnerabilities, hopes, and dreams like every other man.
He nodded at the two guards, who cut Gray down. They helped Ardis out of the cell. As he sealed the lock, he looked at me and nodded. I’d earned his respect.
Gray crouched down behind my chair and went to work untying my wrists. When finally free, I rubbed the abrasions left behind by the scratchy rope.
Gray’s voice rose from behind me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“I meant with the baby thing. If they are implanting women with your eggs, technically those are your babies.”
“I know. But it’s not like I had the babies and the Greaters took them. I don’t want to sound callous or cold, but I guess I’m not as attached to my eggs as I would be a child.”
He stood up. “I understand. It’s not like you could raise a thousand kids anyway.”
I smiled. “I’m a hard working woman. I could do it.”
Chuckling, he held out his hand to help me stand up. “You would die trying. I’ll give you that.”
Two hours later, the two guards who had been with Ardis earlier returned. They silently delivered blankets, water, plenty of food and some extra clothes.
I looked at Gray in disbelief as item after item was shoved through the tiny spaces between the rows of steel bars. He just smirked and pulled me into his shoulder, hugging me tightly to him.
It was rumored that the stench of blood could be smelled throughout Olympus. My father had gone on a rampage, having the guards round up anyone who even glanced at him, accusing everyone of being a part of the resistance. Now, not only were the Lessers housed within the city walls frightened, but the Greater citizens were as well.
In truth, only fourteen had been beheaded. But it had been a spectacle. My father had made sure of it. He mandated that all citizens attend. I was on my way back from another meeting with my father and his men when I saw Gretchen jogging toward me down the long corridor.
“Hello, Gretchen.”
“Crew!” Her voice was trembling.
“What is the matter?”
“It is Marian. They took her to the medical pavilion. She tried to fight them, but they slid something onto her tongue and the next thing I knew, she was unconscious.”
“I told him! I told Father not to touch her! We were going to wait a while, to be sure… Never mind. I told him to leave her alone!”
She sniffed and nodded. “I know. I heard you.”
I rushed down the hallway slamming the doors behind me.
“Sir, you can’t leave the palace unescorted! Sir! Prince Crew!” a guard shouted behind me.
Before he could catch up with me, I’d jogged out of the palace gates and into a PerT. The automatic doors closed when he was only a few feet away. He looked angry when he slammed his fist against the metal doors. But I guarantee that he was nowhere near as angry as
Similar Books
