Filed to story: The LORDS Series Free PDF by Shantel Tessier
Isabella stops and turns to face me. “How many what?”
“How many of you fucking bitches run this society?”
She smirks and takes a step toward me. “There’s power in numbers,” she says vaguely. “Just like women are given medications to be fertile.”
I frown. That’s not something I was aware of. But after what Bill told me about the breeders, it too makes sense. Fuck, why didn’t I put all of this together sooner?
She laughs, seeing the confusion on my face.
“There’s a rumor going around that Lords are given enhancements to produce twins.” She throws her head back, her laughter growing louder. “And you actually believe it. They are given…supplements, yes, but it’s the women who determine twins. Not the men. Take your friend Ryat, for example. His wife, Blakely. She comes from a founder. She’s about to give him twin boys, right?”
LeAnne. Now it all makes sense. Charlotte said her mother is best friends with LeAnne. I should have known.
“Who knows how many more kids they’ll have. Or their kids will have…see, Haidyn, it’s the Ladies who keep your legacies alive.”
“Except for you.” Hudson laughs like he knows a secret. “You’ll be here until you die, and well, let’s just say you won’t have a legacy to leave behind.”
I wish now more than ever that I hadn’t had Gavin put Charlotte on the shot. I would give anything to give my wife what she wanted-a family. Not because of the Lords. Fuck them! But because that’s what she wanted, and she deserves everything.
“A life span of a man in the United States is around seventy-seven years old. With my help, you will exceed that. Think of it as a gift from me to you-you’ll get to see Annabelle every day for a long…long time.” She looks behind me. “Return him to his room. Remove the IV and get him prepped for stage two of his initiation.” Then she turns and exits the room with his hand on her ass.
SEVENTY-SEVEN
CHARLOTTE
It’s been a week since Haidyn told me he loved me and left me tied to my bed. A week of absolute torture.
Life has a way of laughing at you. My first thought when he appeared in my kitchen that night was that he was going to drag me to Carnage, place me in a cell, and leave me to die. It’s happened, just not in that way. I’m trapped here at Carnage while he’s somewhere else.
I lay here in his bed, just staring up at the dark ceiling trying to remember his touch, his body holding mine, the way he fucked me.
I’ve never been more dependent on another person in my life like I am Haidyn. He inserted his life into mine in every way. Then he just leaves, and he expects me to go on with mine. How?
I love you, Charlotte.
Adam took my cell phone from me. He got tired of me watching the video that Haidyn left me over and over. He blamed it on the battery and said he’d plug it in for me. It was just another lie.
The door opens, and I remain staring up at the ceiling. I’ve gone numb. They don’t have any clues as to where he is. At first, I would listen to them argue back and forth. I even felt bad for Ashtyn when she would cry and beg Saint to find him. Now, I tune them all out. I know it’s selfish, but no one in this hell loves him like I do. At least that’s how I feel. If so, they wouldn’t have abandoned him. Given a choice, I know I’d never leave him. I’d never pick another soul on this planet over Haidyn. At some point, all of them have. And Adam was right; my husband gave himself up one time for every single one of us.
“Anything?” Saint asks.
He’s speaking to Adam. After he arrived, Adam called another Lord and had them go get Muffin and grab a few things of his and mine from Haidyn’s house. I’ve been in Haidyn’s room with the two of them ever since. Adam hasn’t left my side. I think he believes I’m suicidal. Honestly, it’d be better than this. Or it could be because Saint and Kashton still haven’t warmed up to me. Pretty sure they want to kill me, and I wouldn’t fight them. I deserve that.
I fell in love with the man who killed my father. Am I a horrible person because it doesn’t change the way I feel about him? Most likely. That’s why my mother has him-because he took someone she loved. So she’s punishing me for loving him in return. It’s the only plausible explanation I can come up with since they won’t tell me anything.
“No,” Adam answers, typing away on his laptop.
Saint sighs. “How is she doing?” He speaks as if I can’t hear him.
“Devin and Gavin should be here any second.”
I roll over, giving them both my back, and close my eyes. Maybe they’ll sedate me, knock me out so I can get some sleep. At least I can dream of being in Haidyn’s arms again. Dream that I belong to him. That he’s still here. Anything would be better than the hole I have now.
My entire body aches. My chest is so tight it hurts to breathe. I’m not eating anything Jessie brings me. Because I know wherever Haidyn is, he’s also not eating. Why should I get what he isn’t? Is he being tortured? I’m sure. I hate that no matter what my mind comes up with, I know it’s worse. What could my mother possibly be doing with him?
The door opens again, and I hear Adam get up from his chair in front of the double doors that lead to the balcony. It’s where he works on his laptop and phone endlessly. But he needs energy drinks to help him pull all-nighters and function throughout the day.
“What do you need?” Devin asks.
“I need to know my options,” Adam says.
“With?” Gavin asks.
“Her.” I imagine he’s pointing at me while they stand at my back. “She’s refusing to eat, drink…I don’t think she’s gotten up to use the restroom in over twenty-four hours. She’s got to be dehydrated at this point.” Adam sighs.
“Charlotte?” A hand on my shoulder wiggles my body, but I ignore it. “Charlotte?”
I’m pulled onto my back, and I place my eyes on the ceiling as one of them shines a bright light into them. I’m not even sure I could talk if I tried. My throat is too sore from all the sobbing I’ve done. Can you run dry? Like you cry so much that you can no longer produce tears?
I think the worst part is the unknown. It’s been seven days. Even if they find Haidyn, how will he feel about me now? Adam said Haidyn gave himself over for me. Why? We could have had a chance, but he wouldn’t listen to me. Now, what am I supposed to do with my life? It’s meaningless without him in it.
“Nothing,” Adam barks. “I’m telling you to do something.”
“Haidyn wouldn’t want…”
“Haidyn isn’t fucking here!” Adam shouts, interrupting Gavin. “I’m telling you to do something. She’s hurting herself.”
“I say let her do whatever she wants.” Kashton sounds amused. I wasn’t even aware he was in the room. “We don’t force the prisoners to eat. If she wants to die a slow death of starvation, then let her.”
“Kash.” Adam growls his name in warning. “You’re her guardian, for Christ’s sake.”
I still don’t know what that means, and I’m no longer sure I want to.
“I didn’t sign shit.” Kashton laughs like it’s a joke.
“We can move her over to the hospital.” Devin speaks next, trying to come up with a plan.
“That’s a start. Then what?” Adam lowers his voice.
“Feeding tube,” one suggests.
“She’ll just pull it out.” Saint chuckles at their Band-Aid for a life-threatening illness.
As if he even cares what happens to me. Honestly, I’m not even sure I have the energy for that.
“Restraints,” Gavin adds. “They’ll keep her from being able to harm herself or remove the feeding tube.”
“Restrain her to the bed?” Adam repeats, liking the sound of that option.
A moan escapes my cracked lips at the thought of being tied down. Not because I’m horny but because it makes me think of Haidyn. “Are you a rope bunny, doll face?” I can hear his voice ask me that question. If they blindfold me too, then I can pretend he’s in the room. Just being his typical dickhead self and making me wait to get off until he thinks I’m ready. Making me use my words and beg him.
He’s trained my body and my mind to need him. And then he just leaves me and expects me to go on with my life like I imagined him this whole time.
“None of that will be happening,” a woman’s voice states.
“Ash-“