Page 29

Rex has done many things to me. Hurt me in many ways, but he’s never Corrected me. Levi, of course. Elon, when I needed it, but not Rex. This kind of behavior goes against his values—the ones that make him such a threat to his father.

“Do it,” Anex says, eyes darting to the paddle on the carpet. “That way, when I see these scars on her body, I’ll remember the strife and trouble it took to get her to a place of Redemption. And I’ll remember that you helped.”

“You’re fucking deranged, you know that, right?”

He shrugs, the gesture small and innocent. “There’s a long history of people calling genius insanity. I’m willing to join their club.”

They stare at one another for a long beat, a power struggle that ends with one of them Correcting me. In a slow, sweeping movement, Rex bends, swiping the paddle off the floor.

I witness the whole thing, the entire exchange where it becomes strikingly clear that Iwillbe Corrected. I have no choice in that. My mate has just managed to negotiate who inflicts the pain.

Anex crosses the room, heading over to his chair to surround himself with the small group of spectators.

“I’m sorry,” Rex says quietly as he turns to me.

I lift my chin and clear the tremble from my throat. “Let’s get this over with.”

12

Rex

I hate everything about this.

The knowing, smug expression on my father’s face. He has me right where he wants me—controlled, demeaned, and inflicting pain on my mate.

I loathe the guilt deep in Silas’ eyes as he watches this scene unfold.

I hate the fact that Jasmine and Robert have been brought in the room to watch this sideshow. Can they tell this is all part of the same manipulation tactic I used on them? Trading bodies and souls? Exploiting intimacy. Bile rises to the back of my throat from awareness. I deserve this for what I’ve done, but Imogene…

She looks at me with those wide doe eyes, and my heart skips a beat.

I may deserve all of it, but she doesn’t.

She’s a pawn in this game between me and my father. A prized toy we’re squabbling over like two boys on the playground. It’s wrong, so fucking wrong, but there’s no out for either of us. I cursed her the moment I picked her for my mate, but she was doomed long before that because of her mother’s betrayal.

“I know some of you may find this excessive, or even barbaric,” Anex says, from his throne. “But such is the resolve of The Way. It doesn’t adhere to the laws of man—the moralistic and ethical. It’s harsh and unyielding.” His tone has shifted, lowering to that mesmerizing tenor that lulls the most Regressive into compliance. “Enlightenment comes in many forms. Imogene has expressed in her logs that she feels closest to her higher self when in a state of Correction. What Rex is giving her is a gift.”

His justifications—his lies—they make the hard ball of rage inside of me send a spark of energy through my limbs.

Margaret is on one side of my father, Jasmine on the other. That’s who he’s addressing—Jasmine. He has plans for her now that her money is locked in place. From the corner of my eye, I see him stroke her hair, doling out affection and praise.

The look on Jasmine’s face when our eyes meet? Pity.

I grip the paddle and take a deep breath.

Anex clears his throat and nods to the chair in the middle of the room. It has a high back, made of solid, carved wood. I remember it being in my childhood home—placed at the head of the dining room table. My father’s first throne, back when he was only the leader of my family, not an entire community. Before he eliminated his biggest threat: my mother.

“Undress,” he commands Imogene once we’re positioned near the chair. Her hands move to the high neck of her dress, to the first of the long row of tiny buttons. A tremor runs through her fingertips, shaking uncontrollably.

“Here.” I step forward, placing the paddle on the seat of the chair. “Let me help.”

She nods, words seemingly caught in her throat. I keep my eyes on hers, finding a strength there to get through this moment. The tedious nature of the task, the small, slippery buttons, the slow reveal of her pale skin underneath.

Soft.

Perfect.

Mine.