Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Xander’s grin widens as he presses his hardened cock against mine. He leans forward, overwhelming my senses with the intoxicating scent of sandalwood and peppermint. I’m certain no one can hear him but me when he whispers, “Don’t push me, pretty boy. My tolerance for your bullshit is running thin.”
I attempt to swallow but can only focus on my pulsing heart. I shut my eyes momentarily to consider my predicament. “Please get off me.”
Xander jumps up and steps back.
“That was easy,” I mumble, pushing myself off the ground.
Xander’s eyes narrow into slits, and his flirtatious smile disappears. “When someone asks you to stop touching them, it’s humane to abide by their wishes. I know they teach men to be animals in The Covenant, but I wasn’t raised that way.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I splutter. Jesus, I didn’t mean anything by it. Usually, Xander stays put. It’s part of the dynamic of our relationship. A fucked up push and pull. “I thought you’d… I don’t know.”
“Contrary to what they told you about men like me, I’m not an animal.”
“Hans.”
Xander and I turn toward Margarete’s panicked voice.
Xander takes two steps, bringing him right in front of me. The man’s aura is larger than life, making it hard to think or breathe around him. He clears his throat. “I think you should reassure her.”
Rotting bile inches its way up my esophagus as I look at Margarete. She’s huddled by a tree, rocking back and forth as she stares at me with large, haunted eyes. I did this to her. I took her from the only home she’s ever known and forced her into an uncertain future. I’ve seen the outside world. My father took me for runs, allowing me the freedom to explore, but Margarete wasn’t afforded the same privilege.
I know the stories they hammer into our heads are lies. Fabrications spun to keep our dysfunctional way of life prevalent. If the women had the same opportunities as the men, none would stay. They’d understand that their world was a gilded cage spun from lies. Yet even knowing this, my chest hurts at the thought that perhaps I’ve sprung this on Margarete too soon. Maybe she isn’t ready for enlightenment.
Did I make a mistake?
No. They would’ve killed her. Not necessarily a physical death, but a spiritual decay is far worse. The Covenant would’ve broken her spirit, the core of who she was, and turned her into a robotic shell. She would end up like the other women—a mindless servant.
No matter what happens, having a choice in a world compromised by sin is far better than a life in paradise cluttered with subjugation.
I approach Margarete gently, worried that I'll spook her if I make a sudden move or if my voice is too harsh. “Maggie, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
“What if it’s not, Hans? What if everything out here is far worse than what we’ve left behind?”
My heart shatters at the frightened stutter in her voice. “Did you want to marry him?”
“No,” Maggie says, shaking her head. “But that was my purpose. Who am I to say no to the grand plan?”
I crouch beside her, clasping her hand. “I don’t believe there’s a grand plan. God wouldn’t have made me love you the way I do only to rip you away from me. There is no holier union than the yearning of my heart for yours. If you want to live without me, I’ll take you back to The Covenant, but I won’t sit by and watch you marry that man. I can’t.”
Tears spring from Margarete’s eyes, making me want to kick my ass for placing them there. I never want to be the reason she’s miserable, but I also don’t want her living a lie. “What if we’re punished? You’re my brother, Hans. The two of us together is sinful.”
I shake my head, adamant about getting my point across. “You’ve never been my sister.”
I’ve never regarded Maggie as a sibling, not even when we were young. The moment I saw her face at our parents' wedding, I knew she was mine, but the emotions she evoked were far removed from brotherly love. Our love started innocently, morphing into a necessity and blossoming into a bond that heaven and earth couldn’t shatter.
“I don’t want to marry any of them. I know what happens to us. But I’m scared, Hans. What if they’re right? What if what’s out here is far worse than where we were?”
“You think a merciful, loving God would want us to suffer the way the church tells us to?”
I watch her, waiting for an answer. I’m willing to wait an eternity for her to realize that love can’t be a sin, not when it’s forged from pure devotion and sacrifice.
Maggie squeezes my hand. “Nothing has brought me the joy you have, but temptation also brings pleasure.”