Corded (The Corded Saga Book 1) Read online

  Nothing happened at first, and I contemplated knocking again. Before I could try, the door flew open.

  “What do you want?” A deep voice bellowed.

  I startled, not quite prepared to come face to face with the largest man I’d ever seen. He was at least 6’5 and solid muscle. Wearing a suit, he didn’t look like any man I’d ever seen before.

  “I need to speak to one of your members.” I planned to deepen my voice, but with the nerves I’d forgotten.

  “Are you a girl?” He pulled off my hat, and my long hair fell down my back.

  Before I could answer, he picked me up by my arms and easily moved me inside. The door slammed closed behind me. Even if I’d been able to reach the knob, the door would have been locked. I looked up at the impossibly tall ceiling. How was it possible it spanned to that height? The walls were brick and metal. Everything about the room was cold.

  “Who are you Corded to?” His voice was gruff, and it took courage just to look up at him. “Who do you belong to?”

  I didn’t know much about Cording, just that it marked you as belonging to a club. I’d never seen one before, but I envisioned it as some sort of tattoo.

  “Myself. I belong to myself.” I stood up as straight as possible.

  “Impossible. There haven’t been any un-Corded girls in this city for months. If there was one, we’d know about it. Show me your arm,” he demanded.

  I reluctantly slipped off my coat. He ripped it from my hand and tossed it on the floor before grabbing my arm roughly and examining it from every angle.

  “Get Mason,” he bellowed, and I suddenly realized we weren’t alone.

  So focused on the man speaking to me, I’d somehow failed to notice I was surrounded on all sides by men hovering in the darkness who looked identical to the first one. I didn’t know who Mason was, but I hoped he wasn’t any larger than these men.

  “Marcus and Elliot, go out and make sure she isn’t a trap.” The first man ordered, while still holding me by the arm like he was afraid I’d make a run for it if he let go. If I wasn’t so desperate to save Quinn and Bailey, I might have considered it.

  “A trap?” I didn’t realize I’d said it out loud until the grip on my arm tightened.

  “Yes. Forgive me for doubting an un-corded girl—and a blonde one at that—would just show up on our doorstep.”

  “I didn’t just show up here.” I tried to make myself look as imposing as possible. It wasn’t an easy task with the size of the men around me.

  The man holding me laughed and released me. “A tough one, huh? I’m Jarrett by the way.”

  “I like to think I’m tough.” I held my chin up.

  “Do you have a name?”

  “Kayla.” Making up a name wouldn’t help me get to Ethan.

  “That’s a pretty name.”

  I spun around and came face to face with a man who had the most piercing green eyes I’d ever seen. He wasn’t as large as the others, but he was more imposing somehow. Dressed in a charcoal gray suit, he screamed city.

  “Hello Kayla, I’m Mason.” He held out his hand, and I nervously put mine in his palm. His strong hand was smooth—it didn’t have the callouses of all the other men I knew.

  “Hello.” My voice was softer than usual. Something about Mason made me less confident than I’d ever been.

  “Why don’t we go into the next room and talk?” He didn’t wait for any sort of answer. He moved his hand to my lower back and led me from the lobby. I wasn’t used to such intimate contact from anyone but my family. The touch felt different than the way George and Bolton had touched me. Instead of the touch of an inexperienced boy, this was the touch of a man who knew how to handle himself. The difference made him more frightening.

  “Have a seat.” He gestured to a small sofa. He pulled a chair over right next to it.

  I sat down practically on top of the arm rest on the side furthest from his chair. He scooted his chair to my side.

  “Tell me, Kayla, what brings you to Sray house?” He gently touched my left arm.

  “I need to speak with one of your members.” Now that we were seated, I was feeling braver. Maybe Mason wasn’t as frightening as I originally thought.

  As if reading my thoughts he smiled. “One of my members? Who is it?”

  “Ethan. Ethan Wayne.”

  “Ethan?” A look of surprise crossed Mason’s face. “Do you know him?”

  I nodded. “Yes. We grew up together.” I swallowed. Those words didn’t come close to what things were like with Ethan and me.

  “I’m shocked he never mentioned you. I can’t imagine a man forgetting such a beautiful woman.” He moved his hand down my arm a few inches. The slight movement gave me goose bumps.

  I let out a deep breath. “May I speak with him, please?”

  “Only if you tell me what you need to speak with him about. You need to understand something, Kayla.” He leaned in close. “Nothing happens in this club without me knowing.”

  I mustered my strength. Concentrating was difficult with Mason’s face so close to mine. “I understand, but this conversation is of a personal matter.”

  “A personal matter?” He leaned back in his seat. “That doesn’t change the rules, baby.”

  Baby? No one had ever called me that before. “I’m not a baby.”

  He laughed. It was a deep melodic sound. “I’m quite aware you’re not a child.” His eyes raked over me in a way that made the looks from the traders and Reine seem like nothing.

  I looked down, moistening my lips that were suddenly dry.

  He put a hand under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “What are you here to discuss with Ethan?” His green eyes locked on mine.

  “I’m here to discuss my sister.” I hoped that was enough.

  “Your sister? You have a sister?” His hand returned to my arm. “Do you mean to tell me Ethan knows not one but two girls that he never mentioned?” The unmistakable look of anger crossed his face, and I knew I’d gotten Ethan in trouble.

  “Please don’t be angry with him. We weren’t his to reveal to anyone.”

  “Where is your sister?” Mason looked over my shoulder toward the door like he expected her to walk in. How I wished that would happen.

  “She’s been kidnapped.”

  “Kidnapped? By who?”

  “Traders.” The less details the better.

  “Where are you from, Kayla?” I didn’t like the way he said my name. It felt like he was sampling it—like he was sampling me.

  “The Rurals east of the city.”

  “Of course. You said you grew up with Ethan. I make it my business to know the history of each of our members. I run an orderly club. It’s the best place for a girl in this city.” He studied me as he said it.

  “I’m sure it is.”

  “What were you hoping Ethan would do with that information?” Mason continued to hold my arm.

  I was taken aback by the switch in conversation. “I expect him to help me if he’s capable.”

  “Help you? How could he do that?” He released my arm and settled back in his chair once again.

  “I don’t know, but I’m out of any other options.”

  He nodded. “Who brought you here?”

  “What does that matter?”

  “Answer the question.” For the first time he raised his voice.

  “No one.”

  “You expect me to believe you traveled that far by yourself?” He narrowed his eyes.

  “I got a ride most of the way. But then…” Thoughts of Bolton flooded me with guilt. “He’s gone now.”

  “And your family?”

  “My father died trying to save me. Please, sir. May I speak with Ethan now?” I hoped using a more formal title would win me some help.

  Instead of answering he called for Jarrett. “Get Ethan in here.”

  “Yes, Mason.” He disappeared just as quickly as he came.

  My stomach churned just thinking about seeing Ethan
again. How would I explain Bolton’s death on top of everything else?

  We sat in silence. Mason continued to study me with an amused expression. I crossed my arms self-consciously. I wanted my coat back.

  “Mason, I heard you wanted to see me?”

  I knew that voice.

  I started to stand up, but Mason pushed me back down. “There’s no need to get up, Kayla.”

  “Kayla?” Ethan’s face reflected the shock I’d expected. His brown eyes were wide as he took me in.

  I took in a deep breath. “Hi, Ethan.”

  “What are you doing here? What’s going on?” He asked me, but his attention had already turned to Mason.

  “It looks like you’ve been holding out on me. You knew where two girls were, and never felt the need to share?”

  “Two? You know about—” Ethan’s eyes returned to me.

  “The sister, yes. Kayla and I have had the chance to chat.”

  A look of panic crossed Ethan’s face, but he tried to hide it.

  I gathered all my courage and turned to Mason. “It wasn’t his place to reveal us.”

  “I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore. Why don’t you tell Ethan what you told me?”

  I let out a slow deep breath. “Quinn’s been taken.”

  “By traders?” Concern flooded his face. Concern he shouldn’t have had since he left us behind.

  “Yes.” I left it there. I didn’t want to explain more than I had to in case it changed things. I wasn’t ready for anyone to know I might be a breeder.

  “I’m sorry, but that still doesn’t explain why you’re here. Does your father know you left?” His expression turned cold.

  I folded my hands in my lap. “He’s dead.”

  “Why’d you come here?” Ethan’s response was emotionless.

  “To find you. I need your help.”

  “You can’t get her back.” He crossed his arms. “You must know that.”

  “Of course I can, why else would I be here?”

  He scowled. “You shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t have come.”

  This was it. After everything, my only hope was saying ‘no’? I wasn’t about to give up. “What else was I supposed to do? Just leave her with them?”

  “Quinn will survive. She’ll do what they say, and they won’t need to hurt her.”

  If he only knew who she really was. Or about Bailey. I couldn’t tell him any of that—especially if he wasn’t helping. “They’ll hurt her no matter what. You and I both know she isn’t strong enough to survive.”

  “But that’s why she’ll be okay. She knows how to do as she’s told, unlike you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I sat forward, itching to get up.

  He sighed. “What was your plan? What do you expect me to do?”

  I looked down at my hands. “I don’t know.”

  “This was a mistake, Kayla.”

  “Yes, it was. I should have realized what kind of man you were when you left. If you won’t help me, I’ll find someone who will.” I rose, ready to get as far away from Ethan as possible.

  “That’s not fair. I was a kid. Eighteen. I’ve tried to change things. I know you read my letters. You wouldn’t know how to find me otherwise.”

  “Actually Thomas read them. You had your chance.”

  “This just gets more and more interesting,” Mason said from behind me. “I’ll help.”

  I turned to face him. “You will?”

  He took a few steps toward me. “I tend to be very helpful to the girls of this club.”

  “But I’m not part of the club.”

  “Not yet.” He wrapped his hand around my upper arm. “It would be a simple exchange.”

  “Exchange?”

  Ethan paled. “Kayla, don’t do this.”

  Mason turned to look at Ethan. “You better watch it. You’re walking a thin line.”

  “You don’t know what you’d be agreeing to.”

  “What other choice does she have? Do you plan on walking out that door with her? Are you going to take a willing girl away from the club?” The threat in Mason’s tone would have terrified anyone.

  Ethan’s face went blank. “No, of course not.”

  “I didn’t think so.”

  “Let’s talk, Kayla.” He led me back over to the couch, but this time he sat next to me.

  “I’m listening.” I tried to calm my rapidly beating heart.

  “If you agree to a Cording, I will help you get your sister.”

  “All I have to do is agree?”

  “Do you know even know what a Cording means, Kayla?” Ethan strode towards us.

  Mason glared at him “Either keep quiet or leave.”

  Ethan lowered his head. “Yes, Mason.”

  “I know what it means. It means I’m marked as the club’s. I have to make myself available to the members.” I looked down, embarrassed to even acknowledge it.

  Mason once again moved my chin so I would look at him. “We only take willing girls in Sray. We are not like the Reine.”

  “I understand. I’m willing. I’d do anything to save my sister.” If I wasn’t determined before, I was determined now. My father flashed through my mind. My body wasn’t worth more than his life. It wasn’t worth more than Quinn, and definitely not more than Bailey.

  “How many men have you been with?” Mason’s question took me by surprise.

  I wasn’t sure what the significance of my answer would be to a man like Mason, but I went with the truth. “None.”

  “Shit, Kayla.” Ethan had his head in his hand.

  “What? Is it shameful my father protected me?” I knew why he was upset. I should have lied, but I was too exhausted. Besides, then he’d expect me to understand things I didn’t.

  Mason put his hand under my chin again, forcing me to look up at him. “Are you saying you’re a virgin?”

  “I have never been with a man.” I crossed my arms, and I wished Mason would release my face.

  “Not even Ethan?” He finally moved his hand. “From the way you two talk, I’d have thought there was a history.”

  I tried to scoot away, but I was out of room. “I was fifteen when he left.”

  “That wouldn’t stop most men.”

  I shivered. “My father never would have allowed something like that.” I looked Mason straight in the eye. “Does my lack of experience somehow disqualify me for a Cording?”

  Mason laughed dryly. “Quite the opposite.”

  I nodded. “How soon can we do it? I need to get Quinn.”

  Mason smiled. “We’ll do it as soon as we can. I’m glad you’re in a hurry; I’m in a hurry myself.” He ran a finger down my cheek. “My first virgin…and a blonde one.” He seemed to be considering something. “I’m changing the terms. I want a personal Cording.”

  “A personal Cording?” Ethan spat.

  “What does that mean?” I asked nervously.

  “It means you’ll belong to me and me alone.”

  I wasn’t sure if that was better or worse.

  “Do you agree to the terms, Kayla?” Once again he used my name. And once again the way he said it affected my entire body.

  I nodded.

  “Good. Then we have a deal.” He reached out a hand, and I shook it.

  “Damn it, Kayla.” Ethan’s face twisted in concerned.

  Mason punched him square in the face. “You are excused, Ethan.”

  Ethan covered his nose, trying to catch the blood.

  I gasped.

  “Jarrett,” Mason summoned. “Take Kayla to the girls’ wing. Have Johanna put her in something special tonight.”

  “I’ll see you soon, Kayla.” Mason lightly kissed my neck. “Oh and leave the personal Cording part between us for now.”

  I dared a glance at Ethan before I was led out of the room. He didn’t look at me, but I saw the blood dripping down from his face onto his now blood stained shirt. I stifled the emotion welling in me. I couldn’t worry about
it. I’d take help where I could. Rescuing Quinn and Bailey was the only thing that mattered.

  Seven

  “So you’ve agreed to a Cording then?” Jarrett ushered me from the room and down a long hallway.

  “Yes.” I breathed evenly, trying to keep my head.

  “The men are going to be happy to meet you.” He opened a door and then pushed a button for an elevator. I’d never been in a working elevator before, but I recognized them from the broken ones at the shop in town.

  I heeded Mason’s words and only nodded.

  “Where’s my feisty one gone? Did Mason scare you, or was it something Ethan said?” He pressed for answers.

  “It’s just been a tiring few days.” That was technically true.

  “You should probably get some rest in now then. It’s going to be a long night.” He raised an eyebrow.

  I nodded, pushing away thoughts of exactly what Jarrett was implying. Anything was worth saving Bailey I reminded myself. She was so little and innocent. She deserved a chance at life.

  “Cheer up. There are worse places to be. We treat our girls well here. Who knows, maybe you’ll even prefer it to your life in the Rurals.” He gestured for me to enter the waiting elevator car.

  “I doubt that,” I mumbled.

  “Why’d you come?” He pressed a button and we started moving.

  I startled but found my footing. “To see Ethan.”

  “Did you want him to leave with you?” Jarrett pushed for more. He needed to stop asking questions.

  “Mason agreed to help me instead.”

  “In exchange for a Cording?” The elevator doors opened, and Jarrett ushered me down another hall.

  “Yes.” I went with one word answers when they worked. Otherwise I might say too much.

  “I see.”

  “What do you mean?” My stomach turned. What wasn’t he telling me?

  “Nothing.”

  I didn’t have time to dwell on it long. He opened another door that opened into a large suite of rooms.

  A beautiful middle aged woman with long brown hair and deep brown eyes greeted us. “Hello, Jarrett.” She adjusted the tie on her floor length wrap dress that appeared to be made out of silk. I had to resist the urge to reach out and touch the fabric.