Ruptured: The Cantati Chronicles by Maggie Mae Gallagher Page A

show off his prize. I scrambled for the covers and yanked them over my breasts as his door swung open.
    He glanced back and then at Quinten. “See that she does not leave this room for ANY reason, or I will ensure that you find yourself in the Desert. You three, with me.”
    He strode from the room without a backward glance not even bothering to shut the door for he knew I would not leave. Quinten’s kind eyes were more than I could handle.
    I shattered like glass in a window-pane.

Chapter Seven
    “Are you alright?” Quinten asked above the din of air-raid sirens, the same ones the British had used during World War II when the Germans were bombing London. It always struck me as odd the methods that humans had developed to defend themselves from other humans.
    He trod into my room, closing the door behind him. I lay crumpled on the bed awash in tears. Grief choked my response, and it sounded like a garbled mess even to my ears. After every horror I had survived, this was the worst. In every other instance, I had been resolute with the knowledge that I had the power to beat back any enemy.
    What do you do when the enemy was not only allowed, but encouraged, to strip you of any last shred of yourself? I hated Cade. I wanted to wash his stench from my body, but I knew deep down it was a move in futility. He wanted to possess my body, and if I weren’t careful, he would destroy my soul. Then I would truly become one of them, a Breeder, whose listless existence rose and set with her protector. I would kill him before I allowed him to turn me into that. I had no idea how or when, but make no mistake, I would see him dead. With any luck, he would not return from his mission. It happened all the time. I prayed to the gods that he would meet his fate.
    I flinched at Quinten’s hand at my shoulder and gazed into his concerned features.
    “Alana, how can I help?” he murmured. I opened my mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Tears blurred my vision, and I felt him wrap the blankets securely around my form before he put his arms around me. He scooted us over and rested his back against the wall.
    I never cried. The last time was when my mother died.
    Quinten held me, just like that. He gave comfort as I emptied all my sorrows. He was my rock as the storm of my emotions battered me. Through all of it, he stroked my arm and stood as bastion against the dark swelling tide.
    “Alana?” He had stilled his movements.
    “Hmm?” I retreated slightly from his arms, a little surprised by how much I enjoyed the comfort within them.
    “What if I went before the Council?” He hesitated, searching my face. What did he hope to find there? His stoic face, ever the scholar, studied my reaction.
    “And told them what?” I could usually read people, but his intentions were shrouded and gave me pause.
    “What if I told them you were mine before they issued their order mating you to Cade?” he asked, half expectant, hope swimming to the surface in his gaze.
    “No. You know the Council would punish you, not to mention Cade would kill you for the offense. As much as I want to rid myself of him, it’s not worth your life.” I could never make him pay for my mistakes. No matter how much I wanted my freedom.
    “If you weren’t my superior officer, I would have made advances a long time ago. I love you. I have for some time. Now, as to Cade and the Council, let me handle them.”
    I gasped at his confession. Hope bubbled. He loved me. I had not heard those words since I was a child. While I may not love him, I did care for him. We were friends, had always worked seamlessly together in the field. Was there a chance I could feel more for him?
    Yes.
    His face was inches from mine, and in the space of a heartbeat, his lips claimed mine. For a half second, I did not move, too stunned by his declaration and the potency of his emotions as they swept over me. Then my shock bled into need, and I moaned. My hands caressed his face, stroking his