Page 27 of Ruled By Their Desires

He sighed. “You’re 29 Moon, how much longer do you think you can go on missions like this? You’re going to tire, need to do less, then what? What will you have?”

He was worried for her, she knew that. It was another old argument. They wanted her to have more than war in her life. “I don’t know,” she told him honestly.

“I need to talk to you about Sarah.” She tried not to flinch at her father’s use of her name. “She asked if you would be her bodyguard again.”

“Errr no. That was a job with them. I’m no longer with them.”

“I think she sees you as a friend.”

Moon shook her head and laughed. “No, that couldn’t be further from the truth. She doesn’t. She sees me as a steppingstone to Marcus. She uses people to get what she wants and in this, she’s wrong.”

He didn’t press it and she was grateful he moved on to strategies they were implementing until she heard him raise the subject of Marcus again. “Marcus was attentive when you arrived.”

She closed her eyes sighing. “We are not talking about this again.”

He blew out a breath. “All those years ago when he came to replace the quad, it wasn’t to be unkind.” She guessed they were going to talk about it again.

“You know this,” he went on. “I’ve told you numerous times, but you don’t want to hear it. So here it is again in black and white one more time, cos this shit needs to be over. He could see your attachment to the quad. Knew it would change who you are. Could see you changing, we all could. He knew that if you joined with them, it would take away any chance of you having a normal life. We both did. It’s why I tried to stop it so fiercely. Not that I didn’t like them or what they stood for but because of what it would take from you. You’d not grow up to be a woman who married, had children who had a man or woman that loved her and gave her a life. You’d have this. He wanted you to have more and explained all that the morning I found you both in my old office arguing. But you made your stand and he caved. Let you have what you wanted. Like he always does, and you always choose them.” She frowned at hearing that.

Did he do that? Always give her what she wanted….

“He knew you’d not be able to date, not be able to meet anyone, not sow any wild oats.” She smirked at hearing that and he gave her a I’m not stupid look. “And he knew no other man would get passed them. And he was right. You’d made that stupid pact cementing the bond to them.” He shook his head. “Did you ever consider that in doing that, you changed the course of their lives to?” She frowned.

She had thought that and recently.

“They don’t stay with one woman for long. They don’t have families, but they could, we know that now. They don’t focus on their needs, just yours. They have sacrificed a great deal for you Moon. Yes, done it willingly I’m not denying that and I’m grateful to them in so many ways for saving your life over and over again, but don’t you think you all need more?”

“We’re at war.” She told him defensively.

He nodded. “And marriages happen, couples join, children are born. But not for you. Or them.”

“There are plenty of people here who aren’t shacking up.”

“Actually, that’s not true. In the last year, our communities have become closer.” She wasn’t sure what to think about that considering the KC’s were trying to repopulate the world in their own image. If their two communities were joining on that level, it was likely that was inevitable anyway.

“You know the KC’s are trying to breed.” He gave a nod. “That the SC’s are fertile?” He gave another nod. “Then we will end up being what the KC’s are trying to achieve anyway. It could be the end of the human race.”

“In how we are now, yes, maybe, but not fundamentally who we are. We’ll still be human just better. Have a better chance of survival and not like the KCs want. Our generations to come will evolve to have the skills to survive this. Not die because of it. You’re going to need someone to take over from you at some point Moon. Just like I’ll need you to take over from me.”

She shook her head.

Why were they even having this conversation?

“Marcus,” he said looking at her. She stared at him with her ‘seriously’ face. “Has made a lot of choices in the best interests of his people and ours.”

She snorted at that and mumbled; “and his cock.” Her father ignored it or didn’t hear it and carried on. “In so many ways you are both alike.” She snorted. “A lot of those choices he didn’t want to make, would have preferred to make other choices like any leader. Things are not always as they seem Moon. He is a complex man, a direct man. He doesn’t say what he doesn’t mean and will see through, what he needs to, no matter the cost to him personally. That doesn’t make him a bad man. It makes him an honest one. Many of those decisions were because things were out of his hands. He carries the cost of having done that. The sacrifices. It weighs him down, makes him seem harder than he actually is but, in the end, he does what he needs to and we’re lucky to have him.”

She didn’t argue, he was right. “He’s a good leader. I know that.”

“No Moon that’s not what I’m saying. We all know he’s an exceptional leader. I’m saying he’s a good man who needs a life. There’s a difference.”

She frowned. “What do you man, he always gives me what I want?”

Her father sighed. “Since that day in the camp, he has approved every request you’ve made. Not denying you once. He left the decision on you being a soldier to me as your father but apart from that, he’s never said no to anything you’ve wanted.”

Her frown deepened. There were many times in the past when she’d expected to be told enough or no and it hadn’t happened. She thought that was due to the quad.

Maybe not….

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