Chapter 53
“Hello?”
God, he loved the sound of her voice. “Hi, Liberty.”
“Hello again, Jovan.”
He had only talked to her three hours ago, but he couldn’t help himself. He missed her, and hearing her voice made him smile. “What are you up to?”
His heart went stone cold as he listened to her plans to go with Faith, Abby, and Beverly to San Francisco for shopping. As she prattled on, he thought of all the things that could go wrong.
She could be caught with her eyes glowing at night and be taken from him forever by the government. A Colonist, or one of their pleasant family members, could get to the females. Even humans were something to worry about. There were stabbings, shootings, robberies, and muggings every single day. Liberty was too new to this world and she shouldn’t be allowed out without an SR44 male to protect her.
He ran his hand through his hair and began to pace the large kitchen of the mansion. Finally, he couldn’t take anymore. “No,” he said.
Liberty was silent for a moment “Excuse me?”
“No. I said no. You can’t go.”
“Jovan, I thought I could do as I pleased.”
“You can, as long as you’re in the silo. Or I’m with you. Or even Noah.”
There was a long silence. “Jovan—”
“Liberty, I said no.”
“Jovan, please understand. I was born into servitude. This is the first time in my life that I am able to do what I want, when I want to do it. Right now I want to go with Abby, Faith, and Beverly to San Francisco for a few days. While I’m there, I will shop and do whatever else I want to do.”
“No, Liberty. You can’t go.”
“Jovan,” she said, “Do not test me on this. You are making me very, very angry with your words.”
“Liberty, as your future mate, it is my job to protect you. I forbid you to go. You will do as I say, and it’s for your own good.”
“And you are who to stop me?” she yelled at him. “I do not remember that when I agreed to mate you that it meant you could control me!”
“I’m not controlling you! I’m looking out for your best interest. San Francisco can be a dangerous place!”
“The world is a dangerous place, Jovan! I will be going to San Francisco, and I will enjoy my time there with my friends!”
His panic of what could happen reached epic proportions. Rape. Murder. Run over by a trolley. His heart pounded, and he broke out into a sweat. She simply couldn’t go.
“Liberty!” he yelled into the phone. “You will do no such thing! I forbid you from going! Do you understand me? I forbid it!”
There was a long stretch of silence, and he wondered if she had hung up on him. “Liberty?”
“Jovan,” she said in a quiet voice, “I will be going to San Francisco. There will be no debating that.”
No. No. No. No!
“Liberty—”
“And I will not mate a male who forbids me from doing anything. I am terminating our future mating ceremony, and our future together.”
“Liberty—”
There was a soft click.
Jovan stared at the phone in his hand. For a long time, he couldn’t move. What had she said? She was terminating their mating ceremony? And their future together? Oh, no. What had he done? Where had all that come from? Had he actually said he forbade her from going? Was there anything worse he could have said to a female born into servitude?
“Fuck!” he yelled, throwing his phone into the wall.
“What the hell’s going on?” Blake said as he came into the room.
“Give me your phone!” Jovan said and began to dial desperately.