“Good to see you, Dalton.”
“Now, brother, it's always easier when we don't lie to each other. Why don't we agree to say what is really on our minds?”
Dustin didn’t have a problem with that, although he doubted that his brother would really want to know what was on his mind at the moment. He was certainly not worried about any conversation that they were about to have. He was still miles away, underneath the waterfall with his wife. It was going to take quite a bit for him to think of anything else.
“So, since we have agreed to honesty, what is on your mind, brother? You called me here, so I imagine it’s something important to you.”
“I am actually thinking about your beautiful bride at the moment. I would think that you were doing the same, but I have a feeling that your marriage isn't real, is it?”
He did not like what his brother was implying.
“What are you talking about?”
“I think you know. I think that your people that you are so worried about would be quite interested to know that you bought your bride. That’s not against the rules, but there has to be a loss of honor there.”
“Well, there you go, showing that you know nothing. I did not buy Jasmine, and I don’t know where you’d get a crazy idea like that, Dalton, but you’re wrong.”
“Then why is it that she told me that she was sold and that her parents were paid money for her to agree to a marriage? Like I said, not saying that it is against the rules, of course; I just don't find much honor in it. You of all people should at least see that. It’s rather distasteful. At least I wasn’t willing to buy a child-bride.”
“She is the same age as me.”
“Yet she was sold when she was sixteen. That seems sketchy to me, brother, and I am not the one that is parading around here like I have morals. At least I know what I am. I wonder if you know the same thing?”
Dustin was trying his best to understand what his brother was saying, but he didn't want to believe it, so he tried very desperately not to.
He couldn’t be right, could he?
“Where did you hear such a thing?”
“From your wife. I already said that. She had a lot to say when you were gone the other day. We had a very enlightening conversation.”
Dustin didn’t know what to believe, but something in the way that Dalton was smiling at him, so sure of himself, made him believe that he was actually telling the truth. He took his silence as a reason to keep going, and Dustin didn’t want to hear anymore, but he did anyway. He was looking for something so glaringly wrong that he would know that he was lying. It didn’t come, though.
“It also came to my attention that you have not even taken her into your bed, brother. Is that even really a marriage? Would that even count to the clan, a fake marriage with a fake bride that you haven’t even taken?”
“It shows how much you know. I have bedded her many times.”
“So, you’re telling me that it’s not true? You have been with her?”
“I have. It seems that you have a lot of misinformation. Are you going to tell me that she ‘told’ you that as well?”
“That may be something that I guessed on and was wrong, but by the defensive tone of your voice, I don't think I'm that far off. A few days ago, I guarantee that I could smell virgin on her. Did you finally pop that cherry after all this time?” The last bit was ended with laughter that had Dustin on edge.
Dustin tried to ignore him because he was sure that all he was trying to do was get a rise out of him. He had no way of knowing the things that he said were true. Quite simply, he didn't want to believe it. The last thing Dustin wanted to believe was that any of what his brother said was true. He had put doubt in his head, though. If that was his plan, he’d certainly accomplished that. Dustin would never let him know that it worked, but his words were getting to him.
“I never knew you to be a gossip, brother. Maybe you have been sticking around the old women too much?”
It was a dig that Dalton had been put on elderly care recently. It was more or less a punishment for the way he had reacted during the ceremony. It was quite evident that he did not appreciate the reminder. However, Dustin was getting to the point that he didn't care. He never would have believed that one of his biggest enemies would end up being his own brother.
“So, do you deny it all?”
“Of course I do. You do not know what you’re talking about, and this conversation is already tiring. If you have nothing else, I will ask you to leave. I have work to do.”
It wasn't the reaction that his brother was looking for, obviously. He scowled at him, but he ignored it. His father was no longer around, who had forced them to get along.
“That is how you are going to treat me? Like you are somehow better than me? The only reason that you are the alpha is because of treachery, and I promise you, Dustin, I am going to do the best I can to make sure that the whole clan sees you for what you are. You don't deserve to be the leader.”
While it was clear that his brother was still upset about how it all worked out, Dustin was not going to worry about it. He wanted his brother out of his space, and once he left, Dustin could start to think about what had been said. He had to wonder about the validity of such claims. He did not want to believe them. No man wanted to hear someone saying that their wife was with them because she had to be. After the moment they shared together, that was the last thing that Dustin wanted to believe.
When he got back home, Jasmine came to give him a kiss, and he assured himself again that his brother must have been mistaken. He had to be wrong. He either made it up or heard something wrong; there was just no way that what he said was right.
As much as he kept repeating that to himself, though, he couldn't stop himself from asking. It was a question that he shouldn't even have to ask because obviously, it wasn't true. Obviously, she was with him because she wanted to be married, not because she had to be. The idea of it made him sick to his stomach. Her answer made it even worse.
“I need to ask you something, Jasmine, and I want you to be truthful with me. I don't want you to feel like you have to give me a certain answer just because you think that's what I want to hear.”
She giggled a little bit and told him that he was making her nervous.
“What is this all about? You are being really weird, Dustin.”
“This is probably crazy, but I heard something today and I wanted to know if it was true or not.”
“Of course, what is it?”
It was at the tip of his tongue for so long that he was afraid it wasn’t going into come out. How could he think that such a thing was even possible?
“Someone told me that you were sold into our marriage and that this isn't your choice. That you’re with me because of obligation.”
He said it with a smile on his face because he was so sure that his brother was full of shit. When her face fell a little bit and she avoided his eyes, then he started to get nervous. His brother was right, and everything that he thought was real wasn't. It was all a lie.
Dustin felt like he was suffocating all of a sudden. All of the air had been forced out of his lungs, and he simply couldn’t breathe. At the moment, that was the least of his troubles. Dustin was sure that he could feel his heart breaking as well, and that hurt so much more.
Chapter Sixteen
If Jasmine would have known that Dustin was going to take it so hard, she wouldn’t have told him the truth. It was becoming rather clear that he wasn't capable of handling the truth. Jasmine had thought that he knew all about what had happened to her. If he didn't pay for her, then who did? There had to have been enough money exchanged to have completely changed her family’s life, so who would have done that?
Her mind went to the woman that had arranged everything. Maybe she had done it, but why? It just didn't make any sense to her, and the more she tried to figure it out, the more it made her head hurt. Jasmine couldn't think about any of that right now. She had a hus
band looking at her like it was all a lie. After the night they had together, Jasmine never wanted him to think that what was going on between the two of them wasn't exactly what was supposed to happen.
“I thought you knew about it. I mean, someone paid a lot of money.”
“You thought that I was okay with you being sold to me? Do I come off as that sort of person to you?”
He looked even more disgusted, and she knew that she had said the wrong thing. It was hard to imagine what exactly was the wrong thing, though. But it wasn't like she had been treated badly, and there had been no reason to bring it up. Why would she bring it all up?
“My parents needed the money, and they said that some guy approached them about it. He put me through a really good school, all girls, of course, and that was that.”
“And you are okay with it?”
Jasmine shrugged. “At first, I told my parents that I would never talk to them again. Of course, I wasn't happy about it. I was in tenth grade, and after one conversation, I had to leave my school, leave my friends, and never think about love again. But I knew my parents needed help, so I guess I just went with it. It was better than them trying to sell off one of my sisters. I was going to wait a little while and ask you for a little money to go to them so they don't try to do it to my other sisters. I wouldn't want them to go through the same thing.”
As soon as she heard it come out of her mouth, Jasmine knew that it was the wrong thing to say. Of course, it wasn't what she meant. The after-marriage part had been a breeze, but the three years before were hard. She thought about it every night and had dreaded it every day. Jasmine did not want her younger sisters to have to go through it as well.
“This isn't the Middle Ages. Who the hell sells their children?”
Jasmine shrugged because her anger about it had dissipated a long time ago. She had just gotten used to the idea of it. It's not like she had a choice.
“I guess it's the kind of family that has too many children to feed. It didn't use to be that way, but my father lost his job, and after all the savings dried up, it just got worse and worse. I was already working after school and giving them all of my wages. I was happy to do it, even though at the time, I wasn't quite sure about it. After meeting you, and after last night...”
Jasmine didn't know what to say. Everything she said seemed to be wrong, and she didn't want to upset him further.
“I just can't believe this. You know, it was my brother that came to me with it. My damn brother, and he really rubbed it in my face. I'm sure that he loved every minute of it.”
Now Dustin was pacing, and he couldn't even look at her. Jasmine felt like she had done something wrong, something dirty, and she didn't respond. What was she supposed to say? Nothing that she said was untrue. She had been sold. Her parents did need the money, and she had gone along with it. They were married now, so what did it matter? It worked out.
When she asked that very question, he exploded on her. “What does it matter? What the hell do you mean? I thought that you got married because you wanted to be married, not because someone forced you to because you were starving. How could you ever think that I would want you in that way?”
Jasmine had never seen him get angry before, and it scared her. She shrunk away from him, and he immediately calmed down. He was apologizing profusely, but Jasmine could tell that he was still stricken with the new information. Jasmine wished that she wouldn't have said anything to his brother. She knew that they didn't get along, but Dalton had acted like he was her friend and that he wanted to get to know her. She should have known better.
“I have to get out of here. I can't...I can't do this.”
She tried to stop him, but her words never came out. Her voice stayed still, and Jasmine was trying to replay the last few moments in her mind. What the hell had just happened? How could this be a problem? It wasn't like he met her and they fell in love or something. It was all arranged, so why did it matter if money was exchanged?
Jasmine felt terrible about it. It wasn't like she could have stopped it from happening, but now she somehow felt wrong for it. Like she wasn't worthy of being his bride. Jasmine had spent her life feeling not good enough, and now it was compounded. Her own husband didn't want her either.
Her spirits were down about as far as they had been since she had arrived at the mansion. It wasn't the first time that she had spent the night alone, but his side of the bed seemed colder than usual. Her imagination had played out all kinds of naughty things that they would do to each other that night. She wanted more of what they had at the waterfall, but that wasn't going to happen.
She finally fell asleep when the sun was breaking the horizon for the day, and Dustin’s side of the bed was still empty.
Chapter Seventeen
Dustin felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. It was hard for him to imagine that what his brother had said was true. His wife was sold as a child or might as well have been. His wife had been going on with her life, and then all of a sudden, she had been plucked away, and for what? Who would have done it?
The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to know what was going on. He thought of Jamie and decided that a call just wasn’t going to do it. He needed to go to her place of business. He needed to look her in the eyes to see if she was lying, and he needed to ask her all of the questions that were running through his head. It was all her fault. It had to be. How else would she have sold a bride to him? She had to have known.
By the time Dustin got to Jamie’s office, she was closing up for the day. She jumped when she saw him, and Dustin didn't take that as a good start. He was looking at her with an accusation in his eyes, and it must have been a little intimidating because she took a step back when she saw him.
“Mr. Rose. It is good to see you, though I didn't know that you were coming. If I did, I would have kept the place open a little longer.”
“Maybe you should open back up, Jamie. I have come into some information, and I want to talk to you about it. It's quite important.”
She looked guilty. Whatever she thought was happening, she must have known that it had something to do with the way she was procuring her brides.
Jamie had spouted all of this stuff about love and all the other crap that Dustin had waved off, but now he was mad. He had fallen for his wife, but it all been under false pretenses. Everything was ruined now, and maybe he just wanted to take out some of his frustration on the woman.
After a moment, Jamie opened the door back up, and he followed her in. She asked him if he wanted something to drink, and he accepted. Jamie sat down at her desk, and he followed her in, sitting across from her. She opened her bottom drawer and pulled out a flask. She also came out with two drinking glasses, so he figured that this wasn't the first time she had done that very thing. Maybe she would toast to the men that found her girls to buy.
“You look like you're pissed off, so I’m having a double.”
She drank everything that she had poured into her glass after she had handed him one. Whatever Jamie was hoping for at the bottom of the glass, courage seemed to be something she had found.
“I am. I came across some information, and I'm actually kind of shocked. I don't even know what to say, but you're the one that I need to talk to about it. Maybe I need a double as well.”
“Are you sure that I’m the one that you need to talk to about it? As mad and scary as you are at the moment, I would hope that it wasn’t being directed at me. I mean, I haven’t done anything to upset you, Mr. Rose, or I hope I haven’t anyway.”
He would usually laugh at such a thing because he was probably one of the gentlest people around, but not this time. Maybe he wanted to be a little intimidating if that was going to get him the answers that he needed.
“I want to know how you found my wife.”
“Your wife? Is something wrong with Jasmine? I thought you guys were...”
Her voice trailed off and Dustin asked her to finish the sentenc
e.
“Well, I had been a little worried about Jasmine because of how you were in the office. You were a little cold about it, and I know that it was probably because of the situation in which you were getting married, but I did go to check on you. I didn't get very far, though, because I found you guys in the front yard and you seemed to be very happy. Was I wrong?”
Dustin thought of the times that he’d spent on the front lawn with Jasmine. They were innumerable, and he couldn’t pinpoint just one. They were happy times.
She loved the outdoors, and they both shared in that, so a lot of their time was spent outside together. He had not known that Jamie had come to check on them, and he would have been upset about it if he weren't still thinking about the main reason he was there.
“Jasmine is great. We get along well, but it came to my attention that we should have never been together. She should have never been offered to me as a bride.”
“I'm confused. If you're happy with her, then what's the problem? I guess I am just not understanding what it is that you are having trouble with. Why shouldn’t the two of you be together?”
The more Dustin thought about it, the more upset he got, and the more he realized that loss was going to be with him for the rest of his life. He knew it, right then and there. He had to give her up.
“The problem is that she was bought and sold like a damn slave when she was sixteen years old. That's the problem, Jamie. I don’t know if that is normal for this sort of business, but I never would have come here if I had known that’s what you were doing. I don’t think anyone would.”
Jamie was stunned, and he didn't know if she was a good actor or not, but she certainly looked the part. Jamie looked at him like she had no idea what he was talking about.
The shock wore off after a moment and she shook her head, long before sound came out denying it. “I think you are mistaken. We do not sell or buy women here. I have recruiters that go around and find women that are of a certain breeding, certain age, certain type, that are looking to get married. These are all women that are just as eager to find a mate, as the men are. They want a big strong man with some means. Like you. Nothing I do here is wrong.”
Alpha Shifter Bride Service: (A Paranormal Romance Series) Page 7