I watched with horror as he looked at the letter and then at the fire. "Don't," Damien said with authority.

Basin handed him the paper and sat brooding for a moment. His family looked angry and upset. I saw the stress wearing at them. They didn't try to mask it as they had been the rest of the evening.

“Your family," Damien said, “has acted oddly for many days. We have seen others broken by this knowledge. We ourselves have experienced the total breaking of our bond. It is not easy to come back from, you mustn't let it happen.”

Basin's eyes met Damien's and the question was in them. The other man asked Damien when the family had been broken. Damien was silent for a moment before he spoke. The break had happened in the mountains, it was very difficult, and they'd barely come back from it Damien repeated.

Damien looked at me and I met his gaze. Certain things I had not shared. Some things were too personal, other things I felt the girls would be jealous of. I'd held back very little, but the things I didn't say were important to me.

Basin stood suddenly and carried Rose with him. His family followed him out our door without a goodbye. They were gone for a moment before the room moved again.

Fuji's owners rose and stretched. The head of the family thanked Damien for an interesting evening. They didn't really seem that bothered. Christof was curious how this didn't upset them.

“Our slave told us as it happened," Fuji's owner said simply. "Slaves from Batra believe anything that may affect us is our right to know. It was an honor to inform us of the happenings. At first we did not believe the story and Later it troubled us. You only confirm what we have Long considered a possibility. We have had time to adjust."

Of course Fuji had done that. Her first and only real loyalty was to the men that owned her. She told me good bye politely and smiled. Fuji seemed not in the least bothered by what was going on.

My family rose and I followed their Lead. The men walked Fuji's family to the door and bid them a good rest. The other men reciprocated the greeting and were gone.

I studied my feet as we stood in the anteroom. The men were quietly standing near me, but no one was talking. Christof's voice broke the silence. He demanded to know the entire story.

It made more sense if told in order, so I started at the beginning. When Christof was broken from the Brothers I talked worriedly with my friends about how to help him. Later, when I was taken to see them at the cabin the first time, I shared my happiness with my friends. The pregnancy got all the women’s attention and then my strange life was no ‘longer a secret.

Slaves were women, Damien's family knew that, and women knew what pregnancy entailed. When I had started to ‘show’ every slave in the compound knew what had happened. There was no way to hide it.

The rest of the story came out in bits and pieces to the other women. They saw me leave heavy with a child and come back looking abused. I'd shared with the slaves that the women of Pateria had taken me. The slaves all knew I'd birthed a daughter. Other than that the details had been sketchy.

Rose and Fuji knew more than most anyone. I'd told the truth as I knew it. Almost nothing about the secrets of this world was held back from them.

Christof wanted a complete List of the things I had not said. He was talking so calmly and asking so politely, I was scared. The serene Look on his face did nothing to ease me.

“You kept secrets from them," Damien said stepping closer.

“The other men did not know we had been broken. What else did you hide from your friends?"

My bond with my family and how Hannah learned the world, for one. It was too personal. The men's bond was sacred. Their Lives were private. Admitting I had access for a Little while had seemed crude to discuss.

Damien pushed for more and stepped closer. My desperation grew and I sought to tell them things I had not told the other girls. No one knew they had said I was family, it might make them jealous. Damien came closer and I backed into the door.

“No one knows you trained me to fight," I panted and grimaced, “except the General. His Brother asked and they demanded I answer..."

The men were deep in thought. I jumped when Damien spoke again. He told me to go relieve myself of fluid. My instincts told me to be wary and I stood and stared at him a moment too long.