Page 24 of Branded

“They’ll believe what I tell them to believe, and you’ll go along with it.” I kiss her forehead, gentle, almost tender. “Now go change. I have a dynasty to introduce you to.”

She pulls away from me and walks toward the bedroom. I watch her go and feel that familiar satisfaction settle in my chest.

Mine. My wife. My property. And in three hours, the whole Drake family is going to see precisely what I’ve claimed.

This is going to be interesting.

8

LENNOX

The private jet is obscene. Cream leather seats, polished wood accents, a full bar, a bedroom in the back with a door that closes. The Drake logo, a stylized longhorn with a crown, which is the same as the hotel logo and their whiskey business, is embossed on everything from the headrests to the cocktail napkins.

I stand in the doorway at the top of the stairs, looking at the luxury that will carry me to my new prison and feel the last threads of my old life snap.

My apartment is gone. Packed up by strangers while I was spread on an examination table, having a doctor verify that my husband had fucked me. Everything I owned, my books, my photos, the quilt my grandmother made me, the coffee mug I bought at a gas station in Nevada on the drive to California, all of it is either in the cargo hold of this plane or locked in some storage unit I won’t see again for two years.

I have nothing; I am nothing. I’m reduced to being just Mrs. Sebastian Drake.

“Sit.” Sebastian’s hand presses against the small of my back, guiding me inside. Claiming. Always claiming. “We’ll be wheels up in five minutes.”

I sit in a chair at the back of the plane, hoping he’ll get the hint that I want to be alone, but of course he follows anyway. Sebastian takes the seat directly across from me, his long legs stretching into my space, making it impossible to ignore him.

A flight attendant appears—young, pretty, wearing the Drake logo on her uniform, and Sebastian orders whiskey. Neat. She looks at me expectantly.

“The same,” I say. My voice sounds so hollow.

She disappears, and Sebastian leans back in his seat, studying me with those dark eyes that see too much.

“You handled the exam well,” he says.

I stare out the window at the tarmac, at the California coast beyond, at everything I am leaving behind. “Did I have a choice?”

“No. But you could’ve made it harder.” The flight attendant returns with our drinks, and Sebastian takes his without looking at her. All his attention stays on me. “Instead, you were composed. Dignified, even.”

“You mean I acted like a good wife.”

His smile is sharp. “It’s what you are now.”

The engines start, a low rumble that makes the whole cabin vibrate. I take a long swallow of the amber liquid, welcoming the burn. Anything to feel something other than used.

“Tell me about your family,” I say. If I’m going to walk into the lion’s den, I need to know what I’m facing. “You said your mother will love me. Why?”

Sebastian swirls his whiskey, watching the amber liquid catch the light. “Because you’re exactly what Eleanor Drake has been praying for. Good bloodlines. Strong stock. She’s been on my ass for years to settle down with someone appropriate. Someone who understands legacy, duty, the responsibilities that come with our name.”

“And your father?”

“Walker.” Sebastian’s expression doesn’t change, but something darkens in his eyes. “He’s tough. He’s had to be to raise three boys and my sister all to the standard he wanted. But he’s fair, as long as you don’t cross him.”

The casual cruelty of that statement makes my stomach turn. “And your siblings?”

“Nathaniel is the oldest. Forty, runs the ranch, does everything Dad wants without question. The dutiful son.” There is an edge to Sebastian’s voice now. Resentment, maybe. “His wife died almost a year ago. He has twin girls who are four years old, Harper and Hadley. They are amazing, but Nathaniel has his hands full with them.”

Sebastian’s entire aura changes as he speaks about his nieces. This is a brief moment of humanity I’ve seen in him since we walked off the stage together. Harper and Hadley have their uncle wrapped around their pinky fingers, and it is actually super cute.

“Then it’s me, then came Caroline. She’s thirty-five. Manages the oil leases. She’s brilliant, ruthless, probably has more secrets than the rest of us combined.” Sebastian takes another drink. “Don’t underestimate her. She seems sweet, but she’s a viper when she needs to be.”

I snort. “She would have to be to put up with you.”