“So, he gives me away like a harlot…as your property.” <br> <br>My voice cracks under the verdict dealt me. Hojo searches my face. He can clearly read my emotions upon my depressed face. <br>“You are not my property, Kylenna.” <br> <br>Hope? I lick my dried, salty tears from my lips. <br>“Then, it is as it was with my Mother when Musa sent her to your lands,” I begin. “I will be free to make a life of my own, free from…” <br>My words trail off at Hojo’s slow shake of his head. <br> <br>“You will remain with me.” <br> <br>“But why? You can give me your protection, and I can live as I choose,” I explain. <br> <br>“You will remain with me,” he repeats. <br> <br>I tilt my head. “Are you telling me I’m more than a bag of grain tossed in to close a deal?” <br> <br>Hojo chuckles. “This can be whatever we envision it to be, Kylenna. It will bring changes, but it can also be pleasurable and sustaining, too.” <br>******* <br>Why after years of wanting, wishing to be his, fate has chosen to step in, but not on my terms? I can't allow my heart to trick me into believing what I see in Hojo's eyes, what I feel while his body moves over mine is real. Yet, when he says, "I'll Die Without You...when I see him willing to take apart everything and everyone to love me, I wonder if I'm willing to sacrifice it all for love?