I did not plan for the cell door to close while our hands lingered on the ledger, but dusk has a way of trapping a man with the woman who sees through his badge. Vera Crane stands there with that quiet resilience, her body already promising the curves I intend to fill.

She came to me for protection from a town that would discard her without a second thought. I will give it to her, but only as the vessel she must become. She will submit to my command, taking my seed until her belly swells and every glance reminds her she exists only for the breeding I have chosen.

My fear of losing her claws at my chest even as I prepare the order that will strip her of everything else. The cattle drive waits, yet the threshold we stand on will not.