The Triad- (The Sovereign Society - Season 1)

Part 5 - Katelyn

Jacob's hypnotic voice pulled into a familiar space. The worries of the day evaporated as I relaxed, but the worries of the new situation pushed against me. Every time I let myself float into the edge of a trance, my emotions refused to let me go. For a few minutes I struggled, wanting to give over to Jacob's melodic voice, but in the end the frustration held me hostage.

"I can't," I whispered, disappointed in my in ability to trust him. "There are so many thoughts racing through my mind, I can't give it over to you."

Jacob watched without saying a word. I squirmed under his weighty gaze and dropped my head in shame.

"It's ok, Katelyn. We'll get through this together. Today was a shock to us both, though for very different reasons. I was hoping to transition you into Society life in a slow measured manner, keeping you for myself until the world required your entrance, but this strange turn of events alters that plan quite unexpectantly."

"Why?" The tension in my shoulders screamed as I struggled to find meaning in his words.

"We are about to be thrust into the spotlight for our unusual arrangement."

"That doesn't make sense. You've told me of households with multiple contractees to a singular contract owner, or even shared contractees. In the grand scheme of an organization as large as the Sovereign Society, why would anyone care about our household?"

Jacob chuckled and rose from his chair.

"I'm a consultant to the Regent, the Regency council, and several other areas of the upper levels of the Society. Dr. McNalley is the owner of one of the most prestigious research and development arms, a certified Master Trainer, a practicing psychologist with Society clientele, and he dabbles in a few edge vanilla endeavors. Now that I own his practice, when combined with mine, it is the largest centralized practice of mental arts practice in the Americas. That type of consolidation of power doesn't go unnoticed, especially when it comes to Contracts of Sacrifice," he said as he walked to his desk and gathered the abandoned papers.

For a long minute I sat and attempted to absorb his words, but my experience didn't easily mesh with his explanation.

"How big is this "mental arts" empire?" I rolled my eyes at the phrase, but waited for his answer.

He paused and stared at his desk, then finished placing his computer in his bag.

"Across the United States, I have thirty offices which employee a little over three hundred people in a mix of Society members and standard vanillas, a consulting practice with thirty private clients, and I sit on two boards. Mark's practice employees thirty people locally with twenty five labs across three continents. His private client list is unknown, and he consults with several businesses outside of the Society."

None of it made sense. Jacob always seemed like a man who was good at his job. Frequently people referred to him as a 'world renowned' hypnotist, but this information ran contrary to my experience. He occassionally traveled, but there was never the stressed frantic feeling of one who held such immense power.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this earlier?"

He slung the bag over his shoulder and looked at me with a calculating expression.

"It didn't matter earlier. If Mark hadn't walked into my office today and knelt before my desk, it wouldn't matter now. The contract between us requires things from both of us, but full disclosure of my business was never part of the deal. However, taking on a merger of this size will require all three of us working in harmony to make it successful."

Rage mixed with frustration.

"It didn't matter?" I screamed.

"Tone, Katelyn." His words were a warning, but I was too far gone to care.

"You want to lecture me on tone when you've hidden your life from me?"

Jacob ran a hand through his hair and set the bag on the desk.

"You aren't my wife or girlfriend, Katelyn. You're my contractee. In exchange for many things in your life, you gave me control of it. I will not tolerate this kind of outburst. Your frustration is understandable given the speed of the transaction this afternoon, and the uncertainty of your new household. However, I do not owe you an explanation for my decisions, as long as they do not affect the terms of our contract, and this change does not."

The words were like a knife. I imagined all the things in a love song when I'd signed the contract. Every word in it I'd read with a tinted view. Now the stark reality hit me like a force of nature.

"And if I wanted to end our contract?"

Jacob shook his head.

"You wouldn't like the consequences." The words were almost a snarl, but then something in him shifted. "Today was hard. The world upended. Everything is going to be ok," he said as he walked toward me. "Let's go home and relax. Things will appear far brighter in the morning light."

Nothing in me wanted to move, but I knew I'd already pushed him to the edge of his limits.

"Yes, Sir," I acquiesced and stood.

Without another word, he moved toward the door and I followed silently behind, blinking back the tears that demanded to fall.