**Mason''s POV


    Theo is unusually quiet and I don''t like it. He''s not said a word, just remains a silent support, which is very out of


    character for him.


    My mother moves closer to us, taking the seat opposite the couch we are sitting on. My fathers stand behind her. Each of them cing a hand on her shoulders in support.


    "Cash was never my bond," my mum says and I feel like the world stops spinning.


    "What do you mean? You never bonded with film?" I ask.


    "No, I couldn''t bond with him because he wasn''t one of my bonds. Hepelled us all to believe he was but we worked out he wasn''t whilst he was away with you. We tried to confront him about it when he returned but he threatened to leave and take you and your sister with him. We had no idea what he''d done to you or how much control he had over you. You were so different when you returned that we thought you were under hispulsion too, so the only way we could protect you both was to go along with it," she exins.


    My heart begins to pound in my chest and my head buzzes, realise then that it must be Josie''s heart that is frantic, she is furious.


    But why? He neverpelled me, he tortured me for years and beat me into submission. Why didn''t he justpel me to do what he wanted?" I ask. I have so many questions and I don''t know what to ask first so theye out in a jumbled


    mess.


    "He was a sadistic pig, that''s why!" Josie growls. "When he took me to the human realm rrisa told him to kill me, he refused and told her he wanted to keep me as his new project. I think he enjoys breaking people,"


    "I don''t think hispulsion was very strong. I think he drugged us to get into our minds and eventually, it wore off. You always did have a strong mind, Mason, I doubt that even when you were a child he would have been strong enough to get control of you that way," my mum says with a sad smile.


    I don''t know how to feel about her anymore. I have spent so long hating her for not helping me, for letting Cash get away with everything he did. Can really just forgive her now, after all this time? Are my parents just as much victims in Cash''s cruel games as I am?


    "What are y your views on intimate rtionships between people of the same sex?" Theo asks, finally finding his


    voice.


    My mother smiles before looking up at her bonds, who smile back down at her and nod.


    "I fully support it. It''s actually verymon within bond groups I think," she says.


    I study my fathers and the way they look at each other and almostugh when I realise what my mother is saying Her bonds are also in a romantic rtionship with each other. Could this be why Cash was so angry about me questioning my sexuality?


    "Why did Cash pretend to be in your bond group? What was his end goal?" Josie asks.


    "That I still don''t know. He never actually seemed interested in me. I can only assume it was a cover for something. Now that I know he was working with this rogue faction I''m guessing it was a way to keep suspicion off of him,"


    We spend the next half an hour firing questions at my parents and their answers are consistent with being victims in all this. It''s still hard to wrap my head around. In a way, I''m so relieved that they weren''t just standing by and letting Cash try to destroy me, but I still feel they could have done more to help me. If they''d have told me to take


    Dot and nun whilst they got rid of him I would have. They could have saved me years of his threats and maniption. Deacon calls us back to themand base, they have an update and they also want to go through some basic training. "We have to go,” I say, ending our conversation for now.


    My mother stands and moves in close as if she is going to hug Josie and I put a hand out to stop her. I am notfortable enough to let her near my bond and unborn child. Hurt shes across her face and I feel a little guilty.


    "We are not there yet. There''s still a lot to discuss and a lot to unpack, but we have time. Just not today," I say and her sad eyes fill with hope.