Page 102 of Bride By Initiation

"When you stand before the stains of injustice, do you vow to slam the laws of The Underworld against all those who break them?" Kirill questions.

I don't know what the laws of The Underworld are, but I reply, "I do."

He looks satisfied. He turns and dips the metal rod into the fire again.

Fuck, this is going to hurt.

Stop being a pussy!

One man holds the wood to my lips.

I bite down on it, staring at the blue flames. A cold sweat breaks out on my skin.

Zara steps up next to me and grabs my hand.

I glance at her.

She rises on her tiptoes, kisses me on the cheek, and shoots me a brave smile.

My blood pounds faster.

Kirill pulls the stick out of the fire. It glows with smoke curling around it.

Valentina positions herself next to a small table and orders, "Kneel. Then make a fist and put it on the table."

I obey, and the man who gave me the wood holds my forearm against the table.

Zara kneels next to me and puts her arm around my waist. She murmurs, "You got this, babe."

Babe?

It's strange that we crossed the line. We weren't supposed to, and now she's calling me babe.

She's my wife.

How the fuck did we get here?

I look straight ahead, gritting my teeth against the wood.

The man with the incense circles me. The hissing turns into a chant mixed with more hisses and gasps. It makes my heart pound so hard that I think I might have a heart attack.

Kirill steps in front of me and announces, "Sean O'Malley Jr., you have proven yourself to be worthy of the skull—the mark that represents our eternal commitment. It overrides all law and order as you know it. So by the power of the Omnipotence, and with the full trust of The Underworld, you now may exercise the birthright you've earned to keep."

The women in the crowd shriek, and the men roar.

It startles me. I flinch, but the other man holds down my forearm right as Kirill pushes the skull against my hand.

I bite on the wood, roaring as loud as the crowd, trying to move my hand as my skin singes. The smell of it mixes with the incense. I gaze at my hand, and all I want to do is throw up.

"Breathe, Sean," Zara orders in a stern voice.

I turn toward her.

She grabs my cheeks, demanding, "Breathe!"

I realize I'm not taking in any oxygen. So I inhale short breaths through my nose, continuing to bite the wood.

She nods, smiling. "Good. Keep breathing."

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