Page 193 of Bride By Initiation

Deafening silence fills the air.

I grit my teeth, tightening my grip around her waist. I hold myself back from killing him, remembering Byrne's warning.

Salvatore announces, "Tonight, on the seventh moon, we will invoke the Ceremony of the Sacrificial Lamb."

A gasp fills the air.

Kirill's head jerks backward.

"What is that?" I blurt out.

Salvatore's lips twist. He gives Zara another lewd once-over, then turns his attention to me and declares, "Your wife is the lamb."

"Excuse me?" I burst out.

"What does that mean?" Zara murmurs, then shoots me a freaked-out look.

Salvatore points at the men sitting around the table and explains, "The seven of us will have her, and you will sit and watch. Kirill and I will enter her and cum inside her when the moon is at its brightest."

"Like hell, you will!" I protest, pushing Zara behind me and glancing menacingly between him and Kirill.

But Kirill's expression doesn't match Salvatore's. He looks uncomfortable.

So I object again, "No way."

Kirill clenches his jaw.

Salvatore steps in front of me, looking up and pinning his haughty gaze on mine. "Your seat at the table depends on completing the chosen ceremony. I have selected the Sacrificial Lamb. Your wife is our lamb. The sacrifice is yours. You will sit and watch or not earn your spot."

"The spot you stole from my father," I seethe, pushing Zara farther behind me and clenching both fists.

Shock fills Salvatore's expression. He snarls, "What did you say?"

"You killed my father."

"I wasn't present when your father took his last breath."

"You're just as responsible!" I accuse.

His lips twitch. He taunts, "Your objection to our ceremony means your sacrifice must double."

The crowd gasps again.

"Salvatore," Kirill warns.

It doesn't stop him. He states, "Fourteen men will now have her instead of seven. And I'm still coming in your wife tonight." He winks.

Any discipline I have breaks. I lunge at him, reaching for his neck and pulling him to the floor.

His hands flail, trying to pry me off him, but he's too weak for me. His eyes widen and he makes choking noises.

A chaotic feeling overtakes me. It's the same as when I was in theunderground fighting ring, fighting for my life. I pin my body over Salvatore's and squeeze my grip tighter. His cheeks turn purple.

"Sean!" Zara shouts, but I barely hear her.

Blood slowly seeps into the whites of his eyes, and his attempts to pry my hands off his throat weaken.

"Sean!" Zara cries out again.

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