Page 56 of Bride By Initiation

She gives him another once-over and praises, "At least you vouch for a man who seems to have…" She tilts her head, looking him over again, and continues, "Shall we say, benefits for the ladies?"

I try not to smile. Part of me wants to laugh as I strike her comments as odd for the situation. Instead, I reiterate, "I vouch for him."

She steps back farther. "Then he's your responsibility. Go home, Sean O'Malley Jr. Heal. Your bid is secure. But remember, you've selected another path."

She turns to the crowd and shouts, "He will now compete for an initiation with rings."

The crowd erupts, deafening my ears once more. This time, a chill consumes me, digging deeper into my bones than ever before.

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10

Zara

Two Months Later

The room buzzes with excitement. Every Ivanov, Marino, O'Malley, and O'Connor fill the room, including the members who live in Ireland.

I fight the crowd, engaging in small talk, until I step in the line of people waiting to offer congratulations to Kinsley and Kylie Ivanov. They're Sergey and Kora's identical twenty-one-year-old twin daughters. It's their college graduation party, and they both decided to follow in their mother's footsteps. They selected a prestigious school in New York and will attend law school in the fall.

"Congratulations. I'm going to miss you when you leave for New York," I tell them as Obrecht and Selena Ivanov step aside, allowing me to embrace the girls.

"Thank you. I'm excited to get out of here," Kinsley states, tossing her long dark hair over her shoulder and glancing across the room at Killian's oldest son, Kian.

Kylie elbows her.

"What?" Kinsley bursts out.

"Don't be so obvious," Kyliereprimands.

I lean closer to Kinsley, teasing, "I thought you gave your ring back to Kian."

She smirks. "I did. He cried, remember?"

I laugh, recalling how they made rings from pipe cleaners when they were five. At ten, they fought over something silly, and Kinsley dramatically returned her ring during a Christmas party.

Since then, they've seemed to have a love-hate relationship, always fighting and flirting.

I suggest, "You two should try being nice to each other all the time, not just every now and then."

Kylie scoffs. "She's been way too nice to him lately."

Kinsley's face heats. She mutters, "Shut up."

I lean closer. "What did I miss?"

Kinsley rolls her eyes, stating, "Nothing," and giving Kylie a look of warning.

Kylie just grins.

Kinsley changes the subject, suggesting in a mischievous tone, "Maybe we should play switcheroo and see how long it takes him to figure it out. That always annoys him."

I arch my eyebrows. "You two are still tricking people?"

"Sometimes," Kinsley admits.

Kylie shrugs. "There's nothing else to do around here. It's boring."

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