Page 84 of Bride By Initiation

He tightens his grip around my waist, claiming, "My father's pact was not from blood."

She arches her eyebrows. "How do you know it wasn't?"

Sean strokes his thumb over my waist and states, "It wasn't. I know it wasn't."

Valentina is eerily calm, asking, "So you believe that gave you the right to not choose the redhead?"

Sean answers, "I was told vows were a blood oath. Are they not?"

"Yes. Of course they are," she replies.

"So blood is more powerful than words?" Sean challenges.

She glances between us. "Of course it is, but why are you asking such a thing?"

Arrogance fills Sean's expression. He leans down, tilts my chin, and gives me a chaste kiss on the lips.

I inhale sharply.

He tears his gaze from me, squares his shoulders, and leers at Valentina. He announces, "Zara and I already have a blood oath."

The crowd gasps.

Valentina's head jerks back just a tad. She recovers and hurls, "You dare stand on the stage and lie!"

"It's not a lie," he states.

"Of course it's a lie!"

"It's not," I blurt out.

Her head snaps toward me. "You speak lies too? And to my face?"

Sean interjects, "We have a contract. We signed it in blood."

She scoffs and then points her fingers between us. "You two... You try to cover each other's tracks. Maybe youshouldbe married."

"We're not lying," I say, finding my courage.

"I should kill you now," she snarls.

Sean steps in front of me again and warns, "You won't threaten Zara ever again. She will be my wife, and you will respect her at all times." He looks past Valentina and shouts, "In the name of my father, SeanO'Malley, you all will adhere to my rules regarding my bride—my wife! Is it understood?"

Silent tension fills the arena.

Valentina steps so close, her scent flares in my nostrils. She seethes, "If you're lying to me, the penalty is death. It's always death if you lie to me. Not just tonight. And it doesn't matter who your father or wife is."

I blurt out, "We're not lying! You want me to choose someone, well I've already chosen him! And he's already chosen me. We did it on my twenty-first birthday!"

"I would've known about this," she claims.

"Apparently, you don't have as good of spies as you think you do. You might want to look into that," Sean taunts.

Anger floods her expression. "You're lying. Both of you."

"We're not. I can prove it," I insist.

She points to the sky, ordering, "Look up."

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