Page 145 of Poison Vows

The old man gestures for me to come closer. I do so with my wife and we both watch as he slides the ring onto my left pinkie finger.

As soon as that’s done, every man here, including my shithead uncles and Vaughn, all get on their knee and bow their heads as a sign of submission, respect, and acceptance. Then they start their declarations, speaking in Italian.

My wife remains tense beside me, stunned by the sight. “What’s happening?”

“They’re vowing their lives, blood, and loyalty to me,” I tell her. “And apparently to you as well.”

This is the part I hate the most. The same thing was done to my mother… then she was stabbed in the back by the very people that vowed their loyalty to her.

I’d be an idiot if I believed this ceremonial nonsense.

But I’d be a greater fool if I ignore it completely. Not now that I have an invaluable treasure that matters more than any life here, including my own.

CHAPTER 22

Ivy

I’m shell-shocked.

Bamboozled.

Hoodwinked.

Perturbed.

And running out of synonyms to describe the absurdity that just transpired in this dilapidated garden of both hidden beauty and horror.

Chief among them being, I’M FREAKING MARRIED!

What the hell?

Oh, I forgot one more.

I’m LIVID!

And Emmett doesn’t care. He just stands tall in front of his family calmly, with a quiet, unshakable confidence oozing from him. Unlike me, he’s completely in his own world, unperturbed and disinterested, as if the image of hundreds of tough-looking men bowing before him is nothing.

But I’ve since learned that the calmer Emmett is and the softer his tone, the more fierce his fury actually is.

A bone-chilling, spine-curling shudder moves through me as I realize something.

I might not survive this night.

But in my fear, I also hold on to my own fury.

If I can’t survive the night, neither will he.

We’ll go down together.

Like we did many years ago, over that cliff, straight to our death.

The hundreds of men and his uncles and cousin all stand up, immediately parting like the Red Sea, and then he’s leading me out of the garden at a brisk pace.

Emmett leads me down a long, incredibly maintained terrace.

The stars are dotted all over the dark sky and the moon is hung high. It’s so bright, and almost too beautiful, looking down at the absurdity happening down here.

We enter through another set of open screen doors of the huge mansion, then he leads me past a large sitting room, with a high ceiling, beige-colored walls with priceless pieces of art hanging there.

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