Now that Rynar was thirty, the will had been unsealed, according to his father’s wishes. The elders thought it was an odd request, but they’d agreed to it. Few Deruzians had dared to question his father’s logic.
Rynar himself had. But now that his eyes flew from page to page, horrified understanding dawned on him.
The worst part? He’d feared this very clause.
Upon my demise,the entire Te’Oken estate–including, but not limited to, the dynasty villa, its belongings, and its surroundings–along with the Te’Oken fortune and the dynasty seal shall be inherited by my son and only heir, Rynar, on the sole condition that he be wed in an official union ceremony.
The clause cannot be changed or eliminated. It is mandatory for access to his inheritance.
The responsibility of the estate and the dynasty seal is too great for one being.
Rynar leanedback against his leather chair.
He had to get married or he’d lose his family legacy.
The problem was he didn’twantto get married. Perhaps never. He’d seen what love and devotion had done to his father after he’d lost his fated mate, the one being in the universe who could make him whole.
The fortune he could live without. After his career, he didn’t need it. But the estate was where he’d grown up. The villa still contained his youngling bedroom, the scrolls that had made him fall in love with words, his parents’ burial grounds. He couldn’t give the estate up without surrendering his memories, as well.
And the seal. Rynar wanted his dynasty’s seal. It secured him a place among the elders once he was deemed too old to travel between worlds.
But he needed it now.
He needed to find a wife.
One who would accept this was merely a transaction, nothing more. Someone who would be able to live with him for a short amount of time and not detest it. Someone who didn’t need to marry for love.
A being who could understand himandthe deal.
Where in the worlds would he find someone like that?
3
ALISSIA
Alissia almost spilled her coffee and dropped her sandwich in her rush to find a secluded room for her call. The same one she made every day, to her little brother Damian. At almost six feet and a few months away from college, he wasn’t so little anymore, but Alissia would always be his big sister.
She found a forgotten office, filled with ugly desks nobody had used in years, and sat on the least dusty one. She had maybe five minutes. Rynar had already looked over the contracts–bless him–but Doug hadn’t been all that careful with his research notes. As usual.
With a swipe on her phone, Damian’s face appeared on the screen. She used a picture of him from when he was a toddler and liked playing in puddles; he smiled wide at the camera, half of his body covered in mud.
A sip of coffee and a big bite of her sandwich later, Damian answered, his face replacing the avatar. Gone were thefull cheeks, toothy grin, and muddy overalls. Eighteen year-old Damian had long black hair, tucked in a neat ponytail, a piercing through his right eyebrow, and a penchant for black T-shirts.
“Heympf,” Alissia said, still chewing the big bite from her underwhelming sandwich; her budget only covered stale bread and tasteless cheese. But once they paid whatever Damian’s scholarship didn’t cover, she could buy the more expensive ones. Hello, lunch meat.
“Hey,” Damian said. But he didn’t sound like his usual zestful self. He had a talent of seeing the beauty in nooks and crannies Alissia didn’t bother with. Which is why he was going to be an amazing architect.
But…no joke about her glasses? Not even the coffee stain on her blouse? And why wasn’t he looking directly into the camera? His eyes were downcast and heavy.
Alissia’s big sister instincts flared up. “What’s wrong?”
“I–we’ll talk when you get home.”
“Okay,” she said, even though curiosity beat inside her like a drum. Damian didn’t get upset over little things. He was the optimist. Alissia was the worrier. It’s what they did. “At least give me a hint about what’s going on.”
Damian sighed so hard, his shoulders deflated. “We have a problem. Well,Ihave a problem.”
They’d faced all problems together so far. Alissia saw no point in stopping.
