Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Everyone was there.
And I do mean everyone.
Aunts, uncles, cousins, and more importantly—the five bosses, Abandonato, Nicolasi, Alfero, Sinacore-Petrov, and our Capo dei Capi, Tex Campisi.
This was no family dinner.
My dad eyed me; my mom wiped a tear from her cheek. I almost asked who died, and then my dad, the strongest man I have ever known—pulled out a gun.
My dad never scared me. Because it was in my blood too, the need to destroy so I could make sure I was still alive. Blood of my blood. Soul of my soul. We were one and the same. Why would I ever be afraid of him? It would be like looking in the mirror and screaming out of terror for myself.
But in that moment, I was afraid.
“Serena,” he rasped. “Come forward.”
My legs took me to his six-foot-two frame. He was wearing a black on black suit; his lip ring flickered under the lights. His blue eyes searched mine. And then he pointed the gun to my forehead and whispered. “Make your choice.”
I almost hurled all over his Armani suit. I could see my mom out of the corner of my eye, silently weeping—hoping I would choose the Family, choose blood, and a life of war. “If you stay, you earn your patron saint when you make your first kill—if you aren’t with us, you are against us, you will turn and walk seven steps, counting each one out loud until there are no more steps to take, and your heart will beat no more.”
Shaking, I stared my dad down and whispered. “Blood in, no out.” Then I very slowly kneeled in front of him and waited as the blood of my father dripped slowly over my head.
Crowning me Queen.
I was his firstborn, after all.
His legacy.
And I would rather chop off my own arm than disappoint him.
He held out his bloodied hand.
I took it and stood.
He flipped my hand over and sliced across my palm. It stung like hell, and he immediately pressed his bloodied palm to mine and said in such a sad voice that I wanted to burst into tears. “I have taken over thirty-seven souls from this earth. You will do that and more for the Family—your soul is no longer yours—it’s ours. Welcome to the Family.” He bent down and kissed each cheek, and then in a shaky voice, whispered, “Next.”
One by one, the cousins went.
Ash was next.
Chase was ruthless, but Chase was notorious for having no moral compass. He didn’t even give Ash the option. Then again, Ash had been doing a lot of killing lately. He was already a made man, so all he had to do was swear fealty to the Family—or at least, so I thought, and then I saw a knife get jabbed somewhere between rib one and two.
“Remember the pain.” Chase gritted his teeth. “Let it burn down to your very soul, and remember that you are in the business of giving death—not life.” He pulled the knife out Ash swayed a bit then nodded.
“Next,” Chase said in a bold voice.
Junior walked up to his dad, Phoenix. If there were ever a person to be petrified of, it would be Phoenix. He didn’t even know the meaning of the word good. He dealt in death and secrets. He kept the five families safe.
And had a history nobody would tell any of the kids about.
But I saw the times my dad flinched when Phoenix talked to my mom. Even when they were laughing, there was an underlying tension.
Phoenix went through the pledge, Junior knelt in front of his father, and when he stood, it wasn’t just his dad that slit his palm and pressed it to his, but mine stepped forward.
Tension swirled around the room.
What the hell?
I gulped as my dad gripped his still bloody dagger and then grabbed Junior’s forearm, digging the tip of the knife into his skin and very slowly creating a bloodied circle.
Junior clenched his teeth in pain as my dad leaned in and pressed his bloodied palm to the fresh wound and with venom in his words spat. “The sins of the father are passed down—break my trust, and I’ll remove this scar from your body and make you wear one around your face.”
I gaped.
“Yes, sir.” Junior didn’t look at me.
He didn’t give us away.
But I knew… the stakes were higher now.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur as Breaker stood in front of his father. Maksim was next, and our bloody oaths continued as the younger kids watched with wide eyes.
Their own mothers not even telling them to turn away.
Because why would they do them such a great disservice of not preparing them for their future?
When it was all over with, everyone cheered, wine was poured, and I went into the bathroom. Asher didn’t even knock, just walked right in, followed by Junior, Maksim, Violet, Izzy, King, and finally Breaker.