I squint up at him in disbelief. “Are you sure you’re okay with it?”
“I have more important things to take care of. Like marrying you, for starters,” he says with a playful grin. “And sex. Lots of fucking once you’re better.”
“Don’t tease me right now. What else did the Order say?”
“That’s the gist of it.”
Pressing my lips together, I search his face, looking for clues in his expression. In the tight set of his jaw. The too casual shrug of his shoulders. The way he tried to distract me with jokes.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask, fear clogging my throat.
After a moment of silence, he exhales sharply. “The council said that I can inherit my family’s empire if I get married.”
“And?”
“And produce a male heir within the next five years to ensure the Donovan line.”
When he doesn’t continue, my stomach churns with nerves. “And?”
He looks at me, and his gray eyes flash with defiance. “And my wife has to be approved by the Order.”
A sense of defeat wraps around me, sapping my energy. My head falls back against the pillow, and I stare up at the ceiling as my mind races with the implications of that edict.
“‘A bride will never be a crow’s wife,’” I whisper, my voice breaking.
Xavier shifts, reaching out to grab my chin and angle it so I’m looking at him. “I don’t care what the Order wants,” he says firmly, the steel in his voice matching the determination in his eyes. “Iwillmarry you.”
“But…” My voice trails off, the gravity of his words sinking in. “Marrying me is a risk. I don’t mean that only in the financial sense.”
“I’ve chosen you,” he says, tightening his grip on my chin. “I willalwayschoose you over anyone, or anything, else. The Order. My empire. My life. None of that shit matters if I can’t have you.”
I take his hand and remove it from my face, resting it just above my heart. It beats steadily for him. Because of him.
“And what about the Donovan line?”
“I really doubt that’ll be a problem.” Xavier smiles, a wry, slightly amused curve of his lips. “I’m ready to startnow, but I want you to get your degree first. I know how important that is to you. After that… we’ll have our own personal Bride Hunt.”
“Are you proposing to me?”
“I’m not asking.”
I roll my eyes. “Xavier Donovan, if you want to marry me, you will ask me. For once in your life.”
“That would imply that you have a choice, and you don’t. Not when it comes to us. I love you too much to let you go.”
Chapter 56
DELILAH
End of Freshman Year
The huge auditoriumbuzzes with excitement, the chatter of everyone present filling the room. Rows upon rows of seats are filled with families and friends, all eagerly waiting to see their loved ones walk across the stage. The stage itself is grand, adorned with deep blue and gold drapery, the colors of South Harbor University.
I sit between Raven and June right in front of the stage, the location giving us a perfect view of everything. I don’t have to guess how we ended up here in this prime seating. It’s Xavier’s, Declan’s, and Ben’s graduation day.
The valedictorian walks up to the podium, and the crowd goes silent. Then the only sound is her voice echoing through the auditorium as she gives her speech. Despite her words of inspiration and perseverance, my mind keeps drifting to the Order and the dread it stirs in me. The secret society is here, along with its leaders.
The ten founding families.
