Maggie’s body stills. She turns her head a little to glance over her shoulder. “You don’t know?”
“No. At least, I don’t understand it fully.”
She heaves in a wheezing breath.
“Blackwoods are boundless, ruthless, merciless, fearless and savage when required,” she recites as if it’s embedded in her brain. “They answer, bow, and listen to no one.
“Blackwoods retain their respect and reputation and remain lawless except for one law they must always abide by. Failure to obey this law will result in the death of the lawbreaker. A Blackwood will do no harm to another Blackwood.
“Any member of this invaluable bloodline who brings harm, injury, pain, or otherwise any form of physical wound to another member will suffer the only consequence deemed fit for this crime. Death.
“Blackwoods do not turn on each other. Without loyalty, without the bond that sets them apart from any other family, they are nothing.”
I soak in the words, clearly memorised and relayed flawlessly.
“Who passed the law?” I ask. “It’s not exactly something a non-royal family would have.”
She sighs, wiping down the counter. “Generations ago, when the Blackwoods decided to strive for status in the underworld and establish themselves as crime lords, two Blackwood brothers turned on each other. One wanted one thing, the other another. It ripped the family apart. One brother killed the other. It was their sister who stopped their entire foundation from crumbling. That’s also why Blackwoods deem always having a woman in their lives as prudent to their survival. Women have an ability to soothe those angry men who only think with greed. We think with reason. The sister brought the law in to stop any more Blackwoods dying from a mindless attack. She also wanted something that would set them apart from the rest of the families in the crime world, unite them tighter than the rest. The sister was an intelligent, astute woman, she saw an opportunity, a way to gain advantage in a world she saw filled with power-hungry, brain-dead men.”
I let the story work its way through my brain. So, all the misogyny Caden oozes, his father too – it’s the biggest contradiction of all. They abide by a law a woman created for them. This new knowledge fills my veins, cushions my muscles, then settles in my bones.
“What happened to her other brother? The one who murdered the other.”
“She killed him,” she says casually. “The story goes that she made him suffer for it, too. For his senselessness. And then she created the law, and the next time two Blackwoods clashed, the aggressor was killed by her hand, making the statement concrete. Once the men in the family realised it was serious, a bond was formed stronger than ever. It made them think before they acted out of rage. Better decisions were made, smarter moves were executed, and would you guess it? More money wasmade. It taught them control over their emotions. When death is lingering over your head, you tend to think for a second before attacking. Family is the most important thing on this planet. Whether that’s by blood and you’re born to them, or they’re found and you form a bond as strong as a bloodline. In my opinion, some bonds formed from the latter have turned out to be stronger than those born of blood.” She catches my eye at those words, and I feel her personal connection to them. She’s not a Blackwood, but that’s not how they’ve made her feel. My thoughts travel briefly to Fiz, wondering if he feels the same after getting so defensive over my comments during our riveting shopping trip.
I shake them off. I don’t care.
“Anyway, the last incident was only once more after that. Two cousins. One stabbed the other over a woman. Messy. The victim lived, but of course, the jealous, bitter stabber got executed.”
“Who does the executing? Is it a set person?”
“The victim, if surviving, will always be given the choice by whoever is king of the Blackwoods. If they do not wish to kill them themselves, or did not survive, then the king will.”
“King?” I frown. “But the sister wasn’t king?”
“No?” She turns to face me. “A woman cannot be king?”
I’m clearly missing something. “She’d be a queen, right?”
Maggie shakes her head as if I’m an idiot. “By monarchy standards, the king is of higher rank, right? So, if a woman is heir, say, one daughter in the line, she’d be the queen. She bares a son who would become king, and he is already seen as higher rank. The sister didn’t take kindly to that image, after she became the heir and the men around her saw her as below her now-dead brothers. And especially because it was thanks to her that the Blackwoods gained the power they did. The heir is the almighty. They who take the throne is the ultimate. So… if it is a woman to take it, she will be seen as king. The highestrank. Almighty. And it stuck, especially after her determination to stitch her family back together. The lengths she was willing to go to keep the Blackwoods united. They don’t care about gender terms, they care about power.”
A girl as king. Sounds badass.
“That’s enough history for today.” Maggie wipes her hands on her apron, looking suddenly flushed. “I have work to do. You want a piece of advice, though? Don’t get between Caden and Alfie. I see how they both look at you and it’s none of my business what goes on but…” She taps a finger on the counter. “Just don’t cause trouble between them. I’d like to think their bond is stronger than to let some Valor pussy fracture it, but they’re still men. Don’t do anything stupid.”
I scoff. “It’s not my issue how they deal with their feelings.”
Maggie rolls her eyes and gathers up her products. “You’ve got a lot to learn, girl.”
She disappears. Right. A woman is prudent to the men’s survival. So, what is she saying, they all expect me to solve their disputes? Break up their fights? I don’t even fucking like them. If Caden hurt Alfie, I’d be in the front row at his execution.
The thought slices through my conscience. Alright, maybe there are some things I should definitely keep to myself.
I can understand just the slightest bit more why my reputation is so important to Caden. But the question is now, if the women in this family need to be as pristine as a brand-new trophy, why did Russell agree to this? Why would he want this whore as his heir’s wife? Unless Drago was the one who encouraged it. I don’t know what was said between the two of them. Drago only suggested the business merger. It was Russell who offered my dad the marriage proposal. But what if the idea came from Drago?
The thought sends a cold shiver down my spine. I remember what he said to me. The words that still haunt my dreams. Whatif Drago’s lingering behind this union, waiting for the perfect moment to strike?
Caden’s devoted to protecting me because of his image, but does that extend to Drago – a man who outranks him? If Drago’s behind it, if he’s put me in this position just to cultivate me for something worse…
