Page 117 of Speak No Claim

Regardless, this curse…

It fucking ended with me.

“If I pledge my alliance to the Brotherhood, can you spare Mr. Devereaux’s life?”

I could feel Onyx’s glare and Mr. Devereaux’s surprised gaze burning holes all over my body.

Finally, a council member replied, “You’re a woman.”

I didn’t hesitate. “I’m a legacy, and if it weren’t for my ancestors, none of you would be standing here today, so if you really want to talk about the order of things, let’s start there.”

Onyx softly chuckled from behind me, and out of nowhere, Caspian groaned in pain, rolling onto his side.

Pleading my case, I added, “The truth is out now. There is no need for more killing unless you’re doing it for your own sick pleasure and not for what’s in the best interest of your blood oath, which, let me remind you, needs to come first, right?” Grabbing the dagger that they used to cut down Caspian off the grass, I sliced it into the palm of my hand, vowing, “Speak No Evil, Hear No Promises, See No Temptation.” With that, I threw it on the ground between us, lifting my hand to show them my blood oath.

My uncle didn’t hide his pleased expression. He displayed it just as proudly as I was.

To my complete and utter dismay, Onyx stepped out beside me, in front of me actually. Swiftly, my tío did the same, standing beside him. Within seconds, Mr. Devereaux was standing there also.

What they were doing was a ritual in itself, that much I was aware of. As if on cue, Caspian suddenly stood beside Mr. Devereaux, who grabbed him, trying to hold him steady.

Coughing up a lung, Caspian groaned out, “I’m also a legacy family, from the Hawthorne crest, and I think this is a great fucking idea. Can we bury this shit?”

I resisted the urge to chuckle. In true Caspian form, he was a smart-ass even in pain.

“I stand before the Blood Oath Brotherhood,” Mr. Devereaux announced, bringing our attention back to him. It was only then that I noticed he was holding the dagger.

“With the power of the Devereaux crest, my family lineage, for which we would not be gathering here tonight, I vow my oath to you: Speak No Claim, Hear No Promises, See No Temptation.” He slid the knife through the palm of his hand and immediately grabbed mine, lifting it in the air. “The ritual of silence, I accept Hennessy Belladonna into our secret society. For she is the legacy of the Belladonna family, one of the original thirteen families.”

Passing the blade to my uncle, he proceeded to do the same thing, and then Onyx repeated it. I swear I wasn’t intending on this to happen, but my blood wouldn’t be poison after all…

It’d be liberation.

The council members gathered, whispering something into the night. I couldn’t help it. I stared up at the sky, locking eyes with the full moon as crows gathered above us. As soon as I saw them, I knew everything would be alright, or at least, as alright as it could be, given the circumstances.

I wasn’t mad about my father’s infidelity. I wasn’t going to pretend to know what happened in their relationship to make my father stray. It made sense why my family never wanted to speak to me about him. I wondered if it was from the promises he made to save me and Deja.

Is that why they ordered Onyx to watch me?

He was protecting Deja from the truth she still didn’t know, and I’d never tell her. It wasn’t my place to.

I wonder what would happen if she found out my father was hers too?

It made perfect sense why I felt this immediate connection to her, and the truth was, she felt it too. She was the first and only person to welcome me to the Graves Academy.

It all made sense now. Every last second of the past four months of my life came down to this moment.

Fate always had a way of catching up to you.

No matter what, my destiny was here whether I wanted it to be or not. That was the thing about the universe: the pendulum always came back around.

With luck.

With money.

With power.

With anything…